Could Fast Casual be Amazon’s Next Bold Move?

Not too long ago investors, analysts, reporters, and retailers were all caught by surprise by the headline announcement of Amazon acquiring Whole Foods. Since then the ecommerce giant has been active in the brick-and-mortar business with instant pick-up locations, bookstores, and the cashless Amazon Go concept. So it begs the question, what’s next? What if Amazon continued its industry disruption and dominance and took on the restaurant industry? Imagine bringing the best of Whole Foods, and the convenience and innovation Amazon into one dining experience. Hypothetical yes, but here’s a little something for how we think a foray into the fast casual business could go.

Locally Sourced

For many restaurants featuring locally sourced food can be a challenge to not only incorporate but also to scale. Whole Foods has successfully thrived on that very business model to provide consumers with the growing demand. With the grocer now under its wing though this doesn’t seem like a far stretch for an Amazon restaurant. Educating consumers on the local producers could easily take shape within the space showcasing the stories of where the food comes from.

An Automated Experience

With the positive consumer reception to Amazon Go’s “Just Walk Out” concept, automation seems like a logical adoption for an Amazon restaurant experience. No servers, no cash, customers simply order from a kiosk, and when the food is finished being prepared back of house they pick up in a food cubby identified by their name.

Community Connection

While we imagine the experience to be automated, we don’t envision that to be at the expense of the ambiance. Whole Foods was one of the first grocers on the forefront of local design. With regionalities represented all through the store consumers always feel like it’s their store.

With that same attention to detail, we’d expect locally sourced art, reclaimed materials, found objects, and an eclectic seating area comprised of hightops, booths, and communal tables. The essence of the community would come to life with design, while the space serves as a place for connection and conversation.

Enhanced by Mobile

For consumers looking to dine out with the ultimate convenience, Amazon would let mobile users reserve a table and order ahead. With items queued up before arrival, it would help shorten food service times and improve the table turnover rate reinforcing the convenience factor. Customers would also be encouraged to achieve loyalty points for check-ins and reviews, and opt-in to receive push notifications for specials, seasonal items, and promos.

Food Lockers

Carryout has been around in the restaurant industry for years, but many fast casual restaurateurs are making a concentrated effort to elevate that experience and create a dedicated space on premise. Much like Amazon’s Instant Pickup locations, we could see a similar integration for foodservice with self-service food lockers that you could unlock with a barcode on the app.

Dining on Demand

According to forecasts, delivery is expected to grow to a $76 billion dollar business by 2022. Postmates, UberEats, and GrubHub may have all made it possible, but the ecommerce giant already has a foot in the delivery game with AmazonFresh and Amazon Prime. How about an Amazon Fast Dash app? Beyond the benefits of mobile tracking, scheduling order arrival would be a logical feature. Imagine getting home from work and your food to arrive shortly thereafter. As a Prime member, a small monthly fee could help cut down on the individual delivery charges, making it not only appealing to the consumer but also competitive in the market.

Proven by Reviews

Reviews have always been popular with Yelp, but only 20 percent of it’s almost 50 million reviews are for restaurants. And, let’s be honest, Amazon is already the king of customer feedback. Today, restaurant reviews greatly influence dining decisions for consumers, and by building it into the restaurant experience; it would demonstrate a level of transparency and commitment to service.

A bold move into the fast casual industry would further position Amazon as lifestyle brand connecting all your digital attributes and consumer demands in a restaurant experience. Will consumers soon be asking Alexa what’s on the Amazon menu?

Could Fast Casual be Amazon’s Next Bold Move? posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

According to a Recent Study/Survey … End-of-August 2018 Edition

Do You Count? Why You Deserve Data to Increase Profit

It’s no secret that the most critical metric for any restaurant owner to optimize their food cost is cost of goods sold (COGS). However, counting inventory and applying most recent pricing makes it extremely difficult to calculate an accurate COGS. So much so that 60 percent of small restaurant owners do not consistently take inventory, which means they run blind to the most important metric, their profitability.

This time-consuming and error-prone process is made even more challenging with ever-changing ingredient prices, complimentary meals and waste, inaccurate counts, etc. Simply said, COGS is the most important metric for restaurateurs to consistently evaluate how well or how poorly their operation is running.

The Inventory Headache

Data science can be the difference between restaurant owners closing their doors or thriving and growing their business.

Since counting inventory and calculating food cost are such a headache, most operators choose to only count inventory monthly, a cadence that does not line up with the fast-paced nature of restaurant operations. Operators are placing and receiving orders every two to three days, if not more. They’re making decisions daily regarding orders, items to promote, specials, etc., so checking inventory monthly does not provide enough data to be efficient in the fast-paced restaurant world.

Even if a restaurateur does count inventory weekly, there is a certain amount of estimation that goes into every count. Not to mention that this is an extremely time-consuming method with a 10-20 percent margin for human error.

Even if a solution is being used to help reduce error, some require manually inputted ingredient lists in order to even begin streamlining the process of counting inventory and calculating COGS. A process that can take about four hours a week, which doesn’t save the restaurant owner time or money.

Data Accuracy Done Right

How can restaurateurs count inventory and determine cost of goods sold without a significant time commitment and the frustration? This is where choosing a food management solution driven by data science comes into play, as it empowers owners with the metrics to optimize their food cost and drive up profits. Key benefits of an innovative data-driven approach include:

• Accurate Food Cost: Most restaurants have 400-1,000 ingredients. We’ve seen that counting every one, often on a late night or super early morning, is both hated by the staff and is so mind-numbing, the counts are often hurried, made up or inaccurate. You can check this by just checking the number of “negative usage” counts. The ingredients don’t just grow on the shelf by themselves, so either your latest count was wrong or the one before it. Bad info into an equation produces an erroneous result. Data-driven solutions don’t make counting mistakes.
• Weekly Food Cost:Counting all ingredients is such an onerous activity, if restaurants do it, they do it monthly only. That means they get an update of their key metric to profitability only 12 times a year. That is inadequate. Most restaurants run on a weekly cadence, so knowing your food cost weekly enables important course-correction opportunities, and these more frequent actions keep more money in the coffers of the restaurant.
• Metrics to Negotiate with Suppliers:By relying on data, he-said she-said situations are eliminated. Data science gives restaurant owners the ability to compare their costs to the industry benchmarks for each specific ingredient in real time and empowers them in conversations with suppliers. Keeping track of continuously changing ingredient prices important, and data-driven software solutions give owners that visibility.
• Optimize COGS: It requires more than just a simple sales-to-spend ratio for restaurateurs to evaluate the standing of their business. Data science gives owners the opportunity to improve their food cost by eliminating inaccurate counts and incorrect data, while providing additional data points through quick, weekly inventory counts.

Operating with tight profit margins, how well a restaurant manages their food cost often determines the success or failure for the business. Restaurant owners should not have to go through an extensive process to determine COGS by counting every ingredient, updating their pricing and maintaining an up-to-date ingredient list. With a large percentage of restaurants failing to keep track of these key metrics, data science can be the difference between restaurant owners closing their doors or thriving and growing their business.

Do You Count? Why You Deserve Data to Increase Profit posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Dine Out for No Kid Hungry and Name Your Baby Harland

MRM Chef Spotlight: Ilson Gonçalves of Samba Montclair on Gluten-Free Dining

Rising Labor Costs Drive New Thinking for Restaurants

The restaurant sector is competitive. Changing customer behavior and the relative ease of new entrants drive a flurry of activity intent on improving competitive positioning. And then there’s the cost of labor. Record low unemployment, industry annual turnover rates exceeding 120 percent, and rapidly increasing statutory wage rates are changing store economics at a breakneck pace. To keep stores in the black, achieve corporate financial objectives and keep franchisees in business, restaurants have no choice but to dig deep into their cost structures. Restaurant executives are finding that the success of keeping growth initiatives funded and their own professional trajectories intact is now closely tied to their ability to navigate the changing labor environment.

What can restaurant executives do to counter rising labor costs? 

This new dynamic can be challenging for leaders. With greater visibility within organizations and higher levels of scrutiny, the pressure to right same-store economics is extreme. And most restaurants are flailing.

According to restaurant industry analysis published by the accounting firm BDO, rising labor costs reduced operating margins by 80 basis points in 2017, coming off a 70-point decline in 2016. The cumulative impact is lost profits valued at 1.5 percent of revenue over just two years. When leaders are asked about their priorities, the response is consistent: The new labor environment must be accepted and factored into all aspects of growth planning and operational management.

