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Restaurant or bar owner sitting at the bar, working on a schedule or calendar

November 4, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Program for Unique Holidays: November 2024

Program for Unique Holidays: November 2024

by David Klemt

I don’t know why but AI seems to think anyone who owns a restaurant or bar has a beard. AI-generated image.

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your November holiday programming.

Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.

Pay attention to the “weird” or unique holidays to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests. Why do what everyone else is already doing? Why program only around the same holidays as everyone else?

To provide a handful of examples, November boasts celebrations of the bold and pungent, Gose beer style, stuffing, and metal. Those are all things you can get creative and program around, and celebrate with your guests.

Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, strange or otherwise. Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.

You’ll find suggestions for promotions below. However, the idea behind our monthly holiday promotions roundup is to inspire you and your team to get creative and come up with unique programming ideas.

For our October 2024 holidays list, click here.

November 8: Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day

This is the day to shine a spotlight on menu items that are heavy on aromatics, intense flavors, and presentations that demand attention.

November 9: Chaos Never Dies Day

If your bar or restaurant has a chill, relaxing vibe, this may be a great holiday for you and your guests. Chaos Never Dies Day is about mindfulness, relaxation, de-stressing, and, if healthy, socializing with friends and family.

Encourage your guests to visit your venue, silence their phones, and escape for a while.

November 10: Area Code Day

Area Code Day is an excellent time to celebrate your community. Showcase the local producers and collaborators with whom you partner, for example.

November 11: National Metal Day

Does your bar play metal? Do you feature live metal bands? Would you say your overall theme and ambiance is metal? Have I got a holiday for you…

November 15: National Philanthropy Day

Organize food, coat, or clothing drives. Highlight a charitable organization that your bar, restaurant, or hotel supports. This is one of the best days of the year for you and your guests to get involved with organizations that improve the community.

November 17: International Happy Gose Day

Several centuries old, Gose comes to us from Germany. Generally speaking, this wheat beer is tart, sour, spicy, and salty. Of course, craft brewers love to make styles their own, so there are Goses out there with other dominant characteristics.

Fans of this style of beer will tell you that it pairs well with everything. However, when developing your Gose promotion, keep grilled meats, seafood, roasted root vegetables, and tangy, powerful cheeses in mind.

November 21: National Stuffing Day

We all know that person whose main food focus on Thanksgiving (American, Canadian, or otherwise) is stuffing (or dressing, depending on preparation and pedantry). Sure, the other dishes are great, but they may just stab someone in the hand with their fork if they get between them and stuffing. In fact, we may be that person.

In the lead-up to Thanksgiving, task your kitchen with creating an irresistible stuffing (or dressing), and preparing it in multiple ways: waffled, sandwich, etc. Who knows? It may just lead to Thanksgiving Eve takeout orders.

November 22: National Farm-City Week

People celebrate this week to honor the farmers who help make American Thanksgiving possible. Of course, farmers deserve recognition for more than just one holiday.

This is a fantastic time of year to call attention to the farms and farmers with whom your restaurant partners.

November 29: Sinkie Day

Okay, so this one could be interesting. With all the prep and formality that can go into some people’s Thanksgiving celebrations, Sinkie Day offers welcome casualness. In simple terms, it’s about grabbing a bite while standing over a sink. Basically, rejecting a dining table, and eating anywhere else.

One spin you and your restaurant team can put on Sinkie Day is to highlight the items on your menu that are transported and eaten just about anywhere easily.

November 30: National Mason Jar Day

Cocktails, their alcohol-free counterparts, soft drinks like teas and sodas, kombucha, desserts, even salads… There’s a lot a creative bar or restaurant team can do with menu items, mason jars, and presentations.

Image: Microsoft Designer

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October 1, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Program for Unique Holidays: October 2024

Program for Unique Holidays: October 2024

by David Klemt

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your October holiday programming.

Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.

To provide a handful of examples, October boasts celebrations of the cheeseburger, the double cheeseburger, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, beer, and guacamole. Those are fantastic F&B holidays sure to appeal to your guests. However, you can still celebrate some “out there” holidays to get people’s attention and draw them to your business.

For our September 2024 holidays list, click here.

October 1: The New National Taco Day

That’s right; National Taco Day has changed! You can read my article addressing this change here for more details, but what you need to know is that from today onward, National Taco Day will always fall on a Taco Tuesday.

October 2: Walk Your Dog Week

If your venue is dog friendly, and you operate in at least a decently walkable city or town, this is a great week to invite your guests to pop in for a dog treat, a bite, and a drink with their best friends.

October 4: Plaidurday

This day is dedicated to plaid. Plaid shirts, plaid pants, plaid shoes, plaid hats, plaid coats, plaid scarves, kilts featuring a tartan… If it’s plaid, encourage your guests to come by your place while they’re wearing it.

October 11: It’s My Party Day

Okay, this is an odd one. Really, it’s all about nostalgia. Technically, it’s about people revisiting their sweet sixteen parties, which is incredibly specific. Personally, I’d tap into your understanding of your guests and come up with a nostalgic theme that will appeal to them. After all, October is all about dressing up and themed parties.

October 12: National Motorcycle Ride Day

If your venue is motorcycle friendly, encourage your guests who ride to organize a ride, with a stop at your business to relax and refuel.

October 15: National Chicken Cacciatore Day

Recently, we addressed the importance of putting your spin on classic comfort foods. Chicken cacciatore, a recipe that’s about 600 years old, certainly falls into this category; it’s a classic comfort food, and your kitchen team can certainly put their own take on it.

October 21: Apple Day

We also addressed applejack, America’s first native spirit, just yesterday. Sure, you can do caramel apples or apple pie to celebrate this day, but I think you should bring your bar team into the mix, and create an LTO menu featuring applejack cocktails.

October 24: National Food Day

It sounds like this holiday is incredibly open ended, doesn’t it? A blank slate for any cuisine or food item you want to program a holiday promotion to leverage.

However, it’s specifically focused on featuring natural foods. For tips on how to build a natural, farm-to-table menu, check out KRG Hospitality chef consultant Nathen Dubé’s article here.

October 25: Chucky, the Notorious Killer Doll Day

I’ve included this because, wow, is it specific. It’s also a great day to play the Child’s Play movies and Chucky television show, within the confines of the proper licenses, of course.

October 30: National Candy Corn Day

Candy corn sucks, and if you agree (which means you’re correct), you’ll use this day to campaign against this food crime against nature.

Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels

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A bottle of ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto and two cocktails, resting on a ledge overlooking the ocean.

August 29, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

A Brand-New Day: Celebrating ITALICUS

A Brand-New Day: Celebrating ITALICUS

by David Klemt

I want to go to there, and drink that.

