Ousia: After the Deluge

What do you do when the worst happens?

Watch this MRM Profile and the owners of Ousia, a year-old, Greek-inspired Mediterranean restaurant on the far west side of Manhattan will tell you. 

At the beginning of the year, Ousia was forced to close temporarily after a severe water leak caused more than 400 gallons of water a minute to flood the restaurant. The Livanos Restaurant Group owners explain how they overcame this challenge and what others can learn from their experience. The family has been in the restaurant business for more than 50 years and never faced a tragedy this severe.

Key takeaways:

• have good insurance;
• seek support from family and friends; and
• maintain a positive attitude.

Ousia: After the Deluge posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Punchhing Up Rewarding Success

To hear Punchh Co-Founder and CEO Shyam Rao tell it, the digital marketing company was launched because a restaurateur friend called him and his other co-founders “nerds.”

The friend tasked them with using their technological expertise to figure out a solution for one of the key problems all restaurants face: acquiring new guests.

“The aha moment was determining the most cost-effective way to drive guests is word of mouth and we needed to learn how to drive word of mouth,” Rao told Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine, noting that the key is to strategically use data while keeping hospitality at the core.

Puncch, which now serves more than 100 restaurant chains around the world and 35 million consumers, just announced a new round of Series B venture funding to fuel further expansion.

The company accepted $20 million in funding led by Sapphire Ventures, who funds category-leading growth technology companies, with participation from Cervin Ventures, bringing their total funding to date to $31 million. The new funding will be used to expand the Punchh Marketing Cloud to new industries and roll out predictive marketing capabilities using AI and machine learning.

Punchh is also introducing Punchh Acquire, which converts anonymous customers into brand loyalists through a broad array of channels including Wifi, SMS, social platforms, Apple Pay, eClub and others. Previously available only as a private beta, is now available to all Punchh customers and is currently being rolled out by Del Taco, Noodles & Co., Pei Wei and Focus Brands, among others.

Punchh’s new AI and machine learning tools were designed to empower brick and mortar retailers with the same data-driven, omni-channel marketing strategies that have allowed digital merchants to continually gain market share. By enhancing the Punchh marketing platform with intelligent and predictive consumer profiles, marketers at every level can create impactful, custom campaigns and offers across national, local, sku or even weather-based strata.

 

“Companies like Amazon have digital, data-driven and tailored 1-1 marketing down to a science, while brick and mortar retailers are left data-blind and forced to spray and pray – they don’t learn from your past purchases, can’t recommend products they know you’ll buy, and they aren’t able to send the right offers to you at just the right time,” said Rao. “Consumers that choose to do their shopping online as opposed to going to the store aren’t lazy – online retailers are simply doing a better job at knowing their customers and keeping them loyal with delightful and customized shopping experiences.”

Rao noted that customers such as Pizza Hut and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf  now have the tools to identify customers, predict behaviors and execute custom campaigns on the fly that fundamentally increase lifetime customer value.

While the company has previously focused on the restaurant industry, Punchh now intends to broaden their focus beyond the realm of restaurants and into new vertical markets including Health & Beauty and Convenience Stores, with more to follow. As part of the push into new markets Punchh is also announcing the launch of Fantastic Sams hair care along with TruFusion, a wildly popular chain of Yoga, Pilates, Barre and Cycling health and fitness stores.

“Punchh is already a global leader in digital marketing solutions for restaurants, which alone would be a fantastic reason to invest in the company,” said Jai Das, managing director, Sapphire Ventures. “But the scope of their technology goes far beyond just restaurants and encompasses all brick-and-mortar stores with a POS. We are excited to bring our global network and expertise to help the Punchh team scale their platform to meet the massive, global opportunity of providing Amazon-like customer insights to brick-and-mortar retailers”

 

Punchhing Up Rewarding Success posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

How Do Demand Charges Impact Your Electric Bill?

As a restaurant owner/manager, you accept that there are some fixed operating costs. Lot rent, electricity, water, sewer, staffing costs, etc. all are things you cannot avoid.

Once you have established operational hours, electricity costs should remain relatively fixed, or at least one would logically assume so.

However, in many cities across the United States, this is not the case thanks to demand charges. These charges can greatly affect your restaurant.

What Is A Demand Charge?

To understand how demand charges effect restaurants, it is important to understand what they are, how they work, and why energy providers use them. Understanding how and why you are billed helps you prioritize which measures to implement to save you energy in the long run.

