🎃 Food for Thought: 5th October 2023
Serving Up Industry Insights and Expert Advice for Restaurants
In this week's Food For Thought Newsletter
McDonald's Has a Secret Menu Item You Can Only Get at a Very Specific Time
Pret A Manger Defends Price Rises Amid Profiteering Claims
Chipotle Sued by EEOC for Religious Discrimination
IHOP's Menu Evolution Continues with New Waffles
Tripadvisor Serves Up the World's Best Restaurants
September 2023: The Michelin Inspectors' Favourite New Restaurants
Yelp Has Recorded Every Restaurant and Business with Suspicious Reviews
Marco's Pizza to Start Testing Autonomous Vehicle Delivery
Oktoberfest Waitress Carrying More Than a Dozen Beers Goes Viral
Peet's Coffee Plans 'Disloyalty Program' for National Coffee Day
☕ Grab Your Favourite Drink, and Let’s Check In!
🍔 McDonald's Has a Secret Menu Item You Can Only Get at a Very Specific Time
McDonald's has a secret menu item called the McBrunch Burger, a double cheeseburger with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a hash brown. It is only available at 10:35 a.m. when ingredients from breakfast and lunch menus are available.
The McBrunch Burger has gained popularity on TikTok and among fans of unique breakfast combinations. While it may not be a "secret" menu item, McDonald's allows customers to customise their orders, creating cult-favourite items like the McBrunch Burger. This unconventional approach to ordering has garnered positive publicity and created a unique brand experience for McDonald's customers.
💡 Customers love secret and limited-availability menu items because they provide a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness. These items make customers feel like they are part of a special club or have insider knowledge. It creates a sense of excitement and adventure, as customers always look for these hidden gems. Limited availability creates scarcity, making the item more desirable and increasing its perceived value.
🥪 Pret A Manger Defends Price Rises Amid Profiteering Claims
Pret A Manger has defended its recent price increases, dismissing claims of profiteering during the cost-of-living crisis. Pret's shops and franchise director, Guy Meakin, stated that the company has always been transparent about its price rises, attributing them to rising energy costs and market inflation. Meakin emphasised that prices can vary depending on factors such as dining in, which adds 20% VAT, higher operating costs at certain branches and delivery charges.
Despite the price increases, Pret saw a return to profitability in 2022, mainly due to the success of its subscription service, which prompted a 20% increase in the monthly 'Club Pret' subscription fee to £30.
💡 Have you considered offering subscriptions at your restaurant?
⚖️ Chipotle Sued by EEOC for Religious Discrimination
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against Chipotle, accusing the restaurant chain of religious discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that a manager at a Kansas location harassed a teenage employee for wearing a hijab, and the company failed to address the situation.
The EEOC also claims Chipotle retaliated against the worker for complaining about the harassment. Chipotle's chief corporate affairs officer stated that they have a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and have terminated the employees involved. The EEOC seeks monetary relief for the victim and an order to prevent future religious discrimination.
💡 To prevent religious discrimination at work, restaurant managers can take several steps:
Promote a culture of inclusion and respect through regular trainings and workshops on diversity and inclusion.
Implement policies that prohibit religious discrimination and clearly outline the consequences for violating these policies.
Create a safe and open environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their religious needs and concerns.
🥞 IHOP's Menu Evolution Continues with New Waffles
IHOP has unveiled an autumnal which features four new varieties of Belgian waffles, such as the strawberry cheesecake and Oreo Cookie Crumble options, as well as a new Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffles option.
IHOP has also introduced new dishes, including slow-braised beef pot roast, country fried steak, and tomato basil soup.
IHOP's Chief Marketing Officer, Kieran Donahue, expressed excitement about the new menu and partnerships, stating, "Our goal is to always put a smile on your plate when you come to dine with us." IHOP's menu innovation seems successful, as the chain reported its ninth consecutive quarter of comp sales growth.
According to IHOP's CEO, John Peyton, the company's focus on innovation, especially in its menu and marketing, has contributed to this momentum.
💡 A seasonal restaurant menu offers several benefits, including sourcing ingredients locally, lowering food costs, boosting creativity, serving tastier and healthier food, and increasing profits. Using locally sourced ingredients supports the community and reduces the carbon footprint. Seasonal menus allow experimentation and attract new customers, while regulars appreciate the innovation.
🍽️ TripAdvisor Serves Up the World's Best Restaurants
Tripadvisor has revealed the winners of its 2023 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Restaurants Awards. The awards recognise restaurants globally based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews.
Amsterdam's Restaurant Bougainville claimed the top spot for Fine Dining worldwide, while Le Bernardin in New York City was ranked as the best Fine Dining restaurant in the United States. The awards also introduced new categories such as Hidden Gems, Vegetarian-Friendly, and Family-Friendly restaurants, catering to diverse dining preferences.