Restaurants are struggling with this issue because their approach is typically initiative based. Creating enduring change requires a holistic approach that brings together broad initiatives, addresses root causes, and develops the organizational capability to continually address changing needs.

Using Data Analytics

It’s easy to feel crushed by the weight of questionable metrics or frustrated by the inability to capture the right information. To succeed, restaurants need the right data to help make critical business decisions about labor: who, how many and when. 

It takes new thinking about data analytics and lean process design—with lasting capabilities to put them into action. 

Restaurant labor and workforce planning significantly impacts the bottom line and is an extremely complex function to get right. But it pays. Optimizing a workforce that best aligns with forecasted market demand and real-world constraints can be one of the most measurable improvements to financial performance.

Workforce planning is a business challenge that has too many drivers, constraints and interrelated data sources to evaluate alternatives without the help of technology. Leveraging optimization is key to understanding the impact of tradeoffs between customer experience, capacity and financial performance.

Metrics and financial incentives are often in competition with one another, resulting in unintended behaviors and outcomes. Effective labor modeling can incorporate multiple objectives across different impacted groups. Getting this right means balancing the needs of employee, customer and company and leads to higher performance and satisfaction among all stakeholders.

Developing Lean Process Optimization

Variation in processes can lead to wasteful inefficiencies and unpredictable quality. Routine processes are efficient, repeatable and predictable, allowing employees to focus on the important things such as exceeding customer expectations, reducing waste and improving efficiency.

Improvements begin with defining the problem to be solved and the desired outcomes, based on customer requirements and enterprise expectations. Effective process optimization helps identify the extent to which processes vary between stores, the root cause of variations, and where best practices can be shared companywide.

Once an organization has determined the need for process transformation, it frequently rushes to tools and techniques to drive the change. However, there is meaningful value in taking a comprehensive approach to address the three factors critical to a successful transformation:

• Accountability: A clear measurement strategy and effective oversight mechanism to ensure quality work and decision making.
• Culture: A unified organization-wide culture of respect and continuous improvement that drives customer-centric value.
• Tools and techniques: Teams with a common understanding of the tools and concepts needed to lead basic improvement activities and innovation efforts.

Establishing an Enduring Capability

The right operating model ensures enduring capabilities. The model, supported by organizational structure, processes and tools, drives organizational execution and learning that is not tied to individuals or specific initiatives. Governance provides guardrails for the essential plan/design/build, test, deploy and measure lifecycle and then ensures that outcomes meet the original intent. 

An enduring capability rooted in a strong operating model has the power to shape action and inform thinking as an organization continually changes with its objectives and environment.

Solving the profitability challenges driven by rising labor costs is best done by thinking broadly and building the knowledge and tools to address new problems as they surface. Applying best practices and new thinking in data analytics and lean process design will expedite results. However, building an enduring capability to do so is the key to driving long-term value and securing a competitive position.

Rising Labor Costs Drive New Thinking for Restaurants posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Smallwares, Big Decision

I am a strong believer that all items on a table help to convey a concept—not just the food and drink, but everything from the menu and place setting when you sit down, to the check presenter placed on the table at the end of the meal. As such, in order to run a successful restaurant operation, no detail can be overlooked, including smallwares.

Most restaurant owners will tell you their primary concern is matching their budget with distinct and memorable smallwares. While this is certainly an important concern, durability, for example, is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer. If you’re opening a hip, new restaurant in town or working to establish yourself as a fine dining destination, selecting some unique pieces may be more important to your concept than if you’re a quick-service, high volume restaurant. The latter concept must be woven through each touchpoint, large or small, and oftentimes, the resilience of an item doesn’t lend itself to the aesthetics of your goal.

For new restaurants, finalizing the menu before making any decisions on a complete smallwares package is an important consideration. It is essential to know how many different types of dishes you are serving, portion sizes, and not only how the presentation will look to the naked eye, but how it will look in photography in order to create a strong social media presence which, in turn, carries a stronger return on investment.

Restaurateurs must also consider the size of the table on which that menu will be enjoyed. For example, steakhouses often have larger tables because they need to accommodate large protein plates, along with cocktails, sparkling water, or bottles of wine. Another consideration: Will wait staff be trained to encourage all dishes to be brought out at once for speedy table turnover or, will every table thoroughly enjoy each individual dish before moving onto the next course? If your menu consists of more shareable plates or is designed for a formal chef’s tasting experience, weigh the pace at which guests will be served as this impacts the table’s required dimensions as well.

Perceived value is crucial to this decision process and underscores the intent of the restaurant’s concept. Large plates with a small amount of food tell a different story than a small dish overflowing, and the chosen smallwares will frame that narrative. Do you want food to appear precious or have guests feel like they are getting the most for their dollar?

For restaurant management facing these smallware decisions, it’s important to remember that trends are always changing and there are new products being released all the time. When it comes time to restock, take the time to evaluate some new products to keep things fresh and ever-evolving. My advice? Don’t be married to any specific provider. Instead, be flexible about getting rid of or selling the old and bringing in the new (or used).

Some of my favorite tabletop collections are ones in which the chefs or owners have collected vintage pieces and are re-purposing a mishmash of unique items. (Though, I’m personally not a fan of odd shapes for smallwares unless there’s only a few of them, because it complicates stackability/storability). While it takes more of a time investment, I always encourage clients to hunt for bargains, peruse estate sales, craft fairs and flea markets for some incredible finds. I believe these hand-selected pieces give a certain homegrown feel to the environment and might be the factor that helps the restaurant avoid being labeled “typical” or “boring.” 

When it comes to choosing smallwares, don’t just settle—the process can be fun for those willing to give it a little extra thought.

Smallwares, Big Decision posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Get the Scoop on Fall ‘Food Fashion’ Trends and The Strawless™ Sipper

Handhelds and Handshakes: New Hospitality’s Food For Thought

“Care,” “Empathy” and “Family” are not often words one expects to hear at a tech conference, but when the conference in question focuses on the restaurant and hospitality industries, those words are peppered throughout the plate of offerings.

Experience, mobility and transparency are changing hospitality at its core.

That was the case at Toast’s “Food for Thought,” an invite-only touring series organized by the Boston-based restaurant management system provider that focused on the evolution of hospitality. The half-day event in New York City gathered together a host of restaurant industry thought leaders to discuss hot-button issues affecting the bottom line of independent and franchise restaurants alike such as training, identifying talent, retention, social media, branding and the integration of technology for both front and back of the house functions.

“Experience, mobility and transparency are changing hospitality at its core,” said Toast CEO Chris Comparato, while discussing trends impacting the restaurant community and new hospitality including handheld devices for order taking and pay at the table. “Pen and paper is holding us back. New hospitality is about optimizing experience and catering to mobility.” 

He also called for a “need for empathy” on both sides of the table with the end goal of delighting guests.

 

“It’s all about driving great experiences,” Comparato said.

 

The themes of caring and family followed through during the panel, “Recruit, Hire & Retain Top Talent” as representatives from BareBurger, HoneyGrow and Bocce explained how they face the challenges of hiring staff, creating a positive work environment and minimizing turnover.

 

Paul Zarmati, BareBurger’s Director of IT, emphasized the need to create a restaurant culture to make staff “feel like family” as a key to helping retention. 

 

Panelists credited the use of technology to attract and retain talent, emphasizing that it’s not a one-size-fits- all solution, but can be tailored to the individual. 

 

During the panel,  “Hospitality, Convenience, & The Changing Customer Experience,” thought leaders discussed the New York City hospitality landscape with a focus on the technological impact and how it must align with customer expectations.

 

Perhaps the best description of how new technology dovetails with hospitality came from Andrew Rigie, Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance.  

 

“It’s all about welcoming, not pushing away,” he concluded. He also openly praised a restaurant where a server took the effort to shake his hand and introduce himself as an example of the foundation of true hospitality. 

 

Other sessions included “Delivering New Hospitality in 2018: Product Roadmap,” which examined  improvements to the Toast platform and “New Hospitality In Action: Customer Spotlight, a case study of Toast customer, Two Hands, and how Giles Russell and Henry Roberts have built out their new restaurant and are using technology to enhance the guest experience.

 

Speakers included Luke Beemer, Jacob’s Pickles; Jeff Magness, Doughnut Plant; Giles Russell and Henry Roberts, Two Hands; Jason Leeds, Bocce; Keith Fitzgerald, HoneyGrow; Grand Lieberman, Dos Toros; among others.

