Dinner Menu Innovation at Dunkin’ & Starbucks

November 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Beginning in 2015 Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts will plan to sell more dinner-friendly offerings. Starbucks and Dunkin’ will be attempting to compete with fast food dinner destinations such as Chipotle or McDonald’s by offering more savory dinner options which will in turn keep profits and sales at a steady flow during the entire day. John Costello, president of Dunkin’ Donuts global marketing and innovation mentioned in an interview that although breakfast would remain their core, “..today people are seeking all-day dining, and they want to eat what they want, when they want it and where they want it — that’s why we are so committed to menu innovation and giving our guests even more options that they can enjoy any time of day.”

This Fall Dunkin’ has already added a steak sandwich and a wrap with eggs as a permanent menu addition. Introducing dinner staples will help sales continue past the breakfast rush. As it stands now, only 40% of sales come after 11 a.m. This leaves a lot of room for growth for the chain which stays open until 10 p.m, and especially for the outposts that are open 24 hours a day. Costello hinted at drawing some inspiration for the new dinner offerings from their locations abroad, “We have a variety of products and flavors that are tailored to the regional preferences of our guests around the world such as donuts stuffed, topped and glazed with everything from rice pudding to saffron to crushed pistachios in India.”

While Dunkin’ will try to compete with getting guests who want food on the go, Starbucks in turn is attempting to get customers to stay by introducing small plates to share along with wine and beer sales. The new evening menu offerings are currently being tested and include dishes such as truffle mac and cheese, double chocolate brownie bites, and five choices of red wine, three white, prosecco and a sparkling rosé. According to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, “More details around the new food and beverage innovations, reimagined store designs and new store formats, mobile order and pay, and the expansion of our evening programs” will be available Dec. 4th at the annual investor meeting.

To read more about the dinner menu innovations at Dunkin’ and Starbucks, click here

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With:

Successfully Promoting Restaurant Events

November 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Brian Casel, found of Restaurant Engine, has compiled a list of five tips to promote upcoming events at your restaurant. It isn’t always easy to draw a crowd and spread the word once you have planned a great event. The key to publicizing the event is to advertise it in a series or succession using a combination of different channels. Firstly, it is crucial to create an online event page and create a link to make it accessible from your various other pages. Here are some tips on how to make this event page as compelling as possible:

  • Use a graphic description of special activities and menu items served at the event. Include references to special attendees along with their photos and descriptions – (live music, a chef’s demonstration, etc. )
  • Include a start time, end time and who should attend.
  • Include a prominent call to action, such as an RSVP button is needed.
  • Write about the event on your blog and make sure to always provide the link back to your event page.
  • Create a hashtag (#event) and include it in blog posts about your event.
  • Use social share buttons to encourage visitors to share the event with their friends and family.
  • Target keywords for your event to optimize for search engines; use a title tag and headers that use your event keywords.

Secondly, a few weeks before the event, send an email to your customers. Continue to publicize in a series by sending an email a week before, and yet send another reminder a day or two before your event for the final pitch. Ensure that the subject line of the email is creative and draws attention and that the body of the email has a large call to action that directs the readers to the event page. Social media is of course an appropriate outlet for social events, and a great promotional tool. Buzz about the event will be created by coming up with an event hashtag and using it in every social media post, blog or tweet. Create a social media schedule beginning with a Facebook event that has detailed event information, followed by a custom tweet for the event. Continue to tweet often and trace your statistics. Other social media channels that can be leveraged include Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google +. Traditional media should not go overlooked though, flyers have always been a proven successful for promoting events along with magazines, local newspapers, news releases and radio stations.

To read more about Casel’s tips for successfully promoting a restaurant event, click here

 

 

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Organic Food Boom in Retail

November 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment

According to the Organic Trade Association, the growth in sales of organic products in the U.S. has rebounded compared to the slow to 4.6% in 2009. In 2013 sales rose 11.5 percent to $35 billion. Organic food (and nonfood) products used to be sold primarily in specialty natural shops until Whole Foods Market essentially took over the market. Mainstream consumers discovered natural food products and chains such as Costco, Kroger and Safeway jumped on board. The sales of organic products at Costco doubled in two years to roughly $3 billion.

