Minimum pricing on alcohol shelved

The Government has shelved plans to introduce a 45p minimum price for a unit of alcohol in England and Wales, in a move the BMA has said will ‘cost lives’.
Minister for crime prevention Jeremy Browne said the policy would remain ‘under consideration’, but would not be taken forward as it would unfairly hit responsible drinkers.
There was not enough evidence minimum pricing would reduce the harms associated with alcohol, he said in an oral statement to Parliament today.
He said: ‘There has been much speculation about the Government’s plans on minimum unit pricing. This will remain a policy under consideration but will not be taken forward at this time.

‘We do not yet have enough concrete evidence that its introduction would be effective in reducing harms associated with problem drinking, without penalizing people who drink responsibly.’
Sales below the cost of alcohol duty and VAT will be banned, meaning it will no longer be legal to sell a can of larger for less than 40p. Mr Browne said this will stop ‘the worst instances of deep discounting which result in alcohol being sold cheaply and harmfully.’
However a ban on multi-buy promotions was rejected due to lack of evidence it would solve problems associated with alcohol.

‘It would not be a reasonable course of action for us to introduce a ban – especially at a time when responsible families are trying hard to balance their household budgets’ Mr Browne said.

He called on the alcohol industry to demonstrate what more it can do to reduce the harms associated with problem drinking, including improving education to promote safer drinking, reducing the availability of high strength products and responsible marketing and product placement.

A great article from Publican Sam: Pop up tents and the pubco business model...

Publican Sam: Pop up tents and the pubco business model...: Somewhere in the hallowed halls of Westminster, tomorrow morning (11th June), the Business Industry and Skills committee will hold an &...

How to use "Instagram" to help promote your venue

Just last week, Instagram introduced its new video feature and users of Instagram can now take videos up to 15 seconds long.

Instagram and bring you another way to share your stories and promote your business.
When you go to take a photo on Instagram, you’ll now see a movie camera icon. Tap it to enter video mode, where you can take up to fifteen seconds of video through the Instagram camera.

Another unique feature Instagram added is the “cinema” feature.  With Cinema a user can upload their videos from their phone and clean up the grainy quality.

Either way, the video feature of Instagram is awesome and when used properly, an extremely useful feature. Whether you are an everyday user or a restaurant looking to show off your daily specials and cocktails, you’ll want to use Instagram’s videos similarly to how you use the photo sharing feature, but it will give an in-depth and more action packed way to show off your business.

Atmosphere

Show off a little. Attract customers by showing the atmosphere of your restaurant. Take a video during a busy day or packed happy hour. A fun and energetic atmosphere is extremely attractive. Make sure to focus in on individual customers or tables enjoying their meals and drinks.

Show off your Menu

Create videos showcasing your standout menu items or the creation of a famous cocktail. This will show customers what they are missing and get their taste buds craving your menu items.

Employees

Show your employees working hard but having fun at the same time. The positivity of your workers will stand out in their mind. Remember a loyal customer base starts with a loyal employee base. You could also show your chefs in the kitchen preparing dishes.

Special announcements

Instagram can be a way to make commercials for free. Make special announcements to draw customers in. If you have a big event coming up, make a video about it. How about a new daily special, happy hour, or drink special? Get the word out with an Instagram video!

Capitalize on customer photos and videos

Looking for other ways to use Instagram to engage with customers? Try searching for  keywords and hashtags to find pictures and videos taken by your customers so you can make the best use of them as your market your establishment.

Instagram’s video feature is a new unique ability that can take your social media marketing to the next level. It will now provide you with a free way to post what are essentially 15 second commercials to your social media pages.

If you want dome more tips join my blog. I post new stuff every day

 

Work together to create more revenue for bars, clubs and restaurants

You’ve probably heard the saying, “No man is an island.” The same is true for your bar or restaurant! You’re part of a community, and it only makes sense to form bonds and engage local businesses to help your own business. See out how partnerships with local media, charities, and even your competition can help bring in new customers.

