Tips to Easily Increase Banquet Sales
A guide for event managers. Banquet sales are a key part of a hotel’s or unique venue’s success, covering everything from weddings and corporate meetings to private parties and conferences. To get more bookings, it’s important for hotels, banquet halls, and special venues to have a clear and friendly approach. We’ve gathered some best practices to improve your sales game and win more event business. Plus, we chatted with Russell Simon, sales director at Upstairs Atlanta, about the methods his business uses to increase banquet sales. 1. Showcase Your Event Space. Your venue can host more than just weddings and corporate events. Highlight its potential for birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, and even unique-themed parties. Create diverse marketing materials that showcase how beautifully your space can be transformed for different events. If you can, include both empty venue photos and event photos filled with guests to include on your website and social channels. A 3D venue walkthrough is another way to put the spotlight on your event space so customers can envision their party at your venue. Whether it’s a stage that can host a live band or your location that has a killer view of the skyline, capitalize on that unique element and run with it. “Upstairs Atlanta has a lot of character and personality with its Edison bulbs, exposed brick walls, and signature cement bar top,” said Simon. “Yet, it’s still enough of a blank canvas to allow any client’s vision to be brought to life. This ability has allowed Upstairs Atlanta to serve as a venue for all types of events, a benefit that a lot of venues don’t have.” 2. Offer All-Inclusive Packages. Simplify the planning process for your clients by offering all-inclusive packages. Include catering, décor, entertainment, and even a day-of coordinator. Clients are more likely to book when they see that you can handle every aspect of their event, reducing their stress and workload. For example, let’s say a couple is planning their wedding. Instead of having them coordinate separately with a caterer, a decorator, and a DJ, you offer a comprehensive package that covers all these aspects.
White House Reaffirms Plan to Ban Bogus Restaurant Reviews
A new initiative aims to root out everyday annoyances for consumers, including fake online evaluations. Promotional posts masquerading as online evaluations from actual restaurant guests may finally be outlawed, fulfilling a proposal aired by the Biden administration more than a year ago. The White House disclosed with little fanfare on Monday that it’s cracking down on business practices that have proven a maddening annoyance for consumers, like customer help lines where you can’t rouse a human, or complicated processes for canceling gym memberships. Included in the practices it hopes to ban are the use of bogus online reviews to promote a good or service. Specifically, restaurants would no longer be able to hire someone to craft glowing evaluations of a visit that never happened and post it online as if they were truly guests, or to draft a similar piece of puffery themselves. Nor could a restaurant suppress negative reviews or spin-doctor the criticisms to make them less biting. The measures suggested in Monday’s announcement of the Time is Money initiative are already at the rule-setting phase. The Federal Trade Commission proposed the ban on bogus reviews in June 2023, seeking feedback from the public. Usually that public-comment period runs a few months at most. The White House’s mention of the pending changes suggests it may be giving the commerce watchdog a sharp nudge to take action.The administration suggested that the Time is Money initiative is a complement to its earlier campaign to combat junk fees, or the extra charges some businesses try to add on to the stated price of a good or service. The FTC has indicated that it intends to curb or outlaw restaurant surcharges, like service fees, as part of that effort.
Bielat Santore & Company – Restaurant Industry Alert
BIELAT SANTORE & COMPANY SELLS OCEAN COUNTY MARINA
Bielat Santore & Company is the premier real estate firm in New Jersey when it comes to the sale and acquisition of food and beverage related businesses and real estate. Sales associate Robert Gillis, aka “Diner Bob,” is known for his interaction with diner and breakfast-lunch café owners throughout the state in representing the firm. So how did the sale of this popular marina come about. Well simply put, Mr. Gillis hit the “high seas” to make the sale! The Laurel Harbor Marina and Yacht Club, located at 502 Laurel Avenue, Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey, a 156 slip, protected marina situated on the Jersey Shore in the heart of Ocean County, has been sold.
Contact Robert Gillis 732-673-3436 for additional information.
