haysmacintyre’s Post

"Fancy like Applebee's on a date night, Got that Bourbon Street steak and an Oreo shake With some whipped cream, on the top too, 2 straws one check, girl I got you..." Do you always sing along with Walker Hayes' song...Fancy Like? Now Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar is leaning into this earworm, with a Date Night Subscription Pass. $200 gets you up to 52 "Date Nights" of up to $30 each. Not surprisingly the subscription was a hit, apparently selling out in 30 seconds, and nearly crashing Applebee's website. It's not known how many passes were actually sold, and many consumers feel hoodwinked. The offer was rich and the demand is definitely there. Other restaurants have experimented with varying degrees of success with subscriptions (remember the Taco Bell Taco Lovers Pass?). It makes sense to me. A susbcription (or a premium membership) can smooth out cashflow for the restaurant, drive preference and habits with consumers, and create some buzz too. (Normally, I'd share an article, but today, I'm sharing the song, for your enjoyment!) #restauranttech #fastcasual #subscriptions #membership https://lnkd.in/gQ35Qr6T

On January 1st, I made the move to the United States to expand Bingo Loco after 7 successful years organizing bingo raves in the UK, Irish and Australian markets. Here's a glimpse of my 10 key learnings from this exciting journey: - Researching Local Markets: Understanding consumer behavior, preferences, legal requirements, and competition was crucial for our expansion. - Crafting a Clear Strategy: Defining objectives and strategies tailored to the US market's nuances, from big cities to smaller markets. - Compliance with Local Laws: Adhering to state and city tax regulations was essential before approaching new territories. - Cultural Sensitivity: Adapting our show to local norms and business etiquettes in the diverse US market. - Effective Communication: Hiring local staff and adjusting humor and language to resonate with different audiences. - Building a Local Presence: Establishing in-person connections to demonstrate commitment and trust. - Strong Partnerships: Managing relationships uniquely to be adaptive and responsive. - Supply Chain Management: Developing a local logistics strategy for efficient operations. - Hiring Local Talent: Investing in performers who understand regional differences and audience preferences. - Continuous Adaptation: Regularly reviewing and adapting strategies based on market feedback and conditions. In the last few months: - 32% of states have operational setups (Pink) - 26% have operations pending (Orange) - 42% are part of the roadmap ahead (Blue) Excited to continue this journey of growth and adaptation in the dynamic US market!

“Running a restaurant is a total breeze!” …said no one ever 😂 With daily tasks like managing your team’s schedule, addressing service hiccups, tending to guests, and staying on top of things like social media and accounting, who’s got the time to be proactive?!? That’s why we created this seasonal prep list— 👉🏼Follow expert advice 👉🏼Get inspired by awesome Tock customer ideas 👉🏼Support your staff 🏆Ready to offer stand-out experiences? 💵Ready to convert first-time visitors into lifelong guests? ✅The prep list has gotcha covered 💪🏼

Champagne gifts to clients signal 'done deal' celebrations, fuelling positive actions, boosting conversions, and the result? A healthier bottom line and clients beaming with delight. Seamlessly shop champagne gifts on Giftsenda here: https://hubs.li/Q02mGDpX0

Having worked with winery owners for over 30 years, I've observed a common pitfall known as the "peanut butter spread" process, where costs are allocated broadly and often inaccurately, leading to missed profit opportunities. Through meticulous costing of bulk and bottled wines, my clients gain a comprehensive understanding of their true production costs, broken down by vintage, varietal, and bottling. This detailed approach empowers businesses to make informed pricing decisions, ensuring that each wine is priced appropriately to maximize profitability. If this resonates with you, I invite you to schedule a call using the link below. We can discuss how my expertise in wine costing can support your business objectives and ultimately boost your bottom line. #wine #winebiz #winecost #wineindustry

It's all a process...

Some interesting echoes of Sir John Hegarty's MAD//FEST LONDON talk yesterday in Sir Martin Sorrell's talk today. Asked what he’d recommend to youngsters joining the industry Sir Martin said learn Chinese, Spanish and coding – not just because they’re useful skills, but because it’ll exercise your brain in a way that we don’t do enough of now. Whilst Sir Martin Sorrell also talked about trying tech fast, because it will change faster than you think, Rory Sutherland talked about what slow AI might look like. Sometimes we need to take time to do things, we need to put in the right amount of effort to achieve what we need to. Being more efficient can be easy to achieve, being more effective is often much harder. Thanks MAD//FEST – lots of great thinking to make the little grey cells fire up – now to slowly digest and think about the learnings to take forward.

Whiskey Wednesday Recap: Such a wonderful group to voice interesting trends and help scratch intellectual curiosity. Yesterday afternoon we discussed a theme that seems to be circulating: "Are Benefit packages focused on offerings that "sound good" but not widely used." Seductive to think an easy solution is to just tell each teammate "you have X number of dollars to spend on benefits and we can offer a wide array of traditional and auxiliary benefits to choose from." We all know its infinitely more complicated but how do we make it not so? Whiskey for the day:

THE MAKING OF A NEW AMERICAN CLASSIC - How is a groundbreaking, mouthwatering, new take on an old spirit born? Read on! Whiskey has seen a massive surge in popularity in recent years. In fact, according to Forbes magazine, the number of whiskey cases sold in the United States has increased every single year since 2010…read the rest of this blog and others on our website. See bio for details. Now shipping nationwide! #WatertownWhiskey #EscapeTheOrdinary #SanDiegoFilmFestival #sdfilmfest #sandiego #sandiegofilm #whiskeyrecipes #whiskeyblog

Chocolate teapots are rubbish for transporting tea. Trust me, I know. An EVP without purpose and value exchange is also a chocolate teapot. And it's equally poor at transporting tea. Here's the third snippet of my speaker slot from RecFest UK, where I talk about value exchange and making it authentic. Keep DM-ing me if you want a copy of the slide deck that goes with this, you're very welcome to it #redknows #recfest #evp