Energy companies bill in two ways: meters and demand charges. You are likely most familiar with metering, where every month someone comes to read your meter to determine how many kilowatt hours (kWh) you have used during your billing cycle.

However, not all energy consumed is billed to you at a flat rate. During peak hours, when more people are using energy on the grid, power companies utilize demand charges. Any power used during this time is charged an additional fee: you pay more for power used during peak hours than at other points during the day.

Demand charges are based on kilowatts (kW) consumed. During peak hours when demand is higher, you will pay more for energy consumed during this time.

So, depending on how your rates are structured, demand charges can make a significant portion of your energy bill – up to 30 percent, actually.

Demand Charges And Restaurants

Demand charges are most frequently enacted later in the evenings when most people are home and drawing power from the grid. Commercial customers often require a lot of power, but not consistently through the day. Thus, the power company must install additional infrastructure to be able to meet the periodic demand in that particular area.

These charges often disproportionally affect restaurants. Due to the nature of the equipment inside, restaurants are an energy sink. Depending on the type of the restaurant, you may be drawing large loads of energy throughout the day.

Demand charges are frequently charged to restaurants based on the sheer amount of kW consumed.

How You Can Apply This Information

While not openly advertised, demand charges are not always a static rate. Obviously, electric companies are not going to tell you this.

In addition, you can work with the knowledge you have and implement operational practices that lower your demand usage, potentially keeping you out of demand charge territory for part of your operational hours.

However, without an intimate knowledge of these ins and outs, city ordinances, and energy company regulations, you may not know how to best lobby for your restaurant’s bottom line.

The best way to understand how demand charges impact your electric bill and what you can do to reduce that impact is to hire an experienced energy consulting service that specializes in the restaurant industry.

How Do Demand Charges Impact Your Electric Bill? posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Financial Fitness for Franchises and Burke Likes Saratoga

This edition of MRM’s Daily Bite features KFC Foundation, Restaurant Revolution Technologies, ParTech, LevelUp, The Adelphi Hospitality Group, Red Robin and Dinova, Trabon, JBF, Yardbird Southern Table and Freebird Rides.

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

KFC Foundation Offers MyChange

The KFC Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded by KFC franchisees, announced personal finance program, MyChange, as its newest charitable offering for employees at participating KFC U.S. restaurants. Offered in partnership with Sum180, MyChange fosters personalized financial wellness and teaches foundational personal finance skills to KFC’s restaurant employees who choose to enroll in the program.

“The KFC Foundation programs provide resources to KFC’s frontline workers, based on their real needs. Financial health impacts overall health and wellness. So, we’re excited to provide the people we serve with tools to take charge of their financial trajectory through the new MyChange offering,” said Krista Snider, managing director, the KFC Foundation.

MyChange pairs a powerfully simple and completely confidential financial wellness app with a personal adviser to empower users to take charge of their money right away. Program features include:

• Budgeting tools and weekly budgeting tips
• Personalized budgeting plans and actionable, highly personalized next steps
• Helpful videos and easy instructions
• Notifications to encourage accountability
• Personal and private access to financial advisers to provide coaching
• An online community for peer support and encouragement

During the annual KFC Corporation-sponsored “Your KFC Voice” restaurant team engagement survey, team member responses indicated financial counseling as a primary need, second only to college scholarships. This insight, coupled with the KFC Foundation’s own research and experience with constituents via its hardship assistance program, led the KFC Foundation to establish MyChange in partnership with Sum180.

“Our mobile financial wellness service goes beyond traditional financial wellness services, and similarly, the KFC Foundation goes beyond standard employee support. We’re thrilled to partner with a like-minded organization to bring the Sum180 financial wellness service to KFC restaurant employees,” said Carla Dearing, CEO and founder, Sum180.

MyChange joins several other KFC Foundation offerings, including Rise with GEDworks (personalized high school credential assistance), the KFC Family Fund (hardship and crisis assistance), and the REACH Educational Grant Program (college tuition assistance at $2,000, $2,500 and $3,000 award levels), rounding out the employee assistance organization to support the whole wellbeing of KFC’s restaurant employees.

Operating independently from KFC Corporation and led by a board including KFC franchisees, KFC Foundation receives the majority of its financial support from the Cole Slaw Donation Program, a voluntary program where KFC franchisees elect to have a portion of the sales of cole slaw in their restaurants used to engage in and support the Foundation’s initiatives (averaging out to a $1 per employee per month contribution).

