Every service industry wrestles with one problem that is central to everything else we do. We pay a lot of advertising money to draw people to our establishment or service only to have them greet an unhappy employee who is really not equipped to turn them into a lifelong customer by their smile and their actions. In fact, in some cases it might be better to have no one there than to risk having a negative (or at least a not positive) interaction.I have learned through my four decades in the service business that success comes down to this little triad: LOVE your customers. SERVE them unconditionally. WIN their hearts. Do this and something magical happens. So, how do we make this happen in our business? Let’s start with what we make our employees believe about our mission. And, yes, you are on a mission. Cast a Vision that Starts at the TopAs leaders, it’s important that we set the culture at the company so that everything we do resembles putting others before ourselves. This flows from genuinely caring about those we come in contact with, and it must be at the core of what we do. There will always be issues at work, just as there are always issues in life. How we handle these issues will vary greatly based on whether or not serving others first—even our most challenging associates—is at the core of who we are and what we do. For job commitment with a purpose, we must teach character, not success, focusing on building character, not characteristics. What does this look like in reality? While one business culture focuses on character—humility, servanthood, and kindness—another focuses on the process and convenience of the franchise. One is based on the heart of the business while the other is based on the mechanics of the business. What can we learn from this? It starts with the leadership and flows up through the team to our guests. We can’t expect our team members to follow our lead to live out the spirit of hospitality in our service to others if we don’t walk the talk ourselves. We must model it by living it. We must be the first to do what we expect others to do when they’re looking to us for direction and leadership. And this starts with the CEO and his leadership team, not just at the local establishment leadership level. If we want our team members to go above and beyond our expectations, we must set them up for success by leading by example and training them to do their jobs in like manner. The way to introduce quality service standards is through a robust training program. We need to train our new team members not only in the skills necessary to do their jobs, but also in our company’s culture. People need to know the “Why” and we need to be able to explain that to them in a simple and powerful way. That means, of course, that we need to know the why. Take the time to figure this out. Then share it often with your employees. You’ll instill in them purpose and empathy and you’ll start building a growing tribe of engaged customers. Let’s talk about each of these vital aspects of the customer service experience. PurposeWithout vision, people don’t know what they’re supposed to aim for. What’s our common goal? What do we want to achieve in business? What’s our business philosophy? Our team members should be well aware of these, and this information should not only be central to all training, but it should also be repeated frequently throughout every day, at every staff meeting, in every email communication, and … well, you get the point. The Ritz Carlton is known for this. At the start of their day, the Ritz Carlton teams gather for their Daily Lineup. During this fifteen-minute gathering, they do three things. They hear what is happening at a corporate level and what is happening at the local hotel—such as a memorable story of how putting their vision to work has affected a guest. They also review their twenty core values.These values are always within the team members’ sight and hearing. There is never an excuse for the team members to not know how to respond in any given situation in order to accomplish the Ritz Carlton Golden Standard of Service. They are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.[i] When we’re looking to hire, our potential team members need to be willing to sign off on our mission statement, agreeing that they know the standards our company strives for and are willing to exemplify those standards no matter what they are putting their hands to do any time they’re on our property. The outcome of training and development of front-line crew members should reflect the values of the owners. But knowing our business isn’t enough. Team members also need to know and understand their purpose in their position. The goal is to provide a seamless delivery of our product or service. For that to happen, each team member needs to know what they’re responsible for and how to best serve in that position. This can only happen if we point out that purpose during their training. We’ll discuss this more in the upcoming section about roles and goals. EmpathyWhether we’re training our team members or they are serving our guests, empathy is extremely important. It has been said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. It’s true. We must first show we care about the person we’re communicating with. If we’re human, we understand that when we’re dealing with a difficult situation, we want someone to understand how we feel in that moment, and we don’t want to be judged for feeling that way. It’s a very vulnerable place to be. The knowledge that we care about their concerns also builds trust. Let me share a true story that I think really exemplifies what I am talking about. Unbeknownst to the hotel staff, a gentleman would be scouting their facilities for an outstanding brand in a particular industry that held annual conventions and wanted a new place to hold one. Upon his arrival, the front desk associate realized his room wasn’t available due to overbooking. The gentleman hit the ceiling. When the front office leader heard the commotion, he took the initiative to come out from behind the counter, introduce himself to the guest, and profusely apologize for the oversight. He asked the gentleman if he could have a couple of minutes to resolve the issue and turn around the negative situation. Within moments, the leader had a hotel limo take the guest across the street to another of the corporation’s properties, where they paid for him to spend the night. The next morning, the leader brought him back to an upgraded suite, chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne, and a written apology to him. The hotel also picked up the bill. Due to their excellent service recovery, the gentleman brought back multi-million dollar accounts. Again, the hotel staff didn’t know he was scouting their property until after the fact. Yet, they took care of him as a person first. That’s a great lesson that we can replicate in any service business. We must train our team to consider the person first and the business second. Ask if there’s something we can do to help make the person feel better. “How may I serve you?” is the appropriate hospitality statement in this situation. If the guest responds in anger, frustration, or grief—we’ve all seen one blow up, growl, or break down and cry at one point or another—stating that we understand their (insert emotion here) and would love to help resolve the situation will go much further than responding in like kind. This is why putting others before ourselves at all times is so incredibly important in the spirit of hospitality. It doesn’t matter how ridiculous their request may sound to us. It doesn’t matter whether company policy allows such-and-such response. What matters is making the guest feel important enough for someone to empathize with their felt need and work with them to amend it. Love. Serve. Win.We are all operating in a different hiring environment now. For the first time in my lifetime there are more available jobs than people to fill them. Wages are rising because of supply and demand. That means that every employee we can convince to work for us is gold. It’s always been true, but never more so than now. So, teach them the “Why” for your organization, how it sees its customers, and what the mission is. Empower them to not just satisfy your customers, but to elate them. Then, spend your advertising dollars knowing that when they work and people come to your establishment that they will become customers for life. How to Win Every Customer’s Heart posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger How to Win Every Customer’s Heart
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Work, meetings, and training isn’t just taking place in corporate offices anymore. Companies are turning to outside venues — especially restaurants — to provide experiences and an inviting atmosphere away from cubicles and meeting rooms.Your restaurant is poised to make a great profit from this trend. According to the CWT Meetings & Events 2019 Meetings & Events Future Trendsreport, the 2019 meetings market will increase by 5 to 10 percent. If you haven’t been hosting corporate meetings and events, you can quickly become a preferred venue in your community by following a few best practices. Here’s our guide on how you can appeal to corporate event planners: Update Your Spaces and AmenitiesCompanies are searching for venues that have the right amenities, and they’re going to have different needs than clients who are only booking social events. Corporate event planners need venues that have a variety of spaces that can accommodate different types of meetings, from a small group or board meeting, all the way to a large conference with several hundred attendees. Smaller events may need a quiet area or private room with one large conference table, several smaller tables, or rows of chairs facing a podium. Large conferences typically need a huge room that can fit hundreds of people for the day, and possibly those smaller rooms for side meetings or breakout sessions. In addition to the spaces, corporate events require technology for presentations and trainings at these meetings, so make sure you have sufficient wifi, screens with projectors that can easily connect to a laptop, microphones, and a sound system. Not all corporate events are about work. Companies may also contact you to book networking events, cocktail parties, staff retreats, lunches, and dinners, and your existing dining room or private rooms could be a perfect fit. Provide the Right Information OnlineEvent planners are working nonstop, booking for multiple clients at once, so doing an initial search online is their first step towards researching a new venue. 