Featured Blog Posts – March 2009 Archive (70)

Yelp defamation lawsuit given OK to continue ( I thought this would be good to share)

I was browsing some articles and ran across this one about Yelp & the Lawsuit its facing.

What do my fellow Foh Bohist think ?

Two months after a high-profile lawsuit against a commenter on the popular consumer rating website Yelp was settled out of court, another case against a user who left an unsavory comment about a business owner is being allowed to continue.

The case concerns a dentist in Foster City, California, which two parents, Tia Jing and… Continue

Added by Darius Goins on March 31, 2009 at 1:48pm — 4 Comments

Are you Incentivizing?

Beneficial investments that can be made, should be made. For instance, if an ad will bring in revenue that more than pays for itself – and it can be done – it should be done. Because it’s a net positive investment. That's what business is all about.

The same applies to staff. As a business owner, right now I can say, “Supply and demand are on my side, when it comes to hiring.” But if employees only have a negative incentive, i.e. they get to keep their jobs if they work hard, the… Continue

Added by Erle Dardick on March 31, 2009 at 10:27am — 2 Comments

Non-Operator The Break Up...An Introduction

Like millions of other Americans, I recently had the pleasure of breaking up with my employer. Some call it being laid off, a reduction in force, trimming the fat, whatever you choose, it feels like the time my first girlfriend broke up with me after a whopping 3 weeks of dating.

I made a commitment, honored that commitment to it’s fullest and still, my partner, my company felt they had to “let me go”.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a jilted ex, but this is the first time… Continue

Added by Matt Smith on March 31, 2009 at 10:24am — 1 Comment

Guest Post: The Break Up

Instead of posting one of my own blogs today, I'm sharing with you one of the best blog series I've read. Matt Smith, President of The A-Game, has written "The Break Up Blog Series" and this is Part One of that series (which will soon be appearing on Talent Revolution). I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

The Break Up

Like… Continue

Added by Amanda Hite on March 31, 2009 at 6:40am — 7 Comments

FohBoh is a Social Media Hub

Social media is more than a grass-roots strategy for your business. There are tides and there are waves. Social media is definitely a big wave that you want to catch.

There are a lot of social media tools out there, to be sure. These emerging technologies may or may not be relevant for you and your business. But one thing is certain; there has never been a better time to test word of mouth advertising and customer engagement than today. It’s called joining the conversation. This is… Continue

Added by Michael L. Atkinson on March 30, 2009 at 5:29pm — 3 Comments

Non-Operator Motivating the frontline $25.00 or less

Would you spend $25.00 or less to make someone feel important? If the answer is yes. Than give you frontline employees and your managers business cards. You can order a couple of hundred of them for $25.00 or less from most printers or get them on line. If you want to spend a lot less money and have a colored printer all you need to do is buy the card stock forms at the office supply store and print out a couple of sheets of cards every time you get a new employee or promote someone. (Tell them… Continue

Added by Mel Kleiman on March 30, 2009 at 1:12pm — 7 Comments

Global Warming or Global Marketing?

I saw this on NRN this morning.

The World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals,…

Continue

Added by Jeff Schacher on March 30, 2009 at 8:24am — 2 Comments

3 Great and Inexpensive Ways of Finding Catering Event Business

All the restaurant Sales Event Managers I meet always ask me the same question; “how are other restaurants finding catering and private dining business?”

The real answer to that questions is that there is no silver bullet but there are ways restaurants can find leads for their event business. Here are some suggestions:

1. Put your website to work-You spent thousands of dollars for your website it is time to start getting some return for that investment. Search Engine… Continue

Added by Jonathan Morse on March 29, 2009 at 2:42pm — 3 Comments

Non-Operator The Most Powerful Weapon in the Marketing Arsenal

Now’s the time to hunker down! I’m not exactly sure what that means but I think it’s military terminology for hold on to your BVD’s or something like that. When I think of “hunker down” in the marketing world I think it’s about focusing on what you can control and not being preoccupied with what you can’t. That brings me to the most powerful tool in the marketing arsenal – Customer Service.

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to understand that it’s much more cost effective to bring a… Continue

Added by Bill Campion on March 29, 2009 at 2:11pm — 12 Comments

T. R.E. - the Preferred Tool of the Pros

As restaurant managers and owners,

everything we say or do will inevitably bond together to determine our success or failure.

This is the beginning of what I and others have referred to as, T.R.E.

"The Ripple Effect."

This mass of information can best be likened to a smooth stone clenched inside my hand. Now imagine that I purposely tossed into the water. The ripples transcend in every direction, now… Continue

Added by Bill Baumgartner on March 29, 2009 at 12:42pm — 7 Comments

How do you stand out in a sea of sameness?