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Topgolf, Suddenly Struggling, Could Be Spun Off
Strategic review of the golf-focused restaurant concept to either reverse its sales decline or spin it off. Topgolf Callaway Brands may spin off the Topgolf part of its business just a couple of years after buying the brand and changing its name to feature the chain. Oliver Brewer, CEO of the golf-centric company, told analysts last week that the company is conducting a “full strategic review” of Topgolf. The goal of the review is either to improve the brand’s sales performance or consider alternatives such as a “potential spinoff.” “We remain convinced that Topgolf is a high-quality business with a significant future opportunity,” Brewer told analysts last week, according to a transcript on the financial services site AlphaSense. “It is transforming the game of golf, and we believe it will deliver substantial growth and financial returns over time.” “At the same time,” he added, “we have been disappointed in our stock performance for some time, as well as the more recent same-venue sales performance.” Topgolf was one of the restaurant industry’s most-admired brands going into, and coming out of, the pandemic. Callaway Golf Inc., the golf equipment maker and a major investor, acquired the chain in 2020. In 2022, it changed its name to Topgolf Callaway Brands. It was easy to see why. Topgolf was thriving coming out of the pandemic as customers, eager to do something after two years of quarantine, were lining up at the company’s venues, which feature driving ranges combined with a full-service bar and grill. Its primary innovation was its technology-enabled golf balls that allow even novice golfers to play games by driving balls onto a large field with several holes. But the company’s sales have struggled of late and that has hurt Topgolf Callaway’s stock price. Same-store sales declined 8.2% last quarter, for instance, as fewer customers visited the chain’s venues. And sales appeared to worsen in July, when they declined 11%, executives said last week. Topgolf echoed the same complaints many other industry executives have this earnings season: Consumers are frustrated by high prices and are readjusting their spending as a result.
Staffing Struggles
Navigating the labor drought in restaurants. The demands of working in the foodservice industry are relentless, and that has long made it difficult to find and retain good help. In today’s labor market, that challenge has become particularly daunting, with high turnover, low unemployment, and many industries fighting for skilled workers. Rising costs have made it challenging for both employees and employers to achieve financial stability. The reasons recruiting and retaining staff is so difficult is complex, and there’s no simple solution. Yet there are still ways restaurant owners can increase their chances of being a sought-after employer in a tight labor market. Foodservice turnover rates are notoriously high, currently at around 75%. Why is it so high? There are a number of factors that make it difficult to attract and retain workers. Work can be physically demanding and stressful. Employees are on their feet their entire shift, and speed is critical in getting tables served and keeping customers happy. Not only are employees under pressure to do the job quickly and well, but they also do it with a smile because much of their income often relies on tips, which brings us to. Wages are typically low for foodservice workers, with many roles reliant on tips, which can be inconsistent or unpredictable. That makes budgeting difficult. Just like companies have been hit with rising costs, so have consumers, and that includes employees who need to support themselves amid rising rent and grocery costs. Coupled with unpredictable or inconsistent schedules, and working at a restaurant can make family relationships and planning a challenge. Unfortunately, some unsavory business owners make the foodservice industry unattractive. The industry has more wage and hours violations than any other industry, according to the Department of Labor. Wage theft, particularly common among tipped employees, is a concern to workers, as is sexual harassment. The EEOC reports the accommodations and foodservice industry has more reported instances of sexual harassment than any other industry. Restaurant work is difficult, and potential employees have more choices than ever.
Redefining Hospitality
The mindset of authenticity and performance. In the early years of my career, I had the privilege of donning a bright red nose and oversized shoes—28EEE, to be exact. Yes, you guessed it, I was a clown. Not just any clown, one of the 14 professional idiots with the world-renowned Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. From the age of four, I had fixated on a dream to one day join “The Greatest Show On Earth,” and by 19, that dream became a reality, launching me on a thrilling odyssey across North America. During my seven years, I was blessed to entertain over 35 million people—a staggering figure that still leaves me tired when I think about it. The adrenaline rush I felt night after night as the curtain opened to an audience of thousands was unparalleled, an exhilarating high that no substance could ever match. But beneath the laughter and applause, I began to uncover a deeper truth: the vital importance of authenticity in my performances. Each show was a new canvas, a fresh audience waiting for my comedic brushstrokes. While I savored many triumphs, I also stumbled through an array of failures. Confusion clouded my mind: Was it me? The audience? Or perhaps a mix of both? Then, like an anvil dropping from a classic Warner Bros. cartoon, clarity struck. I realized that when I wasn’t at my best, it was due to negative situations earlier in the day that had somehow seeped into my performance, stealing my essence and hindering my ability to connect with the audience. I was unwittingly shortchanging them, holding back the authentic magic that they deserved. I could still coax out laughter, but it wasn’t the genuine joy I yearned for. After all, these eager spectators had come for “The Greatest Show On Earth,” not merely an “OK-est Show On Earth.” That revelation marked a pivotal moment in my journey. No matter the grueling show schedule or personal hurdles, I resolved that my performances would spring from a place of authenticity. Because if I couldn’t wholeheartedly believe in my craft, how could I ever ask my audience to believe in me?
What’s in a Name?
