"Dad's favorite" leads restaurant choices on Father's Day

Father’s Day is the third most popular holiday on which to dine out (after Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day), and the National Restaurant Association projects that more than 50 million Americans will dine at a restaurant on June 16.

 

National Restaurant Association research shows that dinner will be the most popular meal time on Father’s Day, with 67 percent of celebrants choosing to dine out for an evening meal;  24 percent go out for lunch, 10 percent for brunch, and 11 percent for breakfast. In addition, 10 percent of Father’s Day diners go out for more than one restaurant meal.

In addition, consumers say the most important factor for choosing a restaurant for their special Father’s Day meal is dad’s favorite restaurant, regardless of specials (60 percent). Only 6 percent of Father’s Day diners say they choose a restaurant with specific Father’s Day food and drink specials, and 15 percent choose a restaurant that is kid-friendly; 13 percent choose a restaurant that dad hasn’t been to before.

The NRA surveyed 1,000 adults about Father’s Day dining in 2011. The estimate of more than 50 million adults dining out this Father’s Day is based on economic analysis and projections, as well as research conducted over the last two decades.

ATC announces 2014 summer crackdown on underage sales

For the second year in a row, the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) Commissioner Troy Hebert announces a summer crackdown on unlawful sales of alcohol and tobacco to minors.  This year, Commissioner Hebert has ordered more agents in the field conducting more compliance checks than ever before. 

ATC agents conduct compliance checks throughout the year to ensure establishments that sell or serve alcohol and tobacco are conducting business in accordance with state laws.  Throughout the summer months, ATC agents will greatly increase the number of random compliance checks at alcohol and tobacco retail outlets statewide.  This is the second year Commissioner Hebert has ordered the summer crackdown in his agency.  Throughout the summer of 2013, ATC agents conducted more than 3,000 compliance checks. Commissioner Hebert expects his agents to surpass that number this summer.

Can you spot a minor? Read more here. 

“The initiative began last year as a way for ATC to continue its mission to prevent access of alcohol and tobacco products to underage individuals,” said Commissioner Hebert. “I want to make sure ATC is doing its part to keep these products out of the hands of minors throughout the state.”

Anyone caught selling or serving alcohol or tobacco products to minors are subject to criminal and administrative charges. Businesses face fines and penalties that could result in suspension or revocation of their alcohol and tobacco permits.

The Louisiana Restaurant Association offers ServSafe Alcohol, a two-hour online course, available 24-7 and designed to help you serve alcohol responsibly and avoid citations, fines and possible license revocation. ServSafe Alcohol is a vital, practical and current responsible alcohol server training program that includes Louisiana alcohol regulations, including key techniques to determine the age of a guest, the reason to ID and the proper way to check an ID.

ServSafe Alcohol Online is a convenient and easy training solution that prepares bartenders, servers, hosts, bussers, valets, bouncers and front of the house staff to effectively and safely handle difficult situations in the operation. The LRA also offers its Louisiana's BEST (Beverage Education Server Training) course upon request. Call (504) 454-2277 for details.

The LRA is your provider for food safety and sanitation, alcohol server training

The Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) is the largest provider of food safety and sanitation and alcohol server training in the state. Members of the LRA receive significant discounts on these state-mandated training courses. Are you taking advantage of the convenience and savings?

ServSafe Manager, the eight-hour course is offered to members at just $109, compared to the non-member price of $160. Classes are offered at numerous locations across the state and year around. The cost includes study material, the in-person course and testing materials in a proctored setting. To date, the LRA has trained over 30,000 foodservice professionals in ServSafe Manager and the course is regarded as the gold standard for the industry.

ServSafe Alcohol training is available online, 24-7; anywhere the individual has access to a PC and an internet connection. The LRA was the first to offer the state-mandated, two hour course online.  Members receive special pricing of just $24 with the a special discount code (call the LRA for the code), while non-members pay $30. The LRA’s Louisiana’s BEST (Beverage Education Server Training) private classes are still available upon request. Call the LRA for details or to schedule your in house alcohol server course at (504) 454-2277.

