Putting the Magic Back Into Your Restaurant

When you experience a moment that is truly magical, you know it. You know it, because you feel it.

I recently felt magic when visiting Disneyland. My wife, two-year-old son and I were up way past bedtime waiting in line for a ride for what felt like forever. As we approached the front of the line, exhausted, a kind ride operator asked how our visit was going. When we told him that it was our first visit ever, he smiled and told us that after we rode, we could stay on the ride for a second round.

We must ask ourselves: how can we make the short time a guest spends in a restaurant the best time of their day?

This seemingly simple gesture made our night. No matter the motivation, this employee was guided by the core principle sharing joy, and he did. I carry this moment with me and remember it when I think Disney.  

Because a magic moment is something you feel, it is something that cannot be faked – it must be genuine. In our eatsa stores, customers smile with joy or take videos of friends when they experience picking up their food from our cubbies. This break from what is expected during lunch embodies the magic that work to bring to our store guests, and it continues to stoke the curiosity and delight of our customers.

More than ever, people are hypersensitive to their experiences and engagement with products and brands. As a result, brands are becoming increasingly aggressive in their attempt to garner attention. The table stakes of customer service are no longer enough. Brands need to identify early on, what makes them unique and “magical.” We must ask ourselves “how can we make the short time a guest spends in a restaurant the best time of their day?” How do we garner reactions like “that’s so cool!!” and “how the heck did they even do that?!?”

Here are seven ways to infuse magic into your brand’s products and experiences:

Tell Genuine Stories with Substance

At The Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco, you are asked to say one thing you’re are worried about in life before you enter the museum. You are then asked to let go of that worry and smother it with the joys of ice cream. This act offers a simple yet compelling narrative and an amazing way to frame what you are about to experience.

Create Next Level 'Surprise and Delight'

We must genuinely fulfill the phrase “surprise and delight.” Push beyond merely what is expected. For example, eatsa’s design focuses on merging digital and physical technology in a way that is unexpected, joyful and engaging, thus much more exciting than your average coupon or free side of guacamole.

Get to Know Your Customers Even Better

 Find ways to get your guests to say “somehow they just know me!” Employing impressive personalization features will set your business apart and keep people coming back.

Optimize, Don’t Just Modernize

 Don’t apply design for the sake of design, be useful. One of my favorite examples of this is the Kazbrella upside down umbrella. At first this design seems flashy, but its features are thoughtful and incredibly useful. You’re left wondering why it took this long for someone to think of this.

Help, But Don’t Hover

Enjoying a meal can be a very personal thing and hovering over guests is a non-starter. Give customers the space they desire, but always be findable and available if needed.

Understand the Value of Your Customer’s Time

Consumers are busy and want to use their time as they see fit. Empower guests with clearly defined pickup instructions and mobile apps that provide details during the ordering process to maximize the guests’ precious time. For example, eatsa’s mobile app tells customers when their food will be ready down to the exact minute.

Lead

Don’t follow. Be original. In the world of sequels, spin-offs and substitutes, separate your business model and offerings from the pack with new and provocative customer engagements.

Pushing ourselves beyond the obvious answers in today’s restaurant industry is imperative. Rather than thinking outside the box, consider instead that there is no box. In whatever you create, work to help people to feel the magic.

Putting the Magic Back Into Your Restaurant posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Third-Party Delivery Services: Friend or Foe?

Third-party delivery services are changing the restaurant industry.

While previously only foods like pizza or Chinese food offered delivery, now customers expect to be able to get almost any food delivered to their home. Many restaurants have started working with third-party services instead of managing their own delivery, which comes with its challenges as well as advantages. Here are some of the pros and cons that you need to consider before adding your restaurant to a third-party platform.

Disadvantages of Third-Party Delivery Services

Restaurants are notoriously low margin businesses and the cost of using a third-party delivery service can be prohibitive. These services typically charge 30 percent of the sale, so when you combine this with a 30 percent food cost, plus a 30 percent labor cost, the margin is pretty low. Add your operating costs and the margin goes down to almost zero.

Each third-party delivery service has its own platform. These platforms have to be integrated into your POS or, alternatively, you need to provide logins to your accountant to make sure they are capturing these sales. Additionally, each employee needs to be trained to operate the kiosk.