*Media.*
We’ve all been written about in a local publication or talked about on a local radio station…without actually paying for the advertising. But how can we do this more?
Try hosting an event for the local media! Offer your venue for media parties or to host events for them. You’ll bring in a crowd, get free advertising and you’re likely get a write up or a mention on air.
Come up with promotions that the radio station may be interested in sponsoring. What about a Blackpool or Swansea or where ever’s got talent. It’s topical at the moment. A battle-of-the-bands, or maybe the station could provide a well know band at your bar club or restaurant.
Radio stations always have bands turning up to promote their music. Put an exclusive meal on, they may even perform a track or two. Either way, you’ll get tons of free publicity every time the station announces the event.

*Charity.*
You can get more customers and show your business’s caring side by partnering with a charity. Try hosting a party with ticket, raffle and auction money going towards the charity. Or you can promote a regular night where a certain percentage of each diner’s bill goes to a chosen charity.
Customers will enjoy knowing that some of the cash they spend is going towards a good cause, and you’ll present yourself as a compassionate member of the community. They also heavily promote the events, which is just more free advertising for you.

*Competition.*
It goes without saying that you want your restaurant or bar to be the best, but that doesn’t mean you should wage an all-out war against your competition. Try banding together with other businesses in your area for a bar crawl, or an annual event.
Swansea have created Beaujolais day which brings in more revenue than any other night of the year. What they fail to do it to combine ideas to create another annual reason to come out. After all people just need a reason.
If you work together to advertise and spread the word, you can draw in far more people than your business could by itself. You can also try creating a good-natured rivalry between businesses in the area by starting a best bartender (or barista, or chef) competition. Remember that a healthy local economy means more customers in your business!
Taking advantage of the publications, radio stations, charities, and even other bars and restaurants in your bar is a smart move that shows your business is an engaged part of the community. And (perhaps even better!) it will help your restaurant or bar or club increase sales and get new customers.
How are you engaging with your community?
Let me know

5 Things not to do if you serve in a restaurant

*1. Make guests feel unwelcome*

Every guest in the restaurant should feel welcome. Don’t leave them waiting for something to happen. That means greeting each guest as s/he arrives and being friendly at all times. Staff will want to be friendly to their own tables and guests, of course, but they should also be just as helpful to guests at other tables. If another members of staff’s customer asks for something, the staff member shouldn’t ignore them just because it’s not their guest.

*2.Don’t be too familiar*
It’s great to be extra friendly and boost the ego of regular guests but don’t assume your now their best friend. Staff should never touch customers or interrupt a conversation. And no matter how casual the restaurant is, staff must always remain professional. Guests deserve to be treated with respect.

*3. Don’t deceive*
Staff shouldn’t lie to customers, deceive them, or be anything other than honest. Is there a delay? Tell the customers as soon as possible. Remove products from the specials board if the product has run and certainly don’t let them choose a product and then have to tell them that it’s no longer available.

*4. Argue with customers*
This might seem like a given, but it’s important. The quote, “The customer is always right” is a cliché for a reason! When a guest complains, staff should do their best to listen and help. They should fix the problem when possible, or refer the guest to a manager if there’s nothing they can do. They should never, ever fight with guests or dispute their complaints, even if they’re wrong.

*5. Make the customer feel rushed*
When guests come to your restaurant, it’s a treat. They want a night away from home to relax and enjoy themselves. What they don’t want is to feel rushed and pushed out so the next party can be seated. Servers shouldn’t take plates away too early (especially if everyone in the party isn’t done eating yet) or bring the bill before it’s requested. No matter how crazy the restaurant is or how many people are waiting for tables, make sure customers feel relaxed and comfortable.

FREE Personal Licence Courses Training

I've been training the Personal Licence for about 4 years now but in the past 3 years I've been selling the course and exam online.

I've a network of over 80 test centers so the 40 minute BII exam is take there.