Operators, bar teams, and guests have the opportunity to partake in the first-ever National Rosolio Day, launched by ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto.

The brand, known in part for its elegant and instantly recognizable bottle, is celebrating its eighth anniversary. To acknowledge their growth and mark this milestone, ITALICUS is launching the inaugural National Rosolio Day this coming Sunday, September 1.

I have to give the brand an approving nod here. They could be launching National ITALICUS Day. Instead, they’re celebrating the liqueur category that Giuseppe Gallo and the ITALICUS team have (re)introduced to modern cocktail lovers: rosolio.

I’ll get into the category in a moment. For now, there’s an interesting detail about the brand, the bottle, and the bar holiday launching on September 1.

Traditionally, eighth anniversaries are marked with gifts of bronze and pottery. Looking at the alluring, turquoise bottle, the label and stopper, one can argue, look bronze. Focusing on the stopper, there’s a relief of Bacchus, which looks like it could be porcelain, a form of pottery.

It’s almost like the team and bottle designer were prescient, and set the stage for this new bar holiday before the first case was ever shipped.

Global Celebration

Bars in France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, the UK, the US, and Switzerland are participating via an exclusive cocktail menu.

One bartender recognizable the world over is LP O’Brien. Fans of the Netflix show Drink Masters know that O’Brien won the first season.

LP O'Brien, the winner of the Netflix show Drink Masters, holding an ITALICUS book, surrounded by ITALICUS bottles.

I need that book, and that back bar.

Her part in the National Rosolio Day celebration includes a series that will educate people on ITALICUS and aperitivo culture. I’m certainly looking forward to learning more about the brand, rosoli, and apertivos from one of the best bartenders and mixologists in the business.

Of course, there’s no reason operators reading this can’t show their support for National Rosolio Day by introducing their guests to ITALICUS and aperitivo culture.

As this will become an annual celebration, bars can plan to participate officially in 2025 and beyond.

Cheers!

Roso-what-now?

So, you likely know what a liqueur is. And I’m willing to go out on a limb and assume you’re familiar with aperitivos.

But what, you may be wondering, is a rosolio?

This drinks category is a low-ABV Italian liqueur that, according to multiple sources, predates amaro, bitters, and vermouth. This ancient liqueur was, of course, homemade, so the botanicals varied wildly depending on region and who was creating a particular batch.

ITALICUS, for example, is crafted using Bergamot oranges from Calabria (considered by many to be the finest citrus in the world), citrons from Sicily, chamomile sourced from Lazio, and several Northern Italian herbs, including gentian, lavender, lemon balm, and yellow roses.

Clearly, these flavors are perfect for summer sipping. Of course, with a bit of creativity, creating cocktails that appeal to guests every season is quite an easy feat to accomplish.

Given its name, you may be curious about the use of rose petals in the production of rosolio. Well, while there are rosoli made with rose petals as an ingredient, rosolio translates to “morning dew,” or “dew of the sun.”

Operators and bar teams interested in implementing an Aperitivo Hour rather than (or in addition to) a standard happy hour have the perfect opportunity this coming Sunday. National Rosolio Day is ideal for leveraging the growing popularity of low-ABV drinks. This new holiday is also one of the best times to introduce guests to relaxing, socializing, and starting their evening with an aperitivo.

So, this weekend (and throughout the month of September), raise a glass to ITALICUS and the brand’s eighth anniversary.

For more details, check out the press release below.

ITALICUS CELEBRATES 8 YEARS WITH THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL ROSOLIO DAY ON SEPTEMBER 1st AND A MONTH DEDICATED TO THE APERITIVO

ITALICUS and mixologist LP O’Brien partner to celebrate the Italian Aperitivo culture across the world in honor of the brand’s 8th anniversary

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (August 28, 2024)—ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto announces the first ever National Rosolio Day on September 1st in honor of the brand’s 8th anniversary. During the month of September, the brand will celebrate the aperitivo around the world with 8 countries taking part to host week-long events featuring special cocktails created with ITALICUS to allow consumers to discover the Rosolio di Bergamotto through its drinks, story and innovation.

Founded in 2016 by Giuseppe Gallo, ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto was created to bring back the forgotten Rosolio category. Made using the finest Italian ingredients, ITALICUS’ bottle design embodies the history and heritage of Italy’s distinctive regions, while telling the story of Rosolio’s traditional drinking occasion of aperitivo and its culture.

September 1st is officially recognized as National Rosolio Day thanks to ITALICUS. For this recurring holiday, ITALICUS has partnered with LP, Lauren O’Brien – renowned mixologist and winner of the Netflix series Drink Masters in 2023 – who will present a mini-series campaign to educate consumers about the brand, aperitivo category and culture. To further explore the best ways to enjoy ITALICUS, LP will be promoting ITALICUS through the art of mixology to demonstrate how you can drink ITALICUS and which easy-ingredient aperitivo cocktails can be replicated at home.

The 8 countries that are a part of the anniversary campaign include: Italy, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, New Zealand, The United Kingdom, The United States and Switzerland. Additionally, the bars that are a part of the initiative will be launching week-long activations whereby consumers can try delicious ITALICUS cocktails from an exclusive menu. The list of bars can be found through the website: https://rosolioitalicus.com/the-art-of-italicus/rosolio-day.

Along with these bars, ITALICUS can also be tasted and explored in some of the world’s 50 best bars including: Connaught Bar in London, Sips in Barcelona, Freni e Frizioni in Rome, Double Chicken Please in New York, Bar Leone in Hong Kong, Maybe Sammy in Sydney, Cafe La Trova in Miami and BKK Social Club in Bangkok.

“The aperitivo is a global trend started in Italy,” comments Giuseppe Gallo, founder of ITALICUS. “Now having a trendy moment around the world, the aperitivo blends tradition and innovation in its story and is served in many cocktails at the best global bars. For this campaign, we are extremely excited to partner with LP O’Brien – one of the most creative minds in the international mixology scene – to inaugurate Rosolio Day on September 1st.”

“Being part of the anniversary and ITALICUS’s launch of Rosolio Day is a tremendous honor,” explains LP. “I’m incredibly grateful to be associated with a brand that demonstrates such thoughtfulness in every aspect – from crafting the liquid to designing the bottle and creating a captivating story. Giuseppe, with his extensive experience in the beverage industry, has created something truly special with ITALICUS.”

National Rosolio Day is dedicated to celebrating the history of the liqueur. Dating back to the Renaissance period, Rosolio is an Italian liqueur that was originally crafted in convents and monasteries as a medicinal tonic. Rosolio, meaning “dew of the sun,” is traditionally made from a base of alcohol, unrefined sugar, water and infused with botanicals, herbs, and fruits – with the most common flavors using spices or citrus fruits. Its preparation was a family traditional craft which was passed on from generation to generation. This liqueur was often used as a welcome drink (or “Cordiale” in Italian) at home.

