Typically executed during the “good times”, they have proved to be an onerous burden on struggling units and when cash flow is tight and a business needs to be lean, the ability to renegotiate these leases is often the ‘make or break’ factor.
OnSite is in the business of reviving restaurants, hotels and casinos that are in trouble, sometimes on the verge of bankruptcy. It focuses on working with current owners on overhauling management and operations.
Rolling Stone is making its red carpet premiere this summer at the Hollywood & Highland Center with the opening of its first restaurant and lounge, but it won’t be the only rock star on that mall’s stage. That’s because Rolling Stone is set to open its doors just as Hard Rock Café is scheduled to launch a restaurant and live event venue in the same center – in a first-ever competition between the two iconic names.
Hotels are adding and raising room surcharges to boost profit. It’s a risky strategy, as room rates are the No. 1 or No. 2 determining factor for leisure travelers who book rooms.
The point of the rewards program isn’t for the customer, its for the restaurant – disguised. Drive traffic and promotions without taking away from the existing. The value lies in the marketing ability to get the customer in order to push them towards what you want to accomplish.
The key reason for this explosive growth and what seems like a yogurt brand in every available corner, strip mall and random location is purely economics.
Employers that go this route typically like the reduced rents and technology savings telecommuting affords, while employees appreciate spending less time commuting and lower transportation costs.
Before you’ve even opened, all these odds are stacked against you. The name is not enough. The brand name brings in the customer for the first time; the quality of the product keeps them coming back.
Maybe the most surprising aspect of semantic search is that it lets you describe who you’re looking for, almost as if you were speaking with a networking contact who knew all the top candidates out there.
What greater way to motivate each and every [employee] than by giving them all a little piece of the pie. An ESOP motivates employees, improves firm performance, fosters innovation, and promotes sound financial health.
Casual dining mom-and-pops haven’t been hurt as much by the recession, mainly because people feel a strong connection to the businesses. Becoming a local leader and integral part of the community, versus a faceless chain, can go a long way to developing customer loyalty.
“I think initially the Roosevelt will see a decline, the new kid on the block always creates that for the competition. As long as the Roosevelt rises to the occasion and understands that competition forces innovation, however, then its business will ultimately increase because of the buzz created by the W.”
Have the right people create policy. In many companies we consult, these policies are set by an IT person. I’m a big believer that these should be management decisions. Top management should set mobile communications policy, with input from legal counsel.
The economic challenges we are all facing compound the view that current incentives are inappropriate and can lead to problems triggered by a lack of short, medium or long term accountability for corporate decision making. Bonuses are generated by short term deliverables which may not be in the best interest of the company and a logical replacement to this practice is a more long term, golden handcuff arrangement. Share schemes are a safe and fair way to motivate staff whilst ensuring their goals are entirely aligned with those of the whole company.
As restaurant consultants we are required to explain to clients o a daily basis what we mean when we say that ‘a customer does all the work’ in a restaurant, not the operator. Whilst the concept is initially indigestible for an operator, it is nevertheless true. The customer does all the work.
Economic crisis, lower than average consumer spending, third party booking sites, commission based sales and tourism taking a turn for the worse are all paths that lead to the same location – lower average room rates (ARR). The strain from the online retail model continues to put tremendous pressure on rates, forcing operators to believe that even lower rates must be offered to these online consortia.
How a casino’s approach to staffing can affect the whole business | How slashing your workforce and promoting junior staff to senior positions saves cash flow in the short term …. But irrevocably and negatively affects the business as a whole in the medium to long term. OnSite look at how to take proactive steps to managing your workforce.
The Casino Floor has multimillion dollar software given the rate and speed of transactions and the automation of the gaming process. More often than not, Food and Beverage has excel spreadsheets at best. This is not about software. In these cases, software is mostly purchased as a solution to a problem when the problem is actually that very person formulating the solution. You cannot purchase food cost control, only people can. Software just cuts the man hours down and translates the data into more readable fashion for cross analysis.
In a restaurant market full of competition, what separates you from your neighbor? Service, ambiance, price, parking and décor can all be strong factors in swaying a potential customer’s decision. However one fact always seems to get lost somewhere and that is the ability for your customers to get in contact with you either to make a reservation, discuss special needs or even book their company holiday party. As restaurant consultants, we know that restaurant customer service is the critical and often overlooked as an area than can directly drive improved business when given appropriate attention.
Marketing to gay and lesbian tourists makes sense. This gives us a competitive advantage against our neighbors in L.A. Not only that, but the campaign offers gay and lesbian tourists a destination where they can feel welcome. Why wouldn’t they come to see what it is like to be in a city of equal opportunity?
Dozens of high-end shopping centers across the country have added elegant dining during the past few years, and it’s worked when the restaurants are as swanky as the stores. Malls want the new customers, and restaurateurs want the critical mass of prospective diners.
Like the slew of retail companies that offer 100-calorie, portion-controlled products to consumers, a handful of quick-serve operators are also jumping on the trend. But so far most chains have restrained from such a “better for you” marketing gambit and, in fact, show little inclination to back away from a recession-proof emphasis on volume as value.
“Competition is always a good thing. It forces innovation, better pricing and more amenities,” says James Sinclair, President of night life specialists OnSite Consulting, commenting on Nazarian’s new club. “In the end, it benefits the consumer.”
This market is providing restaurant operators with an opportunity to revisit their business and conduct an audit from the ground up, identifying wasteful cost centers and untapped revenue opportunities. A good restaurant consultant is someone who walks in the door with information, teaches it to the client and leaves that wisdom behind. An experienced consultant can also save money, find money and create money and it is these benefits that OnSite’s clients capture by bringing us on site.
“A female executive chef is probably 10 times stronger than any male based on what she has probably had to endure to get to this point,” says James Sinclair, the Los Angeles-based author of “How to Save Your Restaurant in Ten Days.”