Protecting a brand trademark. Whatabrands, the company behind the Texas-based chain Whataburger, recently filed a lawsuit against a North Carolina restaurant group, What-A-Burger #13, in North Carolina’s Middle District federal court claiming What-A-Burger #13 infringed on a federal trademark, unfairly competed with Whataburger, breached a contract, committed unfair and deceptive trade practices, and unfairly competed under common law. To learn more about how this case might mean for other chains navigating intellectual property concerns as they plan to expand, Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine received insights from Nate Quirk, a North Carolina-based intellectual property partner at Burr & Forman, who works closely with food and beverage brands. Whatabrands LLC (“Whatabrands”) operates over 1,000 restaurants across 16 states under the well-known WHATABURGER trademark, which has been used to identify its restaurants since 1950 when the first restaurant was opening in Corpus Christi, Texas. The restaurants operated under unregistered/common law trademark rights until 1957, when a US Federal Trademark Registration for the trademark WHATABURGER was secured by Whatabrands. In 1969, What-A-Burger #13, Inc., in association with other related entities, (collectively “WAB13”) opened a restaurant in North Carolina under the trademark What-A-Burger #13, and currently operates two restaurants in North Carolina under the What-A-Burger #13 trademark. Although not currently in the court records, there are public allegations that an entity within the ownership of WAB13 entered into an agreement with Whatabrands in 1970 that would permit WAB13 to operate in two North Carolina counties without interference from Whatabrands. The restaurant companies operated in this manner, seemingly without further incident, until 2020 when Whatabrands announced that it would be moving into North Carolina with its first North Carolina restaurant. Clearly, this gave rise to an imminent trademark issue between the companies.
Your Table Is Ready. The Clock Is Ticking
Restaurants are enforcing some strict time limits; whether or not dinner is finished. Earlier this summer, I met up with friends at the latest restaurant-that’s-more-like-a-bar on the Lower East Side. As they handed out our menus, our server reminded us with a tone of gentle but unwavering conviction: We needed to be out in 90 minutes. We raced through dinner — cocktails, a dozen plates to share — and in the end had time left over. (We ordered a bottle of wine to max out our minutes.) I’d seen what happens to diners who blow their deadlines. Tables had been getting the pink slip in Brooklyn a few weeks before at an otherwise-cozy spot in Fort Greene. I was seated next to a couple still picking at the bones of their whole fish when a manager asked whether they planned on staying for dessert. “We’re going to need this table back shortly,” she said. Off in a corner, a three-top got the boot during their last round of drinks. For as long as anyone can remember, servers have nudged New Yorkers along, faux-casually asking “Can I get you anything else?” and dropping checks as soon as customers set down their spoons. Now they’re being more blunt about it: Firm time limits are presented on reservation apps (Bar Contra, which opened this month, states on its OpenTable page, “Your reservation will grant you 90 minutes in one of our tables”), they’re mentioned at host stands, and they’re openly reiterated whenever diners get a little too comfortable after the crème brûlée is cleared. Everyone has had the experience of walking into a restaurant without a reservation and discovering that, yes, there’s a table available but the restaurant will need it back at a certain time for someone with a reservation. That’s easier to stomach than being told the table you’ve reserved well in advance nevertheless comes with a stopwatch.
Did You Know?
3 N.J. restaurants appearing on ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Guy Fieri is returning to Flavortown with a new adventure in New Jersey, where he’ll be exploring three standout restaurants along the Jersey Shore for his show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” Cavé Bistro in Avon-By-The-Sea was featured on the show last Friday, Aug. 2. The bistro is known for their farm-to-table menu, which is 100% gluten-free in a seed oil-free kitchen. Fieri raved about their bone marrow burger with a gluten-free bun. Skratch Kitchen in Bradley Beach is the next Garden State restaurant to be highlighted, on Friday, Aug. 30. Nestled on the town’s Main Street, this new establishment is celebrated for its Italian fare. The last spot is Seed to Sprout, also in Avon-By-The-Sea. The plant-based eatery will be on the Friday, Sept. 6 episode.
Employee Tip
Can good customer service improve company culture? Studies show that happy employees are more productive. Something to avoid in creating a fulfilled work experience is micromanaging. Micromanaging sends a message of distrust. No one wants to feel they are incompetent by having a manager over their shoulder. Once you’ve educated your staff on who you are and what you expect, engaged with them to give them the skills, then entrust them to innovate and problem-solve independently. Engagement leads to empowerment through trust. According to the National Restaurant Association, the turnover rate in the restaurant industry is around 75%. However, companies with high employee engagement report 43% less turnover. When challenged and allowed to prove ourselves, we grow in capabilities and pride. Happiness is a by-product of pride. All of this leads to reduced turnover and increased commitment and loyalty.