I've developed some pretty big clients who see the benefit of faster training without the expense of all day training and the usual time constraints.

And without being too insultive, what would you rather do? A course in your own time at home, or sit with some aging ex publican drooling on for 7 hours!

But last week I made an unusual move.

I put the course up online without any charge. You can take your exam with me (in which case I make some cash) or take it with another company. My exams are really competitive and my service second to none.

And it's certainly working as I had a bigger uptake than expected, but what's really amusing is seeing my competitors using it for their clients and the client then taking the exam with me!

I'm currently re-writing the course too in HTML5 so it will run on all platforms along with my other courses.

So there we are. visit the website and get on the course today.

iPad Menu's

They say that a picture can speak a 1000 words!

The humble restaurant menus first began their lives as writing on simple chalkboards, moving to imageless print, then through to today’s detailed, colourful displays.

With the emergence of digital tablets and user-friendly, touch screen technology, menus can now be brought to life like never before. I can see that its only a matter of time that this new and fancy way of customers viewing menus becomes the norm.

And why not? Most people are now perfectly at home with the technology of iPads and such like so it seem a natural progression.

So where are the benefits?

1. You would certainly stand out from the crowd. I'm a great advocate for venues to be different, quirky and to create talking points, so whist iPad menus are still not the norm, it would certainly be a USP above most of your competitors.
2. The biggest difference for sure it the depth of content that you pad menu will have. Most of the menu apps available come fully customisable so branding and menu imaging can be changed very easily. Images can be enlarged by the customer so mouth watering dishes can easily come to life.
3. Restaurants can add information about dishes. Gluten free, contains nuts, calorie counts etc.
4. Chefs recommendations and side order recommendations can be added and a whole host of other interactions.
5. And wine. Customers could see the best wines for certain foods, view the origin and regions of the wines and view by price type and colour.
6. In a world where it seems facebook interaction is essential, menus can even have facebook like's added to dishes which can only gives you marketing directly from customers tables! Word of mouth is the best advertising we have . Imagine only 20 people eating in your restaurant today, and they just recommended your restaurant online through facebook and twitter to all of their online friends! Talk about free and amazing exposure.

There are of course always downsides. Cost for one. The cost for 25 i-Pads for you restaurant would run into thousands. And then there's the app licence. But weigh that up against no more printing costs, marketing benefits and the unique USP it seems to me like a good investment.

Here are some apps you might find useful

http://www.aptito.com/

http://www.emenu-international.com/ipadmenu/

http://www.irisvalet.com/products/iris-f-and-b/

http://www.menupad.com/

FREE Menu Calculator

Here's a freebie for you.

If you sell food, I have a recipe calculator for you.

Just type in the ingredients, weights and amounts and it will tell you the cost of the recipe, cash profit at different selling prices and the GP.

Subscribe to the blog, then click the link to get your spreadsheet.

By the way, there's a FREE Social Media Guidelines Course too..... 
http://www.inductme.co.uk/#/contact-us/4563682511

12 ideas for a restaurants to add £10 to every bill

What would £10 on every bill do for your bottom line?
What difference would it make to you over the year?

1. Firstly, make sure your staff know your menu inside out. Make sure they know what lines you want to promote to give you the best cash margins and  so they can make recommendations to every customer.

2. Offer an incentive when customers purchase £10 more than your current average bill. Example: £5 Off When You Spend £25 or More! 10 Off When You Spend £50 or More! It will encourage them to buy that extra item.

3. Introduce a punch card — but only punch those cards when the customer’s ticket is more than $X. This gives people a reason to reach your threshold. And don’t forget to reward them when they get 5 punches (or whatever number you choose).

4. Run specials on your highest-priced menu items. This brings down the price on your premium items, given the perception of a better deal, but still encourages customers to splurge, rather than settle for the lowest-priced items.

5. Allow online ordering, but with a minimum order value that’s beyond your average ticket. Let people order from your website or via text message before arriving, ensuring them their meal will be hot and ready for them, within a certain number of minutes.

