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How and Why Increasing Employee Pay Can Pay Off (Infographic)

For many businesses, watching the bottom line means carefully watching pay raises and levels. But that can be something that works against companies, too. The experts have found that, not unsurprisingly, raising pay can be an attractive way to keep employees and improve productivity.

 Take convincing the best workers that your company is the place they want to commit to: Pay is a factor for about two-thirds of them. And recruiting new employees (and keeping them once they’ve gotten hired) is an expensive proposition. And frankly, companies want to be known as a good place to work—and boosting employee pay is one way to increase the positive chatter about a brand.

But like anything with your company, boosting pay isn’t something that you can do in an off-hand manner. You have to think about it and think it through to be strategic. Why is it a good thing and how can you approach it? This graphic courtesy of Quill.com explains it.

How and Why Increasing Employee Pay Can Pay Off (Infographic) posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

According to a Recent Study/Survey … End-of-November 2017 Edition

Lessons in Visibility, Accuracy and Automation from the QSR Industry

What if I told you that as restaurant operators, you have the potential to save $1.3 million annually and enhance the perception of your food’s freshness among key consumer demographics? It almost sounds too good to be true, but that is exactly what one of the largest quick service chains in the world recently achieved through a focus on operational efficiency and better data management.  

In today’s hyperconnected, data-driven marketplace, it could not be more critical for foodservice businesses of all shapes and sizes to improve data accuracy.

Independent Purchasing Cooperative (IPC) is a SUBWAY® franchisee-owned and operated purchasing cooperative. Maintaining a laser sharp focus on their “Fresh Forward” theme, IPC has for several years worked to achieve the full traceability of suppliers’ products as they travel from their source into SUBWAY restaurants. Consumers today are not just concerned about foodborne illness outbreaks, they are empowered more than ever to learn about food origins, ingredients, and nutritional information. IPC and other foodservice industry stakeholders are laying the foundation to enable greater transparency and traceability to help those consumers stay informed and confident about their food choices. 

The key to their traceability progress has been industry collaboration based on GS1 Standards. A significant driver of change and innovation for IPC, GS1 Standards enable the fast and accurate flow of data and goods between manufacturers, distributors, and other supply chain partners. The GS1 System of Standards includes unique product identification numbers, data capture methods such as barcodes, and the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN), which enables trading partners to globally exchange product information in an electronic and efficient way. IPC also plays an active role in the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative, working together with its partners and peers on traceability, as well as driving waste out of the foodservice supply chain and improving product information.

Dennis Clabby, executive vice president, purchasing, of IPC, recently discussed the company’s innovative traceability program and described three supply chain efficiencies gained through the common language of global standards. 

Visibility

“Knowing exactly where a specific lot code of food product is in the supply chain is our goal. If a product is a risk to our brand, and our customers, the benefits of adopting the use of standards are immeasurable,” said Clabby.

IPC leverages a particular kind of barcode—the GS1-128 barcode—which includes pertinent traceability information such as the product’s global identifier called a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), date, and lot/batch number. Restaurant operators have the option to scan GS1-128 barcodes at time of delivery and then again during inventory. This could provide near real-time information to the supply chain about the product, including remaining shelf life and whether there are any quality concerns associated with this product.

“By scanning GS1- 128 barcodes, we can have full supply chain visibility which enables us and our trading partners to make informed decisions about production, forecasting and inventory which drives efficiencies in our supply chain. Scanning GS1- 128 barcodes reduces the opportunity for errors in receiving, inventory management, stock rotation and picking processes,” Clabby explained.

Accuracy

In today’s hyperconnected, data-driven marketplace, it could not be more critical for foodservice businesses of all shapes and sizes to improve data accuracy. IPC leverages the GDSN for real time access to product details.

“GDSN enables us to gain significant ROI with logistics optimization by having one source of truth. We have been able to quantify $1.3 million dollars in annual cost avoidance by making sure that the source data is always accurate,” Clabby said.

Industry standards and best practices are not just for major corporations either. Widespread trading partner collaboration—from large, small and mid-sized companies—to eliminate bad data helps ensure a laser-sharp focus on the consumer and benefits everyone’s goals for winning and maintaining loyalty.

Automation

To give IPC the speed they need to keep up with the demands of today’s digital world, the automation gained through the GDSN replaced error-prone manual data transmission methods. Technology, IPC said, is essential in being able to continuously improve supply chain process and products.

“We have strived to eliminate communicating item information via email, in Excel sheets, or phone calls,” explained Clabby.

If there is a new product to be launched, trading partners use the “one to many” benefits of the synchronized network, as opposed to tedious “one to one” manual communication.  This means that information exchanged among networked trading partners is continually updated and accurate—any change made to one company’s database is immediately shared with the other partners.

This automation helps feed the right information at the right time to IPC’s innovative SubVentory app. It is used by SUBWAY restaurants to receive and inventory products. “Receipts and inventories are automatically updated and provide detailed and aggregated product visibility,” explained Clabby.

Ultimately, IPC made several tweaks and learned many lessons on its journey toward improved traceability. By leveraging GS1 Standards, IPC has made food products in their supply chain more visible and traceable, thus supporting the company’s priority to bolster consumer confidence in the freshness of their food.  

 

Lessons in Visibility, Accuracy and Automation from the QSR Industry posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Search Is On for New Chipotle CEO and More Rewards in Store at 7-Eleven

The Vanilla Equation

 

“Ask the Expert” features advice from Wade Winters, Vice President of Supply Chain for Consolidated Concepts Inc. Please send questions for this column to Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine Executive Editor Barbara Castiglia at bcastiglia@modernrestaurantmanagement.com.

This post was written by Charlie Lewis and Wade Winters.

Q: What alternatives are available when the price of vanilla skyrockets?

Because of the demand and costly process to produce, vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron.

A: If your restaurant or bakery uses any reasonable amount of vanilla, you have seen the impact of a price increase, which was the result of a cyclone that hit Madagascar in early March.  Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of vanilla, supplying nearly 75 percent of all available supply.

Vanilla is a flavoring derived from a flowering plant (orchid) that grows on a vine, and takes three-plus years to grow, harvest and dry before it can be sold. It is a very labor-intensive item to process, and is subject to many threats that can impact the crop such as weather and insects.  The industry lacks advanced machinery; therefore, all planting, harvesting, and drying is done manually. Currently the demand is exceeding supply due to consumers wanting natural ingredients. In fact, Nestle Crunch bars now contain real vanilla instead of artificial.  Because of the demand and costly process to produce, vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron.

So, what alternatives can a chef or baker consider? 

Here are a few ideas:

• Similar to what is available with butter, chocolate and oils; there are vanilla blends which have a similar taste and aroma to vanilla but are lower in cost
• Maple syrup is found in many recipes replacing vanilla
• Almond extract is a possible option which is strong in flavor so less is needed
• Vanilla essence is a synthetic compound used to recreate the flavor of vanilla
• Vanilla powder is a mixture of ground vanilla beans or vanilla oleoresin or both, with other blending ingredients
• Vanilla flavored liqueur is another popular option
• Fior di sicilia which is an extract of citrus, vanilla and flower essences is a possible substitute
• Imitation Vanilla is available in various levels of quality and price. If your dessert is getting baked and/or has bold flavors, you can likely use the imitation variety.

There are options; however, for the baking purist there is no substitute and vanilla will come at a premium price.

The Vanilla Equation posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Changing Drinking Culture: A Recipe for Restaurants

Last month, rising rates of overdose deaths in the United States became a national public health emergency.  Opiate overdose is the leading cause of death for people in the U.S. under 50 years of age.  More people are dying from opiate overdose than any other accidental fatality, including fatal car accidents.  The US response to epidemic levels of overdose fatalities is to accelerate drug prohibition, “just say no” campaigns, and abstinence-based treatment programs. 

These strategies are widely proven to be ineffective in and of themselves, but the larger problem is that they do not exist in a vacuum.  People seeking recovery from drugs and alcohol live within a society that has a pervasive drinking culture – one which complicates strategies to reduce the harms of substance use. It is hypocritical for society to ask people to stop drinking and then to leave U.S. drinking culture entirely unaddressed. Changing drinking culture doesn’t have to mean reducing alcohol supply, however.  Rather, it can mean offering non-alcoholic options and deals at parity with alcoholic ones.

Changing drinking culture doesn’t have to mean reducing alcohol supply.

If non-alcoholic options were as available and affordable as alcoholic options, people seeking recovery could have an increased ability to feel social connection, maintain recovery, and stay alive.  This is the role that restaurants and bars must play in reducing the opioid epidemic – offer non-alcoholic drinks as part of meal deals at par with wine, beers and cocktails.  Stock up on non-alcoholic drinks that aren’t used as cocktail base.  Not all people practice abstinence-based recovery.  In fact, many people find recovery from certain substances while still being able to do others.  For many people, a form of harm reduction is to reduce alcohol consumption during certain times or occasions.  It is not necessary or realistic to ask restaurants and businesses to stop offering alcohol in robust and artistic fashions, just as it isn’t necessary to ask people in recovery to suck it up and deal with it or stay at home. 

