Featured Blog Posts – August 2011 Archive (31)

There are few things as stressful and time consuming as opening a new restaurant or bar. You are essentially balancing the pressure of moving with what is a major change in your business. Free moments are going to be few and far between.



But don’t use that easy excuse to ignore the…

Back to school time is here, and for a few thousand college freshmen the dreaded Freshman 15 is looming.  I remember college when a burrito with salsa qualified as a good wholesome meal with a serving of vegetables, and in the on campus dining halls the meal choices were typically covered in cheese or deep fried.  But the new generation of college students are a much more concerned with their health and wellness. 

 …

You don’t know Kevin Curtis. He’s not networking on Twitter or hawking his blog on Facebook or LinkedIn . He doesn’t lecture or write books.

The sad part is you won’t ever meet him because he died on August 16^th, 2011.

But I…

The Big Bar & Grill is located in Columbus on the campus of The Ohio State University. It is a popular watering h*** nestled in prime real estate near the university’s athletic facilities, off-campus student…

New technology can be scary. Not quite “My son brought Snooki Polizzi home for Christmas dinner” scary, but it’s definitely an arena where apprehension occasionally rears its ugly head.



In an effort to assuage those icky feeling with regards to one of social media’s biggest and most…

I borrowed this from Mashable. Very cool article about Food trucks.

The Social-Savvy Food Truck Series is supported by the Ben and Jerry’s Scoop Truck. For more information on the scoop truck and where it stops, …

Indies Losing Ground

For the twelve months that ended on March 31^st, 2011, restaurant receipts were up 2% (USA numbers).  That’s the good news, the not so good: restaurant closures were also way up.  Of the 9450 restaurants that closed, 8650 were independents.  The chains are kicking butt.  If this were a football score it would be like 72-3. 

How come, -you ask?  Because people are choosing to eat at…

Everyone who has sat through a training video, raise your mouse.

Until just a few years ago, a restaurant's options for utilizing a training video were very limited.  The options were to purchase an off-the-shelf solution or invest heavily in a production company to produce something custom at hundreds of dollars per finished minute.  Regardless of cost or format, delivering restaurant training through video was difficult. 

Enter Streaming video.

Streaming video, with…

FOHBuzz SnapShot – The Social Media Shopper Report is live and ready to be used by all 960,000 restaurants

First…

Everybody loves to read something nice. That goes double when the something nice is about your business. “Had a great time Friday night!” “The new sound system rocks!” “Your toilet paper is the softest!” It’s all good.

But what happens when a customer (gasp!) has a complaint? Be…

"I feel like a VIP in here"

A restaurant's front of house design reflects the establishment's concept well before a guest is able to browse the menu. The overall layout and feel of the dining area broadcasts a message…

We are all familiar with the Planet of The Apes storyline yes? How the apes evolve, take over the planet, enslave man and, as we saw in the first 5 movies, they lived a very technologically free existence. Now comes the new updated movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and my question becomes; since we have changed so much…

Why online of course!

ESPN has teamed up with Samsung and Disney-owned Playdom Online Games to create the Sports Bar and Grill application. The game was launched just over three weeks ago and…

Communication is the key to success!   If we have heard it once we have heard it a gabillion times.  It’s easy to say and much harder to do.  Why do organizations typically struggle with communication?  I realize opinions are like noses - everyone has one.  Allow me to offer several on this important topic.

The Telephone Game

If you are of a certain…

Much of the talk about transparency and food served at restaurants has to do with Congressional action, posting nutrition facts on menus, and the debate over what size of restaurant chain can actually comply without suffering a significant financial  hit.

I'm loving how this…