 Revolution Releases Order One Next Gen

Restaurant Revolution Technologies, Inc. (Revolution)  released the next generation of its omni-channel ordering platform, Order One. The burgeoning platform is quickly becoming a favorite among restaurant operators, as it provides a plug-and-play solution for restaurants to easily allow customers to place takeout, delivery or catering orders by phone, website, mobile or, now, even by chat.

The Order One platform submits all orders – regardless of how they were placed – directly into a restaurant’s point of sale (POS) system, removing the need for specialized tablets – which require valuable staff to re-enter orders. Beyond being able to automatically submit orders from all customer input points (phone, web, mobile, text, chat), Order One also monitors submitted orders from start to finish and provides order management protection. If there’s a problem, such as credit card processing failures, Order One, along with its live issue monitoring and order resolution team, will troubleshoot in real-time and ensure customer satisfaction.

In addition, Order One captures customer data to provide restaurant customers with a great experience and insights on order history and activities, offering a comprehensive look at all ordering channels and empowering them with the necessary data to drive revenue and to make crucial business decisions. And now, with the release of the 3.0 version, Order One is a more powerful offering with the following features:

• Angular 2.0 Ordering Sites: A visually appealing and experiential presentation of restaurants’ menus with real-time updates based on menu item availability.
• Delivery Enablement: Ability to allow restaurant groups to expand their capabilities by providing a direct-from-the-restaurant delivery option for their customer base couriered by top services such as DoorDash.
• Chat Ordering: The ability to receive chat assistance on an online or mobile order, and to connect to the same live agent for further assistance.
• Group Ordering: Ability to have a group order managed, submitted and paid for by a singular payer or multiple payers.
• Repeat Ordering: Ability for customers to quickly repeat previously placed or favorited orders at a click of a button for fast and easy reordering.
• Social Login and Sharing: The ability for customers to sync and login via social media accounts and directly share menu items, favorites and other content across social platforms.

“We launched Order One to provide a solution to restaurants that were frustrated with the current off-premise ordering systems on the market,” said Revolution CEO Brad Duea. “Our collaborative, merchant-first approach continues to lead to valuable feedback from our restaurant partners on what they want next from us. We incorporated the most requested features in the latest rollout to continue to innovate and provide the best experience our restaurant partners’ customers deserve.”

ParTech Launches PAR Pay

ParTech, Inc. (PAR) introduced PAR Pay, a SaaS based EMV enabled transaction processing solution for processing credit, debit and store value cards.  PAR Pay is seamlessly integrated as an extension of all PAR POS software solutions and supported by the PAR service infrastructure.  PAR Pay will be available to all Brink and PixelPoint clients in June of this year.

ParTech, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE: PAR). Mobile payment platforms combined with Quick Chip support dramatically improve the guest experience, while providing piece of mind through heightened fraud detection and security monitoring. PAR Pay’s gateway architecture provides real-time transaction visibility through a cloud-based portal, allowing anywhere access to view non-sensitive transaction and settlement details, analyze payment trends, reconcile payments and manage chargebacks across all stores securely from the Cloud.  PAR Pay is also device agnostic, providing merchants with a long term, low cost flexible solution for processing payments. 

Key features of PAR Pay include: 

• Supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and PayPal with Near Field Communication (NFC)
• Quick Chip support for EMV processing as fast as swipe
• Store & Forward for automatic approval of transactions during rare offline occasions
• Device agnostic where customers can choose from a selection of manufacturers and models
• Payment processor agnostic
• Tokenization allows for card on file functionality outside of the store
• Point-to-point encryption (P2PE)
• PCI-DSS and PA-DSS v3.2 certified

“An improved and frictionless guest experience is paramount at PAR.  We are pleased to now offer a payment processing solution for our customers, which will allow them to meet their payment processing objectives, inclusive of security and speed of service,” said Paul Rubin, Chief Strategy Officer, ParTech, Inc.  “The PAR Pay offering is tightly integrated with all PAR POS software solutions and is fully supported by our service teams and we are confident our customers will see significant value.”\

LevelUp Adds Partners

LevelUp recently added 25 fast-growing restaurant brands as partners, including national chains Smoothie King and Zaxby’s, and emerging brands honeygrow, Wings Over and Evergreens, among others. Eight of them have already launched their guest engagement programs, including brand new mobile apps, developed and powered by LevelUp. Those partners include Pret A Manger, The Human Bean, Clean Juice, Showmars, and James Beard award-winning Flour.

