Everyone knows the main benefit of giving to charity: that you’re able to help those less fortunate than you. But for restaurants, supporting charitable causes can have some surprising and effective marketing results as well. This post from Restaurant Marketing Blog explains some of the benefits that charitable giving can have for those in the restaurant industry, and what that can mean for business. Restaurants that give to charitable organizations that their patrons support can help enhance the perception of their restaurant, especially when donating to organizations that help fight hunger, poverty and disease, or support children’s causes. As the article suggests, a large majority of American consumers would support, recommend or favor a brand that’s involved in some kind of charitable giving over other brands that are not involved in such fundraising, giving more charitable restaurants an edge over their competition. Even if it’s done on a relatively small scale, donating to charity can help develop lasting relationships with your consumers and foster word of mouth recommendations. The article mentions a few national restaurant chains that are notable for their giving programs, as well as for the benefits their businesses have seen.

Read the full article here: Restaurants Embracing Cause Marketing & Social Fundraising

The annual salary threshold is currently $23,660, this determines eligibility for overtime compensation. President Obama said that he intends to change this salary threshold to $50,4400, a proposed rule change that is subject to comment from any and all sources. This move will most likely increase the number of foodservice managers who qualify for time-and-a-half pay when they work more than 40 hours per week and he also stated that five million managers will likely see their take home rise as a result as “a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. That’s at the heart of what it means to be middle class America.” It was not specified when the new threshold would go into effect, but already there has been concerns voiced. Angelo Amador, the National Restaurant Association’s SVP of labor and workforce policy and regulatory counsel said in a statement “while we are still reviewing the Department of Labor’s proposed overtime regulations, at first sign, it seems as if these proposed rules have the potential to radically change industry standards and negatively impact our workforce. As with previous policies put forth by this Administration, we are deeply concerned with the outcome this process will have on the employer community and our employees.”

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Over the years there has been an exponential increase in online short-term promotional deal websites. They have been massively popular and effective in promoting both new and old restaurants. However, there are recent findings showing that these types of promotions can lead to negative effects. For many restaurants offering these Groupon-style deals, it may appear to consumers that it is a somehow less-desirable place to eat – which was the reason for using the promotional website in the first place. A yet to be published research paper from the University of Maryland decided to undergo this study as the researchers consider daily deals as “one of those areas where there’s a lot of opinion but not a lot of rigorous research.”

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The National Restaurant Association’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy breaks down the latest figures in the job report from the Department of Labor. The Bureau of Labor Statistics show that since February there has been the strongest monthly gain of net jobs in June when a total of 29,900 jobs were added. During the first half of the year, growth was not steady, but both the restaurant industry and overall economy are still ahead of 2014 employment gain statistics as total U.S. employment was up by 2.2% on a year-to-date basis through June. “Job growth within the restaurant industry was broad-based in the first half of 2015, with several of the major segments registering strong gains. Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars – including coffee, donut and ice cream shops – were among the leading sectors of the economy with a robust 6.4 percent employment gain on a year-to-date basis through May” Grindy reports. If this trend holds true for the rest of the year, 2015 would be the nation’s strongest annual employment gain since 1999.

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