49 percent of event planners use the Internet as a primary way to find and book venues. Make sure your restaurant appears in their search by using the right keywords on your website: your city, state, neighborhood, cuisine, types of events you host (including corporate, meetings, networking, conferences, and cocktail parties), your available spaces (boardroom, meeting space, dining room, private room, banquet room, patio, rooftop, lounge) and what type of venue you are (restaurant, event space, cocktail lounge, recreation, meeting space, etc.). The more you talk about those keywords on your website, the more search engines will associate your site with those words, and you’ll have a better chance of ranking at the top of a search. Sharing photos, room options, floor plans, amenities, and menus is a must — corporate planners will use this information in a presentation on possible venues that they provide their clients. Include photos that show your space without a setup, with an event setup, and during an event so the planner and the client can have a sense of what their event would look and feel like if they booked your venue. Don’t stop with your website. Your event information should also be included on venue listings sites, your social media profiles and posts, Google My Business, and any other platforms that you’re using in your marketing. You never know where planners may find information about your business. And of course provide contact information for your event staff as well as an event booking lead form so planners can get in touch with your venue right away. Communicate QuicklyOne of the biggest pain points we’ve heard from event planners is the delay or lack of response from venues when they send an inquiry. Someone from your venue should be monitoring emails and booking form responses every day and provide an answer as soon as possible. If they don’t hear from you, they’re going to book the first venue that fits their client’s needs. Go a step further to stand out by using event management software to communicate with event planners. You can upload documents, menus, private event package options, floor plans, photos, and more to your account. Then, create email templates that include all of that information and send them easily to anyone who inquires about events at your venue. Connect with Your CommunityLocal Chambers of Commerce, convention centers, and hotels have relationships with companies and conferences that are likely to hold events in your area. Introduce yourself to these organizations and let them know that your venue is available for private dining. You may also want to host a corporate or business open house at your venue so they can see what you offer in person. Get Started and Grow Your RevenueOff site corporate events are here to stay and the need for new and different restaurant locations will only continue to grow. It takes a bit of initiative and marketing, but if you follow our guide, you can make your venue a preferred vendor for corporate events and meetings. Is Your Restaurant Ready to Host Corporate Events? Here’s A Guide to Get You There posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger Is Your Restaurant Ready to Host Corporate Events? Here’s A Guide to Get You There Bitcoin is a popular digital payment system that utilizes peer-to-peer technology to manage monetary transactions on a decentralized platform rather than a centralized authority. You might have encountered a patron who insisted on paying in Bitcoin and didn’t know how to handle it.With more than 46,000 merchants accepting Bitcoin across the globe, the popularity of the cryptocurrency is clearly on the rise. It’s about time the restaurant and catering industries jump on the bandwagon. Should Your Restaurant Accept Bitcoin?Restaurants and cafes that accept Bitcoin enjoy a number of benefits. First, if you’re an advocate of cryptocurrency and you want its usage to grow, you will be happy to accept Bitcoin payments and become part of the pioneering promoters. Again, you are likely to attract like-minded clientele while giving your customers more payment choices. Even if some of your customers don’t know about Bitcoin, they will appreciate the fact that you offer multiple payment options. Let’s look at the case of Danish restaurants to see how European pioneers are doing. Danish Restaurants Embracing BitcoinMore than 1,500 restaurants in Denmark accept Bitcoin for online orders. Known globally for its award-winning cuisine, Denmark is extremely Bitcoin-friendly when it comes to foods and drinks. Hungry.dk is an online food chain that accepts Bitcoin for a variety of foods ordered from more than 1,500 restaurants. While most of these restaurants don’t accept Bitcoin on-premise, Bitcoin users can be happy to make their orders online and have their favorite foods delivered to their doorsteps. The improved stability of the coin over the years reassures restaurant owners that accepting BTC is a real, if not especially profitable option. Despite its current stability, only a few years back the coin was extremely volatile, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Remember the Bitcoin pizza story where a programmer bought two pizzas for a value of 10,000 BTC (valued at $30 in 2010). Less than a decade down the line, those two pizzas would cost more than $38 million. Will the Bitcoin miracle happen again? Hard to say. But so far it’s looking good in the first quarter of 2019, so accepting Bitcoin, a global currency, is likely to benefit your business as an investment to counter the risk of local economic downturns. How to Start Accepting BitcoinNow, to begin accepting Bitcoin in your restaurant, you need to sign up for a merchant Bitcoin wallet. Websites like BitcoinPay, CoinGate, and BitPay provide easy-to-use wallets that integrate with many point-of-sale (POS), e-commerce systems like Shopify and Magneto, and various shopping carts. When users make payments through these applications, they do so through a QR code that is scanned by the payer to send bitcoins to your wallet. Depending on the POS or bookkeeping system you use, the bitcoins can be automatically converted to USD for easy accounting and tax calculations. After setting up the system to accept Bitcoin in your restaurant, the next step is to let your clientele and other potential customers know about the new payment method. You can do that with simple signage on your restaurant or on your website and social media sites. There are a number of websites that track businesses that accept Bitcoin, and it’s very helpful to get your business on those maps. Good examples are Coinmap.org and SpendBitcoins. The original purpose of Bitcoin is to provide a peer-to-peer digital currency. So, it should be treated just like cash. As more people come to this realization and begin to spend their coins on everyday needs like food, traveling, and recreation, more businesses will fully benefit from the innovative currency. Should Your Restaurant Start Accepting Bitcoin? posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger Should Your Restaurant Start Accepting Bitcoin? “Who pays?” is the question every server will ask a group of diners, but the answer may start to surprise servers and restaurant owners.Technology is changing the way people split the bill when dining out. This shift comes as financial apps make money accessible everywhere and advanced restaurant POS systems make dividing the check up easier than ever. A common rule of thumb is that, unless designated beforehand, diners in a group setting should expect to split the tab evenly. But new research shows us that diners actually aren’t doing that in practice. In fact, 66 percent of people surveyed don’t split the bill evenly when dining with friends and 41 percent will always ask for separate checks. As the industry standards change, it’s important for restaurant owners and servers to understand and anticipate how the bill should be handled. After all, great customer service should be simple on the customer and on trend. The below visual explores the five most common dining scenarios and how customers should navigate the check in each situation. It also lists helpful tips for diners to make group dining easier on their server. How to Split The Bill in Every Situation (Infographic) posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger How to Split The Bill in Every Situation (Infographic) This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features F&B companies views on mobile technology, the cashless culture and OpenTable's best bruch restaurants. F&B and MobileA recent survey of food and beverage leaders highlights that while a large percentage feel confident in their restaurant’s current use of mobile technology, only 48 percent feel prepared to capitalize on future innovations. Sixty-two percent of respondents expressed doubts over their ability to keep up with the speed of mobile technology changes. And more than half (59 percent) agreed that their company faces the threat of disruption from their more mobile-enabled competitors. “The rise of mobile ordering and on-demand food delivery services are completely changing the restaurant and guest experience,” said Simon de Montfort Walker, senior vice president and general manager for Oracle Food and Beverage. “In order to remain relevant to a rapidly evolving audience, restaurants must act quickly to modernize their mobile strategy and offerings. Today, the experience a customer has ordering online or from a kiosk can be just as essential as if they were ordering in the store. The study findings point to a clear and urgent need for restaurants to embrace the right mobile and back-end technology to drive higher ticket value, turn tables faster and enable more cross and upsell. In addition, the findings highlight the need to embrace mobile technology to avoid being outpaced by the competition, help cut labor costs and improve the guest experience – all critical components to revenue growth. Cutting Costs, Saving Time Equals Increased Revenues Restauranteurs are investing in mobile technology to cut costs and save time in areas such as hiring less serving staff but more runners, keeping a close eye on stock levels to avoid over-ordering and waste, and the ability to quickly change the menu and offer specials when there is an over-stock of inventory. 