What about quality control? Unfortunately, with third-party delivery, you’re unable to control the condition in which your food reaches the customer. It might be the driver’s fault that the food arrives cold but your customers will hold your restaurant responsible. This puts your reputation on the line. 

Benefits to Restaurants

Offering delivery, either yourself or through a third-party, can add a new revenue stream, increasing sales without having to add more seats to your dining room. Even if your margin on third-party is low, the extra sales bolster your bank account and give you more cash flow. The biggest advantage to third-party delivery is as  an additional marketing platform. The hope is that delivery customers try your food and at a later date come in to dine. Delivery services have a pool of thousands of customers who already order takeout through their platform.

Tips for Getting Started

Before starting with a third-party delivery service, be sure to get a baseline gross margin number. Monitor this every month to see if revenues fluctuate. Also watch your bottom line to see if profits rise and keep an eye on your cash position. Create a separate revenue account for third-party profits and losses and track these sales separately.

Then, check with each vendor to find out their service fee. Consider the fees along with each vendor’s market share to determine the best option for you.

Are third-party delivery services friend or foe? They can certainly make a difference to your business in terms of brand awareness and modest income, just invest a little time upfront to ensure your business gets the most out of the service.

Third-Party Delivery Services: Friend or Foe? posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Holiday Wine Pairing Guide (Infographic)

Celebrating gratitude and good cheer with our loved ones, the reason for the season comes down to giving thanks. Sharing good food enriched with even better drink, the holidays seem to make their own memories. From large family gatherings to close knit Friendsgivings, the right wines can make all the difference.

From its ancient origins in Burgundy, France, holiday favorite pinot noir is a welcome addition to any dinner table. For red wine lovers, pinot noir is an essential and even discerning white wine drinkers find the light yet dry qualities of pinot noir appealing. For those large family gatherings, a couple bottles of pinot noir on the table should keep everyone happy. Served next to fresh gravy-topped turkey slices, stuffing, and fall harvest salad, this light wine compliments the traditional autumn and winter flavors we know and love. Perfect pairings with pinot noir come from spices and seasonings like dill, allspice, thyme, and clove, enriching even the most traditional of celebrations.

A feast in their own right, holiday desserts top off any kind of celebration; be sure to leave room for a little bubbly once the cakes and cookies start rolling out. Sparking wine, ideal for toasts and celebratory cork popping, champagne lets us end our meal on a high note. From rich cheesecakes to light as air pastries, fizzing sparkly wines have a character all their own. Countries the world over have their own spin on sparkling wine, but chardonnay and pinot noir grapes are commonly included in the process.  Complimenting the sweetness of shortbread cookies and the sharp bite of strawberry tarts alike, the light acidity of sparkling wine brings out complex yet gentle flavors.

But traditional, hearty holiday meals aren’t for everyone and some folks prefer a different approach to their menu. Almost 40 percent of celebrants serve side dishes from other cultures and another 38% of people put a multicultural spin on already traditional dishes from spices to sauces. For celebrations like these, pinot noir might not fit the bill; chardonnay, however, fills the gap. Hailing from Burgundy as well and made from a crossing of pinot noir grapes and gouais blanc grapes, chardonnay pairs perfectly with chicken, seafood, and heavy creamy sauces. Ideal for non-traditional holiday dinners, chardonnay compliments even vegetarian and vegan menus especially those including spicy, citrusy, and bright flavors.

Build your holiday wine list to perfection with this infographic for more on the  art of wine pairings, how to compliment every recipe from mains to sides, and make your holiday celebration, whatever it may be, one to remember.

Holiday Wine Pairing Guide (Infographic) posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Using Restaurant Data to Prep for Holiday Rush

All restaurant operators will deal with a rush. It's these times when traffic ramps up and real-estate become more limited that showcase a restaurant's real purpose: to keep service flowing without sacrificing quality or the guest experience.

Rushes occur for multiple reasons with most restaurants experiencing these peak-traffic times on a regular basis. Typically, rushes occur around traditional meal times, or times when folks are off work (like weekends). The specific aspects of these rushes, how long they last and their intensity, vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant though. Aside from these standard rushes, there's one other type of rush for which all operators should prepare themselves: The Holiday Rush.