LevelUp is a digital engagement solution that empowers restaurants to capture and engage both existing and new customers everywhere they live, work and play, with seamless digital ordering, payment and loyalty experiences. More than 50,000 locations rely on LevelUp to maximize guest engagement for over 10 million customers every single day.

“As the growth engine for restaurants, it’s our job to help restaurants reach new customers and convert them into loyal guests,” said Seth Priebatsch, founder and CEO at LevelUp. “Our Broadcast product enables integrated digital ordering and rewards distribution through leading consumer channels bringing new customers in the door. And our new data-enriching capabilities help restaurants understand and better engage those new customers.”

Two of LevelUp’s newest partners include leading lifestyle brand Smoothie King and fast-growing “indescribably good” chicken chain Zaxby’s.

“Smoothie King is all about delivering the best experience we can to our guests and helping them live a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Smoothie King CMO, Jennifer Herskind. “With LevelUp, we are making it easier for our guests to engage with and frequent our brand.”

“At Zaxby’s, we strive to offer world-class service to our guests, not just with exceptional food, but also by creating a comfortable and fun atmosphere,” said Erin Todd, senior brand manager at Zaxby’s Franchising LLC. “We are thrilled to have LevelUp join the Zaxby’s team to launch a phenomenal digital experience for our guests.”

Chef David Burke Joins Team at The Adelphi Hotel and Salt & Char  

The Adelphi Hospitality Group (AHG) said Chef David Burke has joined the team at The Adelphi Hotel and Salt & Char as Culinary Director, overseeing all food and beverage operations. Chef Burke joined the hotel this month and is currently working to refine the elevated dining experience at the restaurants as well as catering and in-room dining services. Chef Burke and his culinary team will reveal enhanced menus that will echo his signature style for The Adelphi Hotel’s restaurant concepts, The Blue Hen and Morrissey’s Lounge, as well as the adjacent Salt & Char. Details on the enhancements will be announced at a later date. 

“Chef Burke and I have a longstanding business relationship and friendship, so it is with great pride and confidence that we welcome him to our family in Saratoga Springs,” said Larry Roth, Co-Owner of Adelphi Hospitality Group. “Chef Burke is known for his world-class restaurants that offer guests not only some of the most delicious food but also an overall exceptional dining experience. We are thrilled to be bringing someone of Chef Burke’s caliber to The Adelphi Hotel and Salt & Char.” 

“I’m grateful for the wonderful opportunity to be heading up the culinary concepts at such an iconic and historical property such as The Adelphi Hotel,” said Chef David Burke. “Saratoga Springs is a special town with a warm and welcoming community. I look forward to spending a lot of time in the area and getting to know the people and region even better.” 

Red Robin Joins Dinova Marketplace

Red Robin has joined Dinova, Inc.’s exclusive business dining marketplace.

“This is a great opportunity for Red Robin to partner with Dinova and expand our business to reach the loyal customers within their network of more than 300 corporations around the globe,” said Dana Benfield, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Red Robin. “Our craveable gourmet burgers, impressive lineup of seasonal, craft and traditional brews, and Bottomless value promise offers something for everyone. We look forward to treating our new guests to an unforgettable experience when dining in-restaurant or ordering to-go and catering for office meetings and other events.”

“We are thrilled to have Red Robin partner with us as we continue to offer more diverse restaurant options to business diners across the country,” said Vic Macchio, CEO and founder of Dinova. “Providing great experiences and situation-appropriate restaurants for every business meal is what we do best as we actively build our marketplace.”

Trabon Signs on Partners

Trabon, a leading menu management technology solutions company, has partnered with 54^th Street® and True Food Kitchen® to use their MenuNet® platform to easily modify and publish location specific restaurant menus.  Guests of 54^th Street will also be able to customize their meals and filter by dietary need or desire using Trabon’s My Meal, My Way™ Nutrition & Allergen Calculator, and Trabon will be printing and distributing all menus. MenuNet helps restaurant brands manage all food, beverage, price and nutrition variations from a single source and across all brand channels. Using the Trabon My Meal, My Way Nutrition and Allergen Calculator restaurant brands can share interactive, accurate nutrition and allergen data with their guests. Guests crave the ability to personalize meals to fit their specific wants and needs.

