Just a few generations ago, a shopping trip meant a separate visit to the baker, the deli man, a dairy and other stand alone stores. In the past few decades, stores began to cross product lines and mass market retailers now sell everything from shoes to olive oil. Modern conveneince has taken another step forward in offering customers multiple options in one visit combining not just product lines but purpose. Restaurants now can offer dining and shopping together. Some of the challenges include inventory control, cross training staff, and for the client, a better understanding of how to shop.

Key Takeaways:

• The combination of restaurants and markets proved to be a popular one. That is a hybrid model that is increasingly popular among people.
• Customers have voiced their opinion and want to talk about hybrid markets. Food service has changed and looks to improve along the way.
• Foods for sale are popular with these vendors too in stores. Find an eclectic array of foods in stock for consumers to follow.

“In an age when food-infatuated millennials want exactly what they want precisely when they want it, the restaurant world is adjusting with brands that are part gourmet restaurant and another part retail marketplace.”

Read more: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/consumer-trends/restaurant-market-hybrids-rise-foodservice

Chef Mark Greenway is being investigated by the Scottish Trades Union Congress for exploiting new workers in his Ediburgh restraint, requiring them to work an unpaid trial period. Greenway is defending the practice stating other restaurants do it and the small trial shifts are meant to measure if a new hire is a good fit or even wants to work there. He argues that both the candidate and restaurant can benefit from this policy and since it’s only 2-4 hours of work, it’s not exploitation.

Key Takeaways:

• Applicants are asked to do simple tasks in a 2 to 4 hour shift
• This practice is not a way to get free labor or fill in labor gaps
• The candidate gets the opportunity to see if they want to work at the restaurant

“This is as much for the to look at us and decide if they want the relevant position and become part of our team, as it is for us to look at them. I also feel and the whole industry feel this is fair.”

Read more: http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/People/Mark-Greenaway-defends-use-of-unpaid-trial-shifts

If you’ve ever had a fear of going to a restaurant, eating a forkful of food then having your throat swell shut, your skin break out in hives and making a trip to the emergency room due to food allergies? Well, if you live in Europe this may become a thing of the past. Many restaurants in the United Kingdom have started listing possible allergens like mustard, gluten and the ever maligned nuts on their menus to inform those with food allergies to steer clear.

Key Takeaways:

• The European Union’s Information for Consumer’s Regulation specifies that 14 allergens must be disclosed to diners, verbally, or by menu.
• Restaurateurs balked at the regulation initially, hailing it as a ‘bureaucratic nightmare’ and a damper on chef creativity.
• It’s estimated upwards of 2 million UK citizens have food allergies, while approximately 600,000 have Coeliac Disease.

“A 2015 study by the Food Allergy Training Consultancy found that over a third of people with allergies thought menu information was ‘confusing’ and just 10% felt confident eating out”

Read more: http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Trends-Reports/Diners-with-allergies-now-more-confident-eating-out

Like you and I, restaurant servers aren’t perfect and they make mistakes as well. Some of the common mistakes that servers make include ringing in the wrong food or drink order, not greeting the table within a reasonable amount of time and bringing food that is cooked/prepared wrong. Though some of these mistakes may not be the waiters fault, they oftentimes still will get blamed by the customer they are serving. This profession can be very challenging.

Key Takeaways:

• Turns out the server forgot to order the steak with the rest of the tables mains and didn’t want to take the blame.
• It wasn’t only me who heard it, a manager walking by was also within ear-shot and went to the kitchen to check the chit and to find out what happened.
• The short of the story was that the manager forced the server to return to the table and admit responsibility

“At the end of the day if you deal with a mistake with honesty and do what you can to right the wrong, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about”

Read more: http://howtobeagoodserver.com/servers-are-human-we-make-mistakes/

If you work in the service industry it can be difficult to keep on a happy face. There are many stress factors that each of us face and that is especially true when you work with the public. It is very important when you work with the public that you act happy and put on a smile and do your best or it really will affect your pay in form of tips and the restaurant. So leave your troubles at the door when you go to work.

Key Takeaways:

• If you work with the public it is important that you leave your problems at the door
• having a negative attitude to customers will cause them to not return to your establishment
• Don’t talk about personal problems at work, and act happy toward everyone at work

“Although negativity in any workplace has an impact, in our industry of dealing with people face to face on a daily our demeanor and mood directly affects everyone around us.”

Read more: http://howtobeagoodserver.com/serving-with-a-negative-mindset/

Restaurants and food stands in archaeology sites like Pompeii have shown that public shared dining experiences may have always been part of human culture. Up until recently they haven’t changed much either. But the advent of the information age has helped restaurants to evolve in surprising ways. Some restaurant owners and chefs can track minute by minute food costs as well as changes in expected client rushes, with real time ingredient cost and commuter tracking software. Others, like UberEats, are bringing a new dining experience to social norms. Mixing computers and food might be creating changes that the human eating experience has never seen before.

Key Takeaways:

• When bad weather is a factor for getting people in your restaurant its possible to give incentives to come in
• Ordering online and being able to market specific things on certain days will help boost the bottom line
• Restaurants have more competition then any other business, its important to stat with the times

““There are some restaurants that test out new dishes on UberEATS because they have access to actionable data and feedback with tools like UberEATS Restaurant Manager,””

Read more: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/finance/restaurant-pricing-gets-smart-information-age