The Holiday Rush

What differentiates the holiday rush from those mentioned above is that they, as their name suggests, coincide with seasonal holidays. During these holidays, especially those at the end of the year, guests tend to take time off work to spend more time with family, and to do holiday shopping. So, while they're out and about, it means they're quite likely to spend their meals at a nearby restaurant.

Where most rushes will last for only a few hours, the holiday rush is slightly broader, encompassing days and weeks at a time, per holiday spending and behavior. During these times, operators can expect to see increases in guest traffic, off-premise ordering, and reservations. Since holidays fall on different days each year, the specific hours of a holiday rush aren't as concrete as others. You will still see traffic spike on nights and weekends but can expect to see increases at different points of the day, as guests take time off to spend with loved ones and go out.

Prepping with Data

While you cannot predict entirely what a rush will involve, knowing when the holidays fall means you can prepare and anticipate them each time. With such revenue to be made, most operators realize they need to take advantage of the rush, but many may be wondering how. Through restaurant data and analytics, you can not only determine a full-bodied picture of your restaurant operations but can anticipate how to optimize it during the high-stress of a holiday rush.

Front-of-House Data

Your FOH data gives insight into how well you're managing your guest traffic, as well as an indicator into the customer experience. Use a guest management system to access and analyze this data.

Average Wait Times

Your average wait time data shows how long a guest typically spends in the lobby before being seated. While rushes inevitably inflate some wait times, when they become regular, they dampen the guest experience and subsequently, your reputation. Through data and analytics, you can get a report on historical average wait times, year over year. Pay particular attention to past holidays, and the days and times in which the average wait time increases. If you find a specific day (for example December 23) or time of day presents a lot of these increases, you may employ more staff or restructure the kitchen, to keep wait times as low as possible during these times.

Reservation Data

You've got to know your reservation capacity to avoid overbooking. A helpful metric to observe is your historical reservation data. The number of reservations you process has a lot to do with your seating efficiency and table turn speed, but note: when analyzing historical data, you may see your reservation counts decrease during holiday times. Guests may be prone to stay longer in your restaurant (especially when the weather is frightful!), resulting in fewer open slots for future reservations.

Average Table Turns

Table turn metrics reflect the total time it takes a guest to dine, from when they sit down to when they leave. When analyzing this data report, you can usually identify bottlenecks and chokepoints where you see your average table turn times increase. From here, you can adjust workflow or staffing to shorten these times. Furthermore, using historical data, you can identify specific days and times (especially within the holiday season) that these metrics increase so that you can plan for them.

Seating Efficiency

In a nutshell, your seating efficiency indicates how well you're utilizing your available seating space, relative to the number of guests you have. The fewer empty seats you have, the higher your seating efficiency, so placing the right party at the right table is essential. With holiday traffic, you may see larger parties than usual, which can affect your efficiency if you're not prepared. You can analyze historical seating efficiencies to forecast for the future, and conclude that in the areas where seating efficiency decreases, there's a rush.

Staffing Efficiency

If you see a lot of these front-of-house metrics sliding out of whack, it might mean you need more host or serving staff to accommodate the traffic. By analyzing these front-of-house metrics, especially during the holiday season, you can spot your deficiencies,  correct them, and even planning for seasonal hiring.

Individual Customer Data

If you've got your guest management system integrated with a third party data collection service, you likely have access to the kind of customer information that can help you create effective holiday marketing campaigns. Use this info, like email addresses, to promote any holiday specials you're running, distribute coupons, or to generally stay on your guest's radar. For more granular marketing, you might access guest histories, the dates they visited and even check details, which you can use to personalize their emails even more.

Bar Data

While it doesn't apply to all, restaurants with bars attribute roughly 30 percent of their revenue to alcohol sales. During the holidays, folks are often in merrier spirits, and alcohol purchases and consumption tends to increase. Pay attention to your past holiday bar sales to plan effectively for the holidays, in inventory and staffing.

Back-of-House Data 

Your back-of-house data illustrates how well your kitchen is functioning, from the time a guest places an order to the time it goes back out to the floor. Use this data, found in reporting features of technology like a kitchen display system, to hone in on your kitchen and improve your processes.