Voluntary courses are also offered online for ServSafe Allergens and ServSafe Food Handler. More than 15 million Americans have food allergies and the trend is growing each year. Allergens training can help you serve those guests with food allergies safely and gain their repeat business. Food Handler is a two-hour course covering the basics of food safety and sanitation for your front of the house and back of the house staff.

ServSafe Allergens is just $22 and ServSafe Food Handler is just $15. 

For more information, please call the LRA at (504) 454-2277 or visit www.lra.org. 

Identify career-switchers who are right for your business

The National Restaurant Association’ s Manage My Restaurant has articles in categories such as Marketing and Sales, Workforce Engagement, Food and Nutrition and Operations. Visit Manage My Restaurant here for this and other helpful tips.

Consider applicants from other career paths for strong candidates in your restaurant

Some applications that come across your desk are relatively easy to identify with. Perhaps the person has several years of experience at another eatery and glowing recommendations from a former manager.

Other candidates pose a bit more of a challenge. Lacking a background in foodservice, they may be harder to immediately envision as “restaurant material.”

However, open your mind to career-switchers and you may find the answer to your workforce dilemmas. There are many people seeking employment after working in other areas who have the skills and experience to step into a restaurant position.

Here are some tips for finding talent:

Listen carefully to answers during an interview. Does the potential employee discuss his or her “team” experience or usually respond with “I”? The latter type generally doesn’t interview exceptionally well — especially when talking about the qualities necessary for restaurant work, Guinn says. “When I start hearing ‘I’ did this or ‘I’ did that, I tend to wonder if the person can relate to what is required for successfully working in a restaurant environment.”

Look for open-minded people who are extremely good at being team players, says Tania Mavrakis, owner of Leona’s Pizzeria, Chicago.  It’s possible to find people new to the restaurant world who are still right for your establishment. “What's important is that they have a strong work ethic, excellent customer service skills and a go-getter mentality,” she says. “They will shine if you provide them the additional training needed to really understand your restaurant brand.”

Think about what qualities you value for a given position. Then, examine the candidate’s background for examples of these traits — regardless of the industry. Key transferable skills include customer service, team-building, problem-solving, sales, negotiation and purchasing, says Amber Hurdle, CEO and president of Amber Hurdle Coaching & Training in Lebanon, Tenn. Restaurants are dynamic environments, and vendor, employee and customer relationships affect the bottom line, she says. “A candidate with a diverse background could be just what a restaurant needs to enjoy success.”

Need a little more help making the connection between a candidate’s past career and the possible value to your restaurant? Restaurant coach Cheri Schweitzer, president and founder of Credible Consulting in Madison, Wis., offers these potential correlations:

• Teachers and nurses are some of the most patient people around, and they are used to listening and calming people down when situations get tense. They make great servers and hosts.
• Looking for a great bartender? Hire a former salesman. Sales people are fantastic conversationalists; they make it their business to learn all about you and remember everything. And, of course, they love to sell. A bartender who remembers everyone’s names, upsells them on liquor, and lets customers talk about themselves while he/she listens equals a full, profitable bar.
• Every place needs a fantastic host. It’s the first impression and the last, and it holds a lot more weight than most restaurants give it. If you want the job done well, find a great former administrative team member to answer phones, be diplomatic, organize, keep the details straight and all around juggle the workings of the front of the house. A person like this can be well worth the salary because you end up getting much more than you bargained for.
• The restaurant industry and the retail industry share many similarities, so it’s an easy transition for retail specialists. Their day is all about customer service — dealing with difficult people, giving advice, and helping them pick what they want. Retail people generally have good memories and personalities and are chatty about the things they are passionate about.  Find the right one that fits with your restaurant’s concept and he will be a walking, talking billboard in and out of your restaurant.