Here are four ways that restaurants, bars, and social institutions can help reduce opiate overdose and save lives:

1. Review the drinking culture in your establishment. Is drinking on the job encouraged or tolerated?  Do employees and customers in recovery feel comfortable and welcome?  Beginning to talk about substance use and misuse can foster a welcoming and supportive environment
2. Consider offering and advertising non-alcoholic drinks as part of meal deals and specials
3. Offer a wide variety of non-alcoholic drink options. You can survey customers to see what they would like
4. Create and promote non-alcoholic specialty drinks

I am not an alcoholic, but I didn’t drink alcohol for over seven years because I struggled with drug dependency.  I used drugs, including heroin, for eight years and tried to stop using for half of those.  One of the largest factors to my success finding recovery was realizing that, despite not having issues with alcohol itself, drinking would often lower my inhibitions and increase my cravings for hard drugs. This combination overwhelmingly led to relapse.  And, as was typical in my drug use, relapse was accompanied by incredible damage to my relationships, finances, and overall wellbeing.  So, I told myself that I would try and stop drinking for one year and see what happened.  Discontinuing alcohol use ended up benefiting me greatly because it also helped me stay away from people and situations that tempted or triggered me. 

Socially, not drinking was perhaps the hardest part of my continued recovery (after the first few, rough years).  Whenever I meet someone new, I have to find creative ways to disclose my sobriety.  Whenever I go out, I have to say “no” to other people’s offers to buy me drinks, with or without explanation, several times a night.  Complete abstinence means navigating these interpersonal dynamics every day, and abstaining from all mind-altering substances is by far the most widely supported and available form of recovery in the United States. 

Saying “no” to alcohol wasn’t nearly as hard as dealing with the isolation and self-loathing that come with being the only person who isn’t or can’t engage in an activity everyone else is doing.  It can be lonely and exhausting trying to socialize in restaurants, bars, and clubs as a person in recovery.

I frequent the restaurants in my neighborhood that have a good variety of non-alcoholic beverages and allow me flexibility with changing out non-alcoholic drinks for alcoholic ones. These conscious businesses are doing their part to support the overall health and wellness of the community. 

Changing Drinking Culture: A Recipe for Restaurants posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Arby’s To Acquire Buffalo Wild Wings and OpenTable’s Open Heart for Hungry Kids

The #GivingTuesday edition of MRM’s Daily Bite features Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, OpenTable and No Kid Hungry, The American Culinary Federation, Legacy Hall as well as Chicago Faucets and The Handwashing Leadership Forum.

Send news items to Barbara Castiglia at bcastiglia@modernrestaurantmanagement.com.  

Arby’s Makes Deal for Buffalo Wild Wings 

Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. will acquire Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $2.9 billion, including Buffalo Wild Wing’s net debt.  The companies entered into a definitive merger agreement for $157 per share in cash which has been unanimously approved by both companies’ Boards of Directors and represents a premium of approximately 38 percent to Buffalo Wild Wing’s 30-day volume-weighted average stock price as of November 13, 2017, the latest trading day prior to news reports speculating about a potential transaction. Following the close of the transaction, Buffalo Wild Wings will be a privately-held subsidiary of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. and will continue to be operated as an independent brand. Paul Brown will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the parent company.

“Buffalo Wild Wings is one of the most distinctive and successful entertainment and casual dining restaurant companies in America,” said Brown. “We are excited to welcome a brand with such a rich heritage, led by an exceptionally talented team. We look forward to leveraging the combined strengths of both organizations into a truly differentiated and transformative multi-brand restaurant company.”

“We are excited about this merger and confident Arby’s represents an excellent partner for Buffalo Wild Wings,” added Sally Smith, CEO of Buffalo Wild Wings. “This transaction provides compelling value to our shareholders and is a testament to the hard work and efforts of our talented Team Members and franchisees. We are confident that the strength of our two industry-leading brands, under the sponsorship of Roark Capital – an experienced restaurant and food service investor – will enable us to capitalize on significant growth opportunities in the years ahead.”

The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2018, subject to the approval of BWW shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.

Arby’s is majority owned by affiliates of Roark Capital Group (Roark), an Atlanta based private equity firm that focuses on investing in franchised and multi-unit businesses in the restaurant, retail and other consumer sectors. Affiliates of Roark are committing all of the equity that, together with the proceeds of debt financing, will be necessary to complete the transaction. Certain funds advised by Marcato Capital Management, LP, which own approximately 6.4 percent of the outstanding shares of Buffalo Wild Wings, have entered into an agreement to vote in favor of the transaction.

Barclays is serving as financial advisor and White & Case LLP is serving as legal counsel to ARG. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as financial advisor and Faegre Baker Daniels LLP is serving as legal counsel to BWW.

Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. is the parent company, owner-operator, and franchisor of the Arby’s brand. Arby’s, founded in 1964, has more than 3,300 restaurants in seven countries. Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., founded in 1982 and headquartered in Minneapolis has more than 1,250 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 10 countries. 

OpenTable Diners Can Donate Points to Help End Childhood Hunger 

In the spirit of the holiday season, OpenTable diners will have the opportunity to donate their OpenTable dining points to No Kid Hungry®, a campaign of the national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength.

Every 100 OpenTable points donated can provide up to five meals to children in need.

Through OpenTable’s relationship with longtime non-profit partner Share Our Strength, points donations made beginning on Tuesday, November 28th through Monday, December 11th, will benefit the No Kid Hungry® campaign, which provides nutritious meals to children struggling with hunger in America. Every 100 points donated can provide a child in need with up to five healthy meals. To deepen the impact of this effort, OpenTable will match donations.

“While the holidays are a special time for dining with friends and family, we cannot forget about those who don’t have that opportunity or know when they’ll receive their next meal,” said Scott Jampol, OpenTable Senior Vice President of Marketing. “We, along with our restaurant partners, hope diners embrace this opportunity so that together we can make a real difference in supporting hungry children this holiday season.”

To donate points, diners can simply visit their profile page to view their points and select “donate my points.”  From there, they’ll have an opportunity to donate a portion or all of their points in support of No Kid Hungry®. OpenTable will match the first 100,000 meals donated by diners. 

Eight Chefs Selected to Represent the U.S. on ACF Culinary Team USA

After a rigorous selection process, eight talented chefs from across the United States have been named to the The American Culinary Federation (ACF) Culinary Team USA 2020, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions.

“This impressive group of professionals has earned the opportunity to represent American chefs and cuisine on the global stage, and we are more than confident that they are up to the challenge,” said ACF National President Stafford T. DeCambra, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC. “We look forward to following their progress as they train, and to cheering their successes in the coming years.”

The chefs, who were chosen after completing a multi-part application and competition process earlier this year, gathered for the first time on Nov. 11 and 12 for a practice session in Madison, Wisconsin. The inaugural gathering, sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, included a fundraising dinner with support from Mad City ACF Chapter. The team prepared a four-course menu in a competition-style format.

In the practice sessions and fundraisers over the coming year, the chefs will work with the team’s coaches and managers to prepare their first competition at the Culinary World Cup/EXPOGAST 2018 in Luxembourg. The team will go on to compete in a variety of international events culminating in the 2020 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, commonly referred to as the “culinary Olympics,” in Stuttgart, Germany.

“Not all chefs are great competitors, but the skills that lead to success in competition are valuable to all chefs,” said ACF Culinary Team USA Manager Reimund Pitz, CEC, CCE, AAC. “In assembling this Culinary Team USA, we looked for culinarians who demonstrated consummate skill and creativity, the ability to work as part of a team and a fierce dedication to the craft. As experienced competitors ourselves, the leadership team and I will endeavor to pass on our wisdom to these chefs, and to ensure that each of them has the resources they need to hone their abilities even further.”

The eight chefs of the 2020 ACF Culinary Team USA are:

• Stephen Bush, CEC, team chef, sous chef at The Club at Mediterra in Naples, FL
• Andrew Corrao, CCC, CEPC, team pastry chef, banquet/pastry chef at Bambara Restaurant in Salt Lake City, UT
• Gerald Ford, CMC, team chef, senior sous chef at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, FL
• Thomas Haggerty, CCC, team chef, sous chef at the Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, FL
• Geoffrey Lanez, CEC, team chef, sous chef at Somerset Club and CEO/owner of Burrd Productions in Boston, MA
• Robert Marilla, CEC, team chef, chef instructor at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC
• Kelsee Newman, CEPC, team pastry chef, pastry arts instructor at Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in Cincinnati, OH
• Lyn Wells, team chef, sous chef at Cowboy Kitchen/Club in Wellington, UT and adjunct instructor at Utah Valley University Culinary Arts Institute

ACF Culinary Team USA began competing in international competitions in 1956. The 1960 team captured the first world championship honor at the IKA and repeated the distinction in 1980, 1984 and 1988. In 2012, Team USA won a silver medal in cold-food presentation and a silver medal in the hot-food kitchen, placing sixth overall. At the last IKA in 2016, the team earned the top score and the overall gold medal in culinary art in the cold-food competition and ranked fourth in the world among 30 teams.

