Recipes, cost cutting, and legislation Oh-My! - Restaurant Idea Roundup
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New Blog Series, Monthly Roundup of Ideas
If necessity is the mother of invention, than idea deprivation is the wicked stepmother that snuffs out ingenuity. In the restaurant industry necessity surrounds us, there is always a need for a new dish, ways to cut costs, stay ahead of the competition, keep up to date on what the government is doing, etc.
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New Blog Series, Monthly Roundup of Ideas
If necessity is the mother of invention, than idea deprivation is the wicked stepmother that snuffs out ingenuity. In the restaurant industry necessity surrounds us, there is always a need for a new dish, ways to cut costs, stay ahead of the competition, keep up to date on what the government is doing, etc. With all of the things screaming for your attention and needing to be done, it is easy to let necessity overwhelm your creativity. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and get outside of your situation to develop some ideas. I hope that this blog series, which I will release on the second Wednesday of the month, will be a little oasis of helpful, relevant, idea generating, and occasionally funny content. Sometimes I will post lots of links and cover many ideas, other times I will dig a little deeper into one topic. So let's get to it!
Dessert Idea from Smitten Kitchen
Reading Smitten Kitchen makes me wish that I could cook, reading this post just makes my lack of cooking skills all the more upsetting. But for the restaurant looking for some "home made", made from scratch recipes and tasty dessert ideas this is for you. Check it out, your taste buds will be glad you did. And if you decide to add it to your menu we have got the perfect mixer for you to whip up that tasty treat.
Cutting Costs: Analyze your linen cleaning expenses
This post discusses the merits of paying attention to your linen cleaning expenses. With gas prices on the rise and a slowly recovering economy this is one area where you might be able to cut some costs. Making a deal with a local laundromat or paying an employee to do it are several of the options discussed. Check it out for some food for thought.
If your franchise is "green" here is a marketing opportunity
For those of you who have started a franchise that has gone "green" check out this sweepstakes offering over at The Franchise King . You could win a an ad for a year in a "green" franchise website directory.
Thought about social media? don't miss this
This post discusses some interesting data that was collected about how restaurants are using social media. Whether you read this post or not know this, social media is an important aspect of marketing for a restaurant. Interacting with guests, offering coupons, and sending out specials, are all things that you can do to build a loyal fan base. And this base will advertise for you for free! social media is allowing for word of mouth advertising on a scope that has never been possible before. It would be a shame to miss out....so don't. Create a Facebook Page, Get on Twitter, check out Groupon and make a plan for how you can leverage social media to increase your profitability. And while you are at it check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
A headache gets a dose of aspirin via legislation
On April 15th a headache for restaurants and small businesses got a dose of aspirin as president Obama officially signed into law a bill that repealed an onerous 1099 tax reporting requirement that would have required a 1099 form to be filled out for all business related expenses over $600.00 for which a credit card was not used. That would have been a lot of extra paperwork. You can read the full report over at Nation's Restaurant News.