Despite a decline in the 19th century, Rosolio has experienced a modern revival, driven by the craft cocktail movement and a renewed appreciation for conventional spirits. Today, Rosolio is enjoyed as an aperitif or digestif and brands like ITALICUS have revitalized the category by combining historic methods with contemporary flavors like the bergamot citrus orange – bringing the liqueur to a new generation of enthusiasts.

ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto is sold in 700ml bottles at 20% ABV and is available at select retailers including Curiada and Total Wine for $39.99.

About ITALICUS® Rosolio Di Bergamotto

ITALICUS was created by the authority in Italian spirits, Giuseppe Gallo, to bring back the forgotten Rosolio category. With key notes of Calabrian bergamot, ITALICUS is made using the finest Italian ingredients to create a sip of Italy. The striking bottle design embodies the history and heritage of Italy’s distinctive regions, whilst telling the story of Rosolio’s time-honored traditional drinking occasion of Aperitivo.

ITALICUS is one of the top awarded aperitivo brands globally. ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto was awarded Best New Spirit 2017 at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, and Top Trending Liqueur Brand by Drinks International in the years from 2019 to 2024.

Additional awards include: DOUBLE GOLD – World Wine Spirits Trophy 2021; Italian Aperitif of the year GOLD MEDAL – NYISC 2021 and 2016; Tasting GOLD medal 2018, 2019 – Women & Wine and spirits awards; Best New European Spirit at the Mixology Awards 2017 in Berlin; Best Product at FIBAR 2017; Packaging awards GOLD MEDAL 2017 and Contemporary Awards TROPHY – International Wine & Spirits Competition 2017; Packaging Trophy – Harpers Design 2017; Gold Medal – San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017; Platinum Best of Luxury – Pentawards 2017; Best New Product – Bar Awards 2016; EXCEPTIONAL quality certificate – Difford’s Guide 2016.

About Giuseppe Gallo

Giuseppe Gallo is one of the world’s most respected bartenders and drinks-industry innovators, with an unrivaled passion for the drinks business and an inimitable source of knowledge and insight into the world of aperitivo. Hailing from the Amalfi Coast, his passion for mixology stems from his strong Italian heritage. Giuseppe is widely considered a vermouth expert and he has spent over 15 years traveling the world and educating consumers and professionals on the category. This work has culminated in winning ‘International Ambassador of the Year’ at the prestigious awards in the drinks industry, Tales Of The Cocktail’s Spirited Awards in 2014. In September 2016 he created Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto which reinvigorated a forgotten aperitivo category, which has won countless industry awards since its launch. In 2019, Giuseppe launched the Roma Bar Show, the first-ever international cocktail festival in the country.

About LP

LP O’Brien is an Afro-Boricua trailblazer in the world of mixology, research and development, renowned for her innovative approach and expertise in crafting exceptional beverages. She gained widespread recognition as the inaugural winner of the Netflix competition series Drink Master, where her creativity and skill set her apart from a field of talented competitors. Despite being sober for a little over a year, LP has continued to excel in her craft, demonstrating that a passion for mixology doesn’t require consuming alcohol. Her unique perspective and commitment to understanding the art of drink-making have made her a leading figure in the industry.

LP’s impressive portfolio includes collaborations with major corporations and celebrities. She has worked with Disney, Food & Wine, American Express, and has created bespoke beverage experiences for high-profile clients such as Christy Carlson Romano and Vanessa Hudgens, along with crafting the signature non-alcoholic beverage for the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards. Her ability to blend flavors and create memorable drink experiences has earned her a reputation as a top-tier celebrity mixologist.

Images: ITALICUS

"Think about things differently" neon sign

August 1, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Program for Unique Holidays: August 2024

Program for Unique Holidays: August 2024

by David Klemt

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your August holiday programming.

Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.

For our July 2024 holidays list, click here.

August 3: National Mustard Day

Condiments offer the perfect finishing touch to the dishes we present to guests. Given their importance, we should celebrate them whenever we get the chance.

For some, nothing but mustard belongs on a hot dog. And there are even those out there who claim it’s the only condiment that belongs on a burger.

August 6: National Night Out Day

Traditionally, this holiday aims at encouraging communities to set up neighborhood watches. However, some communities also use this day to simply foster a sense of togetherness, organizing cookouts, block parties, and concerts.

This is a great day to establish your bar or restaurant as part of the community, particularly if your business is family friendly.

August 7: Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day

This is certainly one of the more obscure holidays I’ve encountered. To put a spin on this day to leverage it for a bar or restaurant, I suggest engaging your kitchen and bar teams to come up with an over-the-top presentation for one food item, and one drink. Make it Instagram-worthy and it’ll spread like wildfire on social media, making it a clever marketing exercise.

August 11: Play in the Sand Day

This is another holiday during which operators will benefit from tapping into the creativity of their kitchen and bar teams. The back of house, for example, can look into creating a sand pudding dessert. As for the bar team, the Blood and Sand is a classic whiskey cocktail that teams with the theme.

August 12: Afternoon Tea Week

An entire week dedicated to afternoon tea! In 2024, this holiday runs to August 18. Afternoon Tea Week is a fantastic way to boost traffic and revenue during the lunch daypart. Further, operators have two shots at brunch to cap this weeklong holiday.

Engage the bar team to have them create an LTO menu of tea-based cocktails, including zero-alcohol to full-ABV options.

August 14: World Calligraphy Day

If you have someone on your team with particularly fantastic handwriting, a sandwich board, and chalk (or markers for acrylic boards), you’re all set to celebrate this holiday. Not only can these signs lure passersby into a restaurant or bar, people like to spread them on social media. The same goes for restaurants and bars with chalkboard menus, making them useful marketing tools.

August 20: National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day

You’ve probably eaten a slice of pecan pie. But what about chocolate pecan pie? It’s possible many of your guests haven’t tried this lesser-known dessert. I bet your kitchen team can change that…

August 22: Burger Day

On its face, Burger Day isn’t particularly unique. However, any holiday can be made unique with a clever and creative promotion.

While it’s the ideal day for promoting your signature burger (or burgers), it will also work as a traffic-boosting LTO. For example, if you don’t have a smashburger on your menu, consider creating one for Burger Day. As another example, if you don’t have sliders, this is the time to offer them. Track the sales of your Burger Day LTOs to consider making them repeat promotions, or adding them to the standard menu permanently.

August 27: National Just Because Day

Sometimes operators are handed the perfect day to create and execute any promotion they can imagine. This is one of those days.

