Operations & Cost Control
How does your company measure success?
The old adage that says “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” still holds true today. Without some sort of measurement, your decisions are based on anecdotal information and can
Yelp and Instawork Team Up to Tackle Seattle’s Staffing Crisis
With 90% employee turnover rates, restaurant-tech company brings fresh ideas to the table. Seattle, WA.— The Seattle area’s cost of living index continues to soar as the hospitality industry struggles
Washington Restaurant Market Watch: Beware of credit card miscoding
A word to wise restaurateurs: Keep a close eye on your merchant category codes.
Pizza Hut waitress saves man’s life
In 2014, on Sunday night, a waitress in Kendallville Indiana saved a customer’s life when she used her CPR training to get his heart beating again. At first she heard employees
Tip Pooling: A brief overview of the Ninth Circuit ruling
I am one of the attorneys of record in the WRA’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). I also spent several years as in-house counsel for a national restaurant company, and have a number of restaurant clients.
Washington Restaurant Market Watch: Website accessibility is a must
Restaurant operators rightly go to great lengths to stay compliant with federal, state and local rules in order to avoid government sanctions and lawsuits from customers. Increasingly, however, businesses are finding themselves in trouble for not providing accessibility to their websites for disabled users.
Large grants available to hospitality
This Announcement is issued to advise you of a Request for Proposal for the following scope of work/services, available on the King County Procurement Web site at: https://procurement.kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/default.aspx RFP No.
Look Out For Drive-By ADA Lawsuits: Are You Ready?
Over the past several years, hoteliers, retailers and restaurant owners across the country have been slapped with thousands of private lawsuits for failing to meet the precise guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Defeat wage inflation in four easy steps
We’re beginning to prepare for the upcoming year. In our plan, we need to specifically address the increase in wages and impact of minimum wage. What are some ideas to address wage inflation?
ACA: Nothing changes in 2017
The ACA Employer Mandate / Employer Penalty, originally set to begin in 2014, was delayed until 2015 / 2016. ObamaCare’s “employer mandate” is a requirement that all businesses with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees (FTE) provide health insurance to at least 95% of their full-time employees and dependents up to age 26, or pay a fee. ($2,000 per employee)
Use the five R’s to increase menu profitability
This time of year we evaluate our menu for changes. In the past, we’ve done this on emotion rather than data. Where should we start our analysis?
Back-of-the-house’s important role in creating hospitality
Hospitality is the guiding force of the front-of-house. Whether it’s the hosts, servers, bartenders and/or bussers you see bustling about a full-service restaurant or the person at the counter and those keeping the dining area clean in quick service, these are the people responsible for projecting the value hospitality adds to the experience of the restaurant guest. Right?
Big data, big responsibilities: Protect guests’ privacy
Big data comes with big responsibilities. If you collect data about your customers, you have a responsibility to protect that data so it can’t be used later for identity theft or other fraud.
Building breakfast business
Breakfast business continues to rise and shine at restaurants. Last year, 32 percent of family-dining restaurants cited it as their most successful day part, according to NRA’s 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast.
Ask WRA: Grow profitability by retaining loyal guests
QUESTION: Recently, I spent a week straight in my restaurant covering for my manager while she was on vacation. It appears that fewer regular guests are visiting as I didn’t see many of the people I’m used to seeing. We’ve lost some, so how do I make sure we don’t lose anymore and build some back?