84 percent of food and beverage executives believe the adoption of guest-facing apps drives down labor costs 96 percent agree, with 40 percent strongly agreeing, that expanded mobile inventory management will drive time and money savings Improving Loyalty and the Dining Experience Today’s foodies are satiated with choices. In addition to great food, what drives their loyalty is easy ordering and delivery, fast, seamless payments, and a personalized experience. 86 percent of operators say branded mobile apps increase their speed of service and therefore revenue 93 percent believe their guest-facing apps enhance the guest experience, promote loyalty and drive repeat business Perceived Future Benefits of Mobile Technology Restaurants are already using mobile devices for table reservations, taking orders, and processing payments, but what value do restauranteurs believe will come from future mobile innovations? 82 percent believe partnerships with third-party delivery services like Uber Eats and GrubHub will help grow their business 89 percent believe check averages will increase thanks to in-app recommendations 95 percent believe the guest experience and customer loyalty will continue to improve The Road Ahead While most organizations rated themselves as highly able to meet new consumer demands, an undercurrent of anxiety about the future was also apparent with only 48 percent of respondents reporting that they have the tools they need to meet the mobile demands of tomorrow. The mobility study findings show a clear path for restaurateurs including applying mobile innovation to broader areas such as inventory efficiency, getting new customers in the door, serving them more efficiently, and keeping them coming back. For this survey, Oracle queried 279 leaders in the food and beverage industry who use mobile technology in their organizations during the summer of 2018. 45 percent of those surveyed were from full-service restaurants, 24 percent from fast casual and 23 percent from quick service. Seventy-one percent of respondents are director level or higher, with 45 percent hailing from companies that generate more than $500M in annual revenue. To learn more, click here. Restaurant ReboundThe restaurant industry's sales rebounded solidly during March after stumbling the previous month. Same-store sales growth was 1.2 percent in March and 1.0 percent for the first quarter of 2019. The industry is going through its strongest period of sales expansion since 2015, with four consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales growth, according to TDn2K's Black Box Intelligence™. However, chain restaurants continue to struggle with declining guest counts. Same-store traffic was -1.8 percent during March. Restaurant guests have many options when it comes to buying food away from home. This means each guest interaction is vital for restaurant brands to develop loyal guests that will help offset this waning traffic trend. But are restaurants delighting their guests and meeting their expectations? White Box Social Intelligence™ data reveals sentiment has indeed been increasing for restaurant guests in recent months. Guest sentiment based on chain restaurant food became more positive during each month in the first quarter compared with March of 2018. The same is true for guest sentiment based on restaurant service. This is especially important since TDn2K research continues to show that service is a key differentiator for top performing brands based on sales growth. A common characteristic of these top performers in recent years has been delivering an experience that is driving higher service sentiment scores. Although intent to return positive sentiment is declining slightly year over year, the overall values remain extremely high. Connecting the Dots In the case of guests of top performing limited-service brands (those in quick service and fast casual), the terms with the highest net sentiment during March were the following: sandwich, BBQ, salad, fries and chicken. Most of these terms typically come to mind when thinking about limited-service restaurants. But there are guests of these segments that are looking for healthier options. Top performing brands in these segments are providing craveable salad options as a way to attract guests and drive sales. In the case of full-service brands (casual dining, family dining, upscale casual and fine dining), the food terms with the highest guest sentiment during March were the following: sauces, desserts, steaks, parmesan and avocado. It is interesting that in the case of full service, the terms that get the highest positive sentiment were mainly ingredients versus meals. The details such as the sauce or a topping included in a dish can make all the difference in delighting the guest. Additionally, once guests have decided to sit down at a full-service restaurant and spend a little more time and money, desserts are enhancing the experience and can be powerful drivers of positive sentiment. Top and Bottom DMAs As has been the case in recent months, Los Angeles again emerged as having guests the least satisfied with their chain restaurant experiences. During March, this market had the lowest net sentiment based on service, beverages and value. Raleigh is also frequently on the list of guests with lowest restaurant sentiment. During March, guests in this market had the lowest sentiment regarding restaurant ambiance, food and their intent to return to the brands they mentioned during the month. Best and Worst Regions As could be expected, guest sentiment is also positive in all regions of the country. For the fourth time in the last five months, over 50 percent of all restaurant online mentions and reviews were positive in each of the eleven regions. Florida not only has the market with the highest sentiment on multiple restaurant attributes, it was also the region with the most positive sentiment overall during March. It was the only region in which over 60 percent of all mentions and reviews were positive. The Mountain Plains and Western region rounded up the list of the most positive regions during March. The regions with the least positive restaurant sentiment during March were the Southwest, New England, and New York-New Jersey. The last two are frequent inclusions in the list of least positive sentiment each month. Restaurant Technology Report: Empowering DinersHospitality Technology released its 21st annual Restaurant Technology Study, titled, “Exponential Digital Drives Quantum Convenience.” For more than two decades, Hospitality Technology has charted the budgets, business drivers and investment plans of restaurant companies across segments and brand sizes. The study has chronicled the growth of restaurant IT over a course where the pace of change and technological advancement has been exponential. Data from previous reports shows that in the not-far-distant past, the key charge for IT deployments was to reduce operating costs and increase efficiency. With that operational focus, in 2008, casual dining establishments were leading in technology innovation, with 43 percent saying they led the competition compared to 32 percent of QSRs that claimed to be leaders. In 2019, the quick service space includes fast casual concepts. Combined, the vast majority (93 percent) claim to feel they lead in innovation. This isn’t necessarily false pride – as the more successful a brand is, the more likely they have been referred to as “technology companies that serve food.” The 2019 study reveals that restaurants are placing hyper-focus on empowering diners with service options. Through illustrative and written analysis the report charts the budgets, strategy and investments of restaurant technology from what happened in 2018 to what is planned for 2019. Key findings include:
To download the 2019 Restaurant Technology Study,: click here. Understanding the Cashless CultureIn Cashless Culture: the Marketer’s Guide to the Emerging Cashless Consumer, consumers grapple with the future of cash, cards, mobile, and everything in between. The surprising findings uncovered significant insights for the grocery, retail and restaurant categories in particular. The biggest takeaway? We have a long way to go before we give up our cash completely. And yet most of us seem resigned to eventual digital domination: Over 50 percent of those surveyed anticipate paying for goods and services via fingerprint scanning or facial recognition within ten years. Among the study’s compelling data points: Cash and Cards Are Far From Dead
We’re Still New at Mobile Payments, But Younger Consumers are Leading the Way
Significant Barriers to Going Cashless Remain:
A Little Loyalty Goes a Long WayAs most businesses want to collect more and more data from customers to benefit their marketing efforts, they may be surprised to learn—just in time for national “Get to Know Your Customer Day” on April 18, 2019—that most customers actually don’t want to get that chummy. In fact, according to a new U.S. survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Wilbur, a new, ultra-simple loyalty program designed by Smart Transaction Systems, most Americans (71 percent) would be less likely to join a loyalty rewards program that collects personal information (e.g., address, account information), with 27 percent saying they would be much less likely. In addition, most Americans (58 percent) are also less likely to join a customer loyalty program that requires them to download an app to access the benefits, with 26 percent saying they would be much less likely. “These survey results prove that U.S. consumers are becoming much more selective about the loyalty programs they join and, I believe, are ultimately more loyal to brands that respect their personal privacy,” said Ray Clopton, President and CEO of Wilbur and Smart Transaction Systems. “It is really important for businesses to pay attention to what their customers want—especially when developing a loyalty program—and I think these results could not be timelier given that we’re about to celebrate ‘Get to Know Your Customer Day.’ Yes, businesses should get to know their customers—but as people. Not as a slice of a database or a spreadsheet column.” The survey also found that a majority of Americans (76 percent) are more likely to join a customer loyalty program that collects only their name and phone number, with 32 percent responding they would be much more likely to join. Americans also said they were more likely to join a customer loyalty program that does not require them to carry a physical card (79 percent), with 34 percent saying they would be much more likely to join. “What these results tell us is that customers don’t want to join a loyalty program that asks for too much data or requires them to carry another card in their wallet or download another app on their smartphone,” Clopton says. “We have been hearing this from customers for years, which is what inspired the creation of Wilbur and how it works. But it feels official now that a reputable research company like The Harris Poll has validated our assumptions and informal research.” Wilbur is a privacy-friendly, super simple loyalty program designed for busy business owners who don’t have extra time to manage a loyalty program, and customers who don’t want to fill out another form, carry another card or download another app. The program only collects customers’ first name and phone number, and only texts them when they have earned or redeemed rewards. This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Wilbur from April 4-8, 2019 among 2,003 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. T Best BrunchOpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), today released its annual list of the 100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2019. OpenTable data shows that 81 percent of diners book their Mother’s Day reservations two weeks in advance, so the list comes at the perfect time to help diners find the best brunch eatery to celebrate the mother figure in their lives. Featuring restaurants coast-to-coast, across 24 states and Washington, D.C., the list is a comprehensive look at the best brunch spots in the country. The Best Brunch Restaurants in America list was culled from more than 12 million verified diner reviews of over 30,000 restaurants in 50 states and Washington, D.C. From restaurants with magnificent views like Geoffrey's Restaurant in Malibu, Calif., to brunch institutions like Sadelle’s in New York, to acclaimed eateries like Somerset in Chicago, the Best Brunch Restaurants list features a wide variety of restaurants. California is the most recognized state on the list with 16 restaurants honored, followed by New York with 12 winning restaurants and Illinois and Pennsylvania with eight each. Florida, Texas and Washington, D.C. each boast seven winning restaurants and Louisiana claims five honorees. The annual list comes on the heels of OpenTable’s national #DiningMode campaign, a challenge to diners to set aside their phones while dining with mom and connect with those around them this Mother’s Day. Diners are now encouraged to give moms the gift of being truly present at a celebratory brunch at any of this year's winning restaurants making honoring the mom in your life easy and more rewarding. “On Mother's Day 2018, we seated more diners than any other day that year and recognize that celebrating mom is a priority for our diners," said Caroline Potter, Chief Dining Officer at OpenTable. “The honorees on this year’s best brunch list are creating experiences that will dazzle her and make embracing our #DiningMode challenge a snap, with sublime drinks and dishes and friendly service. You won’t be tempted to pick up your phone on May 12 at any of these spots.” The 100 Best Brunch Restaurants list is generated solely from diner reviews collected between March 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019. All restaurants with a minimum "overall" score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. The overall score is made up of unique data points, such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews and regional overall rating. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the sum of tags for which "brunch" was selected as a special feature. Based on this methodology, the 100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2019 according to OpenTable diners, are as follows (in alphabetical order): 100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2019 Atchafalaya Restaurant – New Orleans, Louisiana Balthazar – New York, New York Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Beachcomber Cafe – Crystal Cove – Newport Coast, California Brennan's – New Orleans, Louisiana Brennan’s of Houston – Houston, Texas Bristol Seafood Grill – Multiple Locations The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker – West Hollywood, California Bud & Marilyn's – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Café Ba-Ba-Reeba – Chicago, Illinois Cafe Fiorello – New York, New York Cafe Luxembourg – New York, New York Cafe Monte – Charlotte, North Carolina Cappy's Restaurant – San Antonio, Texas Carmine's – 44th Street – New York, New York Catch LA – West Hollywood, California Chart House Restaurant – Weehawken, New Jersey Chez Zee – Austin, Texas Cookshop – New York, New York The Copper Hen – Minneapolis, Minnesota The Dandelion – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Dining Room at Salish Lodge & Spa – Snoqualmie, Washington Duke's – Huntington Beach, California Emmaline – Houston, Texas Farmers & Distillers – Washington, D.C. Farmers Fishers Bakers – Washington, D.C. Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens – Corona Del Mar, California Founding Farmers – Multiple Locations The Gage – Chicago, Illinois Gandy Dancer – Ann Arbor, Michigan Geoffrey's Restaurant – Malibu, California Gertrude's – Baltimore, Maryland Giada – The Cromwell – Las Vegas, Nevada Grace's – Houston, Texas The Grand Marlin of Pensacola Beach – Pensacola, Florida Great Maple – San Diego, California Green Valley Grill – Greensboro, North Carolina The Hamilton – Washington, D.C. The Hampton Social – River North – Chicago, Illinois Harbor House – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Hell's Kitchen – Caesars Palace Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada The Henry – Phoenix, Arizona HEXX kitchen + bar – Las Vegas, Nevada Ida Claire – Addison, Texas The Ivy – West Hollywood, California Jake's Del Mar – Del Mar, California Kyle G's Prime Seafood – Jensen Beach, Florida Lafayette – New York, New York Lake Elmo Inn – Lake Elmo, Minnesota Le Diplomate – Washington, D.C. Le Moo – Louisville, Kentucky Lindey's – Columbus, Ohio Little Goat – Chicago, Illinois Lola Seattle – Seattle, Washington Louie Bossi Ristorante – Fort Lauderdale, Florida The Love – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Maggiano's – South Coast Plaza – Costa Mesa, California Mama's Fish House – Paia, Hawaii Mere Bulles – Brentwood, Tennessee Mon Ami Gabi – Las Vegas, Nevada Muriel's Jackson Square – New Orleans, Louisiana Oxford Exchange – Tampa, Florida Palace – Miami Beach, Florida Palace Café – New Orleans, Louisiana Parc – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Perch LA – Los Angeles, California Pier W – Cleveland, Ohio Poor Calvin's – Atlanta, Georgia Print Works Bistro – Greensboro, North Carolina The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus – San Francisco, California Sadelle’s – New York, New York Sarabeth's Park Avenue South – New York, New York Shaw's Crab House – Chicago, Illinois The Smith – Multiple Locations Somerset – Chicago, Illinois Spencer's Restaurant – Palm Springs, California Stanford Grill – Columbia, Maryland Succotash – Penn Quarter DC – Washington, D.C. Summer House Santa Monica – Chicago, Illinois Suraya – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Talula’s Garden – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tavern on the Green – New York, New York Terrain Garden Cafe – Glen Mills, Pennsylvania The Tropicale – Palm Springs, California Top of the Hub – Boston , Massachusetts Tower Oaks Lodge – Rockville, Maryland Town – San Carlos, California Tupelo Honey – Downtown Asheville – Asheville, North Carolina Ulele – Tampa, Florida Unconventional Diner – Washington, D.C. Upland – New York, New York Whiskey Cake – Plano, Texas White Dog Cafe – Wayne, Pennsylvania Willa Jean – New Orleans, Louisiana X2O Xaviars on the Hudson – Yonkers, New York Yank Sing – Rincon Center – San Francisco, California The complete list may also be viewed here. MRM Research Roundup: End-of-April 2019 Edition posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger MRM Research Roundup: End-of-April 2019 Edition Foodservice is a difficult business and an extremely competitive one. Even if you cook up the best bites in town, it can be a challenge to grab the attention of fickle consumers and even more challenging to keep it.Developing a loyal following is critical when launching a restaurant, and to do that you have to make your establishment stand out. Surveying the industry, we've come up with a short list of ways to set your venue apart from the competition. You'll probably need to fine-tune each of these to meet the needs of your specific restaurant, but these examples should point you in the right direction. Create the Right AtmosphereYour restaurant is more than just the business name and the food on the menu. The theme and the values of your restaurant should be communicated and reinforced throughout the dining experience. This might be done through the use of good ambient lighting, a well-curated selection of artwork for guests to enjoy or easy-to-read wayfinding signage that makes dining at your restaurant stress-free. Many restauranteurs use a soft open to collect feedback from people about their new business. This is the perfect time to ask whether guests respond to the look and feel of the place. Make Your Guests Feel SpecialNot everyone needs to hear "Happy Birthday" sung out of tune in a foreign language by the restaurant's finest, but you should look for ways to create a unique experience for your guests. Some examples of this include setting up a special seating location that resembles a wrestling ring at a Mexican-themed taqueria, offering an eating challenge that involves recognition and a complimentary meal, or adding a new menu item inspired by one of your better-known guests. Participate in Community EventsBreaking in can be difficult in the restaurant industry, so community events offer a great opportunity to get your food out in front of potential customers. You might partner with a local radio station or bar to provide limited-time-only food perks for guests. Make sure to have some promotional materials on hand. You might have to sell a few discounted meals now, but if those people tell their friends and bring them to your