We’re just one day away from 2014, and that means it’s time to start thinking about changes in the dining industry. The Daily Meal compiled a list of their top food trend predictions for the new year. Amongst them are healthier in-flight options, “new” cuts of meat, Queens is the new Brooklyn and high-end counter dining. A few predictions seem like a bit of a stretch, like restaurants charging for bread, but others sound very plausible.
Starbucks Pays it Forward X 870
December 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In light of the holiday spirit, a Starbucks drive-thru in Newington, Connecticut has just broken the “pay-it-forward” record. Yesterday, at least 870 customers paid for the order of the person behind them. In turn, this Starbucks location received the gift of giving too, as the higher than usual traffic led to a spike in sales. Good Morning America covered the random acts of kindness.
Two Keith McNally Restaurants Closing, and One Opening
December 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Keith McNally’s Pulino’s will revel in its last moments on the Bowery as it prepares for its close on December 29th, and Pastis will be shutting down on January 31st. McNally’s latest venture involves Balthazar’s Shane McBride leading the kitchen team at a French restaurant called Cherche Midi, to open in March 2014.
Manhattan’s First Dinner-and-a-Movie Hybrid to Open
December 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Joining the ranks of Brooklyn’s Nitehawk Cinema is Manhattan’s first dinner-and-a-movie venue, a high-end movie theater with food and beverage service, founded by IPic. The 40,000 square foot outpost in the Fulton Marketplace will sell tickets between $14 and $28, depending on the time and service offered. Reclining seats, blankets, and personal call buttons are just a few of the probable amenities to be offered.
The menu at the Pasadena location includes popular munchie favorites like Buffalo chicken spring rolls and fish and chips.
The movie/dinner establishment is scheduled to open in 2015.
“Secret” Menus, or Not-So-Secret Menus…
December 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Mark Wilson, contributing writer at Fast Co. Design, detailed the ins and outs of “secret” menus at restaurants including Chipotle, Starbucks and In-N-Out Burger. Chipotle’s “Quesarito,” Starbucks’ 170,000 customizable beverage permutations and In-N-Out’s “animal-style” fries are a few of the secret (or not-so-secret) menu options that add to these restaurants’ mystique and allure.
“I think of it as the customer’s the brand manager,” Chris Arnold, Chipotle’s Communication Director says. “The experience of the public is something different for everyone, like an iPod in a way. How many billions and billions of iPods are in circulation, and yet no two [playlists] are alike. You buy a burrito, I buy a burrito. We pay the same thing for it, and they’re two very different things.”
Read about Wilson’s comically relentless quest to order the arcane “Quesarito” at Chipotle, amongst his other classified culinary discoveries.
Building a Strong Team Beyond the Holidays
December 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Jason Hamilton of FastCasual recently shared his insights on employee appreciation during the holidays. Most quick-service and fast-casual restaurants remain open during the holidays, leaving little to no opportunity for employees to take time off and celebrate with family. It’s also during this time that foot traffic and product demand is higher than usual.
COO and CFO of Heartland Restaurant Group LLC (doing business as Dunkin Donuts), Anthony Braun, sent a personalized letter to his team acknowledging their “amazing, spirit, unwavering commitment and incredible work ethic,” and reminded them to take the time to stop and enjoy time with loved one during the holiday season. Braun’s acknowledgment goes beyond writing; he makes it a point to visit Dunkin Donuts locations that are open during the holidays. Braun also shows employees his appreciation through gift cards and thanking them for sacrificing time they could otherwise be spending with family.
Braun advocates for demonstrating employee appreciation year-round, not just during the holidays, although during the holidays it’s especially important. “The difference between a decent place to work and the best place to work is not what you’re given but how you are treated,” claims Braun. An enterprise’s culture is directly related to building a strong team that is dedicated to maintaining the values of the brand and providing quality customer service.
When management sets a precedent of humility and genuine care towards employees, these qualities become contagious and employees demonstrate them towards customers, and reciprocate them towards management. This synergy results in outstanding customer service.
Recognizing employees during the holiday season does not necessarily have to be in a monetary form, such as bonuses and gifts. A handwritten note can show the same sentiments.
Cafe Habana to Open Takeout Shop in Fort Greene
December 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Cafe Habana is adding yet another outpost to their repertoire, which already includes the casual restaurant in Soho and the smaller Habana Outpost. Habana To-Go, planned to open in Fort Greene, will offer takeout and delivery and will be open year-round, in contrast to the Outpost which closes for the winter.
Restaurant Visits with Deals & Discounts Increase Across the Board
December 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The NPD Group reports that restaurant visits at enterprises using a deal or discount increased across all segments during the first nine months of 2013. Non-deal customer traffic has been flat in 2013 after two years of positive growth. Discounted-price traffic in all sectors of the industry increased 4 percent, and deal-price 2 percent.
NPD restaurant analyst Bonnie Riggs offers insight as to why casual-dining chain traffic declined by 1 percent this year, “In my view, the industry tried to move away from heavy discounting last year but found it was just not feasible with consumers still closely watching their spending. It is deal-related traffic that is keeping the industry from registering traffic losses. Casual dining has really ramped up with its deals, but unfortunately it hasn’t stopped traffic declines, which may mean that its deal offers aren’t resonating with cost-conscious consumers.”
Subway to Open Pizza Concept
December 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Following in the footsteps of fast casuals branching out into the pizzeria territory, Subway plans to open Subway Pizza Express at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in early 2014. The concept focuses on customizable, made-to-order personal pizzas. Pricing will be similar to Subway’s, falling in the $4-6 range per pizza.
Shake Shack Moscow Opens Today
December 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
With a couple of modifications including a small price increase for the Shackburger and a concrete dubbed The Great Wintry Way, Shake Shack Moscow is identical to its foreign predecessors. Russian speakers can read the menu in Cyrillic on the Shake Shake site; however New York Magazine has provided a user-friendly translation.
paigepapers.com 