The organic/natural food industry is now preparing for the U.S.’s largest grocer to expand its organic food selection. Yes, Wal-Mart will be promising not only to expand the selection of organic products but to sell them at the same prices as nonorganic food. Typically organic food costs at least 25% more than regular food products, so Wal-Mart’s plan is to use Wild Oats as it’s main supplier. Wild Oats was bought from Whole Foods by Anthony Zolezzi and Tim Luberski. Soles states that his goal was “to democratize organic to the masses,” and now Wal-Mart accounts for more than 90 percent of Wild Oats’ business.

To read more about the boom in organic foods in retail in the U.S., click here

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Starbucks Brings Back Seasonal Favorite

November 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Starbucks guests took to social media, wrote letter and made phone calls demanding to get their seasonal eggnog latte back on the menu. The eggnog latte had been on the menu since 1986, and in a move to simplify the ever expanding menu, Starbucks dropped it from their seasonal offerings. After the customer outcry, Starbucks spokeswoman Linda Mills stated, “We made a mistake, we are very sorry.” According to Mills, Starbucks is aiming to have the eggnog latte back in stores by November 17th. The holiday season is Starbuck’s most profitable time of the year, so it is no wonder they are rapidly tending to the customer complaints.

The eggnog latte had already been re-introduced November 1st in the Pacific Northwest because it has always been a regional favorite, the problem now according to Mills, will come if Starbucks can’t get enough eggnog from suppliers in time. What is impressive in this situation is Starbuck’s rapid response and solution to customer complaints. This was also the case in Spring last year when the company began to sell lemon cake and pumpkin bread in miniature loaf form rather than the usual slices; customers complained and it was switched back. The importance of pleasing the guest for operators in the era of social media is absolutely critical.

To read more about Starbuck’s rapid response to their customers, click here

 

 

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New Amsterdam Market Returns

November 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

TaraPaige Group was sad to post a few months ago that the New Amsterdam Market at the old Fulton Fish Market would be closing due to the redevelopment of the area by Howard Hughes Corporation. Good news! Although not in the same location, the market will be returning next year. Robert LaValva is not yet ready to reveal the new home of the New Amsterdam Market, but is eager to reopen a space where butchers, cheesemongers, seafood dealers and other vendors are able to showcase their fare.

The real estate developers are planning to demolish the old New Market building to construct a high rise waterfront tower. This decision was of course met with a strong opposition. After a solid seven years of events being hosted at the South Street Seaport location, the official next event will take place in late February of 2015. April Bloomfield, chef of the Spotted Pig was on the market’s board of directors and will be appearing on a panel to discuss the future of the Seaport next Monday, November 10th. For more information on this panel discussion, click here.

To read more about the future of the New Amsterdam Market in the upcoming year, click here

 

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Improving Service Standards

November 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Scott Harper of Sysco will be presenting an in-depth discussion about service levels in the industry, how to identify opportunities and then consequently improve standards. The event will take place Monday, November 10th at Agatina’s Restaurant in Rochester; the address is 2967 Buffalo Road ,Rochester, New York. The event will begin at 6PM with a cash bar & hors d’oeuvres followed by a dinner beginning at 6:45 for $30 per person.

Scott Harper consults with restaurant operators, owners and staff in the Western New York area. He was formally schooled in the hospitality business and has work experience as a Franchisee, General Manager, Operating Partner, Area Manager and Operations Manager for three restaurant brands in Ontario, Western New York, Michigan and Florida. Halpern will definitely be able to impart some words of wisdom and discuss at length the different strategies and tips for identifying opportunities to improve service standards.

To register for the event, please contact Kim Wightman either by phone at 585.678.4817 or by email at rochesternysra@hotmail.com. For more information, click here

Filed Under: Events

Effects of Record High Dairy Prices

November 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

As dairy prices continue to soar, favorite menu items at restaurants have become more costly to produce. According to The National Milk Producers Federation, average farmer’s milk prices rose to $2.16 per gallon in September; this is the highest level on record. Many dining chains have been feeling the effects of these high costs which have been high throughout the year. For example, Chipotle recorded a 20% increase in sales, however executives stated that the higher food costs for items such as cheese and sour cream affected the chain’s profit margins in the quarter.