Handhelds and Handshakes: New Hospitality’s Food For Thought posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

MRM EXCLUSIVE: 10 FOH Metrics You Need to be Tracking

Being a restaurant owner comes with a full plate of responsibilities. Between managing budgets, staff, schedules, and keeping customers happy, your to-do list is never-ending. You know tracking metrics is important, but with everything that comes with being an owner, it might not be a top priority. 

Tracking and analyzing metrics are just as important as all the items needed to keep your restaurant running. Specifically, your front of house metrics. These are the metrics that help improve the dining experience by giving you more insight and opportunities to create a lasting relationship with each of your customers. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve created a guide of the most important front of house metrics you need to be tracking.

1.) Wait Times

Long wait times are one of the leading ways to lose customers, so you’ll need a process in place to give accurate calculations. It’s possible to calculate wait times manually, but that leaves a lot of room for error. The most accurate measure is a guest management tool that will automatically calculate wait times based on historical data, current table statuses, and the waitlist and reservation book.

2.) Table Turn Times

This is the time it takes for a guest to dine, from the time they sit down to the time they leave. Whether you’re a casual dining or fine dining establishment, this is a metric you need to nail down over time. For a casual dining restaurant, the faster your table turn, the more money you make. Determining your average turn time will help you see areas that need improvement so you can shorten your time.

3.) Seating Efficiencies

How often is a party of two seated at a table that holds six? This can cost you money and jeopardize the guest experience. Seating efficiency means seating the right party at the right table.

4.) Average Party Size

Who frequents your restaurant most often? Families? Couples? Collect this data to create better marketing campaigns, menus, and improve the overall customer experience as you create service that is more tailored to guests.

5.) FOH and BOH Data

Your host staff can view order and item-level status updates within the guest management system. Back of house employees can also view front of house metrics from the kitchen. Unifying this data allows cooks to see orders coming down the pipe, how many people waiting, etc.

6.) Takeout Metrics

A guest management system that has a takeout station allows you to filter carryout, delivery, and online orders on customizable tabs. Your host will have access to such order insights as when an order starts cooking in the kitchen, how long the order has been cooking, and what time the order is ready in the kitchen. This keeps the host at the stand rather than back and forth between the kitchen checking on order status.

7.) Party Sourcing Data

An important metric for every operator to analyze is how your restaurant is being discovered by guests. Some guest management systems will collect data to show the source of your incoming traffic. This metric gives you valuable insight into customer behavior that can be used for marketing initiatives.

8.) Most Popular Dishes

This metric is imperative for menu planning and inventory management. Identify the most popular and the least popular item so you can either eliminate it or substitute it for another meal. This can be tracked through a POS or kitchen display system to determine trends through historical data and reports.

9.) No Shows

You’ll be able to access information about who and why guest didn’t show up at their reserved meal time. You can then make adjustments within a restaurant reservation system based on the gathered information. Furthermore, you can store this history.

10.) Customer Data

Collecting customer data is key for building marketing campaigns and improving the guest experience. You’ll be able to collect and track such items as birthdays, anniversaries, allergies, favorite dishes, and order histories.  Many POS companies will provide this information but won’t let you own it. A third-party data collection company will likely be required to do this.

Tracking front of house performance metrics increases efficiency and improves the bottom line. Most importantly, it creates a better guest experience. No matter if you track the data manually or use technology, you’ll see the major impact it has on your business.

MRM EXCLUSIVE: 10 FOH Metrics You Need to be Tracking posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

The Art and Craft of Menu Making (Infographic)

In the restaurant industry, having a well-designed menu that is carefully laid out and planned is a must. Your menu is the main tool that drives sales to your business, and engineering your menu can help bring in more sales and boost your profits. Additionally, studies have shown that a well-designed menu can boost your profits by 10 to 15 percent. To help ensure that you create the best menu possible, we’ve created this comprehensive guide that breaks down every step in the process of making a menu.

You can also jump to specific parts of the menu design process below:

How to Lay Out a Menu	How to Style a Menu	How to Write Menu Descriptions
How to Choose Images	Choosing a Color Scheme	Selecting Font and Typography

Free Menu Makers

There are many different ways that you can create your own menu, whether you create one yourself using software or you hire a professional graphic designer. One easy way to create a menu is to use one of the many free menu designers online. We scoured the Internet and picked some of our favorite menu creators. Here’s the list, in no particular order:

1. Adobe Spark is made by Adobe, a company that is well-known for its editing software, Photoshop. Similar to Photoshop, Spark offers customers many different ways to adjust their menu. They have a variety of templates and themes, as well as hundreds of fonts and images that you can use to make your menu stand out.
2. Upserve has the Your Menu Here software, which stands apart from the competition because it uses science and psychology to help you create your menu. Upserve also has a lot of free templates and samples that you can look at to get a better idea of how you want to design your menu.
3. Canva offers its customers an easy-to-use tool that can help you create your menu in a breeze. Their software allows you to upload your own photos and backgrounds or choose from their large supply of samples and templates. Plus, once you have created your menu, Canva makes it easy to go back in and update it with seasonal items or new menu selections.

How to Create a Menu

This infographic breaks down the six steps you need to follow to make a menu. For more information and tips on creating your menu, keep reading.

The Art and Craft of Menu Making (Infographic) posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

MRM Franchise Feed: Tropical Smoothie Opens 700th and Church’s Rolls Out Dealivery

Listen Up Restaurant Brands: Social Listening Tips to Cut Through the Chatter

The number of social media conversations happening at any given moment is massive, and it’s only increasing every day. In fact, Statista estimates that social media users around the world will grow to 2.77 billion in 2019. With the amount of conversations taking place, many brands find it overwhelming to sort through all of the chatter and clutter taking place on social media. Social listening provides the ability to take all of these conversations and turn them into meaningful insights and data for your brand.

What is Social Listening?

Social listening is the process of monitoring digital conversations to understand what customers are saying about a brand and industry online. It enables us to identify key topics of conversation that are of interest to our audiences, providing insight into their opinions, pain-points, interests and more. Brands can then use these insights and turn them into action.

Restaurant, Food & Beverage Industry

The most commonly discussed industry online is the restaurant, food & beverage industry, which accounts for about 32 percent of brand mentions, according to Brandwatch. We’ve all come across a photo of our coworkers’ lunch or our neighbor’s review of a brand new restaurant on our Facebook feed. With passionate “foodie” fans and an increasingly informed customer base, restaurant brands face a rising obligation to listen, understand, and swiftly respond to their consumers’ opinions and interests.

Restaurant, food & beverage businesses are operating at the mercy of consumers’ shifting tastes and preferences, and in such a competitive industry, brands must have a keen awareness of these ever-changing tastes to be successful. Social media offers an immediate wealth of real-time insight and information that can be used for marketing, operations, and other restaurant decisions.

Understand Your Audience

It’s crucial that restaurant brands understand who their audience is, as well as how they think, feel and act. What do they care about? Why do they care about it? What are their habits? Are they fiscally conservative? Do they prefer healthy options? Understanding how your social media audience thinks and feels can often provide valuable pieces of information that lead to larger insights about your overall customer base.

Create Content Your Audience Cares About

With so much noise on social media, restaurants must not only stand out, but they have to provide content that their audiences actually want to see. By listening to real-time conversations, trending hashtags and popular topics, restaurant brands can identify ways to keep their followers engaged and gain new ones, as well. Using listening tools, brands can identify a list of topics and hashtags used when talking about their brand.

For example, when working with a fast-casual restaurant chain, we’ve found that many of the conversations include discussions about recipes and grocery products. We’ve also found that people all over the world buy and ship our client’s products to prepare at home every day, so we decided to work in grocery-focused content each month. The content performs very well and raises awareness of the products sold outside of their restaurants. There is plenty of data out there to guide your content, you just have to find it!

Identify Influencers and Brand Advocates

Word-of-mouth is one of the most valuable and effective types of messaging (especially in the restaurant industry) because it comes from real people, rather than directly from the restaurant itself. Today’s consumers are interested in true opinions from real people before they try a restaurant. Through social listening, restaurant brands can identify and engage directly with influencers and brand evangelists to share brand content, create their own branded content, share their experiences, increase engagement and ultimately drive trial to the restaurant.

Make Informed Business Decisions

Start by listening to conversations regarding your industry. For example, what are customers saying about the quick-serve restaurant industry? New food trends? Customer service? Once you have a good understanding of your target audience and their opinions on the industry, then dive deeper into those brand-specific conversations.

