Hope is not a Strategy!

June 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Costs are at an all time high affecting every single ingredient in the kitchen. In order to not feel dispirited, it is important to put a good strategy in place to deal with the unreliable nature of the supply chain. Last month at the National Restaurant Association Show, a group of experts in the industry shared some advice and knowledge for operators both large and small on how to navigate these uncertainties. Picking the right type of distribution system, choosing a capable distributor and communicating with your partners are all crucial factors to maximizing your supply chain strategy. It is key to always be conscious of future problems that could arise in order to protect your operations.

To read more about the emerging issues and how to tackle them, click here

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

NYC Hospitality Alliance Seminar: Protect Credit Card Information

May 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment

NYC Hospitality Alliance is hosting a seminar on protecting payment and credit card information against data thieves and responding to suspected data compromise incidents.

Topics include:

  • What every hospitality merchant must do to minimize the risk of a data breach and to comply with payment card industry security standards;
  • Actions merchants must take if a compromise is suspected, both to protect customers’ information and minimize the merchant’s financial and reputational risk;
  • Coming changes in payment card acceptance practices and technology about which hospitality industry members need to be aware.

When: Monday, May 19th, 2014 | 10-11:30am

Where: NYIT | 16 West 61st Street | 11th Floor

Cost: $20 Member | $40 Non-member

Find more information and register here.

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9th Annual Fast Casual Executive Summit in Denver

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The 9th Annual Fast Casual Executive Summit will be held in Denver, Co from October 12-15 at the Four Seasons Hotel. Lon Southerland, senior director, global food and beverage for Marriott International, will be the keynote speakers. The event is designed to bring together the movers and shakers of the of the fast casual industry.

See the agenda and more information here.

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Domino’s Launches New Application

April 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Domino’s, pizza chain, is launching a brand new iPad application that features a 3D “realistic pizza builder.”

The application gives  customers an opportunity to see a “more realistic view” of their end product as the customize with various sauces and toppings. In addition, the iPad app will also feature a tracker that monitors the progress of your order in real time. Similar to other Domino apps, users will have access to Domino’s national menu, coupons, and a store locator.

The new app is way of supporting and growing Domino’s strong percentage of digital orders. According to Tech Crunch, digital orders account for about 40 percent of all the company’s sales in the U.S.

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

New Air Quality Rules Target Restaurants and Food Trucks

April 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Mayor Bill de Blasio has backed a set of antipollution laws that would have a significant impact on a number of New York City’s restaurants, commercial kitchens and food trucks. The stated goal of the laws is to target “pollution sources that currently have little or no emission control requirements.” The regulations would require businesses to install emission filters on ovens and char-broilers, ban new wood-burning fireplaces and encourage refrigerated trucks to switch to battery power from diesel fuel. The proposals would food businesses of all kinds including but not limited to mom-and-pop pizzerias, food vendor trucks, high-volume char-broilers and vehicles that deliver or serve refrigerated food or beverages.

The New York City Hospitality Alliance and the New York State Restaurant Association have yet to make a public comment.

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Video Q&A With Cover, The Mobile Payment Application

April 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Watch a video Q&A session with with Cover, the mobile payment application that is taking NYC by storm. The payment processing start-up offers a free app that stores diners’ credit card information and tip preference which are automatically charged at the end of the meal. Restaurant operators use its back of house app (also free) in addition to their POS system to process Cover user payments. Best part – processing fees are  a lower than what typical credit card companies charge. Watch the 10 minute video here.

 

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Red Mango to Offer Fresh-Squeezed Juices

April 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Red Mango has recently rolled-out fresh-squeezed juices in their stores and co-branded Juice Bars  across the U.S – an attempt to take part in the $5 billion juicing industry. Founder Dan Kim noted that today’s consumer have limited location options for fresh juices such as a health food store or juicing boutique. Red Mango has been looking to offer affordable and high-quality options for years but have recently decided the time is right as juicing is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry.

The fresh-squeezed juices menu at Red Mango will include flavors such as Sweet Green Zing and Cool Pineapple Zen. All juices are squeezed-to-order in front of the customers. Prices range from $2.95 to $5.95.

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

Panera 2.0: A Digital Ordering Platform

April 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

At Panera’s Investor Day, Chairman and CEO Ron Shaich unveiled Panera 2.0 – a digital ordering platform that the Company plans to deploy at all of its locations by 2016. Panera 2.0 has two components:

1)  “Rapid Pick-Up,” which allows guests to order from the Panera website or the new Panera mobile app and then pick-up in-store

2) “Enhanced To-Go and Eat-In” kiosks (enclosed and mounted iPads), that enable the customer to order in-store

The idea is to better serve both take-out and and dine-in customers by making the experience more seamless and efficient. Shaich stated that this is not simply a need for new technology but “an evolution of Panera’s guest experience.” The Company’s vision was digital ordering program that utilizes technology to offer customers an experience that is faster, more accurate, and more personal.

You can read more on Panera 2.0 here at Fastcasual.com

 

 

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

Live Webinar: Branded Restaurant Apps – Integrating Mobile with Traditional Marketing

April 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Branded mobile apps are fairly new to restaurants and are often an underutilized component of their marketing campaigns. Customers today are growing accustomed to mobile and online ordering, payment, loyalty programs and promotions as a part of a single brand experience. Splick.it, an enterprise level SaaS platform, is hosting a live webinar geared towards restaurant operators and marketing teams. Register here.

Live Webinar: Branded Restaurant Apps – Integrating Mobile with Traditional Marketing

Date: Thu, May 1, 2014

Time: 02:00 PM EDT

Duration: 1 hour

 What you’ll learn:

  • How to introduce your app and drive adoption
  • How to engage your customers via your mobile app and impact their behaviors
  • How to promote effectively via your mobile app
  • When to use traditional marketing tactics and when to use mobile promotions
  • How to integrate messages and offers so customers have a consistent experience across all brand channels
  • How to optimize mobile promotions by segmenting users (new, lapsed, best customers)
  • How to transfer contact information and behavioral data between your traditional marketing systems and your mobile/online platforms
  • How much control should your franchisees have for setting up mobile marketing?

 

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A New Take on Blue Bottle Iced Coffee

March 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Recently VC-funded Blue Bottle Coffee released its newest product this week at EXPO West, a natural-foods conference in Anaheim: a ready-to-drink, packaged version of its New Orleans Iced Coffee. Blue Bottle partnered with Clover Organic Farms to offer this all-organic product with the same ingredients you’d find at a Blue Bottle shop – coffee, roasted chicory, cane sugar, and Clover milk. Except now, it is packaged in a 10.66-ounce milk carton and scheduled to hit shelves at every Whole Foods in Northern California by mid-March. Future roll-out will include Blue Bottle’s shops (Bay Area, L.A., and NYC), west coast Whole Foods stores, followed by a launch in the NYC area in mid-to-late May.

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