ACF Culinary Team USA is currently sponsored by Browne Foodservice, Friedr. Dick, NewChef, Southbend, Turbo Chef and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Team managers are accepting applications via the website for the ACF Culinary Youth Team USA 2020 until December 1. To learn more about ACF Culinary Team USA, including how to support their efforts, visit click here.

 Legacy Hall: Dine + Drink + Discover

Legacy Hall debuted in Plano, TX on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The three-story, 55,000-square-foot European-style food hall, brewery and live music and entertainment venue is located at 7800 Windrose Ave. in the Legacy West development.

“Legacy Hall is the first of its kind, and it’s one of the most extraordinary food halls on the planet,” said Jack Gibbons, President & COO of Front Burner Restaurants. “Legacy Hall offers the very best in food theater, showcasing the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of delicious cuisines presented by a blue-chip collection of culinary experts who are passionate about turning each meal into an experience. Conceiving, designing and building a concept of this magnitude takes a lot of work – including visits to many of the top food halls across the globe – and we can’t wait to show off the results at this incredible dining and entertainment destination.”

Gensler designed Legacy Hall. Raw wood, concrete, steel, modified shipping containers, exposed ductwork, conduits and pipes are all carefully and purposefully arranged to create a functional artistic expression of what a building is.

Legacy Hall will open with an eclectic collection of 20 artisanal food stalls featuring everything from elevated Neapolitan pizzas, gourmet burgers and Baja-style tacos, to worldly selections like shawarma, yakitori and bao steam buns. As guests explore the modern industrial first floor, they will encounter a natural wine and charcuterie bar, a rotating food stall with an ever-changing menu and a sprawling craft cocktail bar called Bar Main.

The second floor comprises Legacy Hall’s main seating area, comfortably accommodating 250 or more guests. A single food stall, Sea Breeze Lobsta’ & Chowda’ House, can also be found here, along with an indoor/outdoor bar – the Good View Bar – that opens onto a balcony overlooking the Box Garden.

The third floor houses a fully functioning craft brewery – Unlawful Assembly Brewery & Tap Room – featuring classic pub fare and 21 operating tanks used to crank out its portfolio of premium year-round beers, along with a rotating tap selection of highly creative, collaborative and seasonal beers. The brewery will open with six premium beers – The Antagonist Amber Lager, Public Dissent Pale Ale, Deviant Behavior Belgian Wit, Real American Brown Ale, Idol Time Passion Pineapple Wheat and Barrel Aged Brown Ale. Starting in January, UABC will commission the canning line and prepare for distribution off-site.

Gensler’s strategic architectural design had to accompany the beer tanks’ atypical placement on the second and third floors. “The weight of the brewing tanks is equal to supporting roughly 100 elephants,” explained Gensler Principal Barry Hand. “The load-bearing requirements and codes for a brewery of this capacity were an interesting puzzle to solve.”

Guests will also enjoy the tap room within the brewery that serves as an ideal gathering place for people looking to enjoy the sights and sounds of a working brewery while hanging out with friends. The UABC Tap Room will host private parties and acoustic live music shows in a unique and intimate setting. Tours and tastings will be available for private events.

The Box Garden – opening spring 2018 – will be located ground level adjacent to the food hall. Constructed from reclaimed shipping containers, this expansive courtyard will hold more than 1,500 people and house Carlton Provisions BBQ along with multiple bars including a tiki bar, Texas stillhouse bar, margarita cantina, rotating pop-ups and even a Hawaiian shaved ice stand. The heart of the Box Garden will be the 600-square-foot event stage with an LED screen that will provide constant entertainment for Legacy Hall’s guests.

Legacy Hall has accommodations and event packages available for groups from 25 to 2,000.

Chicago Faucets Joins Handwashing Leadership Forum

Chicago Faucets accepted an invitation from The Handwashing Leadership Forum^®, an alliance of advocates who are invited to join based on their demonstrated leadership and commitment to lowering the risks of nosocomial and foodborne illnesses. Poor handwashing (plus poor gloving) has been found to be the number one risk factor in the spread of foodborne illness.

“This is an important initiative for Chicago Faucets,” said Richard Nortier, Director of Marketing, “and accepting it emphasizes a philosophy that is at the core of our company: the safe delivery of water.”

Jim Mann, Executive Director for the Handwashing For Life^® Institute, the organization behind The Handwashing Leadership Forum, points out that members agree that by thinking and working together, they can replace risk with integrated solutions. “Our intent is to fill the gaps in the science of hand hygiene and the cleanliness of high-touch surfaces,” Mann says. “Chicago Faucets earned the invitation by a combination of innovation and customer satisfaction. We are honored to have them with us.”

Mann’s organization, The Handwashing for Life Institute, has been the leading advocate for improved hand hygiene in the healthcare and foodservice industries for many years. By advancing science and technologies that promote, educate and improve hand and high-touch surface hygiene practices, Mann and the Institute strive to reduce infections and foodborne outbreaks caused by poor handwashing.

“Like Mann’s organization, Chicago Faucets tries to see beyond individual products to change behaviors,” Nortier explained. “The right faucets make cleaner hands possible, promoting wellness and protecting not only the individual, but our brand values. Our ‘applied science’ approach increases hand hygiene, lowers rates of foodborne illness and minimizes operator risk, demonstrating that food workers will actually wash their hands and change their gloves…frequently!”

The Chicago Faucet Company is part of the Geberit Group, a European market leader and global provider of sanitary technology. Since 1901, The Chicago Faucet Company, located in Des Plaines, Illinois, has offered commercial and residential products built to stand the test of time. A combination of the best engineering, finest materials and quality workmanship has made Chicago Faucets the specified choice in many of the finest building projects throughout North America.

Arby’s To Acquire Buffalo Wild Wings and OpenTable’s Open Heart for Hungry Kids posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Can Your Accent Impact Employability?

There are a lot of accents in Britain, and everyone has different attitudes toward each one. What are these attitudes, and what impact do they have on employment?

Does your accent have an impact on your employability?

Depending on how strong or weak your accent is, research has shown that it can determine whether you’re more or less employable to an employer compared to other candidates. Facilities management company DCS Multiserve has provided us with this research.

A report from a law firm stated that eight out of ten employers have openly admitted to being discriminative to a candidate in the interview stages of recruitment based on their accent, which is something that they can’t necessarily change.

“Sound less Cumbrian!” one employer said to a teacher who was, in fact, from Cumbria. The same report also noted that a school in the West Midlands recently banned pupils from speaking regional slang to improve their chances of getting a job.

You might be more employable though. Recruiting Times reported that some accents were more employable than others.

Only 3 percentof the population speak the Queen’s English or Royal Pronunciation – mostly those who were born into aristocratic families or news presenters who are trained to speak in that way. This was linked strongly to perceived levels of intelligence associated with a Queen’s English/RP accent, ahead of other regional accents – the Yorkshire accent was also discovered to be associated with intelligence.

 “Despite changes in attitudes of the general populace to RP, when it comes to recruitment to the elite professions, it is clear that many of those with regional accents are still hitting a class ceiling,” Professor Lance Workman, of the University of South Wales, commented.

According to the research, 16 percentof Brummies have attempted to reduce their natural accent in job interviews as it was discovered to be less intelligent.

The Views on Different Regional Accents

People have preconceptions on people with certain accents. In 2013, ComRes and ITV interviewed 2,006 adults in early August, 2,014 adults in mid August and 2,025 adults in September to determine the attitudes to different regional accents. They discovered that:

• 28 percentof those born in the UK feel discriminated against because of the way they speak. 14 percentfeel accent discrimination in the workplace and 12 percentin job interviews.

• 20 percent also feeling discrimination in social situations and 13 percentwhen being served in shops or restaurants too.