 Trabon’s proprietary MenuNet platform replaces manual artwork versioning and creates content ready for integration to other brand menu information channels including online ordering, third-party delivery and POS systems.  Integrating menu content from a single source platform drives greater menu accuracy across all brand touch points.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with both 54^th Street and True Food Kitchen,” said Trabon Chief Business Development Officer Nancy Hampton. “Each brand is uniquely positioned and they are redefining their restaurant segments.  Technology is important to both brands and they are bringing on tools that will enhance their ability to thrive in a very competitive environment.”

“We are excited for our new partnership with Trabon,” said 54^th Street Director of Marketing Kelly Reid.  “We feel strongly Trabon will help 54^th Street streamline workflows and support brand growth by helping make menu customization by market easier to manage and communicate,” added Graphic Designer Jill Alvarez.

True Food Kitchen is using MenuNet to help the health-driven, seasonal restaurant brand create location-specific menus that rotate four times a year and feature regional pricing and beverage offerings specific to a particular market. The 22 restaurant operation is also leveraging MenuNet’s integration with Yext, which gives restaurant brands the ability to seamlessly update and publish consistent, accurate location-specific menu content, including pricing and nutrition, across the web. The MenuNet app in the Yext App Directory makes it easy for restaurants to manage menu content everywhere consumers look for it.

“Trabon is helping our marketing and operations teams manage a more efficient menu change process,” said True Food Kitchen Vice President of Marketing Shannon Keller. “As a restaurant brand with detailed seasonal menu changes, True Food Kitchen will rely on MenuNet to help ensure our rotating menus are consistently accurate across all digital channels.”

JBF Announces Hosts

Carla Hall, Co-Host of ABC’s The Chew, will return to host the 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards. The yearly Awards ceremony and gala will take place on Monday, May 7, 2018, at Lyric Opera of Chicago and will also be aired live exclusively on Twitter for the first time at live.twitter.com/jbfa. On Friday, April 27, 2018, award-winning journalist Tamron Hall will host the annual James Beard Foundation Media Awards. This year’s celebration will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers.

“We’re thrilled to have Carla and Tamron represent the Foundation as hosts for the 2018 Awards ceremonies,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “Each has made an impressive impact on their industries and are role models in their respective fields. We look forward to celebratory and thought-provoking evenings with both, as we embrace this year’s theme, ‘Rise.’”

Carla Hall is a co-host of ABC’s Emmy award winning lifestyle series “The Chew,” where she sits alongside restaurateur and “Iron Chef America” star Michael Symon, and entertaining expert Clinton Kelly. She is best known as a competitor on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef: All Stars,” where she won over audiences with her fun catch phrase, “Hootie Hoo” and her philosophy to always cook with love.

Tamron Hall’s signature reporting style has lead her to several notable roles within broadcast journalism since her start as a general assignment reporter at KBTC in Bryan, Texas. She has served as host of “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” on Investigation Discovery since September 2013, where she takes an in-depth look at crimes that have shocked the nation. She was a part of the NBC News team as a co-host of the third hour of NBC News’ TODAY and the anchor of “MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall” for many years. Prior to joining MSNBC in July 2007, Tamron spent 10 years at WFLD in Chicago, where she held several positions including host of the three-hour “Fox News in the Morning” program. In 2015, Tamron received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Reporting: Hard News in Network Television for her segment on domestic violence, as part of TODAY’s “Shine A Light” series. Tamron served as a correspondent for historic moments including the NBC News Special “The Inauguration of Barack Obama,” which won an Emmy for Outstanding Live Coverage in October 2010.

New in 2018, the James Beard Restaurant & Chef Awards will be live streamed exclusively on Twitter. The May 7 Awards will be available for Twitter’s logged-in and logged-out audience and can be viewed at live.twitter.com/jbfa or from @beardfoundation. Coverage will include red carpet interviews, the Awards program, and backstage, insider access with hosts, presenters, winners and Gala attendees. The Twitter broadcast will be co-hosted by television host and food and travel blogger Jaymee Sire; journalist, producer, and red carpet correspondent Alex Hudgens; and cookbook editor, food writer, and host of “The Splendid Table” podcast, Francis Lam.

Winners of the 2018 James Beard Media Awards will be announced at an exclusive event honoring the nation’s top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Friday, April 27. Winners of the remaining awards will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 7, 2018. During the event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and America’s Classics. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.

Tickets to the May 7 Awards Gala and the April 27 Media Awards dinner still available for purchase at jamesbeard.org/awards/tickets and through the Awards Box Office 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, by calling (914) 231-6180. General public tickets are $500; James Beard Foundation member tickets are $425. Individual tickets for the Media Awards are $350; table for 10, $3,500. VIP ticket options are also available. Please contact the box office for details.