For example, what do customers say about your products? A specific store location? Certain LTOs and other in-store or online offers? Do they value speed of service or do they want a place to hang out and relax? Do they order their food online or would they prefer to order in-store? All of this data and real-time feedback can be used to guide and improve operational, marketing and financial decision making.

Consumer preferences are always changing, so it’s important to make social listening an ongoing practice and adjust your strategies accordingly. Social listening provides access to a virtual focus group right at your fingertips, whenever you want it. The restaurant brands that take advantage of this data and continuously adapt will be the ones who survive and thrive in such a competitive industry.

Listen Up Restaurant Brands: Social Listening Tips to Cut Through the Chatter posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Combating Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace

In recent years, harassment and bullying have received increased attention in the media.  When this type of conduct occurs in the workplace, it can have vast implications for restaurants and other employers.  This article addresses how to identify harassment and bullying in the workplace, and suggests best practices for preventing and responding to such behavior.

Bullying Versus Harassment: Is There a Difference?

Many people use the terms “harassment” and “bullying” interchangeably to describe behavior that is physically or emotionally harmful or threatening, and often imposed by someone with real or perceived power over the victim.  This behavior may constitute unlawful harassment (and discrimination) when it is imposed against a victim based on a characteristic protected by law, if:

• The behavior creates a hostile work environment;
• Submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as a basis for an employment action; or
• Submission to the conduct is made a term or condition of employment.

 

Such harassment is considered a form of illegal discrimination, and is widely prohibited by federal, state, and local laws throughout the United States.  Bullying behavior in the workplace can constitute illegal harassment and discrimination and, like harassment and discrimination, can violate other laws as well (for example, laws prohibiting assault).   Unlike harassment and discrimination, however, there is no federal law prohibiting general workplace bullying in the United States, although there have been recent efforts in some states to impose obligations on employers relating to workplace abusive conduct.  For example, a few years ago (effective 2015), California amended its sexual harassment training law to require employers with fifty or more employees to train their supervisors on “abusive conduct,” and the definition of “abusive conduct” does not depend on whether the behavior is imposed on an individual because of sex or any other protected characteristic. 

Even when bullying behavior is not illegal, it can still be just as harmful to a company’s morale and productivity as unlawful harassment.  As a result, restaurants and other employers should endeavor to recognize and respond to all abusive behavior that may occur at the workplace—regardless of how it is defined.

Recognizing Abusive Behavior

Numerous federal, state, and local laws prohibit harassment and other forms of discrimination against applicants and employees with respect to pay, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individuals’ protected characteristics. Many of those laws also prohibit retaliation against employees for good faith reporting of discrimination, harassment, or other violations of law.  The characteristics protected by harassment and discrimination laws vary depending upon the jurisdiction, but generally include:

• Race;
• Color;
• Sex/Gender;
• Pregnancy;
• National origin;
• Religion;
• Age;
• Disability; and
• Veteran or military status.

Unlawful harassment can take many forms. It can include: verbal statements (such as threats, slurs, epithets, derogatory or offensive statements, or jokes); physical acts (such as inappropriate physical contact or violence); and visual acts (such as displaying offensive posters or drawings or making derogatory gestures). 

Even if behavior does not rise to the level of actionable harassment or other unlawful conduct, many employers choose to prohibit and discipline abusive behaviors, such as bullying, for the reasons outlined above. 

Preventing Abusive Behavior

To assist your organization in preventing and responding to unlawful harassment, start by implementing an anti-harassment policy. In doing so, consider whether to also implement an anti-bullying policy in order to prohibit other behavior that is abusive but may not be illegal. Among other things, your anti-harassment policy (and an anti-bullying policy, if you decide to implement one) should:

• State that complaints of unlawful harassment and other prohibited behavior should be promptly reported to management;
• Identify more than one member of management to receive and investigate such complaints (so employees are not required to report to the wrongdoer);
• Advise employees that if they make complaints in good faith, or assist in an investigation, they will not be subjected to retaliation;
• State that the company will promptly investigate complaints, and will take appropriate corrective action if it determines unlawful or other prohibited conduct occurred; and
• Specify that supervisors and other employees who violate the policy are subject to discipline, up to and including termination.

 

If you implement an anti-harassment policy and take efforts to promptly correct unlawful behavior, it may allow your company, in certain circumstances, to minimize or avoid liability. In fact, if no adverse employment action has been taken, an employer’s liability for harassment often hinges on whether the employer adequately sought to prevent harassment from occurring, and whether it promptly and appropriately responded when it learned the conduct occurred.  

Restaurants and other employers should also bear in mind that harassment and other abusive behaviors can be imposed not only by coworkers and supervisors, but also by third parties, such as vendors or customers.  Accordingly, in addition to implementing a policy for your workforce, you should monitor the workplace for inappropriate behavior by third parties. It is important that you not take any actions that could be perceived as dissuading workers from complaining of harassment or other unlawful conduct by any party. 

To assist your managers and other employees in recognizing, reporting, and responding to these types of behaviors, once you implement an anti-harassment policy (and any anti-bullying or anti-abuse policy), consider providing separate training sessions for your management and non-management employees that explains your policy or policies and the consequences for any violations. 

Employers are well advised to maintain documents reflecting their efforts to prevent and combat illegal or abusive behavior, including requiring all employees to acknowledge, in writing, their receipt of any anti-harassment or anti-bullying policies, as well as their attendance at any training sessions.

Responding to Abusive Behavior

Even if you do your best to prevent harassment and bullying from occurring, at some point you may nevertheless receive a complaint or observe conduct you believe may constitute harassment or other inappropriate behavior.  It is important to note that as soon as you or your supervisors become aware of unlawful harassment, your duty as an employer to take prompt corrective action is triggered.

As a result, it is important to promptly investigate and take remedial action upon observing or receiving a complaint of harassment. You can start by having employees complete a written complaint form and requiring them to submit all details and evidence of the alleged wrongdoing, as well as the names of all individuals who witnessed or were involved in any incident. Then, interview the individuals involved, including the victim, alleged wrongdoer and any witnesses.  Ideally, there should be more than one company representative attending these interviews, so there is more than one witness and someone to take notes.  Instruct employees that they are expected to participate and cooperate in the company’s investigation, and must provide truthful information. Document the information received, while taking care not to pre-judge whether wrongdoing has occurred while the investigation is pending. 

At the conclusion of the investigation, determine whether unlawful harassment or other prohibited behavior has occurred.  If so, take immediate action to stop the behavior.  If you are unable to determine whether the alleged behavior occurred, consider taking additional protective measures, such as supplemental education, training and counseling.  Last, but certainly not least, remind all individuals involved in the investigation that retaliation is prohibited and request that such individuals notify you at once if they believe they are being subjected to retaliation, or any other unlawful or prohibited conduct. 

Ultimately, your goal is to have a productive and safe work environment where all employees are free from harassment and other degrading behaviors, such as bullying.  By following the steps above, and ensuring that you treat similar employees and circumstances in a similar and fair fashion, you can increase the likelihood of meeting that goal.  As always, you should consider retaining experienced employment counsel to assist you in determining your specific legal obligations with respect to harassment and bullying, and to help you prevent and respond to unlawful behavior. 

Combating Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Effecting Social Change

Montclair Social Club recently debuted in the heart of the suburban New Jersey community’s downtown. The team behind the effort transformed a longtime eyesore along a main roadway into a 7,000-square-foot, 120-seat restaurant, 22-seat cocktail bar with live-entertainment stage. Expansion plans include additional 7,000-square-feet of turn-key dining, experiential and event space. 

 

Founder & CEO Jason Miller, a business and finance attorney/executive-turned-hospitality-entrepreneur, is realizing a dream with this project. 

 

Designed by Executive Chef/Partner Michael Merida, the menu features “Global American” touches reflecting his previous experiences with restaurants across the world, from The Fat Duck + El Bulli to Nihonryori RyuGin.  

 

In this MRM News video, Miller and Merida explain the elements that make the social club a new downtown hotspot. 

Effecting Social Change posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

The Ultimate Checklist for Better Restaurant Checklists

Studies show that people who use checklists outperform those that don’t. This maxim applies across industries and disciplines. Doctors, architects, pilots, lawyers, and many other professionals have created systematic protocols to prevent surgical errors, plane crashes, building collapses and other crises.  And checklists are critical to keeping our foods – and the people who consume them – safer and healthier.