Speed of Service Data

To boil down a kitchen's effectiveness, you should first look at your speed of service. It's basically how quickly your staff can receive an order, prepare it, and get it back onto the floor. Each time a cook bumps an item from one phase of its journey to the next, your KDS creates a report. Remember that during the holidays, folks may take their meals at a more leisurely pace than they would during the year. Robust meal-coursing features in your KDS will help here, so you’re not overpreparing follow up courses they aren’t ready to receive. By analyzing your holiday speed of service data, you can identify the times when these metrics spike, and plan accordingly.

Menu Item Sales

Menu engineering is the process of breaking your menu down to identify your most profitable items. Operators typically use it to restructure their menus, introduce seasonal and promotional items and cut the unprofitable ones. By analyzing sales data, you can spot those items which were most popular during previous holidays seasons, and apply it to your menu engineering efforts. With this data, you know which items to spotlight during the season, driving more revenue.

Inventory Management

With an increase in orders and traffic, you're likely to go through more of your inventory. Use proper inventory management processes, as well as software, to accurately track your available supply. Analyzing year over year sales trends will help you know when, and how much, to stock up. To decrease waste, you might also implement a KDS with bin management features. This feature helps you monitor your peak items during a rush, using historical data to project how much to prepare.

The holiday rush can be a trying time for any restaurant, where high traffic and activity can drive nerves and emotions even higher. However, with those increases, comes the prospect of strong sales and repeat customer loyalty during future holidays. By analyzing your restaurant data, you make the most informed decisions possible for your operation, to weather this and all other rushes.

Using Restaurant Data to Prep for Holiday Rush posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Waitr Takeover and Cinnabon Gets Gifty

Hospitality is Hot Career for Gen Z (Infographic)

A new report shows that more than 50 percent of the Gen Z demographic—the largest generation in the U.S.—is interested in pursuing a career in hospitality.

Commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF) and conducted by BW Research Partnership in collaboration with Hcareers, the study examines the perceptions, attitudes and career preferences of Gen Z as they gear up to enter the workforce. The study also showed that Gen Z values companies that take care of their employees, the hallmark of an industry that takes care of their people. 

“We are very heartened to see the high level of interest from the Gen Z market. The $590 billion hospitality industry is continuously developing new programs to attract and retain talent,” said Rosanna Maietta, AHLEF President. “We want to embrace this next wave of potential employees, and are committed to understanding their priorities so we can create career pathways that build a viable and fruitful environment for everyone in the future.”

“This research further validates our drive as a career platform to foster relationships with students and future employers seeking a job in the hospitality industry,” said Ron Mitchell, CEO of Virgil Holdings which owns and operates Hcareers. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with AHLEF and highlight the extensive growth opportunities for Gen Z in our industry.”

Coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week, the findings support the hospitality industry’s job training and apprenticeship programs that facilitate employees to move up the ladder of opportunity.  Research shows that Gen Z has an average attention span of eight seconds, compared to 12 seconds of millennials.  “We better catch them fast,” added Maietta.

Key findings from the research include:

Gen Z is Big and Wants to Work

Gen Z is the largest generation in the U.S. with over 61 million individuals born between 1995-2010. The most racially diverse age group, 20 percent of Gen Z is bilingual. Many witnessed their parents struggle through the recession and consequently have lower risk tolerance and concerns about the economy. 45 percent are already working full or part-time.

Women and Men Want Different Things

The survey found stark differences between male and female Gen Z respondents. Already a highly socially inclusive generation, when choosing an employer, Gen Z women are twice as likely as men to list a socially responsible company as the most important factor when choosing their job. The top traits found to be important to a Gen Z’s success at work include good attitude, confidence and team work for females, compared to technical skills for males.

Hospitality is Important

The Hotel and Lodging industry attracts higher interest from Gen Z and young millennials than industries such as construction, finance, insurance, restaurant and food services. It’s also the one thing men and women can agree on – the industry attracts interest from both males (52 percent) and females (53 percent), bonus for recruiters in the field.

Companies Must be Held Accountable

When choosing a company to work for, Gen Z prioritizes companies with a positive reputation for treating their employees fairly, paying them well, being socially responsible, and provide opportunities to gain new skills. 

Education Is Not Seen as Important

The survey revealed a majority of Gen Z (52.5 percent) respondents do not believe education is a top characteristic necessary to qualify for a job. Attitude, confidence, ability to work in a team, and technical or job-specific skills are more important, according to Gen Z respondents. 