restaurant, you'll have made your money back and then some. Bring in a Guest ChefJust as you can feature your food at a community event, you can also create some excitement for guests by changing things up with a guest chef. Your restaurant will look trendy and hip if you can get someone with prominence from a TV program or another successful establishment. Have the chef create their own variations on the type of food you would normally offer. When guests come back, they will still feel like they're having a special experience. Make Your Food Prep EntertainingThis doesn't have to mean trick bartending or Japanese teppan-style cooking where food is prepared in front of the guests in creative ways. If your restaurant makes its own homemade tortillas with an antique machine, why not show it off for your guests to enjoy? If barbecue is more your style, put your restaurant's giant smoker on the patio so everyone can see the tasty morsels being prepared. Making your restaurant successful is equal parts quality food and service and an interesting experience. If your guests remember the way your restaurant made them feel in combination with the delicious cuisine, you'll stand a much better chance of earning their repeat business, in addition to their friends. It's competitive out there, so get creative and be expressive with your new spot. How to Make Your Restaurant Space More Marketable posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger How to Make Your Restaurant Space More Marketable McDonald’s recent acquisition of decisioning engine Dynamic Yield for $300 million is a clear indication of the vital importance of personalization in both fast food and the wider QSR sector. No doubt, the addition of this functionality to McDonald’s stack will revolutionize their customer-facing offering and propel them even further ahead of the competition.To understand where the value lies for McDonald’s, one must remember that fast food restaurants operate a set menu, often sizeable with a huge amount of choice, which they market en masse to their entire audience. Traditionally, everyone coming in the door or cruising through the drive-thru is presented with the same scenario because it isn’t practical to present them with a bespoke offering, tailored to their individual needs and desires at that point in time and space based on a variety of select criteria. Unfortunately, this means that each individual customer is treated like the million before and after. That’s admirable if our metric is equality, but pretty poor if the goal is to offer people what they want, when they want; or, flipping that, what the restaurant wants to offer that individual, when it wants to offer it. The overarching goal of personalization is to readdress this and in doing so, remove the illusion of choice (where it exists) and decision fatigue, all the while retaining restaurants’ ability to position and upsell items in the most efficient manner. Competition between key fast food players has in fact become a battleground for providing the best customer experience. Although industry insiders have written much of late on McDonald’s desire to augment its drive-thru experience with such acquisitions as Dynamic Yield, one questions whether this is where customer and brand experiences can be best affected. Yes, this is a crucial facet of a fast food business, but it’s the in-store experience where personalization stands to make the biggest incremental improvement to such restaurants’ bottom lines. And nowhere is personalization more needed than when it comes to displaying menu items on the comparatively small screens of mobile devices; a channel already being pioneered by McDonald’s Global Mobile App and Mobile Order and Pay initiatives. That which can be intelligently laid out across sizeable restaurant menu boards, digital or otherwise, becomes challenging when that visual real estate shrinks to the 5-6” representative of the vast majority of smartphones in circulation in the US in 2019. When it comes to mobile order & pay, no amount of categorization or scrolling, irrespective of how clever the UI, can take the sheer quantity of information these menus contain and present it in an easily digestible way. The issue here is merchants’ default strategy of showing entire menus. This is arguably, from the perspective of personalization, an ill-fated approach. Whether we’re talking fast food or quick service restaurants, the clue is in the name; both speed and time are of the essence. The increase in speed and reduction in time when it comes to ordering and paying for your meal is often primarily down to the swiftness of the selection process. Is trawling through a menu for that Filet-o-Fish® when it’s the item you always order a worthwhile pursuit? If that 5” diagonal of screen could present you with that fish-in-a-bun at the start of the ordering journey, alongside an upsell of additional menu items, wouldn’t the experience be both faster and quicker? If on a hot, sunny day you’re initially presented with a frozen dessert or cold drink, wouldn’t that contextually relevant recommendation resonate? Of course, should your cravings be for something else, you could always elect to ignore the options proffered and choose to navigate the traditional menu, but the potential for greater efficiency and higher throughput is obvious. McDonald’s has made it clear that although they’ll be incorporating Dynamic Yield’s tech into their own, Dynamic Yield will continue to service both new and existing clients. However, without any direct competitors to McDonald’s on its roster, it’ll be interesting to see if any can be acquired by the firm moving forwards. It’s unlikely, for example, that Starbucks is going to take up the opportunity to lay open its data to a rival-owned technology. In Starbucks’ case, why would it, when it’s recently invested $100 million in Valor Siren Ventures’ new fund to grow companies just like this! As such, there’s a great opportunity for proponents of personalization to explore partnerships with restaurants, as these new levels of dynamic customer experience become the norm and end users’ appetites for tailored brand interactions soar ever higher. The Changing Face of Restaurant Personalization and Customer Experience posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger The Changing Face of Restaurant Personalization and Customer Experience This edition of MRM’s News Bites features Taco Mac, Lavu and MenuDrive, Tripleseat and Restaurant365, OpenTable, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, ParTech, Artisan Exchange and Honeycomb Credit, Thanx, Chefs for Change, Moët Hennessy USA, S&D Coffee & Tea and the 25th Annual APC National Pie Championships. Send news items to Barbara Castiglia at [email protected]. Taco Mac Turns the Big 40Taco Mac is 40 years old this month, having opened its first location on April 4, 1979. “Hitting 40 years, for us, isn’t about doing a victory lap,” says Taco Mac CEO Harold Martin, Jr. “We wanted to get everyone involved in the celebration and recognize the roles they play in our continued success. Taco Mac wouldn’t be here without the customers who’ve embraced us and made us a part of their lives over the years, so it was very important to us to make them a key focus of our celebration.” To that end, on April 4, all Taco Mac locations offered its signature wings for 40 cents each all day long. And on April 15, the company hosted a 40th anniversary “reunion party” at its Prado location, where current and former staffers and members of Taco Mac’s popular Brewniversity program enjoyed food, entertainment, the chance to win prizes and sample new cocktails and beers. All ticket proceeds from this event were donated to Taco Mac’s long-time charity partner Camp Twin Lakes, renowned for providing life-changing camp experiences for children with serious illnesses, disabilities and other challenges. Taco Mac staff members also helped develop new wing sauces to add to the company’s menu during an internal Wingman Competition, in which teams from each location created their own sauce recipes. A panel of industry experts selected the winning sauces, while guests voted online to determine a people’s choice winner. Most significantly for Martin, guests were invited to submit their favorite Taco Mac memories via the Taco Mac website for the chance to win $40 gift cards. “We had dozens and dozens of responses,” Martin said. “We had a family in Peachtree City, the Ramthuns, who came to Taco Mac to watch their favorite football team and developed relationships with the staff. Then there was the couple who shared the story of their first date at Taco Mac—they’re happily married today. All of these memories of prized moments really drove home for us that we aim to be more than just a great place to have a beer and some great food while you watch a game. If you treat people like family and serve them high-quality food, they will make you a part of their lives.” It’s that attention to customers and community that earned Taco Mac the honor of having Thursday, April 4 named Taco Mac Day by the Atlanta City Council, along with an official proclamation bestowed during a council meeting at Atlanta City Hall on April 15. But Martin and Taco Mac aren’t resting on their laurels; the brand is preparing to roll out a revamped menu at all 28 Taco Mac locations this May. “We’ve grown from a couple of guys opening a wing restaurant in Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighborhood to Atlanta’s No. 1 spot to enjoy your favorite foods, discover the best craft beers on draft and experience unmatched Southern hospitality,” Martin says. “And as long as we continue to offer that, the sky’s the limit. I’m looking forward to seeing what the next 40 years bring!” Started by two friends from Buffalo, New York, Taco Mac now has 28 locations across Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Lavu Acquires MenuDriveLavu acquired MenuDrive, a branded online and mobile ordering platform for restaurants. “Lavu and MenuDrive share a single vision and goal which is to provide restaurant owners with the online ordering technology they need to thrive. Together, the strength of our combined companies will enable our customers to achieve even higher profit margins and increased levels of customer satisfaction,” said Saleem S. Khatri, Chief Executive Officer of Lavu. The pairing of Lavu’s and MenuDrive’s technology platforms will help restaurant owners compete with third-party delivery