Devon accent is perceived as the most ‘friendly’ regional accent

The top five ‘friendly’ accents, as voted by survey respondents, were:

• Devon (65 percent of votes as ‘friendly’)

• Newcastle (56 percent of votes as ‘friendly’)

• Edinburgh (51 percent of votes as ‘friendly’)

• Cardiff (51 percent of votes as ‘friendly’)

• Cockney (49 percent of votes as ‘friendly’)

Liverpool accent is perceived as the most ‘unfriendly’ regional accent

The top five ‘unfriendly’ accents, as voted by survey respondents, were:

• Liverpool (26 percent of votes as ‘unfriendly’)

• Belfast (24 percent of votes as ‘unfriendly’)

• RP/Queen’s English (23 percent of votes as ‘unfriendly’)

• Manchester (21 percent of votes as ‘unfriendly’)

• Birmingham (21 percent of votes as ‘unfriendly’)

RP/Queen’s English is perceived as the most ‘intelligent’ accent

The top five ‘intelligent’ accents, as voted by survey respondents, were:

• RP/Queen’s English (62 percent of votes as ‘intelligent’)

• Edinburgh (38 percent of votes as ‘intelligent’)

• Devon (28 percent of votes as ‘intelligent’)

• Belfast (23 percent of votes as ‘intelligent’)

• Cardiff (23 percent of votes as ‘intelligent’)

Liverpool accent is perceived as the most ‘unintelligent’  accent

The top five ‘unintelligent’ accents, as voted by survey respondents, were:

• Liverpool (37 percent of votes as ‘unintelligent’)

• Birmingham (33 percent of votes as ‘unintelligent’)

• Cockney (32 percent of votes as ‘unintelligent’)

• Newcastle (26 percent of votes as ‘unintelligent’)

• Manchester (22 percent of votes as ‘unintelligent’)

RP/Queen’s English is perceived as the most ‘trustworthy’ accent

The top five ‘trustworthy’ accents, as voted by survey respondents, were:

• RP/Queen’s English (51 percent of votes as ‘trustworthy’)

• Devon (51 percent of votes as ‘trustworthy’)

• Edinburgh (44 percent of votes as ‘trustworthy’)

• Cardiff (37 percent of votes as ‘trustworthy’)

• Newcastle (36 percent of votes as ‘trustworthy’)

Liverpool accent is perceived as the most ‘untrustworthy’ accent

The top five ‘untrustworthy’ accents, as voted by survey respondents, were:

• Liverpool (29 percent of votes as ‘untrustworthy’)

• Cockney (24 percent of votes as ‘untrustworthy’)

• Belfast (20 percent of votes as ‘untrustworthy’)

• Birmingham (17 percent of votes as ‘untrustworthy’)

• Manchester (17 percent of votes as ‘untrustworthy’)

In terms of accent discrimination itself, the survey respondents were also conscious of doing it – 6 percentadmitted to discriminating against someone’s accent in the workplace and 4 percentin a job interview.

Combatting Discrimination on Your Accent

These are just some of the measures you can take when feeling discriminated against due to your accent:

• Stay clear of using regional slang, but don’t hide your accent – advice from Francesca Turner, a National Careers Service adviser.

• Don’t change your accent or the way you speak – advice from Brian Staines, Senior Career Adviser at the University of Bristol.

Esther McVey, a jobs minister from Liverpool, said that people should embrace their accent. She advised people from the North West not to feel pressured to change their accent. McVey argued that people make a variety of judgements when looking for employees and that ‘we just need people who reflect other people’ and that her accent hadn’t held her back in her career. McVey also added: “I think it can be a colourful accent.”

How to Combat Being a Discriminative Employer

If you’re an employer who is wanting to make the move and become less discriminatory, we can help you. There are a number of preventative measures you can take – according to HR Daily Advisor and HMR. Some of the advice includes:

• Make sure those with accents are not singled out in any way.

• Make sure all parts of the interviewing process do not discriminate.

• Try to avoid placing individuals with certain accents in certain roles.

• Avoid questioning the suitability of certain accents for roles over others.

 

Can Your Accent Impact Employability? posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Best Food Destinations and Mrs. Winner’s Wins in Atlanta

U.K. Restaurant Trends for 2018

Trends, whether they’re fashion, interior or food, are constantly evolving and it’s never too early to start looking toward the next forecasted trends to ensure your company keeps its one step ahead. Nisbets, suppliers of  catering equipment to catering and hospitality companies across the U.K., takes a look at some of the big food trends that we expect to see in restaurants in 2018.

The Breakfast Revolution

From avocado on toast and eggs royale, to artisan breakfasts and all-day ‘bottomless’ brunches, breakfast made its comeback to our menus in 2017, with our spend on breakfasts increasing by 31 percent compared to eight years ago, according to The NPD Group, whilst lunchtime visits were down by 80 million. The breakfast trend is mirrored on our social media accounts with “breakfast” being hashtagged on Instagram more than 53,941,170 times.

During 2018, breakfast, which has traditionally always been thought of as ‘the first meal of the day,” is set to take restaurants by storm in the U.K.. It is expected that restaurants will adapt their menus to serve interesting breakfast-inspired options, that could be available throughout the full day, rather than just before noon.

Veganuary

January this year saw over 60,000 people sign up to participate in Veganuary — a 260 percent growth on figures from the previous year, and 2018 is forecast to continue the rise. The movement involves living by a predominantly plant-based diet for the full month of January to encourage people to change their diets to reduce the suffering of animals, help the planet and improve personal health.

But for many, once they have tried veganism in the Veganuary movement, vegan becomes a lifestyle change. There has been a 350 percent increase in the number of vegans living in the U.K. — with over half of those falling between the ages of 15-34. And this so called ‘trend’ looks to continue its growth right into 2018 as vegan ‘fast food’ also becomes available on the market, with seven percent of the respondents in a recent Nisbets pulse survey firmly believing vegan and vegetarian are some of the next evolving food trends.

Also according to the survey, many establishments have already begun to cater for vegans, and vegetarians – with three percent of respondents already offering one to three vegan and/or vegetarian options, 18 percent offering four to eight options, and nine percent offering more than eight or a full menu of options.

Street Food is Sticking Around

This trend has been present on the restaurant scene for quite some time, but as figures continue to rise, it appears street food will be sticking around for 2018, too. 2016 saw the real rise of street food in the U.K., with search volumes growing more than 80 percent, and over 2.5 million people eating street food every day. Street food has revolutionised city centres, and changed the way consumers want to eat their food.

In a recent Pulse survey from Nisbets, catering and hospitality business owners admitted that they look forward to continuing to see the street food explosion across the U.K. — offering a platform for chefs to showcase their food. Four percent of the respondents named street food as one of the main food trends, with eight percent naming it as the next evolving food trend. 2018 can expect to see further growth with more festivals and events welcoming street food vendors — including The Big Festival (24th-26th August 2018), London’s Camden Market, and the British Street Food Awards. 2018 will continue to celebrate street food.

The Rise of Local Produce

There is now a growing trend amongst consumers for fresh and local produce. Consumers are increasingly wanting to know where their food has come from, how it was made and by whom. According to GS1 U.K., 63 percent of consumers claim that they thought about the source of their food some of the time, and 16 percent said they thought about it all the time, while three-fifths of shoppers admitted that place of origin was at least as important as other influencing factors, such as price and quality. Brexit is expected to influence this too — as the future of importing and exporting produce remains uncertain for now.

Small businesses who are embracing local produce appear to come out on top, as they appeal to consumer demands for British food and drink. In a recent Pulse survey from Nisbets, when asked what evolving trends were impacting the catering and hospitality industry, 10 percent claimed locally sourced produce was having an impact on their company because of the rise in consumer interest.

Moving forward, three percent of survey respondents said they were looking forward to the push towards locally sourced produce. In 2018, we can expect to see local produce in more restaurants across Britain than in previous years — as a result of both consumer demand and potential increase of overseas importing costs.

‘Instagrammable’ Colored Food

The food industry is increasingly revolving around our photo-sharing social media accounts, such as Instagram, meaning chefs now feel pressures to fit in with the emerging trend of unusually colored dishes. Chefs now ensure their food looks striking and interesting (or ‘Instagrammable’) when they serve it to consumers. The Food People suggests that black breads, blue lattes and purple ube cheesecakes are just the start of what is to come in 2018. Research suggests that color also influences your taste experience.

Sources

http://ift.tt/2Bs3G5K

http://ift.tt/2Bs3Jys

http://ift.tt/2Bqj4iV

http://ift.tt/2BsLvwG

https://www.gs1U.K..org/~/media/documents/marketing-documents/gs1_U.K._buying_british_in_2017.pdf

http://ift.tt/2ztWDbi

 

Photo by Rustic Vegan on Unsplash

U.K. Restaurant Trends for 2018 posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

No App Necessary: Latest in Mobile Marketing for Restaurants

Mobile marketing is often described to be an inexact science. With the sheer amount of mobile apps available–and more coming every day–gauging long-term consumer interest and use of a particular platform can seem about as sure a bet as picking the winner of the Kentucky Derby two years in advance.

Consumers can be extremely fickle and always lean toward the application with the lowest barrier to entry.

