How to Define Your Company Brand for Job Seekers

by | Sep 5, 2016 | Business Toolkit, IndiTips

Job seekers are looking to the company brand more than ever to determine whether or not the job is the right one to fulfill their needs. Millennials even more than gen Xers and baby boomers, so it is imperative you convey your brand’s message clearly if you are trying to attract younger candidates.

Share your employee value proposition

This is a consistent message regarding what your restaurant or hospitality business can do for candidates as employees. And, with how competitive the hiring market is right now for restaurants and hospitality businesses, this is what will set you apart from others looking to hire from the same talent pool.

This is a consistent message regarding what your company can do for candidates as employees.

The best place to convey your company brand is in job listings because it’s essentially the point of sale when it comes to recruiting. For example, when creating a job listing on Sirvo, utilize the description section to convey a clear message that will resonate with candidates’ interests and needs.

Explain the benefits and perks of working for your company and even why your company receives high ratings from employees. Basically, include anything that shows the value employees experience.

Tell your story

Describe your values, workplace culture and what makes your restaurant unique in general. Engage candidates in the bigger picture of what your organization is trying to do beyond making a profit. Essentially, give them something that they can relate to.

Use your Sirvo company page to describe your company values and workplace culture.

These details should be everywhere – your website, physical location, social media, and hiring platform especially. On Sirvo, use your company page to this end. Describe your values and culture in the header description and upload photos that complement the story.

Treat candidates like customers

No matter what, your company brand should recognize professionals for their efforts when applying for your jobs. Candidates are volunteering their time to go through the process and currently have the power in this labor market. Make sure they feel appreciated and receive affirming communications throughout the process.

Don’t leave candidates in the dark when it comes to your hiring timeline.

One of the most frustrating aspects of applying for jobs is never hearing back from employers, and that’s why Sirvo has an in-app messaging hub – so that employers and candidates can easily communicate with one another throughout the hiring process.

From reviewing an application to scheduling an interview, don’t leave candidates in the dark. Let them know what to expect and how quickly you plan on making a decision… and follow through with your plan.

Make it a lifetime branding experience

From hiring to onboarding to performance management, employees need to experience a consistent company brand. Once you sell a candidate on what makes you great, you need to actually live it or they will just leave. Be clear about your vision and values and make sure they permeate every step of the process. 

Whatever you do, make sure you consistently apply the process for every prospective employee.

Ensure that you are evaluating how you are doing and collect feedback from your people about key parts of your culture. You can do many things to create a positive candidate experience and whatever that may be, make sure you consistently apply the process for every prospective employee.

By clearly defining and conveying your restaurant’s brand to job seekers, you will not only attract more qualified candidates but also find that retention is improved. To find out more about how Sirvo can help you share your company’s brand, click here.

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What a Little Competitor Spying Can Teach You

by | Sep 2, 2016 | Management

Keeping an eye on your competitors is valuable, but it’s something you should definitely be prepared for in advance. Blundering into a competitor’s restaurant and ordering a meal with no preparation is going to lead to little in the way of insight and is very likely to be a waste of time and money. And if you’re sending someone else to do it, you need to be sure that they are equally prepared. Here’s how to get started

Start with a digital stakeout

Examining their web presence and digital marketing materials is an easy way to start off from a safe distance, and it will help you to develop ideas about what to focus in on when you actually go in for a visit.

Check out their website. Put yourself in the shoes of the target customer, or better yet, get the feedback of a few other people who are close matches. Try to determine whether the structure and presentation of the site are enticing and welcoming. Does it provide enough information about the menu? And how well does it work on a variety of devices, from the office desktop to a smartphone?

Put yourself in the shoes of the target customer, or better yet, get the feedback of a few other people who are close matches.

Stalk on social media. Keep in mind that this type of traffic can be faked by services who are hired out for this purpose – a sure sign of fraud is a lot of followers and upvoters who have a very limited posting history and aren’t very active. How are they doing for likes, shares and comments? Is there a consistent theme or style to the posts that are most upvoted and shared?

Google them. Start with just their name, then search for their primary food category in conjunction with their location. Also, look into a few of the results like Yelp and TripAdvisor to see what their customers think. Where do they rank in terms of results? What are customers saying on review sites?