services. Utilizing third-party software which typically require restaurants to give away a percentage of their food and beverage income will no longer be the only option available to food establishments. The Lavu-MenuDrive technology platform which offers an intuitive control panel and seamless end-user experience allows any restaurant to realize increased profits from customer online ordering and food delivery. In addition, restaurants can achieve significant increases in traffic and revenue as a result of more effective marketing and higher brand awareness. The Lavu-MenuDrive technology platform also offers a branded online ordering presence, customized loyalty programs, and marketing automation – this helps ensure that new customers can easily source new restaurant choices. In addition, the Lavu-MenuDrive technology platform offers restaurants enhanced analytics, including detailed customer order history, product reports, sales trends, and consumer buying habits, which allow restaurants to stay current with new dining trends and changing customer activity. “We are excited to join Lavu and bring MenuDrive’s best-in-class features and expertise to their impressive technology and team. Together, we are positioned to provide more value and benefits to restaurant owners so that they can succeed, regardless of size or budget,” said MenuDrive co-founder Adrian Fang. Lavu’s legal advisor is the Rodey Law Firm. MenuDrive’s legal advisor is Pillar+Aught. Tripleseat Teams with Restaurant365Tripleseat entered a strategic partnership with Restaurant365 that will give new event solutions to Restaurant365’s users, which already have access to technology in accounting, budgeting, financial reporting and employee management. “Through this partnership with Restaurant365, we’re able to provide our customers with the technology and services they need to continue to streamline their businesses,” said Jonathan Morse, CEO of Tripleseat. “At Tripleseat, we strive to make our users’ universe easier to navigate by providing them with the tools necessary, and partnering and integrating with great companies in the industry we are able to do just that.” “Working with Tripleseat, our first integration with a comprehensive event management solution, is a game-changer for concepts that have struggled to find success within their event and catering departments,” said John Moody, co-founder of Restaurant365. “Together, our software will simplify complex processes and allow restaurant owners to remain above the fray while maintaining focus on their customers.” #DiningModeOpenTable is encouraging diners to participate in #DiningMode this Mother’s Day by putting aside their phones and giving those they’re with the gift of being truly present and connecting over a great meal. All diners can participate while dining out at any restaurant or visiting one of the nearly 500 OpenTable restaurants worldwide that are supporting the #DiningMode campaign. According to a recent survey* commissioned by OpenTable, 73 percent of respondents rank a Mother’s Day meal as the No. 1 occasion when people should avoid checking their phones. The survey also found that nearly one third of adults say sharing a meal together is the most meaningful Mother’s Day gift followed by thoughtful conversation. Additional key takeaways from the survey include: Losing Connections: 81 percent of diners have been annoyed by their dinner companion’s phone use in the past. 20 percent say they actually avoid eating with companions who overuse their phones. 75 percent of respondents at least somewhat agree that they use their phone too much. Dining Hacks: The most common ‘hacks’ diners use to avoid checking their phones at the table are: turning off their phone (51 percent), turning their phone upside down (49 percent) – with millennials more likely to say they turn their phones face down. Women are 14 percent more likely to say they hide their phone to avoid using it during a meal than men (39 percent to 24 percent). “We recently discovered that 85 percent of diners check their phones at the table while eating with others at least once,” said Caroline Potter, Chief Dining Officer at OpenTable. “By going into #DiningMode this Mother's Day, diners will have the opportunity to focus their attention on the mom in their lives and connect over a fabulous meal.” To help encourage diners to turn off their phones this Mother’s Day, nearly 500 restaurant partners are supporting the #DiningMode campaign. Here are a few examples of what they are doing in the US: 10 Corso Como – New York, New York Providing a complimentary dessert and a glass of champagne for those participating in #DiningMode and putting their phone down during the meal. Aquagrill – New York, New York Providing a complimentary dessert for mom for tables who don’t check their phones allowing for additional time for conversation. Bellini Grill – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Offering moms a free complimentary dessert for those participating in #DiningMode allowing for additional time for conversation. Bodegon – Hotel Madrid – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Providing complimentary champagne for those who opt into #DiningMode. Casa Chapala Mexican Cuisine & Tequila Bar – Austin, Texas Offering moms a fresh bouquet of flowers for groups who opt into #DiningMode upon arrival. Central Bar + Restaurant – Bellevue, Washington Providing complimentary wine or champagne for moms allowing for more time to connect while dining out. Churchill's – Savannah, Georgia Giving free desserts for tables where every guest gives their phones to a secure area in the back of house office until the check is paid. Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse – New York, New York Providing free on-site family photography so diners don’t need to use their phones at all throughout the meal. Despaña – Princeton, New Jersey Providing a complimentary dessert for mom for tables who don’t check their phones allowing for additional time for conversation. El Jefe – Denver, Colorado Providing moms with a complimentary glass of wine or champagne for tables that opt into #DiningMode. ETA Restaurant + Bar – Chicago, Illinois Offering moms a complimentary spa gift as a thank you for all they do and for participating in #DiningMode Fig + Farro – Minneapolis, Minnesota Offering a free phone check to help families unplug this Mother’s Day. Jaya – Miami, Florida Offering moms a chocolate rose as a token of appreciation for Mother’s Day and for participating in #DiningMode. La Palapa – New York, New York Providing tables who participate in #DiningMode with complimentary blood orange margaritas. Misirizzi – New York, New York Providing complimentary dessert for moms allowing for more time to connect while dining out. Partage – Las Vegas, Nevada Offering guests the option to check their phones with the hostess upon arrival. Patagonia Grill & Cafe – Houston, Texas Providing complimentary wine or champagne for moms allowing for more time to connect while dining out. Russian Tea Time – Chicago, Illinois Offering moms a complimentary cup of house tea to relax and connect with loved ones. Severance – Los Angeles, California Offering a free glass of champagne to help adult guests get into #DiningMode. SUGA – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Gifting a free Susanna Foo cookbook per table for those participating in #DiningMode as another way to connect with loved ones. “As a family owned and operated business, taking time to be with your family is so important to us. We love the idea of encouraging diners to be present,” said Leanne Gelish, Restaurant Manager at Mac’s Steakhouse, “Time is the most important gift we can give each other and we’re happy to encourage our diners to put their phone down this Mother’s Day.” To participate in #DiningMode simply dine out on Mother’s Day, set aside your phone and get to know the people you’re with. OpenTable has provided participating restaurants with conversation starters on coasters and downloadable PDFs to help spark a conversation between diners and their moms. Conversation starters can also be downloaded here. Diners can enter OpenTable’s giveaway for a chance to win a $400 gift card ahead of Mother’s Day. For more information about the giveaway, see the official rules here. To learn more about the #DiningMode campaign, click here. Chefs Cycle for No Kid HungryThis month, employees from Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants are clocking in 300 miles for Chefs Cycle to raise funds and awareness for No Kid Hungry, top photo. This year’s goal is to have 275 chefs riding to raise $2M for No Kid Hungry, which translates into 20 million meals for kids in America facing hunger. Kimpton will have 24 riders from more than 10 properties participate in the cycling event, including CEO Mike DeFrino. The brand is calling on all fans to join in to help fundraising efforts by donating to the Kimpton cycling team’s fundraising page. In addition to participating in the three-day ride, Kimpton chefs and bartenders across the country will feature a cocktail or dish on their menus to benefit No Kid Hungry – see below for examples. When restaurant and bar-goers order that item, the property will donate a portion of sales to No Kid Hungry. Additionally, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will offer guests 15 percent off their Best Flexible Rate, and donate $10 / night to No Kid Hungry as part of their partnership with the charity in 2019. The restaurant will donate $1 from each purchase of the Orecchiette Tartufate, which includes Mild Italian Sausage, Mushroom, Black Truffle and Fontina Cream Sauce. From March 1 – June 30. Fisk & Co. – Fisk & Co is donating $1 for each Lobster Roll sold, as well as every Short’s Brewing Company’s Local Light beer purchased. Tre Rivali (Milwaukee, WI) – Donating $2 for each Blackberry Bramble cocktail sold, and $2 for each Poached Pear and Nutella Hand Pie sold through December 31. The Outsider Rooftop (Milwaukee, WI) – Donating $2 for each sale of That Seasonal One cocktail, which features Maker's Mark Bourbon, Edinburgh Rhubarb Ginger Liqueur, Warre's Warrior Port, Tattersal Orange Crema, lemon, Angostura bitters. King Tide Fish & Shell (Portland, OR) – On April 15, Chef Lauro Romero hosted a fundraiser dinner with guest chefs Maylin Chavez (Olympia Oyster Bar), Matt Sigler (Il Solito), and Tom Dunklin (The Waiting Room). The five-course family-style dinner included a seafood