Goodwin & Associates Blog
The most trusted name in hospitality.Recruitment Trends: Using QR Codes
Everywhere you look today digital technology seems to be permeating the way we live our lives. The hot new method to market your product or service is through the use of QR Codes; 2D little black and white boxes with squiggly patterned bar codes. These QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) can be found everywhere from retailers’ print circulars to hair salons. In order to “read” these QR Codes, you need to scan the image using a bar code reader application.
While the most common uses of these QR Codes are within the retail store environment, there is a new surge of applications within other industries such as recruitment. By simply scanning a QR code with your smart phone you may receive someone’s contact details, a text message; it could take you to a web page or prompt you to write an e-mail. And, as more people utilize online job boards with their mobile devices in pursuit of a new job or career, if used effectively QR Codes have the potential to be a great recruitment tool according to a recent article from the Globe and Mail. www.theglobeandmail.com
Here a five ways a QR code could be utilized in recruitment according to www.webrecruit.com:
1. CVs – Some tech savvy job seekers incorporate a QR code in their CV, taking you to their website, LinkedIn profile or even a video resume. If scanning the code takes you to a well though-out site optimized for mobile browsing, you’ll know you have a candidate who is keeping up-to-date with technology.
2. Graduate Recruitment: more than half the people scanning QR codes are between the ages of 18 to 34, making them ideal for recruiting graduates. Using a QR code for your recruitment efforts will show that your company is moving with the times and isn’t afraid to try new ideas – something many talented graduates will appreciate.
3. Networking – If networking is key to recruitment, quick response codes could be invaluable in making contact with talented candidates. Think business cards are out of date? Put a QR code embedded with your contact details on your card.
4. Career fairs & Conferences: If you’re recruiting, a QR code on your marketing materials could take job seekers to the ‘apply online’ section of your website.
5. Analysis: QR codes are track-able, giving you access to a new set of data and ability to gauge the response to your recruitment campaign.
Contact Scott Gaba or your local recruiter to see what we can find for you!
Scott Gaba
Director of Recruiting
Goodwin & Associates Hospitality Services
sgaba@goodwin-associates.com
o: 678-905-3915 c: 404-803-5163 f: 888-491-8517
Guest Survey’s (Online Comment Cards) From Goodwin & Associates Hospitality Services
Guest Surveys (Online Comment Cards)
• Cost effective and efficient way to collect guest feedback
• Easily identify trends with cumulative data and custom graphs
• Generate repeat business
• Decrease costs – no more printing, shipping, or data entry
• Cost certainty by limiting the amount of surveys received
• No hidden fees – no charges for set-up, revisions, or maintenance
Most business owners understand the importance and value of collecting feedback from their customers. Traditionally, this information has been collected with printed comment cards that are filled out by the customers. Restaurants place these comment cards on table tops or inside the check presenter, while hotels place these comment cards in every hotel room. This method of collecting feedback can be very expensive with many costs including printing the comment cards, shipping the cards to every location, paying for the return postage, and paying an employee to manually enter all of the data so that it can be analyzed and reviewed. The response rate on these comment cards is traditionally very low and the responses that are received are normally only from friends of employees, very happy customers, or very dissatisfied customers. The integrity of this information is also compromised, as cards with complaints are often intercepted before ever reaching management.
We can now use modern technology to offer “online comment cards” or guest surveys as an extremely cost effective and efficient way to collect guest feedback, identify trends, and generate repeat business. Collecting this feedback online eliminates all of your current costs associates with printing, shipping, and data entry. We provide you with a dedicated web address with your company’s name included at no cost. You can then print that web address on the bottom of your receipts offering your guests an incentive if they complete a quick survey. When the guest goes home and types in the web address, they will be shown the same questions that are currently on your comment cards, which they easily answer online. The questions and methods of scoring are fully customizable to meet the needs of your business. The survey only takes one or two minutes and the guest does not need to login to an online account to complete the survey. Once the online survey is submitted, a coupon is displayed for the guest offering them 10% of their next meal, a free appetizer, etc. This coupon helps to generate repeat business, which will be substantially more money than the cost of the survey. You are actually able to make money through repeat business, cut costs associated with traditional comment cards, and collect valuable guest feedback all at the same time!
We make it very easy for you to get started with a guest survey program. We work with you to customize the questions to meet the unique needs of your business. There are no set-up costs, maintenance fees, or hidden expenses. You only pay for the completed surveys that you receive each month! You even have the ability to limit the number of surveys you receive for each location within a certain time frame to provide your budget with cost certainty. All of the data from your surveys is stored online and presented to you in the way that you want to see it. Our system presents you with graphs so you can easily identify trends within the cumulative data. Contact us today to get started with a program so you too can save money, generate repeat business, and collect valuable guest feedback.