The good news: restaurants are using checklists to ensure food safety protocols are being followed.  The bad news: many restaurants need to improve their checklist processes to prevent (potentially deadly) food safety errors.

Consider this:

• Most restaurant checklists are too long.
• They don’t focus on the right content.
• Employees are likely faking their answers (or skipping the task altogether), which jeopardizes the health and safety of your customers and your business.

Checklists are used across most verticals to teach and validate processes critical to success.  Dr. Atul Gawande, a Harvard surgeon and author of The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, says “Good checklists are precise. They are efficient, to the point, and easy to use even in the most difficult situations. They do not try to spell out everything. Instead, they provide reminders of only the most critical and important. Good checklists are, above all, practical.”

Checklists Should Be Efficient

In our business, we talk to hundreds of restaurant owners, managers and employees.  We’ve heard (and seen) how time-consuming it can be to run through a daily checklist. In fact, we maintain that most restaurants’ checklists are way too long and mind-numbingly boring.

When restaurants give their employees the same 100-step checklist every day, and expect them to fill it out the same way each time, they get bored. They get complacent.  They decide to skip it.  Or they fake it. And then the health and safety of the business, food and guests can be compromised.

By changing the approach, restaurants can increase compliance:

 

• Ask fewer questions: In a food service situation, there are thousands of items we couldbe asking employees to monitor and check, but avoid this tactic. Focus on the most important things. Which questions are critical for food safety? Which items most affect the guest experience and your brand’s standards?  Focus on these. Employees are likely to skip a long, complicated, time-consuming checklist, especially during a busy shift when they have other tasks to do.  Reducing the number of questions means a shorter, less invasive task to complete.

 

• Rotate the questions you ask: Instead of providing the same lists day after day, which becomes rote, rotate the checklist to ask different questions, in different orders, each day or even each shift. By doing so, employees will remain more engaged. In digital checklist world, restaurants can get more creative and include questions that may not fall under the filter of ‘most important,’ but still need to be validated occasionally.  Digital tools have features that can help you gain efficiency without disrupting questions on your “priority” list.  It works by randomizing a large set of ‘nice to have’ questions that are randomly distributed and asked over the course of the week or month.

 

• Ask questions in specific order: By categorizing questions into groups – or ordering them in a way that mimics the restaurant layout – you can maximize efficiency and reduce completion time.

 

• Have your teams complete the work using tools they’re familiar with: In a restaurant industry full of young people, digital solutions – vs. antiquated pencil and paper systems – remain key to completing work in a simple, timely, and accurate way.

 

• Reduce question complexity by writing in simple, familiar language: Write questions in the same way you would communicate to your team in a conversation. Avoid complexities such as codes, lengthy explanations, or superfluous details. Better yet, say it with a picture. Embedding short descriptions and reference images (either good or bad) into your checklists are surefire ways to ensure the team member completing the checklist is clear on what to do.

 

Use Practical Checklists

 

The first step in determining practicality is identifying whatthe checklist is meant to accomplish. From there, you can better determine howit should be performed. Determine if you are planning a ‘Read-Do’ type check (Read the question, perform the action, check the box), or a ‘Do-Confirm’ (Perform all actions, answer a checklist to validate).

 

Let’s imagine you are writing a checklist for the opening front of house shift in a quick service restaurant and the goal is to make sure the lobby, cashier, and grab-and-go stations are ready for service. It would be impractical to have the staff grab the list and ‘Read-Do’ each item (Turn on the overhead lights – check, Turn on Grab & Go lights – check) versus running through standard opening procedure from memory and using the checklist as an ‘after the fact’ validation. By setting up the latter type of checklist, broad questions such as ‘alllights are turned on’ can be used – a far more practical configuration that gets you the same outcome.

 

Determining when to perform the checklists, and whoshould complete them, are also key elements of overall practicality. Checklists should be able to be completed during a specified and realistic timeframe. A bathroom check listed at 12pm, while important, may not actually be possible during the lunch rush.

 

It matters who is completing the checklist. Even if your checklists can be performed by many members on your staff (and they should!), clear responsibility and accountability is key. Establishing a ‘Post Lunch Prep Checklist’ at 2:00pm to be done by the AM Manager when they’re off shift at 2:30pm may not be practical.

 

Hold Your Team Accountable

 

There are a litany of problems with paper checklists, and one of the biggest challenges is lack of accountability.  An employee can say he completed a checklist, and he could have even “checked all the boxes” to “prove” that he did it.  But with the antiquated pen-and-paper safety standards that are prevalent in the food industry, there’s no real “proof” that he completed the task correctly, accurately – or at all.

Digital tools offer more accountability.  Employees can easily use digital tools to keep a record of their inspections, such as taking photos of clean equipment, walk-in coolers at proper temperature, etc.  That way, there’s an electronic (and easily accessible) record that the tasks were done correctly, and there’s a digital record that shows who completed the safety inspection and when.

 

A ‘How to Build a Better Checklist’ Checklist

• The checklist is short (less than 10 items is ideal)
• Content covers the most critical and commonly overlooked items
• Questions are ordered and/or organized in a way that makes sense
• Questions are randomized so the checklists aren’t the same each day (or shift)
• Language is clear and concise
• How to perform is clear (Read-Do or Do-Confirm)
• When to complete is practical
• Person responsible to complete is clear and realistic
• There’s a level of accountability, with easy ways to create a “digital paper trail”

Checklists save lives and prevent human errors, so it’s critical that more restaurants and other food businesses use them.  The key to success is to build a better checklist that’s short, clear and quick to complete. 

The Ultimate Checklist for Better Restaurant Checklists posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

MRM Imbibe: Ripple Maker PM and Take Up The Torch

MUNCHIES Food Hall, First Drive-Thru Poke and Wicked Healthy World

How Control and Automation Transforms Customer and Staff Experience in Two Popular Nashville Bars

When opening their Nashville establishments, the owners of the Nashville Underground Bar and Restaurant and the Famous Saloon both knew that in addition to great food and beverages, entertaining musical performances and unbeatable rooftop views, technology would play a huge role in helping them stand out against the existing Lower Broadway nightlife. To make their dreams a reality, one central control and automation system was installed in each bar, giving them access to their audio, video, lighting, and more, all at the touch of a button.

First and foremost, the control and automation system installed in both venues helps to transform these big spaces into easily manageable ones. With the system in place, staff has complete control over the audio, video and lighting and security, from anywhere at any time. This allows owners and staff to easily manage daily operations and enhances the overall vibe for customers looking to have a great time.

Creating a unique experience in the Nashville Underground started with the installation of five static cameras pointing at the stage, penthouse dance floor, and rooftop. The footage was then configured to be sent to the displays throughout the venue, helping to lure people on the first floor to the rooftop and vice versa, and adding an element of security to the large space. Through the control system, staff is able  to use the cameras to market to the outside passersby on Lower Broadway by sending content to outdoor speakers, allowing them to market themselves from inside, using their own technology.

At Nashville Underground, the control and automation system also controls and streams content to one of the bar’s most spectacular features – a 14 foot by 10-foot high-resolution LED video dancefloor embedded into the floor – allowing staff to manipulate the scene at the touch of a button. Light dimmers and stage lights were also integrated into the control system for seamless control and automation throughout the bar with specific event scenes configured for lunch, dinner, cleaning and early morning opening. Plus, staff can easily control any of the lights around the stage during a live performance at the touch of a button. Joey DeGraw, co-owner of the Nashville Underground says “the capabilities of the ELAN system are endless, and the technology really does ‘wow’ people. Using displays, audio, and lighting to impress our customers has become a staple of the hospitality experience.”

Around the corner from the Nashville Underground, the Famous Saloon was equipped with a lighting system that is nothing short of show-stopping. Throughout the venue, hundreds of Tape Light LED strips were installed, including underneath the bar itself, and integrated into the control system with time-specific “Event Maps.” This way, all of the LED lighting throughout the venue operates on a time schedule; in the morning, the lights power on and create a ‘pulsing’ effect. By the evening, the lights are fully ramped up and dancing in a dazzling show. With this system in place, the staff no longer has to worry about manipulating the lighting upon opening or for the nighttime transition.

