In Sophie Witt’s article regarding the wide spread pub sales during Euro 2016 opening weekend, she spoke about the very noticeable rise in drink sales which were reported to be up to 25 percent in some locations. In other locations who had not qualified to the tournament in a long time, they saw a much higher increase in drink sales. This was in contrast to teams such as England who often qualified; pubs in the country only saw a small increase in drink sales.

Key Takeaways:

• UK pub sales were up 25% during the opening weekend of Euro 2016
• Live football tournaments led to higher sales for pubs.
• The Walsh team winning will led to even higher pub sales in Wales.

“”Given that average takings for a summer weekend are typically high anyway, these increases underline the huge level of interest in Euro 2016 across the UK and highlight the tremendous power of live football as a revenue driver for pubs.””

http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Trends-Reports/Euro-2016-UK-pub-sales-up-26-on-opening-weekend?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bighospitality%2Fnews+%28BigHospitality%3A+Latest+News%29

What operators can learn from Disney concepts briefly discusses the advantages to treating employees as they would treat their guests and general customer base. While guests can often be rather critical of an establishment and how it is run, they can just as often provide details that could use some remediation. As is shown in this article, there was recorded an instance where in on of Disneyland’s theme parks, the staff had noticed a small detailed that had not been prepared for and because of Disney’s ability to treat their employees as they would their staff, they fixed the problem.

Key Takeaways:

• Disney’s culture is so immersive that employees, known as cast members, undergo three levels of training: “Traditions,” which teaches them what it means to be a Disney employee; “Welcome To,” which teaches them what it means to be a Disneyland employee; and a training for what it means to work at their specific foodservice location.
• Part of getting that buy-in, Gendreau says, includes finding ways to make employees feel valuable on multiple levels.
• “It’s really engaging, and it’s much more fun,” she says. “When cast is involved in development, the efficiency and safety of themed phrasing increases, and it’s much more likely to be used.”

“Disney’s culture is so immersive that employees, known as cast members, undergo three levels of training: “Traditions,” which teaches them what it means to be a Disney employee; “Welcome To,” which teaches them what it means to be a Disneyland employee; and a training for what it means to work at their specific foodservice location.”

http://www.foodservicedirector.com/ideas-innovation/emerging-trends/articles/what-operators-can-learn-from-disney-concepts#page=3

Chick-fil-A’s future use of mobile technology and how it starts at the franchisee level are explained by Chick-fil-A’s manager Maureen Donahue. Giving franchisees the a wide range of options and being flexible on requirements is the key to growing the company at all levels. New mobile technology will allow customers to find their local Chick-fil-A’s and place and pay for orders for even faster service.

Key Takeaways:

• Chick-fil-A wants to have a universal appeal to consumers
• Their mobile app optimizes consumer experience by allowing consumers to efficiently find locations, order and pay from the app
• They are working with franchisees and operators on the how and why to adopt this mobile app technology

“During the show Hughes spoke with Chick-fil-A’s Maureen Donahue, Manager – Franchisee Selection about their use of mobile technologies.”

http://www.fastcasual.com/videos/fast-casual-summit-interview-with-maureen-donahue-chick-fil-a/

In Shelly Whitehead’s article relating to creating a summer business, she speaks about the mindset of summer traveler such as finding a very good restaurant. In addition to this, she speaks about many travelers agreeing that important accessory during travel is their smartphone and that they often interact with it throughout the day as well as search for attraction on it. By knowing this, restaurants can target individuals in the area through social media and website posts in order to convince tourists to come in. In addition, providing amenities such as Wi-Fi can help.

Key Takeaways:

• The study, based on a poll of nearly 10,000 people in 31 countries, found the following three somewhat unsettling facts about our vacation time. The first among those polled, 81 percent said their smartphone is their No. 1 travel accessory.
• Secondly, most respondents said they spend an average of about three hours daily on their smartphones during vacation — more than any other single activity. Last but not least, the average traveler reported spending more time searching online for local restaurants than any other type of search, including those for vacation attractions.
• Here’s a breakdown of our searches by topic, while on vacation: Restaurants and food markets 71%; Tourist attractions 59%; Maps and directions 56%; Discounts and deals 38%; Local beaches 33%. Where we spend our “online” vacations: Facebook 77%; Instagram 32%; YouTube 25%; Twitter 24%; Pinterest 14%.

“More than half of those polled said their smartphones are their primary source of information on vacation and most of the time the information they seek on their phones is the location of their next meal or snack.”

http://www.fastcasual.com/blogs/seeking-some-extra-summer-business-reach-out-to-all-those-smartphone-addicted-travelers/

Food trucks are not just for downtown street corners. The future of the noncommercial dining experience is not limited to greasy burgers and fries at a carnival midway. With the flexibility to be anywhere it is needed at any time and to change menu with its venue the mobile food truck is quickly becoming a valid option to fill the gaps in meals offered to our students as well as a way to supplement a schools income.

Key Takeaways:

• Food trucks are increasing in popularity at high schools.
• Administrators cite their flexibility and mobility as reasons they are so beneficial.
• Food trucks can also rotate quickly and keep up with trends, making them a good option for students.

“Nationwide, food trucks saw $1.2 billion in revenue in 2015—a 12.4% growth in the past 5 years, mobile-cuisine.com reports.”

http://www.foodservicedirector.com/ideas-innovation/emerging-trends/articles/predicting-future-food-trucks

Healthy and unhealthy fats. As a consumer do you have a clear picture as to which is which? The teachings of the past may be clouding our view of fats. Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the HassAvocado Board, explains a little bit about findings of a survey of 2000 adults and how well they found consumers understand fats.

Key Takeaways:

• If you don’t respect, value, and challenge your best employees; know this. They will look for other opportunities.
• If your best employee isn’t mentally stimulated, they’ll look for other opportunities.
• You hold them to a higher standard, but you don’t equip them with the tools or education needed to meet these expectations.

““When talking about good fats and bad fats specifically, the confusion out there is pretty pervasive,” says Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of HAB.”

https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/consumers-still-hazy-healthy-and-unhealthy-fats?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+QSRmagazine+%28QSR+magazine%29

That hot cup of coffee could be replaced by something much cooler! Cold brew coffee is now being offered in more locations including the national chain Starbucks. Many smaller coffee houses have offered it but now its going more mainstream. With its smoother taste it is become the fast preference to coffee house goers nation wide.

Key Takeaways:

• Starbucks recently announced it would sell bottled cold brew coffee, and the chain is rolling out cold brew on tap at 500 stores.
• And while many coffee shops concoct their own cold brew coffee, a number of suppliers across the U.S. cater to this niche
• Instead of watered-down hot coffee, iced coffee lovers can now enjoy a much bolder flavor profile from coffee that’s brewed using room temperature or cold water and steeped over several hours.

“Instead of watered-down hot coffee, iced coffee lovers can now enjoy a much bolder flavor profile from coffee that’s brewed using room temperature or cold water and steeped over several hours.”

http://restaurant-hospitality.com/drink-trends/cold-brew-coffee-heating-market