Here’s a story to keep in mind the next time you’re deciding how important it is to chase after a customer you think has stolen something from the bar.

Back in December the 62-year old owner of Lincoln Karaoke – “Chicago’s premiere Private-Room karaoke” (duh) – followed outside a patron he believed had walked off with one of the microphones. The customer proceeded to get into his BMW and drive into the older gentleman (presumably the owner was standing in front of the car, though reports aren’t clear on logistics), sending him onto the hood.

That’s when things got crazy.

According to police reports the owner of Lincoln Karaoke held onto the hood of the BMW, T-1000-style, for “about half a block.” The driver stopped the car, sending the man flying onto the pavement. At this point the driver tossed $150 in cash down at the owner before “urging him not to contact the police.”

Last week the bar owner was finally able to ID the microphone-thief and on Jan. 12 he was arrested on a felony count of aggravated battery.

(ChicagoTribune)

We found an article on the CBS News website that could potentially be very useful the next time you are filling positions.

After interviews with a number of job placement and human resources professionals, CBS settles on a half dozen questions that will help in the process of selecting the best possible candidate. Here is what they came up with:

1. What’s important for you in a job? Since we know the candidate wants to work there, CBS points out the interview is a chance to assess the fit from both sides. If something about how you operate doesn’t gel with their goals this is the time to find out.

2. How do you handle working with a difficult colleague? Mention tough but typical situations that will come up at your bar and assess how they’d approach the problem.

3. How will you add value down the road? The candidate should have done some research on who you are and therefore have at least an educated guess for what you will need from the position going forward.

4. Tell me about your last great idea. This is especially useful when you’re looking at management. Can they problem-solve on the fly without coming to a superior every time?

5. Where will you turn if put in a compromising position? A staffing expert told CBS that “In asking this question, I’m looking to see that the candidate can address these kinds of dilemmas and find the appropriate support and guidance to solve them.”

6. Tell me about your last mistake. Analyze the answer in terms of what usually trips them up. Is it deadlines? Is it stress? In other words, is it something you expect will come up regularly in this position?

Your good judgement and your gut are always going to be the biggest factors in this process. Questions like these should help provide a framework for you to learn as much as you can in a relatively short period of time.

(CBS News)

]]> http://www.thebarblogger.com/questions-you-have-to-ask-during-interviews/feed/ 0 http://www.thebarblogger.com/the-most-clever-menu-item-youll-see-today/ http://www.thebarblogger.com/the-most-clever-menu-item-youll-see-today/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:24:04 +0000 ianmara http://www.thebarblogger.com/?p=2634

As spotted by TheDailyWhat, these are two burgers currently being offered by the restaurant BLT Steak DC:

(TheDailyWhat)

Everybody knows there are some restaurant patrons who move the industry’s needle more than others. Last week Forbes released another of its famous lists, this one compiled by author and journalist Michale Pollan.

So if any of these folks happens to stroll into your restaurant we recommend making sure they get a clean fork.

1. Michelle Obama – First Lady, United States. Obama has been a big supporter of the organic foods movement and a leader in the fight against childhood obesity.

2. Marion Nestle – Professor, New York University. Nestle teaches in NYU’s Department of Nutrition and has written several books on the relationship between politics and food.

3. Josh Viertel – President, Slow Food. Formerly the head of Yale University’s Sustainable Food Project, Viertel’s stated goal is to “create a world in which all people can eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet.”

4. Will Allen – Growing Power farm, Milwaukee. A 2011 recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, Allen and his organization utilize low-cost farming techniques to help bring healthy food to urban populations.

5. Jack Sinclair – Head of Grocery, Wal-Mart. Sinclair oversees the food department for the world’s largest retailer, which basically means he buys more food than almost anybody on the planet.

6. Ken Cook – Executive Director, Environmental Working Group. Cook is a leading critic of U.S. farm policy, and has worked to provide consumers with more access to information about contamination in food and water.

7. Mark Bittman – Columnist, New York Times. Bittman is a well-known author and journalist who writes about accessible cooking techniques and the health impact of the modern diet.

(Forbes)

Here is an interesting read from the Huffington Post’s food department. The article offers up what it considers to be some of the most contentious industry policies and examines each side of the debate.

The subjects tackled are listed below:

-No Kids

-No Substitutions

-Auto-Gratuity for Large Groups

-No Reservations

-Credit Card Required to Make Reservations

-No Cell Phones/Cameras

-Dining Time Limits

-Dress Codes

-No Standing at the Bar

-Cash Only

Do you have a strong opinion that one or more of these are particular good (or bad) for business? Let us know in the comment section below.