 

Also integrated throughout the venue is lighting – with keypads, repeaters and dimmers – which communicates with the control system and integrates with theatrical stage lighting for live concerts. In addition to creating specific ‘concert’ scenes through the control system accessed by owners and staff, the control app was installed on an iPad so that any performer can adjust and customize the stage lighting for their show. According to May West, owner of the Famous Saloon, “All of Nashville’s musicians want to play here for this reason. Between the high-end acoustics, and the control we give them over the lights, we’ve set a new standard for bar-performing bands. Every musician that plays here loves it, and asks to come back!” Like the event scenes configured in the Nashville Underground, the Famous Saloon set specific scenes for audio and video, which can be changed depending on the event that the Famous Saloon is hosting, such as ‘dinner party’ or ‘live event.’

Also within the Famous Saloon is an extensive security system, integrated with the control and automation system installed in the space to allow owners to check in on the venue from outside of the bar. Through the app installed on their phones, they’re able to view live streaming video feeds of the space, from anywhere at any time. West says, “it gives me peace-of-mind to know that I can always check on the building.”

 

In a business where every day is unpredictable, having the ability to manipulate the bar’s music, climate and more, from anywhere in the world, through one central control and automation system has given the Famous Saloon and the Nashville Underground owners and staff the tools that they need to be in control. The instant accessibility to any system throughout each venue has completely changed how the owners and staff manage the bars and has allowed them to create unique audio and visual experiences that impresses customers and set their hospitality experiences apart from others.

 

How Control and Automation Transforms Customer and Staff Experience in Two Popular Nashville Bars posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

STK: Not Your Daddy’s Steakhouse

How Fast Casual Restaurants Can Transform the Guest Experience (in 20 Minutes)

Restaurants face stiff competition and tough choices. They need to increase table turnover during peak periods, not only to boost profit margins, but to streamline the dining experience to accommodate increasingly time-strapped customers.

Technology such as table-top menus and other tools can certainly make dining more efficient. The trouble is, too much automation risks devaluing the human interaction that makes eating out enjoyable. Fast casual restaurants that stake their brand identity on images of happy diners chatting with cheerful waitstaff, that risk can’t be taken lightly.

There’s a middle ground. Today’s technology offers the ability to digitize the transactional components of the dining experience; specifically, the placing of orders at the front end of the meal, and the paying of orders at the back end.

Faster Sit-Down Meals

In route to a restaurant, for example, diners can use their mobile devices to place orders for drinks, appetizers and/or their entire meals. Once seated, those orders are being prepared or have already been completed. This eliminates the wait for a server to appear with menus. While dining, guests can update their order with a side of fries or dessert, or add items to accommodate new arrivals. And, once they’re done eating, guests can use their phones to pay the tab, so they don’t have to flag down a server for the check, or wait for the receipt.

In other words, the entire order can be made by the guest before arriving at the restaurant. At the restaurant, the order can be updated directly by the guest, and/or by the server taking the order from the guest.

By eliminating or streamlining these transactional steps, diners can save 15 to 20 minutes on a typical meal. This can make the idea of going out to lunch with colleagues on a Tuesday significantly more realistic. And it can mean a significant boost to a restaurant’s bottom line.

Integration with Back Office Data

The capabilities of today’s cloud-based platforms and mobile applications go beyond traditional Point of Sale (POS) systems and order-ahead apps. These technologies are limited by the fact that they operate as discrete silos of functionality that require extensive, specialized programming to link with other applications and databases.

Today’s tools, in addition to streamlining ordering and payment, enable the real-time integration of POS data with back office systems. Specifically, the transactions a diner executes on his or her mobile device are not only recorded on a waitperson’s tablet, they are also instantly linked to data on the customer’s loyalty programs, preferences and buying habits.

This creates a potential scenario where a waiter taking an order from a family of five can receive table-side alerts to offer specific appetizers, entrees or drinks tailored to the customer profile. As a result, the longstanding objective of efficiently delivering a unique and personalized experience becomes increasingly feasible.

Better Analytics

The integration of POS and back office data in real time also improves data collection, scenario modelling and predictive analytics. This helps restaurants assess the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and promotions, as well as gain increasingly valuable insight into variables and causalities around supply and demand. So, for example, the manager of a sports bar can potentially slice and dice her restaurant’s performance on Sunday afternoons during football seasons from a variety of perspectives. What role does weather play? What about the teams involved? What menu items should we feature during the playoffs?

The supply/demand analysis can also extend to improve inventory management. With greater visibility into what drives business on a given day or week, restaurants can more accurately estimate the optimal volume of perishable supplies to order.

Restaurants today can leverage technology to satisfy customers, improve profitability and compete more effectively in an increasingly demanding environment. By streamlining transactions without sacrificing human interaction, digital tools can make the dining experience enjoyable and efficient for customers. Specifically, by measurably reducing the time a mid-week, sit-down meal requires, digitization can make eating out more viable, particularly for fast casual restaurants. And by integrating data across the dining value chain, technology can enhance restaurants’ ability to manage operations and supplies and boost profit margins.

How Fast Casual Restaurants Can Transform the Guest Experience (in 20 Minutes) posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

MRM Chef Spotlight: Untitled Supper Club Executive Chef Frank Mnuk

CAVA Acquires Zoe’s Kitchen and DoorDash Raises $250M

MRM’s News Bites features Zoe’s Kitchen and CAVA, The Wendy’s Company and Inspire Brands, DoorDash, Toast and BevSpot, National Restaurant Association and Beam Suntory, Boston Market, LeaseQ and AutoQuotes, Gather and Wedding Spot, McAlister’s Deli^®, US Foods, Chicago Meat Authority and HUNGRY.

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

CAVA To Acquire Zoe’s Kitchen

Cava Group, Inc., CAVA,  a Mediterranean culinary brand with 66 restaurants entered in to a definitive agreement to acquire Zoe’s Kitchen, Inc. The combined companies will have 327 restaurants in 24 states throughout the U.S.

Under the terms of the agreement, Zoës Kitchen shareholders will receive $12.75 in cash for each share of common stock they hold. This represents a premium of approximately 33% to Zoës Kitchen’s closing share price on August 16, 2018 and a premium of approximately 33 percent to Zoës Kitchen 30-day volume weighted average price ended on August 16 and an enterprise value of approximately $300 million.

The acquisition of Zoës Kitchen will be financed through a significant equity investment in CAVA led by Act III Holdings, the investment vehicle created by Ron Shaich, founder, chairman, and former CEO of Panera Bread, and funds advised by The Invus Group, with participation from existing investors SWaN & Legend Venture Partners and Revolution Growth.

After closing, Brett Schulman, current Chief Executive Officer of CAVA, will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the combined company and will work closely with the existing leadership teams at Zoës Kitchen and CAVA to oversee their growth and evolution. Ron Shaich will serve as Chairman of the combined company.

Kevin Miles, Zoës Kitchen Chief Executive Officer said: “Zoës Board of Directors and Management are pleased to announce today’s transaction. Our mission was to deliver the highest value obtainable for our shareholders and pursuant to the transaction announced today our shareholders will be receiving a substantial premium to the company’s unaffected stock price. I am proud of the significant work the team has executed over recent years to grow the Zoës Kitchen footprint, build brand affinity and secure a leadership position in the Mediterranean and better-for-you category. These efforts made it an attractive candidate for a transaction of this kind. I’d like to thank each and every team member who will continue to make Zoës a differentiated dining experience every day.”

Brett Schulman, CAVA Chief Executive Officer said: “Today’s announcement is an exciting milestone for CAVA, and we’re thrilled to welcome Zoës Kitchen to our family. Together, these two brands are united by a shared heritage and passion for exceptional Mediterranean cuisine. Now with the addition of Zoës Kitchen, we will be able to broaden our geographic footprint and meet the needs of even more guests — whether in Bethesda or Birmingham, Plano or Pasadena — who crave delicious, healthy food without compromise. As part of the CAVA family, Zoës Kitchen will benefit from CAVA’s track record of bold culinary innovation and leveraging data and technology to drive growth and convenience.”

Ron Shaich, Act III Holdings Chief Executive, CAVA board member, and CAVA investor said: “As a close observer of the fast-casual restaurant industry, I am thrilled at the prospect of what CAVA and Zoës Kitchen can accomplish together. Together these businesses will create the leading company in one of the most important categories in fast casual today — Mediterranean — with the capabilities to drive extraordinary customer satisfaction and powerful growth.”