Concerning the fast-casual restaurant industry and associated applications, consumers themselves can be extremely fickle. From experience, consumers always lean toward the application with the lowest barrier to entry. Requiring lengthy sign-ups, credit card information and other personal details within an initial process could be the barriers that turn a large percentage of consumers away from your rewards programs, reservation systems and other outlets. This in turn offers little to no value for your restaurant inventory, and puts your consumers in an awkward position, setting them up to question why ordering a quick meal requires so much data upfront.

It is for this reason many restaurants within the realm of  fast casual are opting for applications that don’t require sign-ups at all, even going so far as nixing the actual requirement for restaurant patrons to download. While you may be asking yourself, how this methodology  can realistically bear fruit in an industry that’s oversaturated with rewards programs, marketing collateral and their distributors, it’s actually a lot more simple than it appears.

While the mobile app is considered a step up from SMS messaging in the traditional sense, apps present their own barriers to entry for consumers which are often enough to keep them from opting into both the app itself and the marketing campaigns you built to run within it.

For example, you may end up choosing an app that may not be compatible with a phone’s operating system (ios vs android). This may not seem like a huge deal, but if android commands a huge presence in your area, you may have just invested in an application that many of your patrons cannot even use. Furthermore, you have to consider factors such as the overall size of the download. Above a certain threshold, downloads requires the use of wifi which may or may not be provided at your restaurant location excluding patrons from on site downloads and walk by opt-ins.

Add in factors like “application permissions” that might prevent your patrons from actually seeing the push notifications designed to draw them in and you can end up pretty frustrated. This is not a condemnation of the mobile app however, simply a presentation of factors which discourage avid use.

An app doesn’t have to be completely consumer facing in order to market to them effectively. 

NextME is pushed toward the restaurant staff itself and nixes the normal requirement for consumer download. We found that in solving an operations gap by providing reliable waitlisting and communication with patrons on the list, restaurants were incentivized to devote themselves to continued use. In addition, adopting SMS messaging allowed our app to communicate with patrons cell-phones directly eliminating the need to walk each user through app permissions and how to activate push notifications on the spot. This allowed us to, for each restaurant patron, share a customized link via text to their waitlist page (viewed on their mobile browser) that not only contained their wait time, but menus, specials, partnered ad’s and more in a manner that best represented the restaurant. 

An app doesn’t have to be completely consumer facing in order to market to them effectively.  We’ve discovered that the most effective time to market to your consumers is while they are waiting for their order, whether in your restaurant on the waitlist, while awaiting an upcoming reservation, or for a delivery. Applications, platforms and other technology that allows you to capitalize on this time will work best to increase the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

It is our prediction that apps and other technology that incorporates SMS messaging, and the ability to engage the consumer without requiring a download will continue to grow in number, scale and effectiveness as new tactics are developed based on this discovery. Choosing the right option for your restaurant will ultimately come down to factors like where your main pain point or obstacle lies, restaurant size, location and the details surrounding the marketing campaigns you want to run, as every app is equipped for something different.

No App Necessary: Latest in Mobile Marketing for Restaurants posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

MRM News: Vanillamore — Sweet and Savory Brand Building

Newly opened Vanillamore Dessert Kitchen in Montclair, NJ, features a culinary experience of sweet and savory delicacies. The concept is the brainchild of chef/owner Risa Magid Boyer and is complete with a 12-seat U-shaped kitchen counter overlooking the open kitchen that is perfect for viewing the chefs in action.

In this MRM News story, Chef Boyer discusses her concept, creating a brand and growing through e-commerce.

MRM News: Vanillamore — Sweet and Savory Brand Building posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Fogo de Chão’s Milestone and Beerhead Transitions

Restaurant Marketing Trends to Explore in 2018

As a marketer at heart, I see many trends coming and going. Every day, I come across great ideas and always wonder how they would apply to our industry. This is a short overview of what I think we will continue to see grow or start seeing more in the restaurant industry.

Social Media

The Internet has given a very powerful voice to your guests; make good use of it.

If you are not already on social media, you know you should be. I don’t see this trend changing any time soon. The main complaint with social media is the time it takes to keep it going and up to date. It’s easy to post something every once in a while, but keeping it entertaining and meaningful on a regular basis is challenging (and if you become boring, you’ll lose your following in less time than it takes to post on Twitter). You can hire a young social media specialist; some are really great and quite easy to find. Don’t ask your staff; they will not be the best at it. Define with your specialist what you are trying to accomplish, provide a frequency for the post, a tone, ask them what they need from you and let it roll. I’ve found some college students to be quite the experts and managed to bring the hype to different age groups and social channels, so give it a go.

If you wonder which social channel should be at the top of your list, it is Instagram, without a doubt. Instagram is the perfect channel for the food industry. Tell your story in images, chronicle all aspects of your restaurant operations, introduce new dishes or beverages, and encourage your customers to participate. Let’s be honest: outreach on social media is time consuming, but Instagram is probably the one social channel with the best return on time invested for restaurants.

Referrals and Micro-Influencers

Ninety percent of guests trust friends’ recommendations and 33 percent trust ads. In other words, it is more essential to make sure all of your guests have an amazing experience at your restaurant than it is to have a pretty ad in a magazine. While in the past, a satisfied or dissatisfied guest would only be able to reach his or her close circle of friends, they now have the ability to leave their mark on your establishment for years to come.

The Internet has given a very powerful voice to your guests; make good use of it. But they don’t only trust their friends, they also trust referrals and reviews gathered from the Internet. Another interesting trend is the emergence of micro-influencers. They are social media micro-celebrities in their corner of the world. They typically have between 2,000 and 10,000 followers and have a fairly strong influence on them. Find out who they are in your community and reach out to them. Invite them to your restaurant and make sure they have a great experience. In return, you can be assured they will talk to their following about you.

Communicate, Interact and Engage

This is an expected outcome of using social media. People are interacting more than ever with each other online, and they expect the same from the place they like to patronize. Social media is a great place to tell your story, share your experience and engage with your customers. You can easily start conversations about what their favorite dish is or what dish they would like to see on your menu.

By becoming more than just a restaurant and more like a place for the community to gather – engaging and welcoming – you will build loyalty amongst your guests and get repeat customers who will love to talk to their friends about the great experiences they had at your place.

Personalization

It definitely complements our previous point, but you can take it a step further. New and quite affordable solutions, such as the Hostme App, allow you to save information about your guests. For instance, you may have noticed which table they like, which wine they drink and the date of their anniversary. So, the next time they come on that day, when they book a table, those notes will help you make sure they get the table they love and make sure you have their favorite wine in stock.

Guests love these kinds of small marks of attention and appreciation. Again, personalization will help give them an exceptional experience that they would rave to their friends about.

 Geotargeting

If you use Waze, you have already been exposed to this. When you get a message at a stoplight, giving you a discount at a local shop, this is geotargeting. Waze – based on your location and on the demographic info they have about you – will serve you an ad that has the most meaning at the time the ad is served. If you are driving by a McDonald’s around lunchtime, they will try to convince you to stop there to buy your lunch. This is powerful since they know who you are (Waze is owned by Google, so don’t underestimate how much info they have), they know where you are and what time it is.

Can you imagine if you were able to wave at all potential guests driving in the vicinity of your restaurant around the lunch hour and tell them about the great meal they can get at your establishment? That’s exactly what geotargeting allows you to do and may be well worth the time you spend investigating now.

Convenience

All the ads and discounts in the world will always be trumped by convenience.

All the ads and discounts in the world will always be trumped by convenience. Guests expect to be able to make reservations online at any time of the day and night. They also expect to be able to order from your place and get the food delivered to their doorstep. Make sure your website offers all those conveniences.

Again, many affordable turnkey solutions exist to allow you to offer online reservations or your menu from your website. And for the delivery, you can subscribe to a service such as UberEats or Grubhub. The additional benefit of those services is that they will list you on their quite popular websites, giving potential guests a new way to find out about your business.

Some of those trends are more than just marketing and cross over the line into customer experience and services. But marketing is more than just ads and promotions. The art of marketing is touching every aspect of your business, because guests will become your best advocates. Consequently, everything needs to be perfect from the time they call to make a reservation, to the time they go home and reflect on their experience.

 

Restaurant Marketing Trends to Explore in 2018 posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

America’s Favorite Casual Spots and Currying Favor

Workplace Now: The ‘Localization’ of Employment Law – What You Don’t Know Can Hurt

It is no secret these days that many workforces, particularly over the last five years, are now subject to numerous state and municipal laws that seek to shape and regulate numerous areas of the workplace (many of which are often conflicting) . Given the gridlock that has been in place for almost a decade in Congress, state legislatures and cities have accelerated their oversight of employers and have imposed their own laws.

