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August 8, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Celebrate the Negroni, Support Slow Food

Celebrate the Negroni and Support Slow Food

by David Klemt

This month, operators will have the opportunity to sign their bars up to take part in the tenth-anniversary celebration of Negroni Week.

For 2023, Negroni Week hosts Imbibe Magazine and Campari are raising funds for Slow Food. Sponsors also include Cinzano, Bulldog Gin, Bols Genever, and Coopers’ Craft Bourbon.

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A post shared by Campari USA (@campariusa)

Negroni Week will take place from September 18 through September 24. Registration is now live and operators can sign up their bars via this link.

So, we’re helping spread the word early and giving operators and their teams plenty of time to prepare to participate this year.

Negroni Week 2023

After first launching in 2013, Negroni Week is celebrating their decennial year.

Over the course of ten years, Imbibe and Campari have seen tremendous growth and results. In its inaugural year (or perhaps inaugural week is more accurate), a little over 100 venues participated. In its second year, 1,300 venues registered for Negroni Week.

Now, thousands of venues sign up every year, helping to raise money for worthy causes. To date, Negroni Week boasts more than $4 million in funds for charitable organizations.

Participation really couldn’t be any simpler: register, make a donation of at least $25, serve Negronis and/or variations of Negronis, and donate proceeds from your Negroni Week LTO menu.

After completing registration and making at least the minimum donation, an operator’s venue will gain placement on the Negroni Week website. The listings are searchable by state and city. Venues that donate $250 or more will carry a Premium Donor designation.

Those looking for inspiration for their charity LTO menus can click here to sift through Negroni Week’s recipe database.

Slow Food

Simply put, Slow Food’s mission is to help everyone access food that’s good for them, good the people who grow it, and good the planet as a whole.

An even more succinct description comes from the Slow Food website: access to food that’s “good, clean, and fair for all.”

Further, Slow Food seeks to prevent the loss local food cultures, along with food traditions. The organization was founded in 1989 and is now active in more than 160 countries.

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A post shared by Slow Food International (@slowfood_international)

In the US, Slow Food operates as a 501(c)(3) organization and has been active in Canada for several years. The charitable organization has had a strong presence in the provinces of British Columbia, Calgary, Montréal, and Ontario.

Get Ready

With just three ingredients in a 1:1:1 ratio, any bar team should be able to handle putting delicious Negronis across the bar.

So, operators should ensure their team can craft a traditional Negroni while encouraging them to work on some creative variations.

We’ll see in a little over a month to celebrate Negroni Week!

Image: Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

Ukraine flag flying against blue sky, perspective shot

February 27, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

How Operators Can Support Ukraine

How Operators Can Support Ukraine

by David Klemt

It’s normal to feel like there’s not much we can do as we watch in horror as Russia invades Ukraine, but there are ways to show support.

NATO alliance countries are struggling in their responses to Russia. A country with thousands of nuclear arms invaded a sovereign nation without such weapons. The response from NATO nations must be measured and de-escalate, not provoke. Consider that Russia seemingly threatened Sweden and Finland, and put its nuclear deterrence forces on “high alert.”

So, it’s understandable that the rest of us aren’t sure how much of a difference we can make.

However, restaurants, bars, hotels, and other hospitality businesses do have the power to help.

Zirkova Vodka

John and Katherine Vellinga founded Zirkova Vodka around 2016. Initially, the brand was named Slava Vodka.

The Vellingas are Canadians. However, they consider Ukraine their home country. In fact, the two worked in Ukraine for about five years.

During their time in Ukraine, the two worked with brewers and winemakers. Over the course of those five years, John and Katherine decided to create an ultra-premium Ukrainian vodka.

It’s important to note, however, that Zirkova’s mission isn’t simply to create world-class vodka. You can read their full mission statement here.

In part, the brand’s mission statement reads: “Built in the DNA of the brand is a deep-rooted belief in the goodness of humanity, an abiding commitment to freedom and human rights for all.”

Zirkova’s foundation One+Together has raised money for human rights and humanitarian throughout Canada, Ukraine, and New York City.

Now, the brand is donating 100 percent of profits generated from sales of Zirkova at the LCBO to Ukrainian humanitarian funds.

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A post shared by ZIRKOVA VODKA (@zirkovavodka)

It should also be noted that the province of British Columbia has banned the sale and import of Russian liquor products.

On the topic of donations, operators can support a number of charities that focus on helping the people of Ukraine.

For example, World Central Kitchen. WCK has already mobilized, setting up in Poland to help Ukrainians who have had to flea their homes.

The non-profit organization also has a relief team on the way to Romania as well. Donations to WCK can be made via this link.

If you have a question about the legitimacy of a charity, look it up on a site like Charity Navigator. Unfortunately, bad actors (scumbags) latch onto crises to scam people out of their money.

Rejecting Russian Vodka

Some restaurants and bars are making more assertive statements via the products they’re now willing to sell…or no longer sell.

There are restaurants and bars emptying their inventories of Russian vodkas by dumping them out.

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A post shared by Eric Gladstone (@ecgladstone)

The above post is just one example of operators, restaurant workers, and bar teams taking a stand.

In addition, there are operators seeking to add Ukrainian products to their menus. Will these businesses ever carry Russian products again? It’s far too early to tell, of course.

Individual operators will have to decide if refusing to sell Russian products is the right decision for them. If they choose that path, they’ll need to decide if doing so quietly or publicly is the best approach.

