U.S. Lawmakers Look for Path Ahead on Billions
In restaurant-small business aid. Restaurants and other businesses that have survived more than two years of COVID-19 restrictions could see an infusion of federal dollars in the coming months, as long as U.S. lawmakers reach final agreement on a multibillion-dollar package. The U.S. House has approved a bill with $42 billion for restaurants and $13 billion for a hard-hit industries program that would help small businesses that weren’t eligible for restaurant aid. That legislation, however, only got the backing of six House Republicans, signaling it doesn’t have the support necessary in the evenly divided U.S. Senate to make it to President Joe Biden’s desk. That’s where Maryland Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin and Mississippi GOP Sen. Roger Wicker stepped in with their own bill to provide $40 billion to restaurants and $8 billion to various small businesses. “We’re looking at any way to move this as soon as we possibly can, because it’s pretty desperate,” Cardin said during a brief interview. Aside from the $2 billion gap in funding for restaurants, the biggest differences between the bills are how to provide money for non-restaurant businesses and how to pay for the legislation. The House bill would create one pot of $13 billion for businesses with 200 or fewer employees that experienced a pandemic-related revenue loss of 40 percent or more. Businesses would be eligible for up to $1 million each.
Restaurant Owners & Operators: Use Key Item Inventory
To lower your food cost. Are you familiar with the 80-20 rule? Also known as the Pareto Principle, it’s a theory that 20% of your efforts should yield 80% of your results. In business, the 80-20 rule helps identify inputs that have the potential to be the most productive and make them the priority. Once these factors are designated critical to the company’s success, they should be prioritized. Today, we’re applying the 80-20 rule to taking inventory in your restaurant by using my favorite method: Key Item Inventory. Not only will you save countless hours of time, but you will see a decrease in your food and beverage costs. If you are experiencing out of control costs and your CoGS is not where you want it, taking inventory is not your magic pill. WARNING: as with life, there are NO magic pills in the restaurant industry. The magic happens when you get your hands dirty, get into the kitchen, get into the bar, and actually manage the inputs—not when you’re taking inventory, which is a measurement of outputs.
The Ultimate Guide for Restaurant Marketing
On Instagram. Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms for marketing. From start-ups to the leading international brands all put a lot of emphasis on Instagram marketing to boost their marketing efforts. We have all taken pictures of neatly presented dishes from our favorite restaurants to post on Instagram, so it makes perfect sense for restaurants to prioritize Instagram as a marketing channel. The restaurant industry is also not shying away from taking advantage of this opportunity on Instagram. In case you are unsure of how to approach restaurant marketing on Instagram, here’s all you need to know about restaurant marketing on Instagram, including some of the best strategies and interesting hacks. Instagram has made numerous changes to its algorithm and interface since its launch in. Nonetheless, photos remain the core focus of the platform, mastering the art of photography allows you to take your branding to a whole new level. Most smartphones today come with high quality cameras, so taking beautiful pictures of restaurant dishes doesn’t require a professional camera. Using the right exposure, good lighting (which restaurants always offer), and a solid background, such as a table backdrop, you can create beautiful images that show off the best dishes that a restaurant has to offer.
Delivering the Digital Restaurant
Why you should consider gig-ifying your job openings. As restaurants continue to deal with labor shortages and turnover, now is a good time to reflect on what it is that workers like so much about gig platforms. According to Uber, approximately 7 million Americans used a digital platform of some kind for gig work — Uber, UberEats, Lyft, DoorDash, Takl, Thumbtack, Rover or similar — just prior to the onset of the pandemic. For perspective, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 13 million Americans worked in “Accommodations and Food Service and Drinking Places” as of March 2022. Said another way, the size of the gig workforce is about half that of the hospitality workforce. The size of the gig workforce is now large enough to have an impact on how workers think about the nature of work. As with our Uber driver, employees from many industries are now comparing what they can get from gig work with what they can get from traditional employment, and in many ways, traditional employment comes up short. It might be tempting to write off gig work as irrelevant competition for employees when one hears negative news about them. But as the restaurant industry continues to deal with labor shortages and turnover, now is a good time to reflect on what it is that workers like so much about gig platforms. Some restaurants might even go so far as to incorporate aspects of gig working into their offering. Gig working offers four main benefits: flexibility, immediate pay, peak shift maximization, and no boss.
