Published October 22, 2015
The appropriately-named UK company FLAT has announced the release of a table that uses a patented mechanism to stable and level itself on uneven floors. This table, the “Wellington,” was designed in collaboration with Carlick Contract Furniture and features a heavy-duty wooden base. Multiple “Wellington” tables can also be perfectly aligned when putting them together for large groups of diners. FLAT also makes self-stabilizing tables with aluminum, stainless steel, and cast iron bases.
Read the full article here: Carlick Contract Furniture Launches the World’s First Wooden, Self-Stabilizing Table with Flat Inside
Link: http://qsrmedia.com.au/fast-casual/news/carlick-contract-furniture-launches-world%E2%80%99s-first-wooden-self-stabilising-table-fla
Published October 21, 2015
Oregon Fruit Products LLC, a company that specializes in shelf-stable fruit purees for brewing and culinary use, has announced that its newest product is a blood orange puree. Blood Oranges are sweet, but they also have a bitter note that makes them great for mixing with hops for brewing. The new product has already been used by The Rare Barrel to make a tart, bitter, wild-fermented sour. Oregon Fruit Products hopes to collaborate with other craft brewers to create more products in the future.
Read the full article here: New Blood Orange Puree Brings Creative Options for Craft Brewers
Link: https://www.fsrmagazine.com/content/new-blood-orange-puree-brings-creative-options-craft-brewers
Published October 21, 2015
Yum! Brands, which is the corporate parent of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, will be spinning off its Chinese business as a separate, publicly traded company. Yum! China will be a franchise of Yum! Brands and run the company’s brands in China. KFC was the first quick service chain in China, and is still the number one foreign restaurant in China. Taco Bell has not yet expanded into China, so Yum! China will have incredible room for growth in that area.
Yum! Brands will continue to operate its restaurant brands in all non-China markets. It spun off the Chinese division as part of a broader corporate effort to structure its management by brand rather than by geographical location. The two Yum! companies will now be free to pursue different strategic options independent from each other, which should work to both of their benefits. Yum! China will be able to take advantage of its strong base of local experts to expand Yum!’s presence in the world’s most populous nation. Yum! Brands plans to turn most of its current restaurants into franchises, which will provide stable income and maximize benefits for shareholders.
Read the full article here: Yum! Brands Announces Intention to Separate into Two Publicly Traded Companies
Link: http://www.restaurantnews.com/yum-brands-announces-intention-to-separate-into-two-publicly-traded-companies/
Published October 21, 2015
Nobody wants to ruin their server’s day, but sometimes it can be hard to imagine what life in a server’s shoes is like if you’ve never done the job before. Some rules of thumb to keep in mind are to make sure you communicate what you want clearly, understand that problems with service aren’t necessarily your server’s fault, don’t be too messy, and don’t treat the server like your mom or your servant. With these tips in mind, you’ll be prepared to make your server’s day great!
Read the full article here: 5 Simple Tips to Being a Better Guest
Link: http://www.shiftgig.com/articles/5-simple-tips-being-better-guest
Published October 20, 2015
The quick service restaurant sector may not have a reputation for serving the healthiest food, but more and more chains have been creating healthy innovations to meet customer demand for nutritious and low-cal menu options. Food News Media is honoring these quick service innovators for contributing to healthy, active lifestyles with the HALO Awards. Submissions for the 2015 HALO awards are open now. Previous winners include Boston Market, which was recognized for its sodium-reduction programs, and Chick-fil-A, which won for its new grilled chicken menu.
Read the full article here: HALO Awards is Now Accepting Submissions
Link: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/halo-awards-now-accepting-submissions
Published October 20, 2015
OpenTable, the industry-leading restaurant reservation website, is testing a feature that would allow customers to pay extra money for in-demand reservations. The reservation fee will be split between OpenTable and the restaurant owner. Payed reservations could end up being a serious source of revenue for operators. Typical reservation costs at one of the restaurants OpenTable is testing the program at are in the $100-$200 range on weekends.
The viability of charging for reservations rests, of course, on whether customers will actually pay extra to get a coveted weekend spot. The reservation site Resy has been having success with a business model that includes reservation fees on weekends. There is also a black market for highly desirable reservations in New York City, so it seems as though there is a market for selling reservations. With OpenTable now stepping into the reservation fee market, the tide could swing to this model becoming the standard for in-demand restaurant booking.
Read the full article here: High-Demand Restaurants Poised to Benefit from Reservation Revolution
Link: http://restaurant-hospitality.com/how/high-demand-restaurants-poised-profit-reservation-revolution
Published October 20, 2015
Restaurant Hospitality has a list of surefire ways for operators to increase appetizer sales. One big strategy they mention is to make appetizers shareable. Guests love to share dining experiences with their friends, so finger-food options like spring rolls or fired oysters that a whole table can pick at are great revenue boosters. Another great tactic is to label appetizers as ‘small plates’ or ’sharing plates.’ This gets around some customers’ aversion to ordering an ‘appetizer,’ which they might associate with unnecessary spending.
Read the full article here: 8 Ways to Sell More Appetizers
Link: http://restaurant-hospitality.com/marketing/8-ways-sell-more-appetizers
Published October 19, 2015
Applied Predictive Technologies says that its APT Index of restaurant sales for this September has increased 3.8 percent compared to last September’s Index. Quick service restaurants have done especially well, registering a 5.6 percent increase on the Index. Labor Day Weekend sales are also up compared to last year. The Pope’s visit impacted restaurant spending in September, causing people to change their routines to avoid crowds. This caused restaurant spending in cities visited by the Pontiff to decrease, but not enough to dampen the overall upward trend.
Read the full article here: September Restaurant Sales up 3.8 Percent in APT Index
Link: https://www.fsrmagazine.com/finance/september-restaurant-sales-38-percent-apt-index
Published October 19, 2015
Nation’s Restaurant News has a great article about how to construct a wines by the glass list that will please customers and consistently generate profits. The first thing that must be in a wine director’s mind when they build a wine list is the context that the wines will be served in. A list of great heavy reds would be a poor fit for a seafood and season produce-focused restaurant, for example. Wine directors shouldn’t shy away from making a statement with their menus, however. Some solid under-the-radar or eccentric options are a great way to establish the restaurant personality and give guests a unique experience.
Probably the most important way to ensure that a by-the-glass wine list sings is to properly train servers and other staff about how to handle and sell the juice. Pour control is a basic but often-overlooked part of server training that can make the difference between wine being a profit center and a money pit. Also, holding tasting sessions so servers can get to know every wine the restaurant offers will allow them to recommend wines with a authority and a personal touch instead of just giving rote pre-written descriptions.
Read the full article here: Harnessing the Power of a Wines-by-the-Glass List
Link: http://nrn.com/opinions/harnessing-power-wines-glass-list?page=1
Published October 19, 2015
McDonald’s has increased its aid to college-bound Hispanic students to $500,000. The burger chain will now give out five $100,000 scholarships to lucky Latino college seniors. Award recipients are selected for exemplary academics and community involvement, as well as financial need. McDonald’s will also establish an alumni program for previous recipients of the scholarship that will allow alumni to network with each other and provide employment opportunities.
Read the full article here: McDonald’s Increases Donation to College-Bound Hispanic Students
Link: http://www.qsrweb.com/news/mcdonalds-increases-donation-to-college-bound-hispanic-students/
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