]Consummation of the merger is subject to certain closing conditions, including the adoption of the merger agreement by the holders of a majority of the company’s outstanding common stock, and the expiration or early termination of all applicable waiting periods under the HSR Act. CAVA has agreed to pay to the company a $17 million termination fee if the merger agreement is terminated under certain circumstances and the merger does not occur. The parties expect the merger to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Piper Jaffray served as financial advisor to Zoës Kitchen, and Greenberg Traurig, LLP acted as legal advisor to Zoës Kitchen on the transaction.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisor to Act III Holdings (Ron Shaich) and The Invus Group. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. acted as financial advisor to CAVA. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom acted as legal advisors to CAVA. Sullivan & Cromwell and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett served as legal advisors to Act III Holdings (Ron Shaich) and The Invus Group, respectively.

Wendy’s Sells Stake in Inspire Brands

The Wendy’s Company accepted an offer from Inspire Brands (Owner of Arby’s®, Buffalo Wild Wings®, and R Taco®) to sell its 12.3 percent ownership interest in the company back to Inspire Brands for $450 million. The agreement was approved by The Wendy’s Company Board of Directors and represents a 38 percent premium on the Wendy’s Company’s previous valuation of the investment. The company is expecting approximately $335 million of cash proceeds net of tax. The transaction closed August 16.

“The sale of our stake in Inspire Brands for $450 million is a great return on this investment for our shareholders,” said Nelson Peltz, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Over the past seven years, Wendy’s and its shareholders have benefitted from more than $100 million in distributions and the monetization of this investment carries a 38 percent premium over its most recent valuation.”

“We have benefited from and enjoyed our partnership with Inspire, and we wish Paul Brown and the team continued success in the future,” said Todd Penegor, Wendy’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The opportunity to monetize our investment in Inspire Brands will allow us to invest in future growth for the Wendy’s brand and Company, which is our top priority. The flexibility provided by the sale proceeds and the additional share repurchase authorization through 2019 will also allow us to continue to create value for our shareholders.”

DoorDash Raises $250-million in Growth Round

DoorDash raised $250 million in a growth round co-led by Coatue Management and DST Global. With more than 250 percent year-over-year growth, DoorDash has become the fastest growing last mile logistics platform in the U.S., according to Edison Trends.

Since January, the company’s geographic footprint has nearly doubled to more than 1,000 cities across the U.S. and Canada and is on pace to reach 2,000 cities this year. DoorDash has added more top 100 restaurants than all other industry players combined. Recently, DoorDash announced partnerships with Chipotle, IHOP, Red Lobster and White Castle, and signed an exclusive partnership with The Cheesecake Factory.

“DoorDash is gaining market share faster than anyone in the space,” said DoorDash CEO and co-founder, Tony Xu. “We’re thrilled to partner with premier investors to accelerate our vision to empower local economies by being the last mile logistics layer.” 

Building on the momentum of DoorDash Drive—the platform that empowers merchants to offer delivery to customers that have placed orders directly with the restaurant—the company announced a national grocery delivery partnership with Walmart that has now expanded to nearly 300 stores, in 20 states, in the last four months. And earlier this month, DoorDash debuted its DashPass subscription service and Pickup feature to generate even greater value for its merchant partners, while driving stronger customer loyalty with lower prices.

“Over the past few years we’ve watched closely as the last mile logistics space has exploded with innovation and competition,” said Thomas Laffont, senior managing director at Coatue Management. “DoorDash’s rapid growth has moved them from an ‘if’ company to a ‘when’ company and we are thrilled to help accelerate their already strong momentum.”

“As strong believers in the space globally, we’re excited to partner with Tony and his exceptional management team in their journey to transform the last mile logistics industry by delivering great value to the entire ecosystem,” said Rahul Mehta, managing partner at DST Global. “We’re impressed with their continued growth acceleration, execution, and Tony’s vision and passion for helping local businesses.”

Toast Integrates with BevSpot

Toast is now integrated with BevSpot. The out-of-the-box integration combines item-level point-of-sale data from Toast with inventory and ordering details available in BevSpot without the need for spreadsheets, uploads, or exports.  

“Toast simplifies our operations by combining POS, front of house, back of house, and guest-facing technology on a single restaurant management platform,” said Heather Lynch, general manager, Bar Mezzana. “BevSpot’s seamless integration through the Toast API Partner Program simplifies inventory management and will empower us to focus on delivering the best dining experience possible versus spending extra time reconciling back-end data.”  

Members of the Toast community can leverage BevSpot’s kitchen and bar solutions for:

• Fast, collaborative inventory tracking: Take inventory on any device, even without an internet connection; spot trends to make smarter purchasing decisions and increase bottom line.

• Smart ordering and record-keeping: Ditch the filing cabinet. Instantly send out orders, search order history, upload invoice images, and effortlessly manage communications with sales reps via BevSpot.

• Sales performance insights: Calculate sales, profit, and pour costs across categories by reconciling POS data with inventory and ordering data. Receive sales performance trends, detailed usage data, and variance reports.

NRA and Beam Suntory Partner to Promote Responsible Alcohol Service

The National Restaurant Association  and Beam Suntory are partnering to promote responsible service through their proprietary programs, ServSafe Alcohol® and Drink Smart.®

ServSafe Alcohol is the industry’s premier alcohol service training program developed by the National Restaurant Association. Drink Smart is Beam Suntory’s global proprietary program for educating consumers about the responsible consumption of alcohol. Through this partnership, Beam Suntory and the National Restaurant Association will develop co-branded content to be used as alcohol safety education for the restaurant and hospitality industry, reaching over one million industry professionals each year.

“This partnership demonstrates Beam Suntory’s commitment to responsible service and consumption of alcohol,” said Sherman Brown, Executive Vice President, Training and Certification, ServSafe. “Our entire association and broader industry will benefit from our shared commitment to educating employees in responsible alcohol service.”

This agreement serves to extend Beam Suntory’s Drink Smart platform beyond consumer education and into responsible alcohol service at retail and restaurant locations.  The co-branded educational materials for the ServSafe Alcohol program will be available in time for the restaurant industry’s Serv-It-Up program in the fourth quarter.

“We are so pleased to be partnering with the National Restaurant Association and know that this relationship will send a strong message about the commitment of Jim Beam and our entire brand portfolio to responsible beverage service by the trade and responsible consumption by consumers,” said Ken Ruff, Beam Suntory’s Vice President, National Accounts On-Premise. “As part of our global commitment to reduce alcohol misuse, partnering with retailers and restaurants is critical to ensuring that alcohol is served appropriately, and everyone stays safe.”

Boston Market Delivers

Boston Market® launched online delivery available to its guests across 330 restaurants nationwide.

Boston Market lovers who want to enjoy home style rotisserie meals at a convenient value from the comfort of their home can go to BostonMarket.com or download the Boston Market app to place their orders. Boston Market has also partnered with Grubhub and DoorDash. To celebrate the launch of nationwide online delivery, Boston Market is offering free delivery for all orders over $15 from August 15^th – 21^st. Boston Market guests can go to the BostonMarket.com homepage to retrieve their coupon for free online delivery during this period.

“With the launch of multiple Boston Market Delivery options, putting a delicious, healthy meal on the table is only a click away,” said Frances Allen, Chief Executive Officer, Boston Market.  “We want to give our guests time back in their lives that they can use to connect with family and friends.”

Guests can also order curbside pickup online at many participating restaurants.

LeaseQ Integrates with AutoQuotes

LeaseQ’s online marketplace for equipment financing is now available on AutoQuotes for the foodservice equipment and supplies (FES) industry. Organizations using AutoQuotes gain access to LeaseQ’s instant quotes and network of 150+ lenders, so they can offer financing for any credit profile, size of business or type of equipment.

“AutoQuotes shares our mission to make equipment financing easy, fast and cost-effective for the industry, and we’re thrilled to offer our services on their platform,” said Vernon Tirey, co-founder and CEO of LeaseQ. “We’re in the midst of an age of digital transformation for the equipment finance industry, and companies like LeaseQ and AutoQuotes are giving vendors, lenders and borrowers the right technologies to succeed.”

“We’re excited to welcome LeaseQ to the AutoQuotes platform as another great option for our customers. AutoQuotes is all about adding efficiency to the quoting process, so our users can quickly and easily offer financing from multiple sources to their customers, all in one place,” said Chris Rudin, Account Executive at AutoQuotes.