Get some face time

An in-person visit is mostly going to be centered on gauging the staff, the atmosphere and the internal marketing materials. You can get some sense for the quality of their food and beverages, but obviously, this is something that can vary greatly from day to day and from dish to dish. So, here are a few items to take note of.

Eyeball the overall layout. Think about what is appealing to the customer, and what could be interfering with their dining experience. Take note of which aspects of the atmosphere are working well and if this is something you could imitate or create your own variant of. Are the customers enjoying themselves? Does the staff have to waste time with inefficient movement to get supplies? Is it easy for customers to move around or is it a hassle?

Make specific note of what’s going wrong with competitors as well as what they’re doing right – these are the areas you can directly emphasize to customers.

Put the staff to the test. Get a rough head count of the staff, and how it compares to your numbers to provide similar service with the similar atmosphere. Take note of how long everything takes to get done, from initial contact to offering to bring the bill to the table. Is the waitstaff pro-active about refills and checking on customer needs? How do they handle unexpected questions, requests and complaints? What is their general demeanor and attitude?

Look into amenities. Make a trip to the restroom just to see how they’re keeping it up. While there’s no scientific correlation between a dirty restroom and a dirty kitchen, customers certainly get a negative impression of the establishment from the condition of the restroom, to the point that a nasty restroom can cause up to 30% of business to never return.

In some cases, several different visits will be appropriate to gather all of this data. It can also be helpful to have your staff pick up a variety of meals to get a better sense of the food quality. During all visits, most critically, make specific note of what’s going wrong with competitors as well as what they’re doing right — these are the areas you can directly capitalize on and emphasize to customers.

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Restaurant Customers on Delivery Do’s and Don’ts

Restaurant Customers on Delivery Do’s and Don’ts

by | Aug 29, 2016 | IndiNews

Many operators have already identified meal delivery as a way to expand their business without having to make a capital investment. But delivery programs must reflect customer preferences if they’re going to succeed. Foodservice consumer research firm Sandelman surveyed quick-serve delivery customers to find out what they want, and the results could provide useful guidelines for both fast-casual and full-service operators looking to break into or do better in the food delivery game.

No app, no problem

Despite the seeming ubiquity of ordering apps, restaurants don’t necessarily need one to capture their share of the delivery business. Seventy-eight percent of active QSR delivery users told Sandelman they had used their telephone to place an order, 51 percent had gone through a chain’s website, and 15 percent had employed a chain’s mobile app. To be sure, millennial-aged customers used mobile apps more than other demographic groups. But only 19 percent of millennials had ordered this way during the previous year.

Giving users a variety of ordering alternatives to phone orders could help improve ease of ordering and encourage more frequent delivery orders.

When asked about their preferred method of placing delivery orders, 53 percent said “calling on the phone,” 35 percent responded “chain website” and just seven percent opted for “chain mobile app.”

But the more options you offer, the better, Sandelman suggests. “Giving users a variety of ordering alternatives to phone orders (e.g., website, chain app) could help improve ease of ordering and encourage more frequent delivery orders, especially among younger users.”

Calibrate your service fee

How much extra are customers willing to pay you to deliver their restaurant meal? Sandelman found that $3.35 was the average delivery charge consumers classified as “reasonable.” The highest delivery charge these customers would “consider” was $4.74. However, younger consumers are willing to pay more.

“Keeping the delivery charge within a reasonable range can encourage delivery orders,” Sandelman advises. “Free delivery, perhaps on a limited basis, may be a way to entice trial among nonusers.”

While delivery charges (38 percent) were the top reason quick-service customers said they didn’t order delivery more often, there are other issues.

The highest delivery charge these customers would “consider” was $4.74. However, younger consumers are willing to pay more.

Speed is of the essence

Three in 10 consumers said that delivery could take too long.

What constitutes “too long”? Current delivery users told Sandelman that 30 minutes is a reasonable wait between placing and receiving a delivery order. What isn’t reasonable? 51 minutes or more.

“To give delivery a try, nonusers may need extra convincing that their orders will be delivered promptly,” the firm notes.

Target residential customers

When survey respondents were asked about their likely occasions for ordering delivery, the top two categories by a mile were “dinner at home” (81 percent) and “lunch at home” (65 percent). Half said they would order lunch at work.

Fifty-two percent of survey said the primary reason they order delivery is that they simply don’t feel like going out.