 This content was provided by NRA partner CareerBuilder. workforce5_web-210x125

#LRAEXPO14: Let us whet your appetite

It’s no secret that the temperatures heat up during August in New Orleans—it’s a tropical climate after all. Let the humidity soak into your pores and the culture of America’s most authentic city soak into your heart. New Orleans has it all, and is ready to receive you August 2-4, 2014 for the 61^st Annual Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO.

The old saying, “All work and no play…” doesn’t apply to your EXPO experience. During the day from 11 a.m – 5 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday), roam the aisles of the largest foodservice trade show in the Gulf South.  Think of the EXPO as the biggest mall, selling only the things useful to your business. 

Investigate new exhibiting companies (20+ so far) and long-time exhibiting companies features products, services and equipment that can help you become more profitable and run your restaurant more efficiently. The restaurant business is a social one and you’ll no doubt see your fellow peers and suppliers as you make your way up and down the aisles, and meet new ones too! There will be countless new food products to explore and new alcoholic beverage brands to sample.  A hot new ingredient or cocktail may very well avail itself to you.

Take a reprieve in the IDEA ZONE, back for its third year, and enjoy expert express presentations designed to quickly educate you on emerging trends, operational best practices and professional development techniques. Swing by the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in the Seafood Pavilion and see the action and creativity of chefs from across the nation using seafood items indigenous to their states.

Once the EXPO concludes each day, get ready to experience the magic of New Orleans. Visitors from across the globe come to our city to fill their bellies with a cuisine nearly 300 years in the making. The food in New Orleans is a fusion of the seven nations: the Native Americans, French, Spanish, African, German, Italian and English, which evolved into the illustrious cuisine known as Cajun and Creole. But the fusion doesn’t stop there. A rise in popularity of Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine in recent years has visitors and locals flocking to these establishments too. Many restaurants also accommodate dietary restrictions like gluten-free, vegetarian and even vegan, with flare. Visitors have no problem finding something to eat that please even the most challenging palettes.

And the attractions, there’s so much to see. Whether you stroll down the street (any street) admiring the stunning architecture, take a walk in one of beautiful parks or make plans to visit our well-known art or history museums, New Orleans will leave you breathless. You will be changed for the better.

Register to attend the EXPO here and have the time of your life in New Orleans.

Enjoy special room rate of just $99 a night at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside during the EXPO. Book your room here. 

Thank you to this year’s Platinum Sponsors!

Heartland Payment Systems, Louisiana Cookin’, Capital One, Republic National Distributing Company, UnitedHealthcare, Glazer’s of Louisiana, Louisiana Restaurant Association Self Insurer’s Fund and the LRA Education Foundation.

Gold Sponsor—Midlands, Generations Hall & Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses; and Silver Sponsors—Fisher & Phillips, LLP and Johnson, Johnson, Barrios & Yacoubian.

5 rules to reignite your loyalty program

The National Restaurant Association’ s Manage My Restaurant has articles in categories such as Marketing and Sales, Workforce Engagement, Food and Nutrition and Operations. Visit Manage My Restaurant here for this and other helpful tips.

Create real relationships with customers by delivering information that increases more value and allows you to be more relevant with offers.

“Personalized offers, differentiated experiences and relevant rewards can set brands apart,” Stephane Latreille of Aimia tells National Restaurant Association partner Loyalty 360. “The bottom line is the fundamental drivers for loyalty remain unchanged.”

Traditionally, loyalty programs focused on retention, while other parts of the brand focus on acquisition, he says. As a result, most loyalty programs engage customers after purchase.

He suggests restaurants reignite loyalty programs by:

• Focus your data efforts. Determine transaction data that will identify the most promising opportunities with your best customers.
• Develop loyalty personas. Analyze transaction data from your most loyal customers, then develop personas that reflect shared interests and behaviors. Finally design and test offers geared to each group.
• Connect the data dots. Linking data across all channels creates insight that can augment the customer experience.
• Battle short-term discounting with loyalty data. Test and learn. Compare redemption rates.
• Reimagine recognition and rewards. Test rewards through social media. 

