The Smart Espresso Profiler (SEP) Adds Flow and Pressure Profiling to Virtually Any Machine

September 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Smart Espresso Profiler (SEP)

“Until recently, it has required thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of specialized equipment to accurately measure and act upon several of the more important factors in espresso brewing — factors such as the duration and force of pre-infusion, the pressure profile for the rest of the shot, and the cutting-edge tweak du jour: the flow rate.

These barriers to entry might be disintegrating, however, now that espresso accessory-maker Naked Portafilter has developed and launched a new tool for home and professional baristas that appears to be breaking the field wide open.

See more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , ,

TripAdvisor Plans A Social Network Via New Feed, Site And Partners

September 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment

“TripAdvisor wants to be a one-stop-shop for consumers to share, plan and learn about trips. To reach that goal, the Needham, Massachusetts-based travel site is unveiling a new website and mobile offering later this year that gives consumers the option to connect with friends, influencers, brands and publishers to build social feeds and plan trips.

“One size fits all becomes a personalized trip for you,” said Stephen Kaufer, chief executive and co-founder of TripAdvisor at an unveiling event in New York on Monday morning. “I’m an individual, I’m unique,” he added, noting that consumers want to hear what other voices are saying, and then pick and choose accordingly. According to TripAdvisor data, 66 percent of trip planning incorporates reviews from other travelers, and 62 percent comes from friends and families sharing tips.”

Read more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations, Opportunities, Shopbuzz Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How Restaurants Can Cut the Costs Of Handling Cash

September 14, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Image result for restaurant operations cash handling

“One of the last things a quick-service restaurant manager wants to do at the end of a long shift is count down registers and fill out reports. They’ve been on their feet all day, helping customers, prepping food and putting out fires (only the figurative type, hopefully).”

“(…) Counting, reconciling and depositing money manually causes unnecessary inefficiency and risk in the business. Managers and staff remain on the clock at the end of the day, making the simple act of counting and reconciling cash costly in itself. Other risks include:

  • Potential for errors
  • Opportunity for theft
  • Untracked deposits
  • Time away from customer-facing activities like cleaning, service or food prep/safety.”

“According to a 2018 study of cash by IHL Group, 41.1 percent of quick-service transactions are in cash. While debit and credit might prevail in other areas of retail, the Federal Reserve reports that cash is still the payment of choice for transactions under $25—certainly within the sweet spot for average quick-serve tickets. Shake Shack learned this lesson recently as its customers demanded the ability to pay cash at a previously cashless location.”

Read more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With: , , , ,

Pita bread is simple to make and worth the wait.

September 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Homemade pita bread is so much better — and easier — than you might think

” (…) Given the current renaissance of Middle Eastern cuisine, it seems a good time to master the bread that is the traditional accompaniment to so much of that food. Because if you’re going to make or source all the excellent stuff that you put inside a pita, it seems a bit mournful to use the store-bought bread — often stale and tasteless as cardboard — when it’s so easy to make it yourself.”

“And watching the pitas rise in the oven, a few minutes worth of culinary magic, is a trick that never gets old.”

View more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Opportunities, Trending Now

Dunkin’ Donuts Invests $100 Million in Brand Refresh

September 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment

A Dunkin' Donuts store in New York.

“The coffee and doughnut chain plans to unveil 50 U.S. test stores this year that aim to make it easier for customers to grab coffee on the run with dedicated pickup areas, digital kiosks and expanded drive-through windows that prioritize orders via mobile app.
Dunkin’ is launching the redesigned store concept to keep pace in the hot competition over coffee. McDonald’s Corp. and Starbucks Corp. also have attempted to cater to on-the-go customers ordering through mobile apps. More than half of Dunkin’s $100 million investment will go toward store equipment to aid the on-the-go beverage strategy. The rest will go toward technology infrastructure and training.”

See more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Heard on The Street, Operations

Email Marketing Remains A Prime Promotional Tactic

September 4, 2018 by Leave a Comment

“With the rise of social media and texting, some saw email as a communication vehicle that would eventually disappear. However, this mode of messaging is still an inescapable part of everyday life.

