Recap of September 11, 2023: Chef John Tesar’s Anti-Union Tirade, Dave Portnoy Curbside Scuffle, Dynamic-Pricing For Restaurants

Welcome to Restaurant News Roundup presented by LiveFlow, your go-to source for the latest updates and happenings in the restaurant industry.

In this special recap article we roundup stories on Chef John Tesar’s Anti-Union Tirade, Dave Portnoy Curbside Scuffle, Dynamic-Pricing For Restaurants, and more breaking news.

Our mission is to bring you a rapid-fire of the 10 top stories covered in under 10 minutes. We strive to keep restaurant professionals informed of the current affairs of the industry.

To watch the Videocast of this installment of Restaurant News Roundup, click here

Toast CEO resigns by Caitlin Mullen - Restaurant Dive 

Toast CEO Chris Comparato will step down on Jan. 1, at which point Co-President and Chief Operating Officer Aman Narang will take the helm

The transition comes after Toast in June implemented a 99-cent customer-paid fee for online ordering channels, but then reversed course a few weeks later. Comparato called the fee move a “mistake” after it faced customer backlash over the fee.

Spotlight: I’m watching to see if this is isolated or is Toast’s dominance in the POS space, vulnerable?

Article Link: Read More

A Square Outage Hits the Service Industry Hard by Bettina Makalintal

The point-of-sale system network’s 16+ hour downtime left many of them unable to process transactions. The disruptions also affected phone support, online stores, and appointment management.

New York City’s Dame and Lords shared Zelle and Venmo handles on Instagram Thursday night for guests to send payment. Los Angeles’s Monroe Place and Spoon & Pork asked diners to call in pick-up orders instead of ordering online.

Spotlight: Another big fish in POS showing vulnerability, so I’m watching, what this means for competition in the sector? 

Article Link: Read More

Chef John Tesar parts ways with Southern California resort after union tirade By Lisa Jennings

The restaurateur had just opened his Knife Modern Steak concept at the oceanside resort before being caught on video flipping off workers on a picket line and shouting obscenities. Now Knife will be rebranded.

Tesar posted an open apology to the union group Unite Here Local 11. He was staying at the property with his family, and the chef said he was concerned at the time for his children, saying that clouded his judgment and that he lost his cool.

Opinion: Unions are here, they are going to shape the future of labor in restaurants, you can either fight, and lose, or work to find common ground and a better model for restaurants. 

Article Link: Read More

Will the end of the student loan pause impact restaurants? By Alicia Kelso - Restaurant-Hospitality

The three-year federal pause on student loan payments ends Oct. 1, impacting about 44 million borrowers. The average federal loan debt is about $37,000 per borrower, or about $1.59 trillion

In July, 41% of operators reported a traffic decline, representing the fourth consecutive month operators experienced a net decline. 

Question: Should restaurants prepare by driving “value” in their menus to keep their current customer flow or plan for a downturn in customer traffic and control costs accordingly? 

Article Link: Read More

Can Dynamic Pricing Make Food Delivery More Profitable And Accessible? By Matt Newberg - HNGRY

Beyond improving delivery profitability, dynamic pricing has the potential to reduce food waste, throttle orders during peak demand times, and further optimize digital menu prices of in-venue kiosks and drive-thrus.

According to a six-month beta test from delivery aggregator platform Chowly, in conjunction with dynamic-pricing tech leader, Sauce, participating restaurants saw a daily increase of 9.4% in sales and an increased basket size of $1.11, representing an increase in 38% of profit per order.

Question: Yay or Nay to Dynamic-Pricing?

Article Link: Read More

One Texas Restaurant Refuses to Serve Customers Reeking of Mary Jane by Billy Jenkins - Classic Rock 96.1

The restaurant, E Bar Tex-Mex, recently went to social media to remind their customers, “People reeking of Mary Jane, it just ruins everybody's experience around them, you can't possibly have a great meal with someone who has that much odor."

Debate: Should canna be legal? Has it caused as many issues for restaurants as alcohol consumption? 

Article Link: Read More

Whataburger Opens First Digital-Only Restaurant by BEN COLEY - QSR Magazine

Referred to as the Whataburger Digital Kitchen, the Austin, Texas-based restaurant is exclusively off-premises and features a mobile order lane instead of a traditional drive-thru. The store is completely cashless and solely relies on customers using the website or app to order meals. 

The Whataburger Digital Kitchen, which operates 24/7 and 364 days a year (closed Christmas Day), serves breakfast from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. It does not have a dining room or curbside pickup, but it will be staffed by 50 employees. 

Question: Excited or leery of the “digital-only” restaurant? 

Article Link: Read More

Boozy Drinks Like Simply Spiked, SunnyD Vodka Seltzer Blur Lines Between Kid, Adult Beverages by  Jennifer Maloney - Wall Street Journal

Products like Sunny D, marketed to kids as an alternative to orange juice and "purple stuff" are being sold to that same generation, this time as an alcoholic drink.

Regulators in two states say the beverages are similar enough that they need to be placed far away from each other at stores. In some cases, the beverages had been placed next to the non-alcoholic versions at stores. The Journal also cited one instance where cans of Hard Mountain Dew were stocked next to Hot Wheels toys.

Debate: Does this protect our kids or is it over-reach? 

Article Link: Read More

How big restaurant chains are using artificial intelligence by Joe Guszkowski Restaurant Business Online

Brands like Chipotle, Starbucks, Taco Bell, KFC and Domino's are leaning on AI to do things like predict traffic, set prices, personalized order recommendations, field customer questions, monitor inventory levels, drive-thru voice-ordering, and bake pizzas before they're even ordered.

Question: I’ll keep asking this every time we get into AI, how is your restaurant using AI? If you’re not, what the hell are you waiting for?

Article Link: Read More

'I Don't Appreciate What You Do to Small Businesses': Pizza Shop Owner Goes Viral After Bad Barstool Review, Says Business Is Booming by  SAM SILVERMAN - Entrepreneur 

Dave Portnoy's pizza review of Dragon Pizza turned sour when the owner called out the Barstool owner in a new viral video.

Debate: Are Portnoy and social media food reviewers, good or bad for restaurants?

Article Link: Read More

Thanks for joining us for this week's recap from Restaurant News Roundup presented by LiveFlow.

LiveFlow is for restaurants, frustrated, using Quickbooks, desperately wanting better automated financial dashboards with real-time data. Click this link to try free, and use promo code BESTSERVED, to get 20% off for 3 months. Stop pounding your head against the wall with Quickbooks lack of functionality and archaic dashboard.

We hope these summaries keep you informed about the latest industry updates. Remember to follow along with our fast-paced show every week, where we deliver ten stories in under ten minutes. Fridays at 8am EST on Best Served Podcast Facebook and YouTube pages.