6. Recommend, recommend, recommend. Train your staff to challenge your customers to choose the best you have to offer –- particularly couples out on dates or enjoying a drink to celebrate a special occasion. Don’t let them settle for the basics on your menu!

7. Have an cross sell for every primary item on your menu – including drinks. This is your version of “Do you want fries with that?” Customers crave recommendations; it helps them narrow down choices. If one person is ordering a drink, tell them they’ve just got to try this new drink. If a certain lunch is ordered, suggest a special drink or appetizer to go with it.

8. Have something for your customers to do while in your restaurant, and train your staff to encourage them to do it: darts, pool, quizzes, etc. The longer you can get them to stay, the more likely they are to order another drink, or to break down and go ahead with that bar snack or tapas (that they weren’t necessarily planning to order!).

9. Offer a “lite” menu (fewer calories, or carbs, or sugar, or whatever other ingredient) but with premium prices. Customers may be more likely to purchase these because they are, or want to give the impression to someone that they are, watching their diet!

10. Train your staff to describe menu items in the most delicious way possible. For example, don’t let them get by with “Can I get you guys a beer?” or, “Would you like dessert?” Instead, say, “How about an ayz beer? It’s a new beer with a really clean taste. Want to give it a shot?” or, “Before you go, can I get you a slice of our delicious red velvet cake? I have a little bit every day I work! You can take it back to work with you…”

11. Table tents! Get your specials and premium items right in front of customers from the moment they sit down. Whether your server points it out to them or not, many customers will take a glance and see what you’re promoting.

12. Use your in-bar or in-restaurant televisions as internal ad machines, it’s yet another soft sell way to introduce them to new menu items or higher-priced menu items.

Licensing law amendments

I thought I'd make you aware that the amended guidance of the licensing laws that puts venues in serious danger when it comes to licensing, no more so than sales to under age persons.

Whist everyone I speak to are confident it won’t happen to them, it’s a real danger for all venues.

In the latest amendment on 2 sales in 3 months, aside an instant 2-14 day closure and up to £20k fine, review is now routine to which the government guidance to councils is licence revocation.

REVIEW OF A PREMISES LICENCE FOLLOWING PERSISTENT SALES OF ALCOHOL TO CHILDREN

11.30. Where persistent sales of alcohol to children have occurred at premises, responsible authorities should consider applying for a review of the licence, whether there has been a prosecution for the offence under section 147A or a closure notice has been given under section 169A of the 2003 Act. In determining the review, the licensing authority should consider revoking the licence if it considers this outcome is appropriate. Responsible authorities should consider taking steps to ensure that a review of the licence is routine in these circumstances.

The only defence you have in law is due diligence.

So the answer is simple. Train and certificate all your staff in Responsible Alcohol Retail and give yourself a defence should the unthinkable happen.

Why so obnoxious!

We're currently rolling out the Induct Me program across the UK which has been very well received by some major players in the Industry including Merlin Ents, World Wide Clubs and over 150 other venues.

I'm not one to speak out of turn but I recently got a real earful when I tried to explain our services to a venue in Salisbury.

"I'll cut your dead there"she said rather abruptly. "We have our own training company here and better than you'll ever have."

"That's fine" I said back, "but you might want to train the trainers." " You failed a test purchase last Friday and sold alcohol to two, yes two 15 year olds."

The newspaper article Read

A PUB and nightclub in Salisbury have been caught selling alcohol to underage teenagers.
The Chapel Nightclub in Milford Street and the Slug and Lettuce in Bridge Street both failed a licensed premises test purchase operation carried out by Wiltshire Police on Friday night.
Two 15-year-old volunteers were allowed into the premises and served alcoholic drinks at the bar.
They were not challenged by door staff or those working behind the bar at either venue, and were not asked for any ID

The link is here  http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/10285861.City_venues_fail_underage_alcohol_test/