August 30: National Beach Day

Drinks with umbrellas, tropical shirts and beachwear, summery drinks, classic cookout dishes, refreshing desserts… Even bars and restaurants that don’t have an outdoor area can be transformed into a beachy scene.

Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels

A well-crafted chicken sandwich with pickles, lettuce, and sauce, served next to a basket of French fries

July 29, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Campbell’s Shares Tips for LTOs

Campbell’s Shares Tips for LTOs that Generate ROI

by David Klemt

Yes, the Chicken Sandwich Wars are still going strong in 2024.

We appreciate Campbell’s Foodservice’s reports and posts, and their most recent insights address how operators can succeed with LTOs.

For example, our look into their tips for leveraging nostalgia is here. And our thoughts on Campbell’s Culinary TrendPulse 2024 report are here for your review.

This time out, Campbell’s Foodservice, utilizing data from Technomic, Datassential, and other sources, is tackling LTOs.

If you’re a regular reader of KRG Hospitality’s industry insights, you know we love an LTO—if an operator executes it effectively. Along those lines, you probably also know that we view Taco Bell as a leader in the industry when it comes to leveraging the power of LTOs.

Not only does the QSR giant know what their guests want, they know how to generate demand. In fact, Taco Bell understands the power not just of LTOs but of tying them to their subscriptions. Take, for example, their Taco Lover’s Pass and the Toasted Breakfast Taco menu drop.

When approached with thoughtful consideration, well-executed LTOs are a crucial element of an operator’s marketing and branding strategy. They drive traffic and sales, boost guest engagement and loyalty, and attract attention from first-time guests.

Of course, crafting a gainful LTO—gaining profits, loyalty, and positive public perception—can be easier said than done. However, there are a number of steps you can take to get the ball rolling and come up with one that reflects your brand, and resonates with guests.

Four Steps

Kicking off their tips, Campbell’s Foodservice recommends keeping LTOs simple. As they say in their report, which you can read here, operators need not “reinvent the wheel” when developing these promotions.

You can differentiate an LTO menu item from its standard counterpart in a number of simple ways. A few examples are using a unique cooking process, crafting a limited-edition sauce, and featuring a distinctive and specific topping or two.

Another tip is to do your best to offer LTOs that embrace current trends. While sharing these tips, Campbell’s cites Datassential and the revelation that just 20 percent of all LTOs are recurring. That means that the vast majority of LTOs are new creations, not stalwarts like the McRib. To draw the attention of a wider swath of guests, feature regional and local items and flavors. Per Datassential, 70 percent of guests are interested in such LTOs.

Speaking of attention, operators should learn how to take and edit attractive F&B images. Or, as Campbell’s says, “make LTOs pretty.” Per Datassential, roughly a third of consumers will try an LTO if it looks appealing in an advertisement or in-store imagery.

Finally, and this one is crucial as it embodies the previous three tips, leverage seasonality. It’s currently summer, so what can you add in the way of flavor to an existing item? Is that item regional and locally sourced? Will photographing it and crafting a sharp post communicate the season and inspire a bit of FOMO? These questions can help guide your approach to crafting profitable LTOs.

Oh, and to help you get started, I’ve shared Campbell’s season flavor suggestions below. Cheers!

Campbell’s Foodservice Seasonal Flavors

Not only did Campbell’s share tips for succeeding with LTOs, they also provided several examples of seasonal flavors to inspire you and your team.

Since it’s July, I’ll start with their summer suggestions.

Summer: basil, blackberries, corn, cucumbers, peaches, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini

Fall: artichokes, cranberries, edamame, parsnips, pears, pumpkin, sweet peppers, tomatillos, turnips,

Winter: butternut squash, persimmons, radishes, salsify (a root vegetable), sunchokes, sweet potatoes, tangerines

Spring: asparagus, fava beans, pea greens, rhubarb, snap peas, spring onions, strawberries

Campbell’s Foodservice sources:

Foodservice and Hospitality: A strong LTO strategy helps operators retain and grow their customer base (March 2024)
Datassential: Limited Time Offers Keynote Report
Technomic: 162 Best-in-Class LTOs for 2023
Food & Drink Resources: A Limited Time Offer Strategy For Restaurants
Your Guide to Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables, The Spruce Eats
Datassential: State of the LTO 2024

Image: Hybrid Storytellers on Unsplash

July 23, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Difference Between a Plan and Playbook

The Difference Between a Plan and a Playbook

by Doug Radkey

Sometimes AI comes up with impressive images. This is one of them.

You’ve likely heard that 80 percent of hospitality businesses fail within the first five years.

When you ask those in the industry the question of why there is such a high rate of failure, they reply with a fairly predictable list of factors. These tend to be location, concept or brand confusion, lack of service standards, toxic workplace culture, sub-par marketing efforts, and mismanaged funds.

Many operators who fail try to quickly blame external factors, such as the economy.

When you ask the next question—what are the other 20 percent of operators doing differently to surpass five years in business—you get one simple answer. The difference between those who drive a sustainable profit of 12, 15 or 20 percent (or more) and those who don’t boils down to one thing and one thing only: they have strategic clarity.

It’s not that the successful 20 percent did not battle challenges or the same tough economy or labor struggles. What they had was clarity, and a playbook detailing how to overcome a multitude of challenges.

So how do you achieve strategic clarity? Well, it’s much more than just writing—or filling out a template for—a business plan.

What is Strategic Clarity?

Strategic clarity is the comprehensive understanding and alignment within your hospitality business regarding its identity, direction, purpose, and the means to achieve its goals.

It involves clear communication and consensus on key aspects of the business, ensuring that everyone is working towards the same objectives. Below, the key components that define strategic clarity.

1. Understanding Who We Are

Core Identity: This includes the mission, vision, and core values of your business. It defines what the business stands for, and its fundamental purpose.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Recognizing the business’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) aids in identifying the core competencies and areas for improvement.
Culture: The shared beliefs and practices that characterize the business’ internal environment, and how it interacts with both staff and guest perceptions.

2. Knowing Where We are Going

Vision: A clear and compelling picture of what the business aspires to become in the future. It serves as a guide for choosing current and future courses of action.
Long-term Goals: Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that outline the desired outcomes over an extended period.
Milestones: Intermediate targets that mark progress towards the long-term goals.

3. Understanding Why We are Doing This

Purpose: The fundamental reason for the business’ existence beyond making a profit. It encompasses the broader impact the business aims to have on its community.
Motivation: The driving force behind the business’ actions and strategies. This includes the values and principles that guide decision-making, as well as behavior.
Stakeholder Alignment: Ensuring that the goals and activities of the business align with the interests and needs of its stakeholders: guests, employees, investors, and the community.