I was talking with a friend of mine yesterday, who happens to be a brilliant speaker and trainer. We were talking about how companies can stand out in a sea of sameness.

Location, service, personality, product(s): all are ways to stand out and differentiate your company. However, before you try to differentiate yourself, don't you need to know how you are perceived by your customers now? After all, without first getting a clear picture of what your customers think, there is no way to… Continue

Added by Margie Tosch on March 27, 2009 at 8:37am — 3 Comments

Prudent Protein Hedging

The chart of the week is the estimated hog farmer breakeven level and the upcoming hog futures market prices. Hog farmers, like the rest of the protein industry, have struggled with profitability which has led to curbed production levels. Typically when hog farmer profitability is poor like it has been it causes a surge in the breeding herd slaughter (sows) so less piglets are produced leading to a tighter hog supply. The effect is to influence hog prices higher so profitable margins can… Continue

Added by David Maloni on March 27, 2009 at 4:25am — 1 Comment

Organic wine & food matching: Tres Sabores Porque No and pasta with giblets & mushrooms

Randy Caparoso is an award winning wine professional and journalist, living in Denver, Colorado. For a free subscription to Randy's Organic Wine Match of the Day, visit the… Continue

Added by Randy Caparoso on March 26, 2009 at 8:42pm — No Comments

Restaurant Industry Response to the Economic Downturn – Slower Growth, Less Staff, and Smaller Paychecks

People Report recently conducted a special online survey to learn how restaurant chains are adapting to the current economic downturn, currently and in the near term. The survey, published this week was completed by hundreds of executives, representing 111 distinct chain restaurant companies from all industry segments.

We focused on those measures that are directly related to the human capital element of our businesses and classified them into three categories: 1. those that affect… Continue

Added by Melissa Papaleo on March 26, 2009 at 9:57am — 4 Comments

2009 tax incentives for restaurants and small businesses

Here are some updates to the tax law and some new incentives for 2009 -

Extension of the Commercial Building Tax Deduction

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA) of 2008 (also known as HR-1424) extends the benefits of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, including the CBTD, until December 31, 2013.

The Commercial Building Tax Deduction (CBTD) establishes a tax deduction for expenses incurred for energy efficient building expenditures made… Continue

Added by Dani on March 26, 2009 at 5:39am — 1 Comment

Effective, Effortless, Efficient Restaurant Marketing. Knowledge of tech jargon not required. And SURVEY.

I used to enjoy watching advertisements on TV as a kid. They were different back then. There were many with jingles, played over and over again so kids like me would sing the catchy tune for days. Then there were some featuring a person holding up a product for all to see, listing the benefits. Some were actually like mini soap operas. Most were long and required the audience to follow a story line closely. That kind of advertising is a thing of the past now. Our multi-tasking population simply… Continue

Added by Naila Ismail on March 26, 2009 at 2:38am — 5 Comments

Rock Paper Scissors

Coupons aren't new to the industry, but they are effective. This is a fact that we've encountered numerous occasions on numerous projects. Blabberbug is the brainchild that resulted from years of these coupon experiences.

Today, we signed up Roburritos in York, Pennsylvania. Roburritos has a rock and roll slant on the mexican format. I was in for a treat when the owner laid his coupon offers on me.

For the Blabberbug recipients: A free chips and salsa. Pretty good, FREE is… Continue

Added by Joseph Szala on March 25, 2009 at 12:20pm — 2 Comments

Organic wine & food matching: Quivira Sauvignon Blancs & fresh herbed pastas

Randy Caparoso is an award winning wine professional and journalist, living in Denver, Colorado. For a free subscription to Randy's Organic Wine Match of the Day, visit the… Continue

Added by Randy Caparoso on March 24, 2009 at 7:34pm — 1 Comment

Video Blog 12 for 12k Tweet-A-Thon Results

Ok gang,

In the spirit of being the authentic, unapologetic...

Here's the first video, first take on TR's new Flip Video. Here I am no make up, bed head and all!

A few weeks ago I did a blog post about Share Our Strength and 12 for 12k changing the world through social media goal. Last week Scott Stratten had a tweet-a-thon where we worked together to raise the… Continue

Added by Amanda Hite on March 24, 2009 at 9:12am — 2 Comments

It's Not Magic, It's A Trick

As restaurants scramble to stand out among their competitors, one simple trick can help you rise above the competition.

You can do this by simply assessing the dinnerware that you place in front of your guests. What does it say about you? Are they worn and weathered? Do they represent the mode of your establishment? By setting a standard for tableware in your restaurant you create a better first impression.

Take a moment to… Continue

Added by Leslie Howard on March 24, 2009 at 6:01am — 4 Comments