The Limitations of American Restaurants’ No-Tipping Experiment – The New Yorker

“So why should no-tipping establishments lose business?

New research by Lynn shows that when restaurants move to a no-tipping policy, their online customer ratings fall. One factor that explains that dissatisfaction is how we, as consumers, respond to “partitioned” prices versus “bundled” prices. A partitioned price divides the total cost of an item into smaller components…Consumers tend to perceive partitioned prices as cheaper than bundled ones.”

 

Billionaire Mark Cuban: ‘One of the great lies of life is follow your passions’

“One of the great lies of life is ‘follow your passions,'” says Mark Cuban

“Instead, pay attention to those things that you devote time to, says Cuban. Double down your investment there. “The things I ended up being really good at were the things I found myself putting effort into. A lot of people talk about passion, but that’s really not what you need to focus on. You really need to evaluate and say, ‘Okay, where am I putting in my time?’”

More than 10,000 Independent Restaurants Closed Last Year

The number of independent restaurants in the United States fell 3% last fall to 346,105 units, a decrease of 10,952 units from the same period last year, according to the most recent fall census from NPD Group.

As reported by Independent Restaurant News, the decline came as chain restaurants remained flat with their 2016 numbers. In total, the number of U.S. restaurants declined 2% for the period to 647,288 units, the report notes. Full-service restaurant units–a segment that includes casual dining, family dining, and fine dining–also fell 2%, to 294,167.”

Why Tip-Pooling Could Be Making a Comeback

“The proposed change would partially rescind the DOL’s 2011 regulations on tip-pooling which prohibited restaurants from allowing customer-facing employees (i.e. wait staff and bartenders) to share their tip pool with back-of-the-house employees (i.e., chefs, line cooks, callers and dishwashers).”

The DOL’s change is expected to give restaurants discretion on how to compensate their employees, decrease wage disparities between front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house employees, and incentivize all restaurant employees to strive to improve the customer experience.

https://www.foodnewsfeed.com/fsr/expert-insights/why-tip-pooling-could-be-making-comeback?utm_source=fs_insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20180201

 

Brinker Launched Free Employee Education Program

An example of what enlightened leadership looks like.

“Brinker International, parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy, launched an educational program for employees Monday called “Best You EDU.” The program, developed in partnership with Pearson, provides opportunities for Brinker employees, ranging from hourly to management, the company said. The program is free and available for any employee who works at least 24 hours per week with a minimum tenure of 90 days.”

https://www.foodnewsfeed.com/fsr/chain-restaurants/brinker-launches-no-cost-education-program-chili-s-and-maggiano-s-employees?utm_source=fs_insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20180123

 

 

Chicago restaurant owners see correction, a lot more closings, coming in 2018 – Chicago Tribune

2017 may be remembered as one of Chicago’s worst dining years…”

“…That is, unless 2018 proves to be even more challenging.”

“It’s the trickiest landscape we’ve ever seen out there,” said Rob Katz, who with Kevin Boehm heads up the Boka Restaurant Group, which owns such highly successful restaurants as Boka, GT Fish & Oyster, Girl & the Goat and many more, including the recently opened Somerset and Bellmore. “We do think it’s going to be a bumpy couple of years.”

“If I were starting today, rather than in 1971, God, it would have been a lot harder,” said Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises founder Rich Melman. “It’s different now. I feel bad for people starting out.”

Chick-fil-A is beating every competitor by training workers to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ – BI

The secret to Chick-fil-A’s success is as simple as saying “please” and “thank you.”

“The chicken chain is statistically the most polite chain in the restaurant business, according to a QSR Magazine’s annual drive-thru report released in October. Employees at Chick-fil-A were the most likely of the 15 chains surveyed to say “please” and “thank you,” and to smile at drive-thru customers. Chick-fil-A workers were also as the second most likely to have a “pleasant demeanor,” only topped by the up-and-coming fast-food chain PDQ.”