David Miller is the president of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Cameron Mitchell and David Miller created The Millennial Concept Challenge. There are about 3,000 employees at Cameron Mitchell. Miller understands the demographic barriers. To bring together employees, Cameron Mitchell is using in-house competition. At Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, millennial employees are recognized by senior leadership.

Key Takeaways:

• Cameron Mitchell Restaurants is bridging the gap between company newcomers and senior brass
• The goal is to have young employees develop an effective concept from the idea stage and see it through to completion
• Every employee at Cameron Mitchell has a voice and is encouraged to express themselves

“There are around 3,000 employees at Cameron Mitchell, including 258 managers. Miller expects this event to be the start of an annual event, although he’s not sure where it will take place or how the details will evolve.”

https://www.fsrmagazine.com/human-resources/cameron-mitchells-plan-bridge-millennial-gap

DMI, a company centered around mobility services and solutions, has published a ranking of mobility leaders i the limited-service industry. Surveying more than 75 restaurants in the US, the ranking assessed each restaurant’s ability to meet customers’ increasingly mobile needs. The ranking indicated that while well-designed mobile experiences (e.g. apps) and brand loyalty were increased trends, consumers still expressed that the mobile experience has yet to be perfected.

Key Takeaways:

• DMI, a global provider of end-to-end mobility services and solutions, announced its first annual ranking of mobility leaders in the limited-service industry.
• By revealing which limited-service restaurants offer the most robust mobile experiences today, DMI has provided a clear and comprehensive snapshot of the state of mobility within this quickly growing industry.
• Of the concepts evaluated, fast casual owns the mobile space, followed by coffee shops, pizza, and traditional fast-food restaurants.

“DMI’s benchmarking study revealed that although some quick serves are providing better mobile experiences than others, none are fully satisfying their customers’ desires.”

https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/report-fast-casual-owns-mobile-space

Hospitality recruiter The Change Group looked at data over the past three years and found that recruitment rises by up to 47 percent during November and December, ahead of the busy festive period. This recruitment appears to be mostly short-termist, with figures showing a 10 per cent drop in recruitment for permanent positions. The Change Group suggested that instead of taking a short-term approach, employers could use the seasonal boost in recruitment to bolster their staff for the future, investing in the major talent and demonstrating hospitality as a long-term career choice.

Key Takeaways:

• The recruitment of temporary staff at Christmas could be used as a way for hospitality businesses to find and invest in future talent, new research has suggested.
• However, this recruitment appears to be largely short-termist, with figures showing a 10 per cent drop in recruitment for permanent positions, compared to a 77 per cent increase for temporary back-of-house roles.
• Training, development and team-building, as well as adapting shifts and work patterns for new staff could help encourage workers who previously saw their roles as a temporary option, to consider a career for the long-term.

“Hospitality recruiter The Change Group looked at data over the past three years, and found that recruitment rises by up to 47 per cent during November and December, ahead of the busy festive period.”

http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Use-Christmas-to-boost-long-term-recruitment-urges-The-Change-Group?utm_source=RSS_text_news&utm_medium=RSS_feed&utm_campaign=RSS_Text_News

Newer to the scene is Impossible Foods Impossible Burger, made with wheat protein, potato protein, coconut oil, carbohydrates from a Japanese yam, xanthan gum, and heme. Meat is arguably a strain on the environment, and some people object to eating meat on moral grounds, but they still like its taste. Maybe they’ve been lulled by research from The NPD Group showing that more than 50 percent of consumers regard meat as the best source of protein, with over 60 percent eating it on any given day.

Key Takeaways:

• Chains including Tropical Smoothie Café; and Which Wich Superior Sandwiches have introduced Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips in recent years, made mostly with a blend of soy and pea protein.
• Meanwhile, producer Beyond Meat has used mostly pea protein to make its Beyond Burger, which is colored with beets so it appears to “bleed.”
• ​Heme is a protein found in all living cells, according to Impossible Foods founder Patrick Brown, but especially in the red blood cells of animals where it carries oxygen.

“​Heme is a protein found in all living cells, according to Impossible Foods founder Patrick Brown, but especially in the red blood cells of animals where it carries oxygen.”

http://nrn.com/food-trends/krusethorn-paradox-plant-based-protein

Who knew that drinking coffee would become such a market-moving event? Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz added another steamy leg to his business model this week in a deal positioning Spotify to be the sole provider of streaming music for all 7,000 Starbucks stores. Starting this fall, U.S. Starbucks customers who are part of its rewards program can choose what music will play in the stores they visit. Plus, they can immediately pay for the music in-store with Starbucks rewards points – like plunking virtual quarters into a digital juke box.

Key Takeaways:

• Starbucks unveiled an innovative conversation ordering system, called My Starbucks Barista, powered by groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Starbucks Mobile App.
• Leadership in coffee is at the heart of Starbucks innovation. Born from the Seattle Roastery, Starbucks will introduce the Cascara Latte to customers nationwide in January.
• A new breakfast option arrives in January of 2017 with the introduction of Sous Vide Egg Bites—a wheat-free, low calorie, high protein, convenient breakfast.

“Expect more food innovation from Starbucks early in the year with the regional rollout of organic soups, expansion of Starbucks Bistro Box selections, and introduction of more fresh grab-and-go lunch choices—salads, sandwiches and desserts—made fresh and delivered to Starbucks stores daily.”

https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/10-starbucks-innovations-watch-including-new-app