In simplistic terms, too many politicians and leaders are beholden to corporate money and influence. Realistically, as regards Putin, the opposite seems true.

Still, impacting the bottom lines of Russian companies, millionaires and billionaires may have some impact on Putin, though that’s unlikely to lead to peace any time soon.

Interestingly, reports indicate that at least two Russian billionaires have called for peace in Ukraine.

Safe Communities

It’s alarmingly easy for strong emotions to drive just about anyone to make harmful decisions. Fear, sorrow, frustration, and anger are powerful.

We must all remember something incredibly important: The Russian people are not to blame for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

One person—along with his inner circle of sycophants and enablers—is to blame: Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Feeling powerless to help the Ukrainian people can lead to feelings of anger. It’s crucial that we not allow violence or harassment of Russian people in our communities.

We can support Ukraine without harming Russian people. Restaurants and bars are pillars of their communities, and keeping people safe is non-negotiable.

Some of us may react to feelings of anger, fear, and frustration by lashing out. We can’t let that lead to violence in our streets.

Do not tolerate harassment or violence in or around your business, and make it clear your business is safe for all guests. The last thing we need now is more divisiveness, harm or fear.

Image: Daria Volkova on Unsplash

August 25, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Supporting Local Charities

Supporting Local Charities

by David Klemt

When it comes to showing the community you serve that you care about the people in it, supporting local charities is a wise decision.

Indeed, it’s a choice that restauranteur, restaurant industry leader, author, speaker, and World Pizza Champion Mike Bausch endorses.

Last week, Bausch shared his tips for supporting local charities at the 2021 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Oklahoma is also a Bar Hacks podcast guest. Click here to listen to episode 18.

The Wrong Way

First, Bausch encourages operators to always donate food, not money.

“Don’t be a gold Sponsor,” he says of the higher tiers of charitable donations. “Don’t be a silver sponsor.”

Of course, one reason to provide only food to a charity’s event comes down to costs. Let’s say an operator plans to donate five 20-inch pizzas (I know, not a huge donation—it’s just an example). On the high end, the food cost is $7 per pizza. That’s a donation of just $35 while still showing community support.

Second, promoting charitable donations. Simply put, don’t do it.

Bausch says to just provide the donations but not brag about it on social media or other avenues. In most cases, doing so wipes out good will from the community.

However, there is one exception: national charity events.

Third, some donations come in the form of silent auctions. In these instances, Bausch believes it’s perfectly acceptable to be over the top.

For example, silent auction items are often just an 8.5 x 11 sheet describing what a bidder can win. To stand out, Bausch says to go big with a branded basket loaded with several items. People will leave the event remembering the brand with the big basket.

The Right Way

Here, Bausch explains that he normally says yes to all charities. There are, of course, some exceptions. More on that below.

First, let’s take a look at a simple way to field donation requests. Bausch recommends adding a donation request page to a restaurant’s website. Doing so makes it easy for an operator to stay on schedule for donations and events.

The form also helps weed out the aforementioned exceptions. If someone seeking donations can’t even take the time to fill out the form, says Bausch, that identifies a red flag immediately.

Also, Bausch includes the following at the end of the request form: “A customer of Andolini’s?” (yes or no), and “Describe an experience (positive or negative) you’ve had at Andolini’s.”

Additionally, not every donation Bausch and Andolini’s make is necessarily for a charity. There are smaller groups of people with whom Bausch will seek good will.

Example: Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering groups. Bausch sees value in supporting so-called “fringe” groups, providing a place to host tournaments or food for their tournaments.

Bausch will also call the local police, ask when shift changes take place, and drop off pizzas.

When asked, inevitably, why he would just drop off free pizzas, his answer is simple: “Because we want to.”

Image: Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

January 5, 2021by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

86 Restaurant Struggle Campaign a Quarter of the Way to Million-dollar Goal

86 Restaurant Struggle Campaign a Quarter of the Way to Million-dollar Goal

by David Klemt

It’s a new year and we could all use a lift and some great news.

I think a grassroots campaign to provide financial assistance to struggling restaurant workers should restore a bit of faith in humanity.

Chef Andrew Gruel, CEO and executive chef of the Slapfish chain of seafood restaurants, along with wife Lauren Gruel and Slapfish vice president of operations Brad Hall, launched the 86 Restaurant Struggle campaign on GoFundMe in December 2020. The goal is to raise $1 million for restaurant workers enduring hardship.

This news gets better and better:

86 Restaurant Struggle has raised over $228,000 of the $1 million goal.
More than 2,100 people have donated to the GoFundMe campaign.
So far, half of the donations fall within the $5-100 range, meaning that even during these incredibly difficult times, people are coming together to give whatever they can afford to share.
The funds are being dispersed immediately to restaurant workers in need.
Turnaround time for 86 Restaurant Struggle fund applicants to be screened and receive their funds is, so far, less than two days.
As of two days ago, the campaign has managed to quickly disperse more than $100,000 of the funds raised.

The campaign is inspiring, even if the reason for its existence is the maddening failure of government to provide meaningful assistance to the hospitality industry and the millions of hard-working people it employs. This industry is made up of people who don’t leave others behind and who won’t wait for the government to decide anyone’s fate if they can help it.

Hey, we may not all like one another but we have each other’s backs. It’s important for our mental and emotional health to keep that in mind, as difficult as that may be sometimes.

To learn more about 86 Restaurant Struggle, please click here. To apply for assistance, click here. To follow Chef Gruel and track the progress of 86 Restaurant Struggle, click here.