The 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards are  hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports as well as the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, HMSHost, Illinois Office of Tourism, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino^® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, TABASCO^® Sauce, Woodford Reserve Bourbon; Supporting Sponsors: Breville^®, Corporate Essentials, Hyatt, National Restaurant Association™, Robert Mondavi Winery, Skuna Bay Salmon, Taylor Precision Products, Valrhona, Windstar Cruises; Gala Reception Sponsors: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Ecolab, Front of the House^®, Kendall College; with additional support from: Chefwear, Emmi Roth, Loacker, and VerTerra Dinnerware. 

Yardbird Southern Table and Bar Debuts

On April 6, James Beard-nominated and award-winning Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, top photo, fficially opened its doors in Southern California. Nestled within the newly renovated Beverly Center, the rustic, country-chic dining destination showcases their internationally recognized Southern cuisine featuring seasonal dishes with ingredients harvested at regional farms.

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar Los Angeles offers a unique and authentic dining experience built around 100-year old family recipes, served in a warm, welcoming environment. Recognized for the modern renditions of classic, home-style favorites, the menu is renowned for its famous Lewellyn’s Fine Fried Chicken n’ Waffles, Deviled Eggs and House-Made Buttermilk Biscuits. 

Paying homage to their new Los Angeles home, Chef Patrick Rebholz has crafted the menu to include light and flavorful options from sustainable foraged ingredients as well as an upscale twist on Southern fare. Guests will enjoy delicious, seasonal experiential dishes like the Mufaletta Saladprepared tableside and the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market Salad.  Ingredients will be sourced daily from local farms including Valdivia Farms, Weiser Family Farms, County Line Harvest, Murray Family Farms, Pudwill Farms and Mike & Sons Egg Ranches.

The menu is a journey of classic Southern cooking that has been peppered with a complex and inimitable style. The collection of unforgettable homestyle recipes include a Sweet Tea Braised Long Bone Short Rib, Louis Style Pork Ribs, Whole Lobster Mac & Cheese, and a Bourbon Aged Steak deemed “The Duke.” These flavors break the traditional constraints of Southern cooking, resulting in an offering unique to the Los Angeles dining landscape.

James Beard-nominated Pastry Chef Hedy Goldsmith has designed an eclectic selection of playful desserts that are guaranteed to evoke an edible nostalgia.  Layered with both savory and sweet components, Goldsmith pulled menu inspirations that are indulgent pick-me-ups made with the best seasonal ingredients that are satisfying and good for the soul.

Complementing the culinary concept, the cocktail program at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar Los Angeles, curated by Joshua Holliday, is pulling no punches.  Complete with hand carved ice and exotic ingredients, drinks like the Tarragon in Technicolor are equally approachable as they are familiar, while offering a bit of flair as the colors change throughout consumption.  The cozy bar scene, featuring both a lounge and ample bar seating, will also offer an impressive list of over 100 bourbon and whiskey options. 

Helmed by award-winning restaurateur John Kunkel, the sophisticated dining destination boasts indoor and outdoor seating options alongside meticulously designed private and semi-private spaces, designed for social gatherings.  

Kunkel stated, “We are committed to continually providing our guests with high-quality, made-from-scratch, classic Southern cuisine, and thrilled to take the art of hospitality to a new level with Yardbird Los Angeles.”

Freebird Rides Partners with Boston Bars and Restaurants

Freebird Rides, a new Uber-affiliated app, announces its arrival in Boston by partnering with more than 100 local bars and restaurants to offer customers cash rewards in return for their patronage via Uber. Freebird seamlessly connects with Uber and provides a platform to help restaurant and bar owners drive consumers to their establishments. Meanwhile, “freebirding” consumers get free Uber rides or cash rewards on food and drink purchases, while leaving their car at home and ensuring a safe and hassle-free night out.

While the consequences of some delivery-oriented technologies, from online shopping to meal delivery services, have encouraged isolation among consumers, Freebird’s technology is helping small business owners in the bar and restaurant sector fill their establishments once again. The app encourages consumers to get out, network and socialize the original way, over a meal or a drink, rather than from behind a screen at home.

Freebird Rides was founded by Kurt Brendlinger, who is the Company’s CEO and partner of Santa Monica Capital Partners, an entrepreneurial merchant bank. In addition to his track record of turning ideas into successful businesses, he is one of the senior advisors to production company 3 Ball Entertainment, whose hit series include The Biggest Loser (NBC) and Bar Rescue (Paramount Network).