4. How We are Going to Get There

Strategy: The overarching plan that outlines how the business will achieve its vision and long-term goals. It includes the allocation of resources and the selection of strategic initiatives.
Tactics: The specific actions and steps that will be taken to implement the strategy. This involves detailed planning, delegation, resources, and execution.
Performance Metrics: The criteria and tools used to measure progress and success. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other metrics help track the effectiveness of strategies and tactics.
Continuous Improvement: The process of regularly reviewing and refining strategies and tactics based on performance data and changing circumstances.

Strategic clarity is essential for the cohesive and effective functionality of your bar, restaurant, or hotel business. This leadership approach ensures that all members understand and are aligned with the business’ identity, direction, purpose, and methods.

By achieving strategic clarity, organizations can navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and build upon sustainable long-term success. What we have found over the years that attributes to long-term clarity and success is a series of playbooks.

Understanding Plans and Playbooks

Let’s first dive into the critical distinction between a plan and a playbook, and why this matters for your bar, restaurant, or hotel. Understanding and utilizing both can significantly impact your business’ ability to start strong, stabilize effectively, and ultimately position you to scale successfully.

A traditional business plan, as you may know it, is a document that outlines your goals, and the steps you will take to achieve them. It’s often the number one consideration to secure funding and to set strategic direction.

However, it is, more often than not, missing plenty of crucial information, strategies, and guidance that end up planting a false sense of security.

A playbook, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive guide filled with detailed processes, best practices, and adaptable strategies tailored to your specific operations. Within this dynamic industry, you need more than a standard business plan if you want to be successful.

In fact, you should have eight different playbooks in place to position yourself within the top echelon of this industry.

The Power of Playbooks in Hospitality

While plans are often static or rigid (and often forgotten about shortly after they’re written), playbooks are designed to be flexible and adaptable.

Playbooks provide a step-by-step guide, ensure consistency and efficiency, and offer adaptable strategies and best practices to start, manage, and grow effectively.

Playbooks go into more granular details, and provide actionable steps. In this way, they’re notably different from a singular business plan.

The Eight Playbooks

No matter if you are operating a coffee shop, bar, restaurant or hotel (or any other concept within the hospitality industry), the following eight playbooks should be looked at as non-negotiables.

Feasibility Study/Playbook: The foundational guide for assessing the viability of your hospitality business idea. It involves a comprehensive analysis of the market, competitive landscape, financial projections, and operational requirements. This playbook helps you determine whether your concept is realistic and profitable before committing significant resources.
Concept Playbook: Focuses on refining your hospitality business idea into a clear and compelling concept. This playbook guides you through creating a unique value proposition, defining your target market, and outlining the core elements of your business, including service style, interior design, and internal programming.
Prototype Playbook: A step-by-step guide to developing a tangible representation of your hospitality concept. This playbook helps you create a prototype that can be tested and refined before a full-scale launch. This playbook covers design specifications, operational workflows, fixtures/furniture/equipment, and detailed budgets.
Brand Strategy & Identity Playbook: Defines the strategic approach to building and maintaining a strong brand. This playbook covers the creation of your brand identity, messaging, and positioning to ensure consistent and impactful brand communication. It involves color psychology, core values, mission statements, brand experiences, and more.
Marketing Playbook: Outlines the strategies and tactics to attract, build, and retain your target guests. This playbook provides a roadmap for creating and executing effective marketing campaigns across various channels. It provides a step-by-step guide on content, social media management, database building, email marketing, partnerships, and community activations, along with detailed guest journey maps.
Tech-stack Playbook: Provides guidance on selecting and implementing the correct technology solutions to enhance your hospitality operations. This playbook ensures that your technology infrastructure supports your business goals and improves efficiency. This playbook identifies technology gaps, software solutions, hardware requirements, and integration plans, plus training and support on technology.
Financial Playbook: A comprehensive guide to manage your hospitality business’ finances. This playbook covers budgeting, financial forecasting, accounting practices, and financial performance analysis. It should highlight financial contingency plans, mock labor schedules, daily/weekly/monthly/seasonal traffic reports that align with the business, and financial objectives.
Operational Playbook (a.k.a. Business Plan): Outlines the day-to-day operations in great detail, along with long-term strategies. This playbook ensures that all aspects of your operations are well-coordinated and aligned with your overall business goals, and the other seven playbooks. It should highlight standard operating procedures, labor plans, supply chain management, guest services, and measurable operational metrics.

You’ll notice there are seven other playbooks written before the business plan. Far too often, this is where people start. Without the other seven playbooks, it will be nearly impossible to craft a winning playbook for your day-to-day operations.

When Should You Use Playbooks

To Start: These eight playbooks are crucial to craft your success story right from the beginning. Build the foundations before signing a lease or purchasing a property.
To Stabilize: If you’re currently underperforming (profit margins under 12 percent for bars and restaurants, and under 15 percent for hotels), use playbooks to generate impactful results.
To Scale: These playbooks will help ensure that both your first location—and the next location—are prepared for consistent operations without diminishing your brand equity.

Strategic planning within detailed playbooks is essential for your hospitality business’ success.

Regardless of your current position, evaluate your use of business plans, and consider developing comprehensive playbooks instead. Make the time and commitment to achieving true clarity in your business, and position yourself to be on the correct side of this industry’s statistics.

AI image generator: DALL-E

The METAXA Sour cocktail made with METAXA 12 Stars, in landscape orientation

July 3, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

3 Spins on Classics for July 4th

3 Refreshing Spins on Classics for July 4th

by David Klemt

Our friends over at Rémy Cointreau want to help you celebrate the 4th of July with your guests, so they sent over these three enticing cocktail recipes.

Back in January of this year they sent us cocktails dedicated to the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz. And about four months ago, Rémy Cointreau shared National Cocktail Day recipes with us. In turn, we shared them with you.

More importantly, two of these builds are reinterpretations and refreshes of well-known classics. Below, you’ll find a reinvention of a Whiskey Sour and a Mojito.

There’s also a frozen Margarita, a perfect refresher for hot summer days and nights. Although, one can argue that this is a spin on the original, figuratively and literally since it’s going into a blender.

Of these three drinks, the METAXA Sour is the one I’m most eager to try. Most people are likely familiar with Cointreau and Rémy Martin Cognac.

However, they’re probably less acquainted with METAXA. Guests who appreciate a fine Cognac or complex whiskey or rum will likely enjoy METAXA 12 Stars. This brandy is the marriage of sweet Muscat wine from the Greek island Samos, fine wine distillates aged for up to 12 years, and Mediterranean botanicals.

Before being bottled, METAXA 12 Stars is aged in heavily toasted oak barrels for at least 12 months. Along with spice, expect dried citrus fruit, toffee, coffee, and chocolate on the nose and palate.