It’s no wonder dinner at home won. Fifty-two percent of survey respondents told Sandelman the primary reason they order delivery is that they simply don’t feel like going out. Another reason thought to be a key driver of delivery—lack of time to cook—was mentioned by just 31 percent of respondents. Another 22 percent said they did not have the time to go out. The survey also found that “lack of transportation was also more of an issue for younger users.”

Keep payment simple

A majority of Sandelman respondents—55 percent—prefer to pay for delivery orders with a credit card when they place their order. Thirty-six percent would rather pay in cash when their order arrives. Only two percent want to pay via mobile phone, and only two percent want to pay using their credit card when their order arrives. These preferences were little changed for male/female or aged-base demographic groups.

Meal delivery is an undeniable trend in the restaurant industry. But successful delivery programs don’t happen automatically. Be sure to keep the results of this Sandelman study in mind as you develop or fine-tune your restaurant’s approach.

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How To Create An Excellent Restaurant Menu

How To Create An Excellent Restaurant Menu

by | Aug 26, 2016 | Business Toolkit, Management

Lots of people remember a restaurant from their past or even in their present in which they enjoyed a neighborhood kind of aura, friendly, laid back with some of the best food on the planet. The food might have been a mix of your everyday sandwiches and a steak to die for, or the food could have been something a five-star chef would turn out. The menu was a typed list of the food and its description, every now and then paired with a wine or beer to complement the food. The ambiance might have drawn people to the restaurant initially, but the food kept them coming back for more. Times change, though, and menus reflect that change. If you need to know how to create a good restaurant menu, we have five tips that will help.

1. Create the goal of the menu

A menu should represent the personality of the restaurant. Your brand is at stake, here, and the diner will recognize this in the menu. Diners should be impressed with the presentation and be ready to recommend the restaurant to one and all. We know that’s a tall order, you should pardon the pun, but take a look at American restaurant Cracker Barrel’s menu: homestyle fixin’s, Grandpa’s Country Fried Breakfast, fancy fixin’s, wholesome fixin’s –  we’re sure you get the idea. The whole aura is homey, comforting and the food filling for a great price.

Tip: Your menu should be logical. Begin with appetizers, followed by entrees, perhaps fixin’s, desserts then drinks. Pictures help, but don’t overload the menu. Just a few pictures and a personality-indicating description will do just fine.

2. Do your homework

You’ll need to research how a successful establishment presents its menu. Check online as well as the brick and mortar store. Figure in your own financials, marketing and potential sales. Look up either online or in a library professional publications describing what’s new and selling wildly in certain areas. Additionally, you’ll need to decide your personality. Shall your establishment be a beanery, a classy joint or quick-natured?  What do you do well, and will it sell in your area? Compare pricing, too.

Tip: Balance your food costs by offering several dishes using one ingredient. For example, if you offer a burger, offer to top it with ingredients from other dishes such as lobster, shrimp, gourmet cheeses, specialty sauces like truffle aiola, and even bacon and eggs.

A menu should represent the personality of the restaurant. Your brand is at stake, here, and the diner will recognize this in the menu.

3. Come up with a design

The eye follows many things, among them light and color. Highlight your specialties or any new ideas you’re trying out. Keep it simple. Stick to one easy to read font. Don’t make the menu sixteen pages; this annoys diners, who must search for what they want. One or two nicely typewritten pages tell diners what is available with no fuss. Remember that if you laminate your menu, you can’t change it without going back to the printer. Plastic covers allow you to update or change menu items when needed. Having more than one menu isn’t expensive, and it makes things easier on diners when they don’t have to get past breakfast items to get to lunch or dinner items.

Tip: The color of your menu should reflect the personality of your restaurant. For example, reds and yellows would feel natural in a restaurant serving spicy dishes, while blues and silvers would better suit a seafood restaurant. Place pictures or a special label around specialties or new menu items. Offer a variety of prices to suit a variety of diners. Keep the descriptions short and sweet.

4. Avoid mistakes

We’ve all handled menus that were taller than we were, heavy ones we almost couldn’t lift and menus that presented too much color or pictures for us to take in. Mistakes you want to avoid include making your print too small to read, excluding English terms for foreign dishes, menus without daily specials or weekly specials, and using generic clip art from the Web to illustrate dishes that won’t look like the pictures when they arrive.