tower, grilled whole fish, surf-and-turf, and dessert board, plus wine and cocktail pairings. Tickets were $70 and included dinner and drinks, with 100 percent of proceeds going to No Kid Hungry. The Copper Grouse (Manchester, VT) – Donating $1 from each Locavore and Old Forrester Old Fashioned sold. Boleo (Chicago) – Donating $1 for each purchase of the Yaquitas (crispy yucca fries with rocoto aioli) Outlier (Seattle, WA) – Bikes, Bites and Beats at Outlier: On Sunday, April 28, Outlier, Burn Cycle and Ketel One Botanicals are throwing the ultimate Sunday Funday for a great cause. Start your morning off with a 30 minute low-impact, high-intensity sweat sesh hosted by Burn Cycle’s expertly trained instructors. Once you’re done feeling the burn, snack on light bites from the culinary team at Outlier, and indulge in healthy-‘ish,’ custom cocktails from Outlier’s bar team featuring Ketel One Botanicals, a vodka distilled with real botanicals and infused with natural fruit essences – with no sugar and no artificial sweeteners or flavors. Stick around for more fun, including massage tables, a botanical bouquet building station and Outlier’s GM, Brian McFarland riding the ‘blender bike’ and spinning a variety of Kettle One Botanical blended cocktails. Tickets range from $20 – $30 and all proceeds benefit No Kid Hungry and Outlier’s support and participation in Chefs Cycle. Henley (Nashville, TN) – Henley will donate $1 from every Henley Mint Julep sold during Kentucky Derby Weekend from May 3rd through May 5th. Jane Q (Los Angeles) – Donating $1 from every Cinnamon Toast Latte ordered. Ever Bar (Los Angeles) – Donating $1 from every Drink Your Vegetables cocktail ordered. Angeline’s (Charlotte, NC) – Angeline’s is donating $1 for every Velvet Slipper cocktail purchased; and Tito's Handmade Vodka will match for every dollar donated Merchant & Trade (Charlotte, NC) — Merchant & Trade is donating $1 for every Velvet Slipper cocktail purchased; and Tito's Handmade Vodka will match for every dollar donated B&O American Brasserie (Baltimore, MD) — Donating $1 from all Queen Bee cocktail sales from May 1-31, and $1 from all duck wings sales from May 1-31. Brabo Brasserie (Alexandria, VA) – Donating $1 from all daily special cocktail sales for the month of May. DNV Rooftop (Washington, DC) – Donating $1 from all Grumpy Guru cocktail sales from May 1-31. Firefly (Washington, DC) – Donating $1 from all Pedal Pusher cocktail sales from May 1-31, and $1 from all Brussel Sprouts sales from May 1-31. Radiator (Washington, DC) – Donating $1 from all Rad Burger sales from April 1-30, $1 from all Brussel Sprouts sales from April 1-30, and $1 from all Ride the World cocktail sales from April 1-30. Urbana (Washington, DC) – Donating $1 from every item sold from all-day Kentucky Derby event on May 4. Bambara Kitchen & Bar (Cambridge, MA) – Sales from Bambara’s signature Choereg bread and Fiddlehead IPA will benefit Chefs Cycle/No Kid Hungry. Additionally, Chef David Bazirgan, Bambara Kitchen and Bar, returns to his hometown of Newburyport, MA on May 5th to host a guest chef dinner at Brine Oyster Bar. Net proceeds from this 4-course, $55 per person dinner will benefit Chefs Cycle / No Kid Hungry. The Commoner (Pittsburgh, PA) – Donating $1 from each Beef Brisket Sandwich, Chicken Pot Pie and Not So Old Fashioned cocktail sold. Also hosting a fundraiser on May 7 and May 9, offering a $90 per person dinner which will feature a Grilled Apricot Salad, Herb Stuffed Lamb Breast and Hibiscus & Lavender Crème Brulee. Stratus Lounge (Philadelphia, PA-) – Donating $2 per order of Pastrami Sliders to No Kid Hungry. ParTech PartnershipsParTech, Inc. (PAR) forged new partnership with Altametrics and Hubworks that will allow PAR’s cloud-based Brink POS® software solution to seamlessly connect with Altametrics Enterprise Office and the Hubworks suite of applications through the Any Connector tool. The partnership helps clients streamline restaurant operations by allowing better cost controls over labor and food expenses. Additionally, Altametrics and Hubworks will make menu and staff changes faster and more efficient – changes will only need to be made once and will be reflected across all solutions, ensuring consistency across the organization while reducing the time spent on data entry. "The integration provided by Any Connector gives Brink POS and Altametrics customers the ability to use all of their software solutions more effectively. Restaurant operators, regardless of how large or small their organization is, will now have the insight they need to better manage their food and labor costs, while reducing operational efforts at the same time. The simplification of the complex task of product integration is an exciting technology advancement we are delighted to provide to our joint customers,” said Steven Sedam, Integrations Project Manager, Altametrics. “We are excited to welcome Altametrics to Brink’s large partner ecosystem,” said Paul Rubin, Chief Strategy Officer, ParTech, Inc. “The ease of use and accessibility to data will be very beneficial to Brink customers and will allow restaurant operators to focus on providing a great guest experience.” Artisan Exchange and Honeycomb Credit Join ForcesArtisan Exchange and Honeycomb Credit are joining forces. Artisan Exchange already offers its tri-state area food businesses affordable flexible space, retail market channels, access to a commercial kitchen, and sales and distribution support. Now they will offer businesses that need expansion capital an opportunity to crowdsource loans at reasonable rates and terms from their existing customers. Frank Baldassarre, Principal for Artisan Exchange commented, “This is a perfect partnership for us. I come from a 30-year career in commercial banking and am intimately aware that one of the biggest challenges for any small food business is financing. The way small business lending is done right now is ineffective. George Cook and the folks at Honeycomb Credit are doing something transformative. By supporting individual businesses as they expand they are really connecting the whole community with capital.” George Cook, CEO of Honeycomb Credit added, “Artisan Exchange is a major force in Pennsylvania for artisanal food purveyors. They have a delivery system to 35 Metro Philly Food Stores and are an approved Mid Atlantic Whole Foods Markets Distributor. Artisan Exchange works with some of the very best businesses in the state, and we are thrilled to be supporting those companies as they grow. In addition, Artisan Exchange shares our values of helping entrepreneurs succeed in local communities, and I anticipate we will do great things together.” Thanx Offers Native Online OrderingThanx now offers native online ordering capabilities to restaurant brands. Among the first to implement the new service is PINCHO. Thanx will develop PINCHO’s mobile app to include native ordering and will power their loyalty program to serve as a single tool to effectively communicate with every customer through a targeted approach. Customers will be able to order directly online through the PINCHO app and will have a single account to activate online ordering and loyalty. Through the seamless ordering experience, customers can benefit from personalized offers right at the point of an online purchase. “With third-party delivery service providers almost ubiquitous, restaurants are challenged to maintain profitability after high commission fees, and to stay competitive restaurants need a strategy to create an owned channel,” said Thanx CEO and Founder, Zach Goldstein. “It’s critical for this channel to represent their brand consistently and create a digital experience that matches the expectations of their customers. Most restaurants lack the resources or expertise to build and maintain a modern mobile application with online ordering. Now restaurants finally have the option to drive additional revenue more efficiently through direct delivery.” “We are always looking for opportunities to interact better with our customers and through this new offering, we created a sophisticated mobile ordering experience that looks and feels exactly like our brand,” said Jayson Tipp, CEO of PINCHO. “With this implementation, we will offer a more consistent and seamless digital and in-store customer experience. Thanx allows us to fully understand the behavior and preferences of our customers, optimize each communication with them, and reward them for purchasing the food they love.” When customers place an order, they are added to the customer database so restaurants can see a complete view of customer spending habits across channels. Every customer purchase, whether in-store or online, is made available to the restaurant so they can reward customers for their loyalty, target them with promotions based on past purchases, and offer personalized digital experiences that differentiate them from the competition. Chefs for ChangeIn May 2019, five of the world’s best chefs and ambassadors of the Chefs for Change movement, Gaggan Anand,Andoni Luis Aduriz, Luke Dale Roberts and Kyle and Katina Connaughton, are exchanging high-end kitchens for remote fields and fishponds as they travel to eastern Africa and Peru to explore the challenges facing struggling small-scale food producers. Gaggan Anand, chef at Gaggan, named as No 2 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and Andoni Luis Aduriz, chef at Mugaritzin northern Spain, No 9 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, are both heading to Tanzania’s Babati District to meet rice farmers. Luke Dale Roberts, chef at The Test Kitchen in Cape Town, South Africa, named as Africa’s top restaurant, is travelling to Kenya’s Kisumu District to meet fish farmers. Husband and wife Kyle and Katina Connaughton ofSingleThread in Healdsburg, USA, winners of the 2018 Miele One to Watch Award, will go to Peru to meet coffee and cocoa farmers. The farmers the chefs will meet are taking part in projects run by Farm Africa, an international NGO dedicated to driving agricultural and environmental change in eastern Africa, and TechnoServe, a leading non-profit organisation dedicated to harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. The chefs will witness first-hand how poverty, environmental degradation, climate change and lack of access to markets are thwarting the potential of small-scale food producers, but will see how efforts to improve agricultural expertise, manage and preserve ecosystems, and develop