“Freebird Rides is actually a conduit to going out, discovering a new place with friends, getting there and back safely and earning cash rewards,” CEO and Founder Brendlinger says. “It’s a win for regular Uber users and a solution for businesses that benefit from a service that drives customers to their door.”

Co-CEO of 3 Ball Entertainment, Todd A. Nelson, said, “As the creator and executive producer of Bar Rescue, and many other makeover shows featuring entrepreneurs, I’ve seen first-hand the struggle small business owners have to drive customers to their establishments and keep them coming back. New smartphone technology presents an even bigger challenge, so I am thrilled to be an investor in Freebird Rides, whose technology literally incentivizes patrons to go out rather than stay in, while helping keep them safe in the process.”

Freebird Rides was tested successfully throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, CA in fall 2017, and for the last several weeks in Boston before its official launch today. Free to consumers, the app is a unique form of marketing for restaurants and bars because they only pay Freebird when someone pays a tab with a Freebird linked credit card. Freebird does not require businesses to sign a contract. Additionally, businesses can choose which days to offer rewards to Freebirders and can use it to promote targeted menu items on social media.

“Giving VIP incentives to consumers that ride responsibly gives us the opportunity to defeat drunk driving,” commented Brendlinger. “We want to make it free and easy for consumers to be safe while enjoying a night out on the town. Freebird provides that solution. We are already thrilled by the initial response to the app by consumers and business owners alike.”

Brendlinger was drawn to Boston as Freebird’s first launch market because of its tech-savvy and strong Uber population, coupled with the city’s vibrant restaurant and bar scene and notorious lack of parking. Brendlinger is familiar with the Boston market since both his daughters chose Boston for college.

 The app partnered with Guinness Beer offering Safe Rides home to consumers during the weeks before and after St. Patrick’s Day, a program Guinness extended because of its positive reception by consumers. Freebird is also partnering with Burke Distributing and Martignetti Companies, distributors of beer and wines and spirits respectively. 

Financial Fitness for Franchises and Burke Likes Saratoga posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Branding for Food Trucks: The Definitive Guide

Deciding how to brand your food truck may be the most important decision you’ll face as a food-on-the-go entrepreneur. A well-branded truck can draw attention to your business all day, every day, everywhere it goes. Follow this food truck branding guide and your truck will race ahead of your competition.

Know Your Brand

Start by taking the time to figure out what your brand is. Please don’t get me wrong – I’m not asking you to make up a brand. Believe it or not, your brand already exists. You just need to take the time to refine it and clearly articulate it.

If you’re thinking of starting a food truck business or already have, you probably have a passion for food. I’m guessing you want to share your unique menu with the world. You probably also have some sort of personal value system. You might value hard work, honesty, integrity. Maybe you want to help others and make the world a better place with your food.

And finally, you have a personality. You’re rebellious or sweet. Maybe both? You may be casual, playful or formal. Your personality is uniquely you; and, it already exists.

In order to find your brand, these are the places that you should be looking.

Examine your menu and cuisine style – what makes it unique? What foods are you excited to make and share? What values are most important to you that you want to see manifested in your food truck business? And which of your personality traits do you want to help define your business?

The best brands are authentic brands. They are derived from the actual passions, values and personality traits of the folks who run the business. So start looking within.

Lock it Down with a Mission Statement

Now that you generally know your brand, it’s time to make it concrete. All of that research and soul-searching doesn’t get you much if you don’t translate what you’ve learned into a useable form. Your mission statement should serve as a reminder and a guide for who your business is and what it’s about. Use it as a reference whenever you’re making decisions about your brand.

Your customers should be able to read your mission statement and say, “Yeah, that sounds like them!”

Get Professional Design Help

You wouldn’t hire a graphic designer to cook for your customers – because they’re not qualified. If your expertise is food, you probably shouldn’t do your own graphic design. So, hire a professional to do your design work.

If you’re on a budget but want top-of-the-line results, consider crowdsourcing your branding design. Crowdsourced design allows you to choose from dozens of design options for far less than you would spend at a traditional design studio.

Whatever path you choose, working with professional designers will ensure a professional result and help guide you to a clearly communicated visual brand.

Your Truck Comes First

Your truck is your best form of advertising – it passively interacts with every customer. In other words,… once your truck’s design is complete, it advertises on autopilot 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  A strong, visually appealing, and branded design for your food truck will draw customers in and encourage them to buy. For this reason, your truck should be the touch point for all of your branding design decisions.