Tip: You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Ensure your menu presents your restaurant’s personality without all the hype.

Analyzing which dishes sell the best and which are slower in comparison to your competition should enter the pricing picture.

5. Price it right

Items like certain meats and cheeses tend to fluctuate in price, and we mean going up not down. Keeping this in mind, price your dishes competitively with other restaurants of your type. If the prices of your ingredients go up, cover it by raising prices by a dollar or two. Most diners won’t notice a slight rise in price, but they’ll know instantly if a six to ten dollar price increase will strain their budget. Not everyone can afford filet mignon, so offer dishes lower in price but just as tasty.

Tip: Examine your menu from a customer’s point of view. Taking pictures of the food will give you an idea if the dishes are worth what you’re charging. Analyzing which dishes sell the best and which are slower in comparison to your competition should also enter the pricing picture.

How your restaurant is perceived by diners begins with your menu. Making it attractive, fun and properly priced is essential to weather the changes happening in restaurants today. Want some menu design ideas? Head over to Envato or Graphic River to browse and download.

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How Culinary Internships Can Get You a Job

How Culinary Internships Can Get You a Job

by | Aug 24, 2016 | Career

It’s been said that you can’t get a job without experience, but you can’t get experience unless you have a job. So, what do you do about this? Take an internship! This is even true about culinary internships.

Benefits of an Internship

You’re probably wondering how culinary internships can get you a job. Well, to begin with, as a culinary intern you’ll learn many new techniques for cooking and baking in the “real” world (outside the classroom). You’ll also learn speed, organization, time management, and perfect your knife skills while working on the line during service.

Regardless of what path you see your culinary career taking, your internship time spent in a professional kitchen is invaluable to your career. For instance, personal chefs must understand how to set up a kitchen, private chefs must learn how to act quickly, and a test kitchen chef must learn to think on their feet while creating recipes.

Sometimes accepting an unpaid internship and working at another job while interning pays off with bigger returns than if you’d accepted a paid internship.

Considerations When Pursuing an Internship

Having some idea of where you want to see your career go is the first step, and a very important one, in deciding where you should seek out an internship. It’s also important to think about what city you want to spend most of your life living in. While moving to a big city for an internship is fun, moving away from there afterwards may prove difficult.

This is because one of the main points of doing an internship is creating contacts and networking. If you do this someplace, you may find they don’t have contacts available in the city you actually want to live in. Simply put, good local references are more beneficial than all your great skills and techniques combined.

When interning in a small, chef-driven place you get to work directly with the chefs and line cooks.

Another important consideration is the environment you wish to do your internship in. When interning in a small, chef-driven place you get to work directly with the chefs and line cooks. This doesn’t always happen in big restaurants, where it’s easier to ignore you.

It’s also important for you to consider whether you can afford to take an unpaid internship. Sometimes accepting an unpaid internship and working at another job while interning pays off with bigger returns than if you’d accepted a paid internship. If you feel as though you can keep up with everything, then you’ll look as though you’re truly dedicated to your profession. Of course, only you can decide this.

One other thing you’ll want to do before choosing where you’ll do your internship is to actually spend time reading about the restaurant. You not only want to lookout for what employees are saying about the restaurant and its work environment, you also want to learn what diners are saying about the food, service, atmosphere, and chef.

Working every station looks good to potential employees as they recognize you have basic experience in various areas of the kitchen.

 

Getting the Most out of Your Internship

In the same way you must take some time to consider whether the internship is right for you, it’s also important to stay on your feet while working an internship. This is a time during which you can do some really great networking. Get to know the line cooks, servers, and other restaurant staff. They’re all an important part of the team when you’re working in a kitchen as a chef.

Some people sincerely believe small, successful restaurants are where you’ll find the best internships because you’re expected to actually do some work. In fact, by the end of your time there, you’ll probably have worked every station. This looks good to potential employees as they recognize you have basic experience in various areas of the kitchen.

Remember, you don’t want to take an internship at a big restaurant just so you can have its name on your résumé. Make sure it sounds as though it will meet your expectations. Instead, accept an internship at a restaurant where you think you’ll be happy (you never know until you start working there). It should also be a place that challenges you so you have a great opportunity to build your skills.

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