In fact, there are literally hundreds of examples of how the scope of local regulation has changed, but perhaps the most breath-taking took place this year in the “City of Brotherly Love” when Philadelphia created the legal authority to shutdown a business located within its confines, for an undefined period of time, if the business “severely” or “repeatedly” violates its anti-discrimination laws under a bill signed into law on June 22. Besides the questionable constitutionality of this law, one of the major drawbacks with respect to many  “local laws” like Philadelphia, is that they often come without any clear guidance as to exactly how they will be enforced.

For example, this ordinance provides that violations which are considered serious can subject a business to closure, but is unclear exactly what is considered serious or what number of repeated violations would lead to a business shutdown. Besides the obvious issues for employers, risk managers and insurers should be very careful when measuring whether the traditional levels of risk and exposure will have to be readjusted in today’s workplace. To be frank, it is unclear that most HR professionals even have the local resources at their disposal to stay on top of each new development absent a system designed to constantly monitor all workplace locations on an ongoing basis.

It is exceedingly hard to even attempt use one employee handbook for a national workforce.

Another recent example, is that Washington, D.C. has now implemented a wage statute applicable to both blue collar and executive employees that provides for rather draconian penalties, and in cases of alleged retaliation actually shifts the burden of proof to the employer to show it would have taken the same action against an employee, absent any issues pertaining to a dispute over wages.

New York City (and many other cities and states) have forbidden “preemployment questions” about criminal background, i.e., so-called  “ban the box ” laws. In fact,  so many states and cities now have such a requirement, that employers who continue to use vendors, who are not cognisant of these laws, are likely in violation of them. Similarly,  New York City and many other cities have laws that make it unlawful to ask an applicant or candidate about credit history, except in certain limited circumstances.

Ultimately, tremendous differences exist among the states and cities, particularly in different regions of the country. Some regions like the Southeast have somewhat limited law at the state level, often relying on federal law, while other states that have extensive laws that go way beyond federal law in scope. In fact, given the number of differences it is exceedingly hard to even attempt use one employee handbook for a national workforce,  such that employers have been rolling out state specific models.

Another area in play are state and city minimum wage laws and overtime.  For example, New York has increased the minimum salary required for employees to be considered “exempt” from overtime. Thus, it is critical for employers to understand that many states are rapidly ramping up overtime wage requirements, even though the federal government recently placed the DOL’s new overtime requirements on hold. But that is the point, one should not be guided only by federal law, but must be extremely focused on state and city enactments.

As one might imagine, San Francisco’s employment laws are dramatically different than almost anywhere else in the United States.  In fact, it is definitely the case, that any employer contemplating opening operations in San Francisco must go through an extensive review of city employment laws, minimum wage ordinances, sick leave laws, and healthcare security ordinances (which guarantee an minimum amount per hour for healthcare contributions for employees who work at least 8 hours in San Francisco).

For example, a recent San Francisco law, effective 2014, is the Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance, which gives employees the right to request a “flexible” and “predictable” work arrangement to assist with caregiving responsibilities, subject to the employer’s right to deny a request based on business reasons.  Additionally, San Francisco has a height and weight discrimination statute that prohibits employment discrimination based on those characteristics.  Employers seeking to advocate the use of weight or height standards must prove a bona fide occupational qualification.  (It is unclear how much such laws will impact employer wellness plans.)

In fact, in 2017 alone, more than 100 state and city laws were implemented, including a few of the following:

1. Alabama prohibits rejecting applications based on the applicant’s membership or non-membership in a labor union.
2. Arizona created paid sick leave for employees, who will accrue 1 hour of sick leave every 30 hours worked.
3. Arkansas now prohibits discrimination against individuals using medical marijuana.
4. In Colorado, employers must allow employees and former employees to inspect and copy their own personnel files. (This right is becoming the norm in many locations.)
5. In Connecticut employers cannot seek information about prior arrests, criminal charges or convictions in an initial employment application, unless an employer is obligated to under federal or state law to ask about criminal history.
6. In Georgia, a law was passed with respect to “joint employment” clarifying that a franchisor is not the employer of the franchisee or the franchisee’s employees.
7. Illinois now prohibits non-compete agreements with any “low wage” employee. Illinois also prohibits employer requests for social media information, or requiring individuals to invite an employer to join an online group, and it prohibits adverse action against individuals who fail to even respond to such prohibited requests.
8. Indiana has legalized recreational marijuana for individuals 21 years of age or older, and thus employees cannot discriminate against individuals for marijuana consumption outside the employer’s property. (It seems likely that employers will need to come to terms will marijuana usage and may or may not be able to restrict usage depending on location.)
9. Massachusetts employers cannot discriminate because of gender in the payment of wages, including benefits or other compensation.
10. St. Paul Minnesota created a paid sick and safe time law.
11. Missouri employees holding a carry permit can be prohibited from carrying concealed fire arms on to the employer’s property.
12. Colorado, one of the many states which has legalized recreational marijuana, does allow employers to maintain and enforce workplace policies prohibiting or restricting actions or conduct otherwise permitted under the law.
13. New Jersey created a paid sick time law.
14. New York City requires a written contract for free lance work worth at least $800, including multiple small projects totally over $800 over a 120 day period.
15. Tennessee employers, with 50 or more employees, must use the federal E verify program to verify a new employee’s work authorization.

In general, an overview of these laws indicates that states and cities are actively reviewing: wage and hour violations, the employer-employee relationship, (including joint employment), paid sick leave, and many states now allow, in one form or another, marijuana use, either for medical purposes or recreational use, and some states prevent employers from taking any action against such employees while others allow employers to have reasonable policies with respect to marijuana use.  Some states are also now beginning to enact laws that restrict questions about social media use, and are pushing back with respect to privacy concerns of employees.  There are also many new city laws which expand the definition of classes that are entitled to protection, create new minimum wage and overtime laws, and even create forms of city mandated health insurance.

Other areas that will likely come into focus in the near term are legislative efforts to strike down arbitration agreements in employment and enhanced state and local reporting on compensation by gender and race.

Ultimately, tremendous differences exist among the states and cities, particularly in different regions of the country.

A related question in this dynamic area is the very concept of workplace location, which almost sounds archaic. This is because many employees work from home or travel to many states from home and report to other employees who work from home or at several different offices. So exactly where does an employee work? For example, does a  New Jersey employee who works from home, but spends the majority of her time visiting New York City clients work in New York City for legal purposes?

In the final analysis, are we getting very close to the need for an “ERISA remedy” where one set of laws would govern national employers? Granted this seems highly doubtful, but how can employers really deal with hundreds of different laws, which often conflict with federal law (and other states), in seeking to regulate the workforce and abide by employment and wage laws.

In conclusion, the state and city “juggernaut” is actually just beginning and we predict that extensive state and city regulation of the employment relationship will greatly increase in the near future as well as vast challenges for those stakeholders who must react to these laws.

This post originally appeared in the LeClairRyan’s LR Workplace Defender blog, which focuses on employment litigation issues.

 

Workplace Now: The ‘Localization’ of Employment Law – What You Don’t Know Can Hurt posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Burger King: Driving One Million Mobile Apps in Five Months

How can a restaurant drive one-million mobile app installations in five months?

Just ask Burger King.

A branded mobile app from Loyalty Plant helped Burger King Europe with its goals to grow and keep customers coming back. 

The formula for Burger King’s success includes:

The Right Features: Implement Key Mobile App Strategy with Features Restaurants Need

• Point of Sale Integration 
• Rich visuals for higher campaign redemption
• Digital ordering capabilities 

Improved Mobile Strategy with Marketing Automation:A New White Label Mobile App Branded for Burger King

• Putting the app into the hands of its customers creates “rich” Data for Burger King marketing to draw from for the most effective campaigns. 
• Actionable customer analytics
• Targeted marketing campaign
• Smart ROI analysis

Proven Tactics for Incremental Sales Growth and Customer Engagement: Effectively promoting continued use of the mobile app

• Referral installs from customer to customer (ave of 3 app installs per recommendation)
• Organic installs from restaurant visitors 
• Social promotion of the mobile app – drives +240,000 Facebook Likes 
• Gamification:  Innovative games, “Secret Coupons” making it more desirable
• Continually personalized content 

High Quality Marketing: A Superior Mobile App and Loyalty Mechanics

• Apple and Android customers give the app a 4.6 rating — impressive industry high
• 90,000 user reviews
• Valuable points for users joining the social network 

Burger King: Driving One Million Mobile Apps in Five Months posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Multi-Brand Sushi Platform and Eatertainment Time Lapse

Insights from Toast’s Restaurant Technology Report

A new Restaurant Technology Report from Toast uncovered significant areas of disconnect between restaurants and their guests.