“Brands have to know their customers and how do they want to engage with you,” he said. “Put the right disciplines in place. It’s about investment, focus, and commitment. The reality is we’re all emotional in our buying decisions. Part of it is an emotional appeal of the brand. Find out who your customers are, and find out how they want to engage.”

This article was provided by Loyalty360, The Loyalty Marketer’s Association.

5 workforce trends to watch for in the restaurant industry

The National Restaurant Association’ Manage My Restaurant online resource has countless articles to help you become more profitable. Manage My Restaurant has articles in categories such as Marketing and Sales, Workforce Engagement, Food and Nutrition and Operations. Visit Manage My Restaurant here for this and other helpful tips.

Effective restaurant owners and managers know workforce trends can have a huge impact on an establishment’s success. What might the future hold? Consider these five patterns noted in the National Restaurant Association’s 2014 Restaurant Industry Forecast and suggestions on how leaders might prepare:

Labor challenges are beginning to reemerge. As the nation’s economy strengthens and unemployment rates trend downward, restaurant operators are likely to see recruiting and retaining employees become difficult once again. A top-rated challenge in the pre-recession era, this labor issue was alleviated during the economic downturn. Restaurant employment growth is set to outpace overall employment growth for the 15^th straight year in 2014, indicating that there will eventually be a gap between open positions and available candidates.

Modern recruiting methods can give businesses a leg up in the hunt for quality employees. Online job boards, social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, and a company’s own website can generate interest among potential candidates. Likewise, automated tracking software enables employers to efficiently evaluate their applicant pool as hiring needs arise.

Employee turnover is on the rise. Similarly to relieving some employee recruitment challenges, the recession also affected employee turnover. As jobs became scarcer in the overall economy, people tended to stay longer in their existing positions. Now, turnover rates are beginning to rise again as the economy improves. Further complicating the matter is the fact that employee turnover in the restaurant industry is typically higher than the overall private sector because of the higher number of students and seasonal employees.

Putting a premium on keeping existing employees can ease the need to fill openings. Retention strategies might include taking a personal interest in workers, making sure they have the tools and knowledge to do their jobs well, encouraging communication in order to resolve issues quickly and recognizing performance to demonstrate that staff efforts are valued.

The prime restaurant labor pool is shrinking. Traditionally, 16- to 24- year-olds have been a prime demographic in the restaurant industry workforce, but that may change within the next decade because labor force participation by this age group is rapidly declining. Currently, about four in 10 restaurant industry employees are 16- to 24-year-olds, so operators will likely need to find new labor pool options in the years ahead.

Leaders who are able to “think outside the box” might discover unconventional but effective sources of talent. Marnie Swedberg, owner of Solutions Over Coffee Espresso Cafe and M&K Takeouts in Warroad, Minn., says she loves to hire people returning to the workforce after years of raising kids. “Talk about awesome in a restaurant! Multitasking mavens responsible for everybody and everything, compassionate, willing to work long and hard without big expectations or rewards … I mean, moms are the best.”

The workforce is getting older. The demographics of the U.S. population are changing, and so are the demographics of the labor force. While overall population growth is slowing, growth in the older adult demographic is speeding up, and those individuals are also staying in the workforce longer.

That growing 55-and-older segment might be the solution to many hiring dilemmas in the restaurant industry. Not only will the sheer number of potential employees in this age range be impressive, these seasoned workers often bring much to the table. As noted by Claire Raines and her co-authors of “Generations at Work,” baby boomers on the job typically are service-oriented, driven, good team players, eager to please, good at relationships and willing to go the extra mile.

Restaurant operators are ramping up training. More than half of restaurant operators plan to devote more resources to employee training this year, especially quickservice operators. The benefits are two-fold in that it can be a way to enhance productivity in the operations as well as a retention tool to develop the workforce internally.

While it’s true some employees might take the skills they develop to other establishments or industries, your investment in their education can promote confidence in their potential and commitment to long-term employment. Taking time to explore learning opportunities such as the National Restaurant Association’s ManageFirst Program can lead to better employee performance now and fewer turnover issues in the future.

This content was provided by NRA partner CareerBuilder.