links to markets can transform lives across whole communities. The chefs will learn about local cuisine and work with local farming families to create dishes using the produce from the projects they visit. A short film about the chefs’ trips will be shared by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Farm Africa, the official charity of the awards, will work with the chefs to share stories about how the projects they visit are contributing to achieving one or more of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to end extreme poverty, hunger, inequality and injustice, and fix climate change by 2030. Exceeding Charitable GoalsSince announcing their partnership one year ago today, Moët Hennessy USA has exceeded its 2018 goals of helping City Harvest feed families across New York City by 1.25 times. As a result, they will continue their mission of donating both time and resources to assist City Harvest, which is New York City’s largest food rescue organization, throughout 2019. Moët Hennessy is currently the exclusive wine and spirits company to partner with City Harvest in this manner. Over the past year, Moët Hennessy USA has been involved in fundraising and volunteered 248 hours, surpassing their 2018 goal in pursuit of feeding New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables. The company and its employees helped City Harvest feed nearly 1 million New Yorkers in their year-long partnership by giving time and raising funds. Last April, in celebration of National Volunteer Week, Moët Hennessy USA employees participated in City Harvest’s Repack on the Road in which they assembled snack packs which were distributed to children in pre-school, Head Start and after school programs. Moët Hennessy employees also donated their time and resources by participating in the Ace Endico Food Rescue, and the New York Produce Show. This year, Moët Hennessy USA will be participating in volunteer work including the Skip Lunch Fight Hunger fundraising campaign at the MHUSA office. Moët Hennessy was the sponsor for all of City Harvest’s 2018 signature events, including the 35th Anniversary Gala on April 24th at Cipriani 42nd Street, honoring Chrissy Teigen, Robin Hood, Bill and Wendy Mills and José Andrés. The 2018 gala raised enough to help feed more than 17,000 New York City families for a year. This is City Harvest’s largest annual fundraising event, and will be held again this April, in which Moët Hennessy will be the official wine and spirits sponsor. Other events include Summer in the City which raised enough to help feed over 6,000 families for the entire summer and BID which was a record-breaking year for the event, raising enough to feed more than 18,000 New Yorkers in need for an entire year. To further drive Moët Hennessy’s fundraising efforts, Smoke Tree wines launched a by the glass program at 34 supporting restaurants in New York, where $2 was donated to City Harvest for every bottle of wine sold – helping to feed 8 New Yorkers for a day. "The Moët Hennessy USA team is so proud to have exceeded our 2018 goals, helping this incredible organization feed families around New York City,” said Jim Clerkin, President and CEO of Moët Hennessy North America. “We know that City Harvest shares our values, along with our commitment to the community and sustainability, and we are thrilled to continue this mission together.” The City Harvest partnership builds on the work of the Moët Hennessy Philanthropic Committee, charged with supporting national charitable initiatives that tie with the heritage and identity of the brands, while fostering a community spirit within the organization. With more than 1.2 million New Yorkers struggling to put meals on their tables, City Harvest’s work to rescue and deliver nutritious food for our neighbors in need remains critical,” said City Harvest CEO Jilly Stephens. “This year, we will rescue and deliver 61 million pounds of food and deliver it to hundreds of community food programs across the city. Our work is possible thanks to the dedicated support of partners like Moët Hennessy USA who step up to ensure that everyone in our city has the food they need to thrive.” Sustainable CoffeeS&D Coffee & Tea introduced a new line of sustainably sourced coffees as a part of its Raíz Sustainability® sourcing platform. These products are the first 100% sustainably sourced coffees to be produced and branded with both the S&D Coffee & Tea and Raíz branding. According to Conservation International, 150 percent more coffee is needed by 2050 in order to meet future demand. Raíz Sustainability® is S&D’s direct response to this looming crisis. As a leader within the coffee industry, S&D is committed to building a more sustainable supply chain, while improving resources and quality of life for coffee farmers. Raíz Reserve coffees are exclusively available as seasonal offerings, guaranteeing peak freshness and quality, as each coffee is harvested by farmers during the ideal season for each particular region. The new varietals include a crisp, medium/light roast with hints of honey from Central America, debuting this month, and a bright, citric and sweet medium roast from South America, which will be introduced in September of 2019 and remain available through the end of the year. These new launches follow the recently released robust Brazilian dark roast. “We are very proud to be launching our first line of exclusively sustainably sourced coffees from the family of Raíz farmers in three origins,” said Olga L Cuellar-Gomez, head of S&D sustainability efforts. “This launch is a testament to the power and potential of the Raíz Sustainability® platform, and we look forward to continuing our efforts with more 100% sustainably sourced coffee offerings in the years to come.” Best PiesWith a sea of pies enticing eager judges anticipating their first tasty bites, the sweet smell of success was in the air in Orlando as the best commercial bakers in the nation were named at the 25th Annual APC National Pie Championships in Orlando. Held April 12 and 13 in Orlando at the Renaissance Orlando SeaWorld Hotel, here amateur, professional and commercial bakers entered their most delicious pies in both sweet and savory flavor categories for bragging rights to be named the nation's best. In the commercial division, bakeries from across the nation and Canada competed in flavor categories including savory pot pies and sweet flavors ranging from apple, lemon and pumpkin to citrus, fruit and berry, pecan and banana cream to sugar-free and even an open category. The pies were taste-tested by more than 200 judges. First place was awarded for the best commercial pies in each flavor category, with top honors going to Harlan Bakeries, with 19 blue ribbons, closely followed by Weston Foods, with 18 blue ribbons. Top pies from Harlan Bakeries, Avon, Ind., included "Bursting from Berries," "Chocolate Maple Sugar Creme," "Honey Crisp Apple," "Cheesecake Pecan Brittle" and "Peachy Keen." Some of the judges favorites from Weston Foods, Brownsburg, Ind., included "I Only Have (Cherry) Pies for You," "Guittard Chocolate Cherry Pie," "Strawberry Rhubarb Lattice Pie," and "Hold the Sugar Pineapple Pie."In addition to sweet pies, first place ribbons were awarded for three savory pot pies including Southeastern Grocers' "Traditional Premium Chicken Pot Pie" and "Premium Pizza Pot Pie" and World of Pies' "Spinach and Feta Pot Pie." The list of winning commercial bakers and number of ribbons is listed below. A complete list including each company's list of first place winning pies is available at piecouncil.org.
"Our commercial bakers represent the best of the best in the pie making industry," said Linda Hoskins, Executive Director, American Pie Council. "While coming together each year to compete, our family of top commercial pie makers also share ideas that furthers the growth of the pie industry at large. We're proud of our 25 years fostering America's love affair with pie and can't wait to see what our bakers cook up over the next 25 years!" #DiningMode: Phone’s Off for Mom and Chefs Cycle for a Good Cause posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger #DiningMode: Phone’s Off for Mom and Chefs Cycle for a Good Cause There are many things on any restaurant operator’s plate; they are running a multi-faceted business with concerns from overhead, operations, customer satisfaction, sourcing, food safety, and cost of goods. Many owners and operators can stabilize all these variables by going with a fresh cut program. The price is fixed and is based on 100 percent usable product, so there is no guessing on price and yield. Product is also cut to the restaurant’s specs and processed so waste is minimized. All of this is done in environments with food safety in mind. Fresh Cut Increases Food SafetyFresh Cut Facilities Undergo Rigorous Safety Certifications and Audits Reduced Handling means Better Sanitation Reduced Handling means Reduced Chances of Cross-Contamination Less Risk for Injury Fresh Cut is all About ConsistencyYear-Round Consistency of Quality Year-Round Consistency of Supply Consistency in Product across Supply Chain More Stability with Fixed Pricing Consistency in Front of Customer Fresh Cut Increases Operational EfficiencyFresh cut has Guaranteed Case Weights Predictable/Accurate Number of Portions Knowing there is little variance to the product you’re receiving, the number of portions you can use per bag is much more accurate and predictable. Clearly marked manufacturing dates to help control rotation and quality Easier to Inspect When Receiving and Prior to Use Increased Product Uniformity and Plate Presentations Fresh Cut is SustainableReduced Disposal/Waste Cost Efficient Operations Smaller Shipments, Smaller Environmental Impact Fresh Cut Helps Stabilize CostsEasier to Plan Budget and Supply 100 Percent Yield Increased Shelf-Life/Quality Reduced Disposal/Waste Cost Less Product, Less Chilling Fresh Cut Helps with Labor ConcernsGood Help is Hard to Find Labor Rates are Climbing Reduced Labor from Less Prep Time Less Equipment and Space is Required in the Kitchen Reduced Personnel Training Another cost is training, and when the product is not needing to be cut by kitchen staff, there is less need to train staff on cutting fresh product. Reduces Chances of Injury Let’s Talk Fresh: Food Safety and Produce posted first on happyhourspecialsyum.blogspot.com via Blogger Let’s Talk Fresh: Food Safety and Produce |
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