Howard Appell's Blog (16)

Appell Pie Jan. 2011

Back to school

 

I recently received an email from one of our readers who is a professor in a  Hospitality program at a college in the South Florida area. I began reading the letter and began to sweat and shake at the same time.  As I read further the sweating got worse. Why, you ask?  Keep reading!

 

I was being asked to be a guest speaker in the class he taught about purchasing.  At first I was surprised to be asked to speak on a…

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I recently got a statement for one of my credit cards and found that the interest rate was raised by ten points to seventeen percent. I called the bank to find out why and was told that there was nothing they could do to lower the rate. The bank is also the bank I use for my business checking and I threatened them with pulling my account of over fifteen years. They still would not budge. My FICA score had not changed and their response was that it is an across the board change including the… Continue

As published in Today's Restaurant www.trnusa.com



“Try explaining Twitter to a 40 year old. The best way I think of it is it is like a bull horn over the internet. You can broadcast a message to anyone who is listening (following) via the internet. Hell it took me a year to really figure out how and why to use it and I deal with technology everyday.” How’s that for an opening? I didn’t say it, it was written by Andrew Fickert, who is the CEO of CommunityMenu .com on a Social Network… Continue

Appell Pie June 2009



I was born many years ago on Memorial Day when it was celebrated on May 30th. My parents used to take me to a parade on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn New York to commemorate the day and tell me the parade was for my birthday. I never put the true meaning of the day in its proper place until last week. I’ll get back to that later.



My experiences in the military are very tame and safe compared to the millions of soldiers who have fought and been disabled… Continue

Are you spending your hard-earned money on advertising to grow your business in this difficult economy? Do you expect results? Are you getting results? Is the result of your advertising increased sales and a positive attitude toward your product? It should be!



The biggest waste of money is to advertise and not be able to turn the leads into a sale. Let me give you a couple of examples that happened to me recently. I needed a dentist for an emergency. (My regular dentist was not… Continue

Several years ago I wrote an Appell Pie column outlining the difference between advertising and public relations. In this economy I feel it is important to revisit the topic and add that growing your brand’s awareness now is essential to growth in the near future. Let’s take a closer look.



Public Relations VS. Advertising - According to public relations companies, PR firms are not usually involved in the design or placement of ads. They are responsible for the placement of stories in… Continue

Appell Pie January 2009

Swimming Upstream



As we begin the year 2009 we are going to face challenges that have never been presented before and could threaten to destroy our bottom line and worse, the very existence of our businesses. Hold on a minute that’s what the people who have no vision and no business sense would tell you. Now is the time to grow your business and take the time to expand upon what you are doing correctly and work on eliminating the elements that are not… Continue

Look Around



I think we all are feeling the pinch by now from the economic downturn. I truly believe that those of us who can think outside of the box or just go with the flow rather than fighting it will survive and grow when it turns around. Stop wringing your hands and crying over how bad business is or could get in the coming months. Get smart and strong now to be successful later. Don’t be fooled into all the gloom and doom. People make fortunes in economic downturns and you can… Continue

Making Money With The Media



Howard Appell Publisher of Today's Restaurant News



Whether you are a restaurant owner, a foodservice equipment dealer, a food broker or a manufacturer you can make more money by using the media skillfully. The media is a tool which if handled in the proper way can increase sales, increase your target market's awareness of your product and lend credibility to your business.

When I had my equipment dealership on New York's Bowery I advertised… Continue

Appell Pie



Once again I took to the road and visited Tennessee in February to see clients and to attend a family wedding. While there, I had two dining experiences worthy of reporting simply to underscore the importance of service in our industry.



Going to dinner with 4 adults and 3 children at a Cracker Barrel in White House Tennessee sounded like a good idea. I was tired though, so when the waitress asked for our drink order I asked for Scotch. At first she was… Continue

Appell Pie March 2008



Nothing To Say



Every month I sit down in front of my computer to write this column. Most of the time I haven’t got a clue what I’m going to write about. Some months the subject is clear due to world events or experiences I have had, but this month I still have no idea.



I’m not going with a political theme, although I am tempted to. I will wait a few months for that column. I haven’t had any out of the ordinary experiences so I still don’t… Continue

Reprinted from Appell Pie August 2007

Today's Restaurant News



Summer Reunions



Several months ago I wrote a column about a restaurant, Lenny’s New York Grill in Delray Beach, which I go to every week with two friends Gene Goldberg and Barrie Spear and how we became friendly with the owner and his family. I mentioned that I was able to hang an engraved plaque on the wall at the end of the booth saying “This Table Sponsored By” and list our three names, the High School… Continue

Appell Pie Feb 2008 Today's Restaurant News



Advertising for Dummies

By Howard Appell



Gas prices going wild, food prices going up, stock market going down and the R (recession) word is being thrown around more and more each day. What is your first reaction? I suggest, take a deep breath and look at what has to be done. Now is the time to get aggressive if you want your business to survive.



First let me say that I believe any business should be advertising… Continue

Losing it in 2008

Reprinted from TRN Janury 2008

Trying to write this column for the January issue I had the choice to look back and reflect on 2007 or look forward to 2008. The past cannot be changed no matter how much we would like to, so I guess the choice is look forward with the knowledge of the past as a guidepost.

Sometimes a topic for…

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Family Friends and The Theory of Evolution

The Theory of Evolution has been debated for years, and that’s fine. I am not sure though if all of the facts are being considered though. Let’s assume that Evolution is the umbrella phrase used to describe the process of a species changing over the years. Consider this. If you could isolate a particular animal and keep it completely confined without changing its environment,…

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Appell Pie From Today's Restaurant News, Florida Edition

How Not to Open

By Howard…

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