Personally, I recommend experimenting with METAXA 12 Stars (and its peer 7 Stars) in your brandy, bourbon, rye, and rum cocktails.

Cheers!

METAXA Sour

1.7 oz. METAXA 12 Stars
0.7 oz. Fresh lemon juice
0.3 oz. Sugar syrup
0.7 oz. Egg white, or 1 Tbsp. Meringue
Orange zest to garnish

The METAXA Sour is a spicy, citrusy, and bright take on the traditional sour. First, prepare a rocks by adding a large sphere or cube of ice. Next, simply add all of the ingredients (minus the garnish, of course) to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well, then strain, and dry shake to emulsify. Note: Some bartenders prefer dry shaking first, then adding ice, and then shaking again. Finally, pour into the prepared rocks glass, garnish, and serve.

Frozen Berry Margarita

1 oz. Cointreau
2 oz. Blanco tequila
0.75 oz. Fresh lime juice
0.5 cup Frozen berries
0.25 oz. Simple syrup
5 Ice cubes
Speared lime wheel and berries to garnish

Break out the blender. Oh, and try to sell more than one at a time to be more efficient.

This recipe is easy: add all of the ingredients except the garnish to a blender. I bet you know what’s next—blend everything together. Pour into a Margarita glass, garnish, and serve.

The Rémy Mojito

1.5 oz. Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal
1 oz. Fresh lime juice
0.5 oz. Simple syrup
1 0z. Sparkling water
Handful of mint leaves to muddle
Mint sprig to garnish

This recipe is a bit of a departure from the traditional Mojito your guests know and love. Therefore, it’s a new way to re-engage with a classic and have a new experience.

Start by adding pebble ice, Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal, lime juice, simple syrup, and a handful of mint leaves to a shaker. Per the recipe, using pebble ice should prevent the mint leaves from being broken and torn apart. Shake well, pour into a Collins glass, and top with the sparkling water. Garnish with mint sprig, and serve.

Disclaimer: Neither the author nor KRG Hospitality received compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this post.

Images courtesy of LaFORCE on behalf of Rémy Cointreau

July 2, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

5 Books to Read this Month: July 2024

5 Books to Read this Month: July 2024

by David Klemt

Our inspiring July book selections will give you a new perspective on developing leadership skills, identifying your core values, effective branding, and more.

To review the book recommendations from June 2024, click here.

Let’s jump in!

Wawa Way: How a Funny Name and Six Core Values Revolutionized Convenience

Core values is one of the topics that came up during the inaugural Flyover Conference, which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio. In fact, keynote speaker Dave Kaplan of hospitality group Gin & Luck (Death & Co.) shared his approach to identifying personal and brand core values. (Yes, I’ll be writing an article on that for publication in the near future.) This book, written by Howard Stoeckel, vice chairman of Wawa, illustrates the importance of identifying, adhering to, and revisiting core values on a regular basis to forge a path toward long-term success.

From Amazon: “Grahame Wood opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for Wawa dairy products. Since then, the convenience store has grown into a well-known company that competes against the biggest industry players in the world in three areas: fuel, convenience, and food, all while maintaining their personal approach and small business mentality. Now, almost 50 years later, Wawa has opened its first store in Florida and begun to play on the national field. How did it happen? What are the reasons for their success? Why have they been able to go up against the big guys with nothing more than homegrown talent?”

Pick up the paperback here.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

Interestingly, The Checklist Manifesto credits the US Air Force with implementing checklists to great success. As a former airman myself, I can attest to the USAF’s strict usage of this simple but effective tool. So, it should come as no surprise that I—and the rest of the KRG Hospitality team—are firm believers in operators using checklists every day. Indeed, one of the services we provide is creating tailor-made checklists for our clients.

Moreover, Dave Kaplan recommended this book during the Q&A session of my Flyover Conference session. Now, I’m recommending this book to you and our clients.

From Amazon: “We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to master the tasks they face. Longer training, ever more advanced technologies—neither seems to prevent grievous errors. But in a hopeful turn, acclaimed surgeon and writer Atul Gawande finds a remedy in the humblest and simplest of techniques: the checklist. First introduced decades ago by the U.S. Air Force, checklists have enabled pilots to fly aircraft of mind-boggling sophistication. Now innovative checklists are being adopted in hospitals around the world, helping doctors and nurses respond to everything from flu epidemics to avalanches. Even in the immensely complex world of surgery, a simple ninety-second variant has cut the rate of fatalities by more than a third.”

Get your copy today.

Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy and How to Make It Work for You

Are you aware there’s a position within the US Department of State dedicated to advising president, vice president, and secretary of state on diplomatic protocol? The person in this role is the chief of protocol, and they claim the ranks of assistant secretary of state, and ambassador. Among their responsibilities, this person ensures those in the highest offices are aware of and understand cultural gestures. Further, these people know how powerful seemingly “small” gestures are in influencing interactions and experiences.

Savvy operators will see parallels in the experiences they deliver to guests. Protocol was written by Capricia Penavic Marshall, former chief of protocol to former President Obama. In its pages you’ll learn the importance of etiquette, diplomacy, implementing and training your team on SOPs, and how there are no “minor” details in hospitality.

From Amazon: “Sharing unvarnished anecdotes from her time in office—harrowing near misses, exhilarating triumphs, heartwarming personal stories—Marshall brings us a master class in soft power, unveiling the complexity of human interactions and making the case that etiquette, cultural IQ, and a flexible mind-set matter now more than ever. When the notion of basic civility seems to be endangered, Protocol reminds us how critical these principles are while providing an accessible guide for anyone who wants to be empowered by the tools of diplomacy in work and everyday life.”

Buy it here!

Day Trading Attention: How to Actually Build Brand and Sales in the New Social Media World

As an operator, your time is your most-valuable resource. Therefore, you need to make sure you spend it wisely and take massive action. This relates to marketing and branding, as creating content is a waste of time if it’s not impactful, relevant, and engaging in order to result in traffic and sales.

From Amazon: “In his latest book, [Gary] Vaynerchuk argues that today’s fast-growing businesses, brands, content creators, and influencers have one thing in common: They mastered storytelling in areas of underpriced attention, which predominantly exists across a handful of social media platforms. Informed by 20+ years of business and marketing success, he contends that the biggest transformation and opportunity is the “TikTokification of Social Media.” Increasingly, platforms are distributing content based on what users are interested in, rather than who they follow.”

Grab yours now.

Bar Hacks: Developing The Fundamentals for an Epic Bar

Yep, I’m taking the opportunity to recommend Doug Radkey’s first book. Radkey is, as you may know, the president of KRG Hospitality. In his this book he explains the importance of nailing the fundamentals in order to:

start your operator journey in the best possible position;
stabilize your business; and
scale when the time comes, if that’s what you want.