The Cheesecake Factory, a chain which relies heavily on cream cheese for the cheesecakes stated that increased dairy prices cost them $4.3 million in the quarter. According to Mary Keough Ledman, an economist specializing in dairy markets, the prices have soared due to a global slow down in milk production. “The path to these record high prices was supply-driven..It was kind of the perfect storm — European output was lower, Oceania’s output was lower, and China’s was lower.”

Both restaurants as well as major suppliers such as Kraft Foods or Hershey are being affected by the higher dairy prices and will begin to implement price increases on their products to deal with the dairy cost spike. To read more about the struggles restaurants and suppliers are facing due to the price increases, click here

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Maple: New Upscale Delivery Service

November 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Chef David Chang of the Momofuko empire just signed on to create menus for the newest upscale delivery service app called Maple. This app-based service will be launching early next year and are advertising that they will guarantee a delivery time of fifteen minutes. The already existing similar app-based service Caviar will be getting some competition. Chang will be assembling a culinary board of directors to help contribute recipes and dishes to the service and also has plans for a rotating seasonal menu.

The difference with Maple is that delivery will not be coming from a specific restaurant; the team will be making their own food. Maple promises that the food will be ‘at the same level’ as in restaurants and a very speedy delivery within fifteen minutes of receiving the order. This is a very big promise in the city, so we will just have to wait to see how this will roll out in terms of operations. Chang also started selling Momofuko bento boxes to the WeWork office by City Hall so it is not his first venture in the world of delivery.

To read more about the launch of Maple and David Chang’s involvement, click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz Tagged With: ,

Second Starbucks Open in Williamsburg

November 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The first Starbucks opened in Williamsburg a few months ago and was met with a less than welcoming crowd. Starbucks now opened a second Starbucks Coffee Shop and is making an effort to try and make the outpost blend in with the feel of the neighborhood. This Starbucks location has exposed brick and a large communal table that is intended to be used for coffee seminars. In another effort to fit in with the Williamsburg scene, this Starbucks will host local music bands and showcase artwork from neighborhood artists.

Williamsburg is not the only market where Starbucks is attempting to variegate appearance and activities, they are also experimenting with this in a few other markets. This location also had high hopes to sell wine and beer, however a 500 person petition from local businesses and residents forced a no vote from the Community Board. The decision remains in the hands of the SLA which has yet to make a final decision. The owner and manager of the neighboring The West coffee house took it upon themselves to collect the signatures for the petition. Owner Esther Bell stated, “”They have 255 locations in Manhattan right now, and we would be setting the precedent that Starbucks will not only keep opening up in Brooklyn, block by block, but now take a vital revenue stream from small business. As you know, most restaurants can’t survive without alcohol.”

 To read more about the opening of the new Williamsburg Starbucks location, click here. The Starbucks is located near the L train Bedford Stop at 154 North 7th Street, Williamsburg. 

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With: , ,

NYC Hotel Forum

November 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The NYC Hotel Forum will take place this Friday November 7th at the McGraw-Hill Conference Center on 1221 Avenue of the Americas. The forum will run from 8AM to 11:20AM to discuss major topics in NYC Hotel development. Attendees will include investors, owners, developers, lenders, architects, designers and essentially a whole range of key players in the hospitality industry. The forum will begin with a continental breakfast and networking opportunity followed by the keynote address by Donna Keren, Senior Vice President, Research & Analysis, NYC & Company. The remainder of the morning will consist of a two panel discussions with a networking break in between. Panel 1 will discuss The Anatomy of Successful Hospitality Deals and Panel 2’s title is: Will Demand Stay Hot for Hotels? Hotel Development Trends. The closing keynote address will be delivered by Adele Gutman Milne, Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Revenue, Library Hotel Collection.

Many major topics will be discussed throughout the forum including:

  • Strategies for Launching New Developments in an Economic Upturn
  • Managing Construction and Renovation Projects Delayed During the Recession
  • Financing Your Hotel and What Lenders Look for in an Ideal Hospitality Project
  • Integrating Technological Advances for Future Hotel Rooms and Guest Experiences
  • Modernizing Old Hotels and Recognizing What is Critical When Rebranding a Hotel

An individual ticket will cost $125, while association members will be able to purchase tickets at a reduced fee of $75. To read more about the forum and to register, click here

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