(Huffington Post)

It’s easy to get caught up in the social media hype and feel as though your bar or restaurant is getting left behind. That being said, many bars and restaurants seem to be using social media just to say that they are online, and they aren’t really getting anything out of it.

Social media does take some time and effort, but with that should come positive results and increased business.

The Brief:

Pulse Nite Club was looking for a cost effective way to build anticipation for the grand opening of a night club in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio.

The Strategy:

We created a Facebook business page and Twitter account to build Pulse Nite Club’s social media presence online. A Facebook Ad campaign, targeting 21-45 year olds in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio, was implemented to attract users to the new page.

After creating a social media presence, we customized each page. The Facebook page included a customized landing tab that was the first thing seen by Facebook users upon visiting the page.

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We executed a social media strategy a month in advance of the opening. Starting on February 16th, the strategy encompassed a mixture of interactive questions, updates on anything from drink specials to a newly hired DJ, and even a featured countdown until the grand opening.

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Numbers:

In a span of three weeks from February 16th to March 11th, Pulse Nite Club went from no fans to 450 fans on their opening night.

February 19th to the 20th saw a jump in daily interactive users from 0 to 56. The number of fan comments went from zero per day to 32 per day on opening night, with a total number of 344 daily active users.

From opening night on, at least half of the people who were fans of the page continued to interact daily.

Results:

On opening night, Pulse was at full capacity with little non-social media advertising. One Facebook fan commented that when she left at 1:00 a.m. the night of the grand opening, there was still a line out the door to get in.

Customers continued to interact with the page daily. Any inquiries regarding drink specials, cover charges, and hours of operation were directed toward the Facebook page. With a quick response rate to customer comments and concerns, customers quickly came to see the Pulse Nite Club Facebook fan page as a customer service area.

After the grand opening, the fan page was tagged in reviews posted by Facebook users. Fans were coming back to the page to share their experience with Pulse, as well as other users.

If you’d like to set up a similar campaign or are looking for some direction on Social Media to drive sales in your business, then give Barry and the team at Interactive Hospitality a call on the number below now.

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Once you click on the deals tab, this is what you’ll see.

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We live in a world where marketing opportunities have become easier and more available to the common man, yet many see this devolved world of marketing  as an easy way to target as big an audience as possible in the hope that “something will work”. Such an effort was never more obvious than when one of my colleagues at Interactive Hospitality received an email from a local bar. I’ll let you read the conversation below and make up your own mind as to whether this is the right way to market your business. For obvious reasons (although I’m tempted not to, I have protected the identity of the bar): Email #1 received by colleague:

OK, it all seems fairly normal so far, nothing wrong here, if anything, it sounds like it’s my colleague’s lucky day, until she realizes, she’s never been to the bar, so she replies:

A reasonable response considering we all get too much spam, worry about our personal details and spend half the day deleting garbage from our inbox. In fact, she wouldn’t have done anything until ALL her friends received the same email this morning letting them know that they were winners too!

And so, the classic response:

Yep, you read it right: “Sometimes they will make up the information….”. Now, I have more than a couple of issues with this. First of all, from a business perspective, there are more efficient ways of attracting customers than going into a dark room blindfolded with a shotgun and hoping you’ll hit your target. Second of all, it’s illegal.

Third, maybe it’s time to inform your marketing staff of the legal, ethical and business guidelines associated with how you collect, store and use personal information before it comes back to bite you in the ass.

Fourth, thank you for the laugh this morning, because although this is a serious issue, antics like this make life easier for the bars that make an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work.

Rant over.

Yesterday, Facebook began rolling out the new layout for Pages. This update now allows more opportunities to optimize your brand presence on the social-networking site. Upon upgrading to the new layout, Facebook offers a guided page tour. The tour touches on changes in navigation and wall settings, but it barely scratches the surface.

Here’s what the updated layout means for your bar or restaurant:

Login

One of the biggest, and possibly most significant changes, is the ‘Login as Page’ feature. This gives the admin the ability to comment as the Page on other Pages or public profiles. Previously, if admins wanted to comment on public profiles on behalf of their bar or restaurant, they would have to do so under their own name. This change allows the admin to stay behind the scenes.