Your truck comes first.

When considering logo design, plan a logo that communicates your brand and also will look amazing at large scale, emblazoned across the side of your truck.When designing your website, model the website after your truck design.

Aim for Immediate Recognition

Every brand wants their designs to be memorable and easily identified. For food trucks, this is even more important than for most businesses. After all, your business is regularly on the move. Customers may not have the context of a consistent location to help them recognize you. Your truck design needs to serve as a brand ambassador to bridge that gap.

When planning your truck design bear in mind that you always want your truck to be instantly recognizable even from a distance. A bold color scheme, and large graphics will help loyal customers spot you from far away or across a crowded street. Empanada Sonata’s unique bold red splatter design makes it easy to spot and identify.

Make choices that represent your brand as authentically and specifically as possible. Generic design choices are not your friend. You’ve got to be bold to stand out from the crowd.

Feature Your Menu

Don’t forget to make your menu a focal point of your truck’s design! Your food should be the star, so don’t let a busy design overshadow the menu. A bold truck design is there to draw the customers to your truck and build confidence in your product. But, without quality grub, a brand is just a hollow promise. So, direct your customers’ eyes to the thing that really matters – your menu.

Your Brand is More than Your Truck

While food service should be the main focus of your business (after all, if your food isn’t good or your service is poor, there’s only so much marketing and branding can do), your business does not end with your truck.

You need to communicate with your customers through a robust web presence. And you need a staff to support and feed your customers.Your branding should be present and consistent throughout your website, your social media presence and your staff.

Your Website is Your Anchor

Your mobile food brand needs a home base where customers can always find you. While your truck may be out navigating the world, your website is always just a few clicks away from any customer.

You can accomplish this goal with consistent branding. Design your website using the same branding design elements as appear on your truck. This will help customers to recognize and trust your website before they’ve had a chance to read a single word of content.

Build Relationships with Social Media

Your food truck business should have a social media presence. Honestly, in this day and age consumers expect a business to be on social media. But, social media can provide particular branding benefits for mobile food businesses. Your social media accounts provide anchored platforms where customers can always find you.

Social media interactions build brand loyalty that will encourage customers to seek out your truck in person. Social media provides an easy way to notify customers of daily menu changes, sales, or location changes.

The important things to remember are to brand your social media content authentically and consistently with your overall brand and to update regularly. Customers are attracted to follow social media accounts that are active and offer content of real value.

Don’t Forget Your Staff

Your staff should personally embody your food truck’s brand. They should know your company values and act accordingly. They should understand your brand’s personality and embody it.

And, it’s up to you to clearly share your brand values and personality with them so that they can succeed in those goals. It’s also up to you to work with your design team to create a branded uniform of some kind to help your staff look the part as well. Does your brand have a t-shirt sorta vibe? Or is it more of a button-down establishment?

Branding your food truck business is no small task. But, this guide is a great place to start.

Branding for Food Trucks: The Definitive Guide posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

What Do Food Delivery Services Cost? (Infographic)

The on-demand economy is rapidly changing the food service industry — and yet it seems restaurant owners are failing to adopt the changes. Few offer delivery services, and even fewer utilize the benefits of partnering with companies like UberEATS and Postmates that already have an automated, fully-functional app in place. Here is an in-depth, considerate comparison of the four major on-demand food delivery services available to restaurants to better aid in promotion and sales: Postmates, Doordash, Grubhub, and UberEATS. With this information, restaurants can make a fully-aware, unbiased decision on which company would be best for the future of their company, their growth, and their employees. 

 

In 2017, adults were found to be 30 percent more likely to use restaurant technology than they were two years ago. In a nearly $800 billion dollar industry, that means if a restaurant has failed to provide a smooth, easy-to-use online-ordering experience for their customers, then small restaurant business will severely suffer. But designing, maintaining, and operating a fully functional food delivery app or online system is one of the main reasons 32 percent of diners of restaurateurs believe they are lagging in their technology use.

 

So, what’s an owner to do?

 

The Zebra, a comparison website for car insurance quotes, put together a detailed examination of the top four most popular app-based, food delivery services to determine exactly how much it costs for restaurants to use them in the infographic below.

 

For more details, read the full report: What You Need to Know About The Most Popular Food Delivery Apps.

What Do Food Delivery Services Cost? (Infographic) posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Tempting the Dynamic Restaurant Customer and Empowering America’s Restaurants