From Amazon: “This informative and conversational book is the perfect read for aspiring or seasoned bar, pub, lounge, or even restaurant owners, operators, and managers looking for that competitive edge in operations! If you’re looking for both fundamental and in-depth planning methods, strategies, and industry focused insight to either start or grow a scalable, sustainable, memorable, profitable, and consistent venue in today’s cut-throat industry–Bar Hacks is written just for you!”

Click here to get your copy today!

Image: Mikołaj on Unsplash

July 1, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Program for Unique Holidays: July 2024

Program for Unique Holidays: July 2024

by David Klemt

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your July holiday programming.

Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.

For our June 2024 holidays list, click here.

July 7: National Dive Bar Day

Alright, dive and neighborhood bar operators—this is the day to really ensure you and your bar team shine. Show the community why your bar is one of the cornerstones of the neighborhood. This is an opportunity to pull out the stops to impress your regulars and reinforce their love of your bar, and to attract new neighbors to hang out at your place on a regular basis.

July 8: National SCUD Day

Let’s clarify this at the start: SCUD stands for “Savor the Comic and Unplug the Drama.” The intent is for people to relax, unplug, and enjoy some humor, or at least take a light-hearted approach to life. Now, if you happen to feature stand-up comedy or operate a comedy club, this holiday should be all the way in your wheelhouse.

July 9: Cow Appreciation Day

The humble cow provides a lot for us. In addition to all manner of food items, cows even help us make some very smooth vodkas. Given how much cows give, operators can make entire prix fixe menus dedicated to them: from appetizer to dessert, the cow can fill out an entire meal, including drinks.

However, you can take another approach to this holiday. Vegan restaurants, for example, can highlight alternatives to cow products by creating dishes, drinks, and prix fixe menus.

July 11: National Mojito Day

Here’s an easy one. After you’ve ensured that your bar team makes an excellent Mojito, create an LTO menu. Feature the traditional build, a high-end version, and a creative variant or two.

July 13: Embrace Your Geekness Day

How the times have changed, for the better in this instance. Not long ago, “geek” was a real insult. Now, we can’t wait as individuals to geek out with others over our hobbies, interests, and other passions.

Does your bar have an overall theme that can be amplified for maximum geekiness? Do you feature board games, card games, or even video games? Is it common for clubs to meet up at your place? Have you noticed something that several of your patrons seem to enjoy talking about and geeking out over? Lean as far into that as you can and create an amazing experience.

July 15: National Be a Dork Day

Maybe you don’t like the word “geek.” Perhaps, to you, being a dork is more about being a bit (or very) silly, and leaning into being “uncool” (which is actually cool).

At any rate, if you’re not into the idea of Embrace Your Geekness Day—or you want to showcase the difference between geeks and dorks—National Be a Dork Day may work well for you.

July 21: National Junk Food Day

We all have differing ideas about junk food. For some, junk food refers to candy and dessert foods, specifically. To others, it’s anything that isn’t considered a healthy food.

The approach I recommend is giving people an excuse to eat and drink whatever they want on this day, or taking a cheat day. Further, you can certainly create a cocktail menu that captures the flavors of people’s favorite candy bars, candies, etc. Or, build over-the-top burgers, come up with a signature food challenge, or create a signature pizza that features compelling and unique toppings.

July 22: National Mango Day

Mango Margaritas, Mango Mezcalritas, mango IPA, mango ale, mango salsa, mango-habanero-glazed short ribs… If you can mango it, put it on an LTO menu.

July 27: National Take Your Pants for a Walk Day

Are you in a walkable city? This is really just a more interesting way of saying, “Walk to our bar/restaurant to earn your treat and time out with friends.”

July 31: National Avocado Day

Don’t be avoca-don’t—be an avoca-do. If your dishes and drinks can feature avocado in some way, have your kitchen and bar teams lean into it. For example, this would be a fantastic day to impress with a signature guacamole, made table-side.

Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels

June 25, 2024by krghospitality krghospitality No Comments

The Power of an ImpactMAP™

The Power of an ImpactMAP™

by Doug Radkey

Let’s be honest, the line between success and failure often hinges on the ability to act decisively and act with purpose.

In this article, we’re going to explore two areas of your hospitality business that are under your control: creating a plan, and taking action.

Understanding the Risk of Inaction

The concept surrounding the Risk of Inaction—arguably a new form of ROI—captures the potential losses businesses face when they fail to take strategic actions.

Inaction in the hospitality industry can manifest in various harmful ways. Inaction can also stem from multiple sources: fear of change, lack of resources, or simply underestimating the competition.

Regardless of the manifestation or cause, the consequences are usually the same: stagnation, decline, and, ultimately, a shuttered business.

Let’s put this into context by taking a look at a sample of both a restaurant and a hotel business.

Failure to Innovate

If a restaurant does not act to continuously re-engineer its menu, it risks diminishing profits, providing a low-level guest experience, and mismanaging inventory. Without regular strategic updates, the menu may fail to reflect current culinary trends and guest preferences, which can lead to a decrease in interest and satisfaction.

Additionally, sticking with a static menu can prevent the restaurant from optimizing ingredient use, productivity, and cost-efficiency.

At the end of the day, this lack of adaptation and innovation will result in diminishing sales and profitability, making it difficult for the restaurant to sustain its operations.

Failure to Update Systems

If a hotel on the other hand decides to not use a modern and fully integrated Property Management System (PMS), it risks operating inefficiently and falling behind in today’s technology-driven hospitality environment.

A non-existent, outdated, or fragmented PMS can lead to significant operational issues, such as slow check-in and check-out processes, errors in room availability and booking management, and ineffective communication between different departments. That’s just to name a few crucial issues.

This inefficiency can impact guest experiences negatively, leading to dissatisfaction and potentially harming the hotel’s reputation.

Furthermore, without a modern PMS, a hotel may struggle with data management, limiting its ability to effectively analyze performance metrics, forecast demand, and implement dynamic pricing strategies. These disadvantages will result in lost revenue and reduced competitiveness in a space where guest expectations and operational efficiency are increasingly driven by technological advancements.

In each example above, the risk of inaction leads to missed opportunities and underperformance.

The Power of an ImpactMAP™

To combat the risks associated with inaction, your hospitality business can benefit significantly from developing an ImpactMAP™.

This strategic tool can help you identify where you currently stand, define where you want to go, and outline the steps required to get there, thereby helping you create not only strategic clarity, but drive and accountability.

The Assessment

To create an ImpactMAP™ and to take action immediately, you need to first assess your operations.