Gen Z Is Most Interested in Management

Gen Z is very interested in positions that include “manager” in the title, perhaps reflecting a desire for higher pay and career growth. However, Gen Z also shows a heightened interest in customer-service jobs that include face-to-face interactions such as front desk agents and bartenders.

 

The study was conducted online through a BW Research survey to a national panel of 15 to 30-year-old individuals via email and mobile phone. Designed to be representative of the U.S. general population, quotas were developed using population estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Representation was maintained for age, gender, ethnicity and race. It was completed by 2,846 respondents with an average completion length of just over 16 minutes. In this study, Gen Z is defined as individuals between the ages of 15 and 23, and young millennials are defined between the ages of 24 and 30. A downloadable copy of the report is available here.  For more information on the study, plus career development resources and information on apprenticeship programs, visit AHLEF.org.

Hospitality is Hot Career for Gen Z (Infographic) posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com

Holiday Help: Seven Tips for Hiring Rock Star Seasonal Staff

The holiday shopping season is right around the corner, and consumers will soon be heading out in droves to snatch up great bargains on must-have gifts. With the strong economy and unemployment at an eight-year low, forecasters are expecting a busy and lucrative holiday season.

For restaurants, it’s a perfect opportunity to cash in on the crowds. With shoppers out and about, plus family and friends getting together to celebrate, the holiday season can mean a big boost to your bottom line. 

But, the added business can also put a major strain on your current staff and cause longer wait times for seating and food service. Overwhelmed staff and an extended wait can turn patrons off to your establishment, which might impact the likelihood that they’ll return after the seasonal spike is over.

Instead, hiring additional seasonal staff can help you manage the crowds and give diners a pleasant experience that will keep them coming back throughout the year. And even though they may be temporary, hiring the right staff is important—you don’t want just any warm body to fill the space. Plus, given the healthy job market this year, it could be tougher than ever to find great seasonal help. Here are seven tips for hiring rock star seasonal staff:

Assess Your Needs

Get a firm grasp on the positions/roles and what shifts you’ll need to cover. Hiring experienced help in those specific areas will ease the learning curve and help them to get ramped up to full efficiency quicker.

Ask for Recommendations

Your current staff could be a great resource for finding new recruits. Ask if they have friends or family members who might be looking for seasonal work. There’s a good chance your staff member will give them an idea of what the job entails, so they’ll know what’s expected before they even apply.

Tap into Schools and Local Colleges

Seasonal jobs are a great fit for students, as well as teachers and staff who may have some downtime or be looking for some extra spending money for the holidays. Post ads or host a job fair on campus, if possible, and conduct on-site interviews to speed up the hiring process.

Stick to Your Full-Time Standards

You want staff who are dependable, willing to work hard and flexible, and who fit with your restaurant’s culture in order to deliver the experience your customers expect. Don’t be tempted to relax those standards for seasonal help, just because they’re temporary. You need them to deliver the same experience as your full-time team. Plus, you never know when a temporary employee may decide to stick around full-time. Adhering to your full-time standards will ensure a much better fit both now and in the long-run.

Don’t Skip the Background Check

In the rush to get staff on the floor fast, it might be tempting to skip this step, especially if the new hire was a referral from a current employee. However, there is always the risk that a new employee may not treat your businesses with the right level of respect, putting you at the risk of theft or other misconduct. Just do the background and reference checks. You’ll sleep better at night.

Adhere to the Employer 'Golden Rule'

Treat your seasonal employees as you would treat your permanent staff. Guidelines for human resources and many state laws require that temporary workers receive the same benefits and treatment as full-time staff. Resist the temptation to cut corners, otherwise you could put your business at risk.

Keep in Touch

Once the rush is over and it’s time to say goodbye to seasonal staff—assuming they’ve been an asset to your team—keep their contact information on file for future use. Should the need arise again, you’ll save time and effort in hiring people who have already proven to be great seasonal employees. For them, it could be the perfect arrangement—a supplement to a full-time job, for example—and for you it means they’re already trained and ready to go when needed.

Hiring seasonal help is a smart, efficient way to ensure your customers get the best possible dining experience, despite it being the busiest time of year. With the right level of staffing and service delivery, the holidays are a great opportunity to turn seasonal guests into year-round regulars by giving them an experience they’ll want to return for again and again.

Holiday Help: Seven Tips for Hiring Rock Star Seasonal Staff posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com