Alternatively, the new layout also opens the possibility of featuring admins as Page Owners.
By extending your Page’s reach, Facebook has opened the door for more personalized interaction and customer engagement.
Bear in mind, though, that the updated layout doesn’t give your Page the same rights as a Profile. A Page cannot post on a user’s wall or comment on his or her status updates, unless that specific user has opted for the ‘everybody’ privacy setting.

Note: If you would like to comment on a page, for which you’re an admin, as yourself and not your bar or restaurant, be sure to adjust the settings accordingly under Edit Page > Your Settings.

Photos

Despite the fact that Pages still don’t have the same rights as profiles, they’ve certainly taken a step toward it in terms of photos. Fans can now see a stream of featured photos at the top of the profile recently uploaded by the Page.

This allows for your bar or restaurant to specify which photos are visible to fans. Perhaps you’d like to showcase new menu items or maybe you’d like to feature your staff. Whichever you choose, the updated layout makes that possible.

Note: the stream of featured photos will not include any images uploaded to the wall by fans.

Merging and Customization

In terms of merging Facebook Places with your Page, the updated layout allows for customization to still be viewable. I previously advised against the merger, as the Page would then lose the ability to maintain a customized Landing Tab, which would incentivize ‘liking’ a Page.  However, the new layout gives Pages the best of both worlds. Your bar or restaurant can merge the two and still uphold any customization and it now saves you having to check both pages for spam, comments and posts.

Fan History

New to the ‘home’ view of the fan page are icons that allow admins to see an overview of fan history, which includes recent likes and notifications.

By clicking on these icons, you can now see the most recent fan interactions with your page.

This feature allows your bar or restaurant to potentially reward fans. Incentivize liking your page further by offering the ‘500th Fan’ with 10% off their next tab.

Note: By default, Facebook has customized the settings for your page. This default setting makes it so that you will receive an e-mail for each fan comment you receive. To change these settings, visit Edit Page > Your Settings.

If you haven’t already started, here’s what you need to do next:

1. Set your pages category and sub category

2. Set your wall preferences

3. Add featured Page Owners

I can help you set up your Facebook Business Page, create a content strategy for your bar/restaurant. This includes full customization of your Facebook presence to include a welcome screen, email capture, gift card sales and much more. Click the button below to schedule a free 20 minute phone call where I will personally recommend ideas for you to get more engagement on Facebook.

Don’t confuse Twitter with a sales channel. Twitter is, by its very definition, a “social network”. Follow our rule of 1:4 for content. This means for every 1 promotional tweet, you should have 4 replies, retweets, local recommendations or other interesting content.

If you don’t understand Twitter, don’t jump in headfirst. Just observe and pay attention to what people are saying to get an understanding of how to use Twitter effectively.

Get customers involved

Twitter is a great way to engage your customers. Get Followers involved by asking them to name a new cocktail or menu item. Reward the most creative Follower for their suggestion by giving them the newly named item for free.

Challenge Followers to answer a trivia question or “name that tune”, offering an incentive such as a free drink or appetizer to the first Follower to answer correctly.

Share local events

Show your interest in the community. Twitter is a great forum to share local events and encourage Followers to visit your area. This will keep your current followers informed and show them that you care about more than just posting your daily specials.

This will also help you gain new followers. Your tweet will appear as a result when anyone searches about the event on Twitter, which guarantees more exposure.

Answer customer service queries

Twitter can enhance customer service instantly. If someone tweets a question or concern about your bar, you have the opportunity to answer them immediately. Customers appreciate having their voice heard, and they will definitely appreciate your prompt response.

Share photos

Photos can be shared on Twitter as quickly as you can snap a shot on your mobile phone. Instantly share photos with your customers by uploading them to Twitter directly from your phone. Who doesn’t love a “behind the scenes” look at their favorite bar? Snap pictures of your daily special, staff members, kitchen and whatever else you can think of!

Instead of sharing photos from your mobile phone, you can always upload them through twitpic.com.

Keep an eye on the competition

One of the advantages of social media is the opportunity to see what your competitors are doing, and what people are saying about it. Use search.twitter.com or hootsuite.com to set up searches for your competition’s Twitter name, and see what customers are saying about them.

Is your competition using social media effectively? Use their Twitter as inspiration for ways to better engage your own customers.

For more tips and information about using Twitter, check out http://business.twitter.com/.

I can help you set up and create content for your Twitter account. I can also help you get set up properly on Facebook, Foursquare, and Facebook Places. Click the button below to schedule a free 20 minute phone call where I will personally recommend ways to improve your current online activities.