 

More than 900 restaurant operators and 1,200 diners weighed in on restaurant technology, operations, and industry trends for the report. While the consensus is that restaurant technology is positive among both groups, they didn’t see eye to eye on every feature.

 

So, what do restaurant-goers really value in the restaurant experience, and is your restaurant meeting their demands?

 

Download the Restaurant Technology in 2017 Industry Report

Mobile Payment

With a smartphone in more hands than ever before, mobile pay is consistently on the rise.

 

Last year, only 42 percent of diners admitted to ever using mobile pay at a restaurant. This year, it was found that 58 percent of diners use mobile pay or a restaurant’s app sometimes or always when it is an option at restaurants.

 

Despite this growing demand for and adoption of mobile pay among restaurant-goers, restaurants have not embraced it at a similar speed. According to the report, only 22 percent of restaurants offer mobile pay.

 

Mobile pay is tied with numerous benefits for restaurant owners, such as efficient cashless payments and integration with loyalty programs. In 2018, the usage of mobile pay (and therefore the need for it) will likely increase. Restaurants should be prepared to upgrade their tech or potentially isolate phone-addicted guests.

Kiosks

Another relative newbie to the restaurant technology sphere, restaurant kiosks are divisive among diners themselves. 49 percent of diners agree that kiosks improve their dining experience, while 51 percent disagree.

Restaurants are slightly more aligned on this topic. 61 percent of operators say kiosks do not improve their efficiency.

Kiosks, however, are being looked at by bigger players in the industry as an investment. 2017 saw restaurants like Wendy’s and Shake Shake implement the self-order technology and it’s not hard to see why. Despite indifference toward kiosks among the general population, the report found that 54 percent of those under age 40 say kiosks improve their dining experience.

Restaurants appealing to millennials and gen Z – particularly those in the quickserve segment – shouldn’t be dismissing kiosks so quickly when considering a tech upgrade.

Top Tech Features

Diners and operators agree that guest wifi, loyalty, and online ordering are important to the dining experience. However, one disconnect on technology was the need for gift cards and online reservations.

Gift cards were identified as one of the most important restaurant technologies by operators (probably because gift card spend can be an average of 72 percent higher than non-gift card purchases).

Guests, however, named online reservations the feature they value most in a restaurant, though restaurants did not agree.

Features like online reservations, mobile pay, and kiosk ordering put the experience in guests hands and restaurant should be equipped to relinquish control in some areas moving forward.

Where Both Parties Agree

Despite not being on the same page in many areas, diners and restaurateurs agree that restaurant technology is beneficial. 73 percent of diners say technology improves their dining experience, while 95 percent of restaurants say it helps their business efficiency.

For all the results and insights, download the full Restaurant Technology in 2017 Report here.

Insights from Toast’s Restaurant Technology Report posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Five Considerations to Make Before Committing to a Restaurant Location

The restaurant location you choose represents the single largest, long-term, fixed-cost obligation of the business. Within the operating spectrum of your new restaurant you can make many choices involving your variable costs. Although once you’ve locked yourself into a location your choices become slim. You are betting everything on this single decision. You are fixing a position in the universe through which you believe customers will find and sustain your restaurant. It won’t move–unless you are planning on opening a food truck.

You will bind yourself legally to this facility and the costs related to operating it for years to come – very often with trailing liability if things don’t work out. Your business revenue may go up and down, but your cost of occupancy often remains fixed and your financial stability may be decided by your cost of occupancy.

The number of considerations involved in choosing your next restaurant location can be overwhelming. So to help you out, we’ve given some simple guidelines to help you in this very complex process.

Since deals are fluid, and you never know what the outcome will be, it’s recommended to try and put together more than one deal at a time, since you may find insurmountable issues on one and you’ve kept your options open. You are not obligated to anyone until you place a binder with a signed offer. Even then, if done right, you can walk away from a deal with your deposit and no penalty… keep reading, I’ll tell you how to do it.

Do a Comprehensive Projection/Pro Form

This will reflect realistic, best-case, worst-case and the most likely-numbers specifically designed for this location. Make sure that it reflects all occupancy costs and any direct operating costs that might be specific to this location. If you can’t sustain operations for an extended period of time under your worst-case scenario – negotiate further or move on.

Consider Hiring an Underwriter or Consultant

You should consider hiring an “underwriter” or consultant to do a comprehensive background check on the business in question. Have them look for encumbrances such as liens or judgments that could pose problems.

Visit the Town Hall

Make a visit to town hall or call regulatory agencies to determine if there are any issues that might arise. This could be something such as stringent local environmental regulations that limit the nature of business operations. Or needing to obtain a permit or license relating to adequacy of exits from the restaurant and related emergency issues.

Leave Yourself an Out

When presenting an offer or letter of intent to a seller, landlord or developer – leave yourself an “out” in the form of a financing contingency or other provisions requiring your final acceptance or approval.

Prepare for Personal Financial Scrutiny

Be prepared for personal financial scrutiny. A seller, landlord or real estate developer will want to know that you have the financial ability to execute your plan and sustain the business.

Choosing the right restaurant location is the most important business decision you will make especially when you are looking for a new space or expanding with multiple units.

To help you further in this process here is the brand new e-guide “What to Consider When Scouting a New Restaurant Location.”

Five Considerations to Make Before Committing to a Restaurant Location posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

BlueCart on Purchasing Trends and Camp Corral’s Record-Breaking Year

Tech Talk: Is the Delivery Dilemma Over?

Is the Delivery Dilemma Solved?

In case you haven’t heard, food delivery is all the rage in the restaurant industry. It seems like almost daily there are news articles and press releases related to the food delivery topic. Whether it’s new delivery apps, national delivery portals opening new markets, or projections of revenue resulting from delivery, one thing is for sure:  there is no shortage of delivery related news.  

The explosive growth of food delivery has many restaurant chains and operators partnering with several delivery aggregators like GrubHub, DoorDash and Postmates, among many others, in an attempt to “widen the net” to gain as many delivery orders as possible to offset slower in-store traffic.

So with so much buzz surrounding food delivery, and the very accessible ability to partner with several food delivery portal partners for maximum delivery coverage, is the delivery demand dilemma solved?

The Next Frontier of Delivery: Ordering and Delivery Direct from the Restaurant

The short answer is no. The clamoring by chains and operators to bolt on delivery through delivery aggregators like GrubHub is based on the perception that they provide incremental revenues not otherwise captured. However, the perception doesn’t completely align with reality.

First, delivery may add a bit to top line revenue, but the COGs are essentially wiping away the margin and value of delivery. According to Crain’s Chicago Business, “Delivery apps generally take 10 to 20 percent off the top, with some asking for as much as 30 percent. In the food industry, with its razor-thin margins, those costs can be unsustainable.” And in a time when so much traffic is moving out of the four walls of the restaurant to off-premise, food delivery needs to be adding to the bottom line results and building the business and brand of restaurants.

Second, in addition to the lack of margins from portals, delivery orders originated from the delivery portals means restaurants are not capturing the customer data and only capturing the first name, last initial and order items to fulfill. This means the customer is owned by the delivery company – and not the restaurant. Why is this important? Because now the restaurant has no ability to remarket to that customer for repeat business, making the restaurant more dependent on the delivery portal for continued delivery orders with the razor thin margins, at best.

The off-premise opportunity, in particular food delivery, is enormously big.

Thirdly, when an order is placed through a delivery portal, the order is essentially sent to a tablet that the restaurant has to staff and manage. And for each delivery company, comes a different tablet. Some restaurants have upwards to five or six to monitor at any given time. Once the order arrives at the tablet, the restaurant employee must re-enter the order into the POS – a very inefficient process rife with potential errors leading to refunds, discounts and discontented customers. Furthermore, the convoluted nature of managing tablets comes at a time when the national labor debates and minimum wage issues are adding to operational challenges complicating restaurants’ ability to reduce or reallocate labor.

 All this to say that what restaurants are realizing is the need to have off-premise orders, especially delivery, placed direct from their own website – for improved margins, for the ability to capture (or recapture) customers embracing off-premise ordering technologies, for operational efficiency and for the growth of their businesses and brands.

And here’s the kicker … customers want to order direct! According to the U.S. Restaurant Outlook Spring 2017 Study conducted by AlixPartners, “Consumers strongly prefer ordering from a restaurant directly versus a third party: 53 percent vs. six percent.”

The options for restaurants to build direct are essentially twofold – either invest in the off-premise solution themselves (ala Panera investing $100 million over the past several years for their own infrastructure and fleet), or partner with appropriate third parties that support the building of a direct ordering and delivery system in a more practical way.

Once the restaurant has a direct off-premise ordering platform in place, orders are captured direct and submitted to the POS and data management systems, delivery services serve as partner couriers for improved margins, labor can be reallocated away from tablet management, and the customer in the end has an improved experience.