An assessment of your hospitality business is a comprehensive evaluation process aimed at analyzing various aspects of your business to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement or opportunity. The goal is to gather actionable insights that can help optimize operations, enhance guest experiences, and massively improve your profitability.

The assessment should involve on-site observations, staff interviews, and a deep dive into the following eight categories, culminating in a detailed report that provides recommendations and a strategic plan for future growth and sustainability.

For each of the eight categories, consider a 3x matrix with three responses to the following questions:

Where are we now?
Where do we want to go?
What resources do we need?
What’s holding us back?

Then, create a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) goal for each response in your “Where We Want to Go” list.

What are the eight assessment categories?

1. Brand Strategy

Assessment: Review your core values, story, messaging, philosophy, design, and reputation.

Opportunity: Enhance brand alignment across all touchpoints to ensure consistency while refining your brand messaging to better connect with targeted guest profiles.

2. Internal Programming

Assessment: Review your pricing strategy, guest experiences, property / menu / room management systems and programs.

Opportunity: Optimize your offerings based on guest preference data and a profitability analysis, along with potential upgrades to your amenities to enhance guest satisfaction and to compete with today’s market standards. In summary, implement efficiencies to improve guest experiences and operational workflow with a focus on your internal programming.

3. Marketing Plans

Assessment: Review guest profiles, guest journey maps, guest databases, awareness and retention strategies, and your digital marketing portfolio.

Opportunity: Integrate advanced digital marketing techniques to increase reach and engagement while developing targeted promotions and partnerships, and by leveraging data analytics to tailor marketing efforts more precisely to guest behaviors and trends.

4. Tech-Stack Plans

Assessment: Review guest facing technology, POS / PMS system, integrations, and marketing.

Opportunity: Identify current technology gaps and plan for a strategic integration of systems that enhance guest experiences while streamlining operations.

5. Standard Operating Procedures

Assessment: Review of all internal and external systems, plus training programs and SOPs.

Opportunity: Ensuring that all staff are clear on their roles and responsibilities, which enhances overall service quality through the development of standardized procedures that ensure consistency and efficiency across the business. Implement feedback systems to continually refine and improve SOPs based on real-time challenges and successes.

6. People and Culture

Assessment: Review of staff experiences, onboarding, productivity, growth, and retainment.

Opportunity: Strengthen employee engagement through improved communication and support systems. Foster a culture of innovation and openness in which employees feel valued and motivated. Develop leadership from within to enhance management effectiveness and succession planning.

7. Financial Health

Assessment: Review of all financials, including Revenue, COGs, KPIs, Expenses, Debt, and Profit.

Opportunity: Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising service quality. Explore new revenue streams that align with your brand values and market opportunities. Implement more rigorous financial tracking and forecasting tools (such as technology) to better predict financial trends and react proactively.

8. Mindset

Assessment: Daily habits, work / life balance, decisiveness, communications, and growth-based thinking.

Opportunity: Develop a mindset of continuous improvement among all staff levels (starting with yourself) to foster an environment of excellence. Cultivate resilience by planning for crisis management and business continuity. Promote a guest-centric approach, aligning all business decisions with guest satisfaction and personal development outcomes.

Creating the ImpactMAP™

By following the above 3x strategy for each category, you will have created 24 SMART objectives that will be the foundation of your ImpactMAP™ to move your business forward over the next one to six to 12 months.

Importance of SMART Objectives

What does SMART mean and how does it work?

Specific, Clarity, and Focus: SMART objectives provide clear and concise goals that everyone in your business can understand and rally behind. This clarity helps to focus efforts and resources on what’s most important.
Measurability and Tracking: By setting measurable goals, your business can track progress and make data-driven decisions. This measurability allows for adjustments to be made in strategies or tactics to ensure the objectives are met.
Achievability: Goals that are achievable motivate staff. Setting impossible goals can lead to frustration and disengagement, whereas achievable objectives encourage team effort and commitment.
Relevance: Ensuring that each objective is relevant to the broader business goals ensures that every effort made contributes to the overall success of your brand.
Timeliness: Incorporating a timeframe provides urgency, a deadline, and accountability, which can help prioritize daily tasks and long-term plans.

However, you shouldn’t try to accomplish all 24 objectives at the same time. Once you’ve set your 24 impactful objectives, prioritizing them is crucial to stabilize your hospitality business and aim for scalable growth.

Best Practices for Prioritizing Objectives

Assess Business Needs: Start by conducting that thorough assessment of your business to identify key areas that need improvement.
Impact Analysis: Evaluate the potential impact of each objective. Prioritize objectives that offer the greatest benefits in terms of guest satisfaction, revenue growth, and operational efficiency.
Resource Availability: Consider the resources available, including budget, people, and technology. Prioritize objectives that align with current resources or where adjustments can be made to accommodate necessary changes.
Quick Wins: Identify objectives that can be achieved quickly and with minimal disruption to your ongoing operations. These quick wins can boost morale and provide visible improvements that justify further investments in other areas.
Strategic Importance: Some objectives, while not providing immediate benefits, are crucial for long-term success. Prioritize these based on their strategic importance to the business’s future.
Stakeholder Input: Engage with various stakeholders, including management, staff, and guests, to gain insights into which objectives they feel are most critical. This can help in aligning the goals with the needs and expectations of those most affected by the changes.
Balanced Scorecard: Use a balanced scorecard approach to ensure that objectives across different areas such as guest services, internal processes, financial performance, and learning and growth are all being addressed.
Iterative Review: Regularly review the priorities as situations and business dynamics evolve. What may be a priority today might change based on market conditions or internal business changes over the next three to six months.

Once you have your objectives prioritized, it’s time to assign or delegate them as needed and have those assignees (including yourself) take ownership of the objectives with their signature to add another level of accountability.

Implementing the ImpactMAP™

Before starting, ask yourself one final question: What will happen if we don’t take action?

Be detailed and mindful of what the short-term and long-term consequences might be if you don’t act.

Effective implementation of an ImpactMAP™ requires knowledge of these consequences, along with a commitment from all levels of your business. It starts with comprehensive training sessions followed by regular review meetings, which are both essential to assess progress, address challenges, and refine strategies as needed.

Take a SMART-ER approach, which is where you Evaluate and Re-adjust the SMART objectives halfway through the timeline you’ve set.

Conclusion

Risk of inaction is a silent threat that can undermine any business, particularly in this dynamic industry.

Adopting an ImpactMAP™ and making a commitment to take massive action allows you to manage your operations proactively, adapt to changing market conditions, and set a course for sustainable success.

This strategic approach not only mitigates risks but also empowers your hospitality business to thrive in a competitive landscape—but it starts with you and your mindset toward taking action.

Image: KRG Hospitality