“Email was also cited as the preferred contact method to receive an offer from brands, cited by 50% of respondents, though older consumers felt this sentiment more strongly.
It was still first choice across age groups but was lower among those 18 to 24 (32%) and 25 to 34 (44%). Oddly, Adobe did not break out ages over 35. Taken as a whole, 55% of that older group preferred brands contact them through email.

View more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz, Operations

How To Choose the Right E-commerce Platform

August 31, 2018 by Leave a Comment

“When choosing the best online sales platforms for your e-commerce story, know there are options that fit everyone’s needs. See the pros, cons and information for getting started on the three most popular platforms: Amazon, Etsy and Shopify.”

“Shopify allows you to create beautiful websites with customizable themes, which you can’t do on Etsy or Amazon. Creating your own website with a custom domain name adds to your brand’s credibility. Shopify stores can also integrate with Amazon and other marketplaces to get the best of both worlds.”

See more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz

Fast Casual vs. Fast Fine Dining Trends

August 29, 2018 by Leave a Comment

“Take one of the latest casual dining trends as an example: fast fine dining. Not to be confused with fast casual, which refers to places like Chipotle or Five Guys, who distinguish themselves from fast food by offering high-quality ingredients and less of an assembly line atmosphere. Although the economy brought down spending at higher-end restaurants over the last several years, the love for creative food has been growing at a rapid pace, enabling fast casual and fast fine restaurants to thrive. And let’s not forget food trucks!”

“Diners who are health-conscious, but still want speed, find themselves searching for options where they can pay a little more and wait a tad longer for food that is healthier. This is exactly what fast casual restaurants offer.”

View more here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Opportunities

Everything You Need To Know About Crafting A Restaurant Marketing Plan

August 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment

A graphic showing how to create a restaurant marketing plan

“1. Gather ideas. Consider the perspectives of every stakeholder in your restaurant from managers and owners to head chefs to, of course, the kinds of customers you want to come through the door. This step is especially important if you haven’t come up with a marketing strategy yet. If you have, figuring out how to best position and communicate your band will largely have been covered already, but if not you’ll want to answer the following questions before doing anything else: What is the theme of the restaurant? Who are our ideal customers? What makes us special among the competition? What can we do better? How can we streamline our marketing costs?

2. Learn from those who came before you. If this is your first time coming up with a marketing plan, taking a look of some restaurant marketing plan examples can seriously help you figure out what the end product should look like. (…)”

To view more go here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations

Save time, save money: Run your small business from your smartphone.

August 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment

“In the last few years, there has been an explosion of cloud-based, mobile apps (or mobile versions of desktop software applications) that make it easy to stay on top of most of your business operations right from your mobile phone. And that’s great for today’s small-business owner, because you’re more likely than ever to be on the go: meeting customers, traveling to trade shows, balancing work life with family needs.”

Useful apps:

• Money management and accounting. Send out invoices, track time, pay bills, run payroll, track mileage and more: QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Intuit Online Payroll, Harvest, Wave, Bill.com, Shoeboxed, Everlance

• Payments: Receive payments instantly from customers. Square, PayPal Here, QuickBooks GoPayment

• Make sales: Turn your phone into your storefront and make sales directly to customers. Shopify, Etsy, Facebook, Instagram

• Scheduling: The apps take bookings and appointments, accept upfront payments, send clients reminders and more. Square Appointments, HouseCall Pro, Acuity Scheduling, Timely, Eventbrite Organizer

•Document storage and sharing: Store, share and access your files from any device. Google Drive, Zoho Docs, Dropbox, Box, Hightail Spaces

• Communications: Communicate with customers and manage your team back home. Skype, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, Join.Me, Webex

•Newsletters: Manage and monitor newsletter campaigns you’ve created in advance on your desktop. MailChimp, Constant Contact, Emma, Aweber

(…)

View more useful apps to run you business here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz, Operations, Opportunities
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