Gather Adds Wedding Spot

Gather added Wedding Spot to the Gather Booking Network. Wedding Spot is a marketplace for connecting engaged couples with wedding venues, and brings unparalleled wedding industry expertise to the Gather Booking Network. With a network of over 12,000 potential wedding venues nationwide, Wedding Spot is the ultimate destination for couples looking to find the perfect location to celebrate. Users can tailor venue searches based on what they are looking for, including price, location, style, capacity, and more.

“Wedding Spot is a valued brand and beloved tool for wedding venue selection,” said Yotam Soen, General Manager for Wedding Spot. “Our partnership with Gather gives a more robust experience to couples, who will notice an improved venue outreach and booking experience when they engage with venues on the platform. For participating venue operators, showcasing their space on Wedding Spot will enable them to tap into a deeply engaged set of potential customers.”

Launched with the goal of simplifying the event booking and planning process, the Gather Booking Network allows restaurants and venues to tap into a larger audience by providing more ways to promote their businesses in the top places where event planners go to find and book events. Venues are listed on partners’ sites and showcased in relevant search results to generate more leads. When planners find a venue and submit an event request, they’re seamlessly connected via Gather — resulting in a streamlined booking process and exceptional customer experience.  

“Adding Wedding Spot as a partner gives us and our customers the opportunity to tap into a thriving area of the industry,” said Nick Miller, co-founder and CEO at Gather. “Wedding Spot allows couples to search for venues based on capacity, services, style, location, and budget. That’s why they’re one of the best generators of highly qualified leads and the perfect addition to the Gather Booking Network. We’re thrilled to add another layer of consumers, event planners, restaurants and venues, as it’s all about seamlessly connecting one another.”

Wedding Spot joins existing Gather Booking Network partners that include Yelp, EVENTup and BizBash, with more to be announced in the coming months.

McAlister’s Deli Rolls Out New Prototype

 McAlister’s Deli^® is rolling out a new prototype restaurant in Atlanta this September that will be accompanied by a deeper, more community-centric brand positioning that guests can experience across the system, starting with a new kids and family program.

McAlister’s new design evolution reflects the heart of the communities it serves. Based on rigorous customer research, and done as part of a larger commitment by parent-company FOCUS Brands Inc. to invest in the future of its restaurants, the new McAlister’s prototype will reflect the finding that guests view McAlister’s as a natural community gathering place.

The new design will have an open look and feel, featuring a community table that can seat large groups to encourage get-togethers and neighborhood connections. There will also be a community-themed mural and photo wall highlighting neighborhood patrons and landmarks, unique to each restaurant.

In addition to the look and feel of the restaurant, the brand is unveiling a new logo and employee uniforms to match. McAlister’s will also roll out sustainable packaging, along with fresh menu programming dedicated to kids and families. Additionally, guests of the prototype will be tapped to provide feedback on menu items and their experiences.

“This is the first evolution for McAlister’s since our brand opened its doors in Oxford, Mississippi in 1989,” said Joe Guith, president of McAlister’s Deli. “Whether our guests are socializing while enjoying our signature hand-crafted food, or choosing us for their busy family’s on-the-go meal experience, McAlister’s brings to life a space that’s truly part of the neighborhood and meets the needs of our guests.”

The new design layout will provide:

• On-the-go counter strategically placed at the front of the restaurant for easier pickup.
• A dedicated pickup window for on-the-go orders and catering pickup.
• A check-in touchscreen for the pickup window queue.
• The brand’s iconic sweet tea will also be available at the front counter for improved guest engagement.  

The new kids and family program will include:

• An easy-to-follow format with information presented at kids’ eye-level to give them a chance to participate in the decision-making process.
• Affordable, hand-crafted items with better-for-you ingredients parents can feel good about.

The program will also feature custom Activity Kits designed to create new, shared experiences that can extend mealtime together. Filled with games and thought starters that span several age ranges, these interactive kits can be enjoyed by the whole family.

US Foods Scholars

US Foods announced  the names of the company’s first US Foods Scholars scholarship recipients. Three students from the greater Chicago area and three students from Arizona were each awarded a $20,000 scholarship to support costs related to their continued culinary education, in addition to hands-on training opportunities with US Foods culinary professionals. US Foods Scholars program awards financial support and professional development opportunities to students who plan to pursue an education in the culinary arts and enter the restaurant industry.

US Foods Scholars was created in partnership with the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) to support students who have demonstrated outstanding potential and achievement in the culinary arts and require additional resources to take the next step toward a career in the industry. The program was developed to help tackle the talent shortage facing the restaurant industry, which is forecasted to have 1.7 million new positions by 2025¹. US Foods Scholars officially launched in August 2017 in Chicago and expanded to Arizona in November 2017.

“This is a remarkable group of students with incredible potential,” said Debra Ceffalio, vice president of corporate communications, US Foods. “As the demand for highly skilled applicants continues to be a challenge for independent restaurant operators, our US Foods Scholars will be well-positioned for a successful career in the industry.”

“Our students have worked hard for this honor, and we are proud that they have been selected as US Foods Scholars,” said Karen Brosius, president of C-CAP. “The US Foods Scholars program will have a lasting impact on these students – not only from a financial perspective – but also as a way to provide unique and valuable culinary training opportunities and experiences.”

Learn more about the six recipients here.

Chicago Meat Authority Celebrates Employees

Chicago Meat Authority celebrated summer with a rib cookout for employees of its first and second shifts and breakfast for its third shift employees. The company, celebrating its 29^th year in business, gave its employees water bottles branded with its safety slogan and held a raffle for prizes.

The privately held boning and portion control operation is located in the historic Chicago stockyards and employees 300 specialty butchers who customize meat for selective chefs. Raffle prizes included first aid kits, fire extinguishers and smoke alarms.

“We love to recognize the hard work our people put in over the year and their commitment to safety with a lunch featuring our delicious ribs,” said Jordan Dorfman, president. “We had shift supervisors serving their crews, our chefs preparing and cooking the ribs and the vice president of operations, Chris Ross, welcoming all to our celebration. Our director of technical assurance, Lisa Rabe, organized the party and everyone pitched in to make it and the breakfast for the next shift a rousing success.”

CMA is an independent processor of high-quality beef, pork and chicken. The company sells to the hotel, restaurant and institutional markets in addition to meat purveyors and multi-unit regional and national chains. The company employs 300 specialty butchers who customize meat for selective chefs. Twenty-five percent of butchers on staff have more than 15 years of experience and 40% have more than five years of experience.

Chicago Meat Authority began in 1990, encompasses 80,000 square feet and produces sales of $125 million per year. The company specializes in custom cuts for further processors including grinding operations, deli manufacturers and the meat snacks market. The company’s mission is to be the preferred supplier of its customers, the preferred customer of its strategic suppliers and a model employer in the industry.

HUNGRY Acquires LocalStove

HUNGRY acquired Philadelphia-based LocalStove for an undisclosed amount. With the purchase, HUNGRY has launched its operations in the Philadelphia market, which spends an estimated $550 million annually on corporate catering. The launch follows HUNGRY’s June announcement of $1.5 million in seed funding from private investors, bringing its total funding to $4.5 million since its founding in 2016.

“HUNGRY is officially open for business in the City of Brotherly Love! Philly is a historic foodie paradise, with some of the world’s most talented culinary artists. It’s the perfect city for our first expansion since we launched in the D.C. market last year,” said Jeff Grass, HUNGRY CEO. “The LocalStove team has done an outstanding job of curating celebrated local chefs and catering to Philadelphia’s vibrant corporate landscape, and we look forward to the accelerated market growth our combined teams will achieve.”

LocalStove founders Greg Dubin and Steve Finn started LocalStove while at Wharton Business School, as a way to provide healthy, delicious meals from aspiring chefs to students and local businesses. “HUNGRY has achieved outstanding success in the D.C. market in a very short period of time. Their resources and operational expertise will be a tremendous asset going into the busy holiday catering time. We’re thrilled to join their talented team,” said LocalStove co-founder Greg Dubin.

HUNGRY provides culinary stars with a platform from which to sell their signature menus directly to corporate customers, who can effortlessly place catering orders via web or phone, which are then delivered by professional HUNGRY staff with meticulous attention to detail. Rather than ordering only from restaurants or traditional caterers, Philadelphia-area offices can order directly from a rapidly growing network of talented local chefs.

HUNGRY launched its marketplace in January 2017 in the Washington, D.C. market and rapidly grew to more than $1 million in sales by the end of that year. HUNGRY has already tripled sales this year and is on course to quadruple sales in 2018.

CAVA Acquires Zoe’s Kitchen and DoorDash Raises $250M posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com