We’ve Seen this Before – Remember Travel

Even if you’re suspect of this shift to direct ordering and delivery, let’s be reminded that this is not the first time an entire industry rushed to participate with online aggregators and marketplaces only to discover the vital need to build a direct business model. Take the travel industry – years ago airlines, hotels, car rentals etc. all flocked to Expedia, Travelocity and others for the same reason – perception that customers using the online portals were incremental to those that were booking through direct offline means.

Eventually, the travel businesses all arrived at the same conclusion restaurant operators are heading towards – to build a direct booking capability on their websites and regain the customers they lost.

Understanding the evolution that took place within the travel industry is identical to the growing need for restaurants to build a direct business model now.

The off-premise opportunity, in particular food delivery, is enormously big. Morgan Stanley lists off-premise as “$210 billion of the annual $500 billion of restaurant industry revenues.” That’s approximately 40 percent.  However, only two percent is via online and delivery today.  Much if not all of the 40 percent off-premise market will move to online ordering of takeout and delivery over the next few years. So while the opportunity is massive, the restaurants that employ a direct model now are the restaurants that are best positioned to harness it and grow more rapidly.

To see a companion piece on this subject, click here.

Is the Delivery Dilemma Solved? posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

MRM News: Busting Into New Jersey–Dave & Buster’s Enter New Frontier

Thanks to the passage of legislation ending a 56-year ban on games-based establishments selling liquor, New Jersey’s very first Dave & Buster’s location opened in Woodbridge. The 34,000-square-foot “eatertainment” destination features a state-of-the-art sports bar with a massive wall of HDTVs, chef-crafted menu items, one-of-a-kind cocktails in addition to more than 150 of the latest arcade games including InJustice, World’s Largest PAC-MAN, and Space Invaders Frenzy. The special event room capacity from 25 – 100 people. Additionally, the D&B Sports Lounge can be rented for exclusive events (up to 150 guests) or the entire venue for up to 1,900 guests.

Dave & Buster’s also brings more than 240 new jobs to the state. Headquartered in Dallas, the brand operates 100 large-venue, high-volume restaurant/entertainment complexes throughout North America

MRM News spoke with Regional Operations Manager Bruce Crane about building the brand in a new location.

MRM News: Busting Into New Jersey–Dave & Buster’s Enter New Frontier posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

IHOP Delivery and Vegan Diner Favorites at Mythology Diner

NCR Goes MONKEY, an Epicurean Showplace and Holiday SpecTECHular

Why Sit-Down Meetings with Managers Are So Important

Do you have manager meetings? I’m not talking about the passing-in-the-hall quick conversations, but actual sit-down meetings where you focus on moving the business forward? If you are having sit-down meetings, do you think they are effective?

 

You must have sit-down manager meetings to make sure you get your message across in a manner that everyone understands so that they can execute what you want done how you want it done. These kinds of meetings facilitate communication and where you get things done.

 

I know what you’re saying to yourself: “David, I meet with my managers almost daily, and they still don’t do what I want.”

 

When you say that to me, I’m going to tell you very quickly, the “meetings” you’re having with your managers, where you stop them in passing, those are not a manager meeting. And worse, those “meetings” lead to more problems.

 

A true manager meeting is scheduled on a weekly basis. It’s not a five-minute tirade over what didn’t get done at closing the night before. It’s a weekly, scheduled time, set aside to review goals, expectations and challenges and then brainstorm solutions.

 

It is also mandatory.

 

To begin having effective restaurant management team meetings, follow these seven steps:

 

1. Plan properly and ahead of time
2. Make attendance mandatory
3. Collect info for the meeting and create an agenda in advance
4. Stay on track
5. Facilitate and communicate
6. Assign specific actions
7. Take notes

 

Step 1 – Plan

 

This is the step where you look at last week’s priorities and goals and audit where they are. Did they get accomplished, did you hit your goals or were there things that happened that delayed results? Take the time to really look at things with a detailed eye.

 

Meet with your general manager and communicate the goals for the next week. Gather your general manager’s priorities. This is your opportunity to make sure your general manager is on the same page as you. You are also setting the general manager up for success to conduct an effective and efficient managers’ meeting.

 

Next, create your list of goals for you and your team for the upcoming week. Be specific and clear in the list of what you want done, how you want it done, how well you want it done and more importantly by when. Without deadlines, nothing would get done.

 

SIDE NOTE: Step one applies to every restaurant owner whether you have a partner or not. The only difference is when you have a partner, this step becomes even more important.

 

Too often in independent restaurants, partners don’t communicate. As a result, they send mixed signals to their employees and managers because they ask them to do two completely opposite things or get the same thing done two completely different ways. Or worse, they do this directly in front the employee resulting in an argument/fight between the partners.

 

This is the quickest way to get your employees to tune you out and then do whatever they want. The employee knows that they can just point fingers to the other partner and there will be no recourse.

 

If you have a partner this is the most important step because it puts you both on the same page, allowing you to all communicate the same game plan from the same playbook.

 

Even if you don’t have a partner, you can create a similar challenge when you continue to change your mind on how you want something done, telling one manager and then getting mad at another because they aren’t doing it the new way, even though they never got the message.

 

Step 2 – Make it Mandatory

 

If you want to ensure attendance, make sure everyone understands the meeting is mandatory. Do your managers a favor ad make sure to switch up the days of the mandatory meeting so that the same employee isn’t coming in on his or her day off. Every. Single. Time.

 

You can still set this up on a regular schedule so everyone can plan to attend the meeting, but rotate the day of the week when you have the meeting.

 

An example might look like this: Owners meet on Tuesday allowing the general manager to complete the budget variance reports for the past week so the owners have the numbers.

 

On Wednesday, the owners and general manager meet to get on the same page and set the agenda.

 

On Thursday, the general manager conducts the managers meeting.

 

Step 3 – Create Agenda and Collect Data

 

Whether it’s you or your general manager who will create the agenda, use your list of goals for the week, to create the agenda for the meeting.

 

The agenda should include such things as a start time and a finish time and topics to be addressed as well as who is responsible for addressing each topic.

 

Make sure you have your numbers and appropriate reports, such as your prime cost targets, key item report, waste sheets, marketing materials, etc. Have everything ready so when you hand out the agenda, everyone has everything they need to be successful.

 

Step 4 – Stay on Track

 

Be sure to stick to this agenda. If and when a NEW topic comes up, make sure you determine if it should be tabled until the next meeting or if you need to set up a sidebar meeting after the manager meeting. Do not add it on the fly. When you don’t control the topics, start and stop time, manager meetings go forever. They should only run 60-90 minutes. Anything longer than 90 minutes frustrates managers because they feel you don’t value their time, and they start tuning you out.

 

Step 5 – Facilitate and Communicate

 

One of the biggest questions I get all the time is, “I’m the owner, shouldn’t I conduct the meeting?” The short answer is NO, unless you fulfill the general manager role as well. Your general manager is supposed to execute the plan. He or she is going to be held accountable for these goals, so you need to put them in a leadership role and demonstrate that the general manager is the other managers’ direct supervisor.

 

When conducting the meeting, the general manager should only be talking about 20 percent of the time and clear expectations must be laid out. This is because your managers have come to the meetings knowing what they are responsible for because you have assigned them their duties in step three. They will have brought the correct information from cost of goods sold, labor costs, employee issues, project updates, etc. They should present to the group on their areas of responsibility. You want every manager engaged and participating in the meeting.

 

Step 6 – Assign Specific Actions

 

Break down the steps for what needs to be done and who is going to be responsible for each step. Assign deadlines and benchmarks because you want to delegate effectively, helping everyone on the team to be successful.

 

This is part of communicating your expectations clearly, helping everyone on the team understand what needs to get done, how you want it done and by when.  

 

Step 7 – Take Notes

 

Assign someone to take notes and then distribute the notes to everyone. This keeps everyone focused on moving forward. No one has an excuse as to why they didn’t get their part done because it was recorded and circulated.

 

If you’re tired of things not getting done, tired of not making the money your restaurant should be making and/or tired of being frustrated daily with everyone’s performance — owner or manager — then you’ll want to follow these seven simple steps. Just remember it’s not only about being organized, it’s also about being consistent. This comes from conducting the managers meeting weekly.

 

This way, next week you can measure. That which we measure improves.

 

TheRestaurantExpert.com offers an exclusive online restaurant management software designed specifically to meet the complete operational needs of independent operators, including holding their managers accountable and running a profitable business. Combined with one-on-one coaching and group workshops, TheRestaurantExpert.com is helping independent restaurants find success in the highly competitive restaurant industry. Download a free report to discover the #1 secret to lowering food and labor costs and running the independent restaurant you’ve always dreamed of.

Why Sit-Down Meetings with Managers Are So Important posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com