Starbucks Warns Employees of a Downside to Unionizing
Wages and benefits could be frozen for more than a year. In another indication that Starbucks is taking a harder stance on efforts to unionize the chain, the coffee giant has alerted employees of a store in Olympia, Wash., that their wages and benefits could be frozen for more than a year if they opt to organize. A letter was sent by management to every staff member of the Cooper Point unit to inform them only the employees of that one store will vote later this month on whether to unionize. Starbucks had asked the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to broaden the scope to include the baristas of all stores in the area, a change that would have made the election more difficult for Starbucks Workers United to win. The home office has made the same request in many of the 19 union elections that have been held across the chain since November. Starbucks has been turned down each time. It has also lost all but one of those elections. The letter states that management would prefer the employees say no to organizing. But if they vote to unionize, “benefits and wages will be frozen while the parties negotiate the [employment] compact.” That process could take a year or more, the communication states, and there’s a chance no deal can be reached.
Finding Your Niche
Why restaurant owners should consider daypart specialization. When my dad and I first decided to open a restaurant in the 1980s, we wanted to do it all. We served everything from breakfast to dinner. Though the first effort was a success, we quickly learned we really excelled at breakfast and lunch. When considering a niche, it can be hard to give up the other dayparts. As a restaurant owner, you may worry about a loss of revenue. You may be concerned about finding staff to work the specific hours you want to operate. You may even have an emotional attachment to some of the menu items you are choosing to part with. But after three decades of operating solely in the breakfast and lunch space, I would love to share four things I have learned about the benefits of embracing a niche as a restaurant owner. I will start with the most important part of any restaurant concept, which is obviously the quality of the food. You can have a great location, fabulous service, and a flashy menu, but if the food isn’t good, you won’t develop a loyal customer base.
McDonalds and Burger King are Being Sued
For use of ‘forever chemicals’ in packaging. Two of the most popular fast-food chains in the world are facing lawsuits for using PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka “forever chemicals”) in their packaging. Many restaurant chains have vowed to eliminate their use of PFAS over time, especially after the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an initiative to restrict their use last year. But it’s apparently not soon enough for some consumers. Following recent report from Consumer Reports that found significant levels of PFAS in several McDonald’s and Burger King packaging, three lawsuits were filed against the two chains, reported National Restaurant News (NRN). After testing over 100 food packaging products from 24 restaurant and grocery chains, Consumer Reports found PFAS in multiple types of packaging from every retailer in their research — including chains that promote healthier food, such as Cava and Sweetgreen.
Did You Know?
National Restaurant Association Show 2022 to welcome over 500 new exhibitors. The National Restaurant Association Show 2022 is the place to find creative new solutions to today’s challenges in the restaurant industry, from the latest food and beverage trends to emerging technologies and operational innovations that will boost the bottom line. The Show will take place May 21-24, 2022, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The National Restaurant Association Show 2022 brings together more restaurant and hospitality buyers, suppliers and equipment manufacturers than any other industry event, providing new and returning exhibitors alike the opportunity to build strategic partnerships that will elevate their business.
Employee Tip
Chick-fil-A to invest $24 million in employees’ higher education in 2022. Chick-fil-A, Inc. will invest $24 million in restaurant employees’ higher education this year, awarding college scholarships to 12,699 team members in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada. The scholarships can be applied to any area of study at any accredited institution, furthering Chick-fil-A’s long-standing commitment to education and helping restaurant team members pursue their academic goals and further their career opportunities. Chick-fil-A’s scholarship initiative is unique in the benefits to its restaurant team members.
Bielat Santore & Company – Restaurant Industry Alert
NEW LISTING – MONMOUTH COUNTY PIZZERIA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT FOR SALE
Neighborhood Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria serving local Monmouth County community for over 15 years; 3,400 square foot store in active strip center; minutes from hospital & college campus; sale includes real grossing $20K+/week; absentee ownership; enormous upside potential for hands-on owner/operator; asking $375,000 with seller financing available to qualified.
For more information contact Dan Lynch, Bielat Santore & Company, 973.886.4411.
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