Tripadvisor Head of Editorial, Sarah Firshein, noted that real diners selected the winners, making the lists a reflection of firsthand feedback.
💡 How much weight do you place on TripAdvisor reviews? Do you have a strategy in place to manage them?
⭐ September 2023: The Michelin Inspectors' Favourite New Restaurants
The September edition of The MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland has added 15 new restaurants to their selection. The new additions showcase high-quality cooking across various styles and budgets.
Among the highlighted restaurants are ANNWN in Narberth, known for using seasonal and local produce, and Higher Ground in Manchester, where diners can enjoy bold flavours from British ingredients. Homestead Cottage in Doolin also offers a charming dining experience in a 200-year-old period cottage with ocean views. These new restaurants have impressed the inspectors with their innovative menus and commitment to sustainability.
🔎 Yelp Has Recorded Every Restaurant and Business with Suspicious Reviews
Yelp has introduced a new initiative to combat businesses that pay customers for positive reviews by publishing a list of flagged establishments.
The company has identified over 4,900 businesses in the US that have engaged in suspicious review activity since 2012. These activities include providing incentives like cash, discounts, or gift certificates in exchange for reviews. Yelp has also developed software to detect solicited reviews and misleading behaviour.
According to a Yelp survey, 9 out of 10 people read online reviews before purchasing, underscoring the importance of genuine and trustworthy feedback. Yelp's action is part of a broader crackdown on fake or manipulated reviews, with other platforms battling inauthentic feedback.
💡 Fake, manipulated and inauthentic reviews can significantly impact a restaurant. Competitors posting fake positive reviews can motivate other restaurants to do the same to stay competitive. These fake reviews can mislead potential customers, damaging the restaurant's image.
They can also ruin the restaurant's and customer's trust if the experience doesn't match the write-ups, leading to lost business. To protect their reputation and keep customers happy, restaurants must have a strategy for monitoring and managing reviews.
🚗 Marco's Pizza to Start Testing Autonomous Vehicle Delivery
Marco's Pizza has partnered with mobile technology company Magna to test autonomous and electric delivery vehicles. The pizza chain aims to provide low-cost and environmentally friendly delivery strategies.
The companies will discuss proof of concept before launching pilot projects in select markets with participating franchisees.
These projects will gather data on last-mile delivery usage rates, customer acceptance, and overall efficiency. Marco's Pizza is the fifth-largest pizza chain in the US, operating over 1,100 locations with system sales exceeding $1 billion in the US.
💡 The future of autonomous pizza delivery holds excellent potential for the restaurant industry. While Domino's has temporarily paused further experimentation with autonomous delivery vehicles, the autonomous machine space is expected to explore various exciting applications - as seen here with Marco's.
We'll see further advancement in autonomous everyday deliveries and more complex, high-value tasks.
🍻 Oktoberfest Waitress Carrying More Than a Dozen Beers Goes Viral
A viral video on TikTok shows a waitress in Munich carrying 13 steins of beer simultaneously, weighing the equivalent of 26 pints. The video has gained 3.3 million likes and sparked admiration for the waitress's skill and strength.
Commenters expressed their amazement at her ability to balance and lift such a heavy load, with some confessing their own struggles to carry even a single cup of beer.
However, it's worth noting that this impressive feat falls short of the world record held by Oliver Strümpfel, who carried 29 steins over a distance of 40 meters in 2017.
💡 Try uploading videos of cocktail making, knife skills and plating techniques to see what your audience thinks of your skills.
☕ Peet's Coffee Plans 'Disloyalty Program' for National Coffee Day
Peet's Coffee launched a "Disloyalty Program" on National Coffee Day, which fell on September 29th. The program allowed customers to earn a free drink by creating a rewards account and uploading a screenshot from a competing loyalty app, such as Starbucks or Dunkin'.
Given its tough competition and financial challenges, the move aimed to boost Peet's Coffee's loyalty program and attract new customers. As part of the new brand platform, "Coffee for Coffee People," Peet's Coffee aimed to highlight its core coffee offerings and capture a more significant market share.
💡 For restaurants looking to try accepting loyalty points from competitors, here are some recommendations:
Identify competitors that have a similar target audience and values. Target competitors with a loyalty program and a significant customer base.
Create a compelling offer that motivates customers to redeem their loyalty points with your restaurant. This could be a free meal, exclusive discounts, or a unique dining experience.
Promote the campaign on social media, through email marketing, and in-store to communicate the benefits of the campaign and encourage participation.
Track the impact on customer acquisition, retention, and overall sales.
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That’s a wrap for the week!
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any feedback or suggestions for future topics. Here's to Your Success 🥂