Brian Calderone
Division Director – Mystery Shopping, Exit Interviews, Surveys, & Diversity Initiatives
Goodwin & Associates Hospitality Services
P: 603-223-0303 x132 | F: 603-218-6451
bcalderone@goodwin-associates.com
91A North State Street, Concord, NH 03301
www.Goodwin-Associates.com | www.MysteryShopperProgram.com | www.Exit-Interviews.net | www.DiversityInHospitality.com | www.WomenInHospitality.com
Client Spotlight: Pret A Manger
Pret A Manger is headquartered in London, where they opened their first store in 1986. With a kitchen in every store, Pret creates handmade, natural, preservative-free ingredients prepared fresh from scratch every day. Pret A Manger means “Ready To Eat” in name and concept. It is fresh, convenient food – fast.
With an established base in the UK, Pret is now aggressively expanding into the US, with 10 new stores opening within just the past year in New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC. Pret is a privately held company and now has over 250 store locations in the UK, Hong Kong, New York, Washington DC and Chicago. 41 of those stores are located in the US, with the majority (32) in New York City.
Goodwin & Associates is proud to partner with Pret during this expansion by providing mystery shopping and management recruiting services to all US stores. To learn how your company can benefit from our services, please contact Brian Calderone at bcalderone@goodwin-associates.com or 603-223-0303 x132.
Effortless Marketing
Get New Customers in Your Door!
You’ve all heard how Mystery Shopping can help promote a positive culture within your company and help identify how your locations are performing, but how about the influence they have from a marketing standpoint?
Mystery Shops are not just a training tool any longer. They’re an effective way of introducing new business to your locations. Each shopper is a potential long-term customer, and shopper programs introduce brand new customers (shoppers) to your business every month.
Consider this scenario; a shopper is introduced to your business by accepting an available shop in their area. They’ve never been to your location since it was halfway across town. They are pleasantly surprised with their experience and excited to come back. A long-term customer is created. They share their experience with family and friends, and introduce even more new customers to your business!
Another scenario; A shopper accepts a shop at your business. They were a customer of yours in the past, but haven’t been back since they had a poor experience 5 years ago. They complete the shop and are surprised at the level of service, cleanliness, offerings, etc. Because of the shop, you were able to win a customer back!
Or this scenario; a shopper accepts a shop which reimburses expenses for 1 person. The shopper is aware of this, but chooses to bring their family of 5 along with them. The shop reimburses $15, but they easily spend $50 at your location. These extra dollars equal more money going into your top line sales! The shopper could actually be spending more money into your business than you are spending for the shop, resulting in you making money with the program!
If you’re currently utilizing our shopper program, give us a call to see what our shoppers are spending into your business, compared with what you’re spending on the program. We know you’ll love the results! Or, if you’re not utilizing our shopper program, give us a call to see how we can start introducing more customers (and sales dollars) to your business today. 603.223.0303 x150 or jbattershell@goodwin-associates.com
2012 Menu Trends for Quick Service
With the turning of the year, many operators have fresh ideas and new initiatives they are rolling out to stay ahead of the competition and keep guests coming back. One of the areas that often affects guests most directly is the food that is served so here are a few expected menu trends for the coming year.
According to research compiled by Mintel Menu Insights, five of the biggest menu trends for 2012 include: “American regionalism, double-sided menus, consumer control, slow it down, and importing ideas.” Mintel states that their trends are predicted based on research done that the consumer level, areas other industries are shifting towards, and current movement within the restaurant industry.
American regionalism is described as embracing favorite cuisines of various regions around the country. People are expected to look for what is famous, well known, or recognized as the best when dining in a particular area. Double-sided menus means an expectation for more choices, including a fair representation of healthy options side by side the standard restaurant offerings. People are looking for more variety when dining out; a response to this trend will enable a restaurant to appeal to a wide array of people and allow a party with varying preferences to all have something to enjoy. Consumer control refers to options. People will be looking to customize their orders and have the ability to be in charge of what they choose to eat. While many consumers have been trading to quick service and fast casual, they will be looking for restaurants to slow it down in the coming year. While they appreciate the consistency and speed, people will be looking to get a sense that food was prepared with care just for them. There is an expectation to see an increase in descriptions referring to items being home style or hand prepared. Lastly, importing ideas will not necessarily mean a shift to global cuisine, but picking up on ideas that have taken off in other areas of the world that could translate well to what American consumers are looking for. While this trend may be harder to pinpoint, it’s a macro view approach that companies with forward thinkers could really embrace.
In the coming months there will surely be many more trends revealed for varying segments, but for those looking to get a jump on what’s expected, we hope these ideas may be helpful. http://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/five-menu-trends-2012?utm_source=jolt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20111216µsite=9342
Taking Questions to the Interview
Every interviewer has the magic moment in the interview when they turn the tables and ask “what questions do you have for me?” Don’t be fooled, this is a test, so don’t respond that you don’t have any. The interviewer is curious to see what research you’ve done, how seriously you’re taking the interview, and what kind of preparation you’ve done. Show up with a typed or hand written list of questions you want to learn about.
When you do get a chance to ask questions, there are a few areas you should not ask about in the first interview. We recommend avoiding asking questions about compensation, work schedule, benefits, bonus, etc. This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the company culture and opportunity to ensure it’s a great match as opposed to just looking for the money. Focus on questions that will educate you on the company’s growth plans, training, career path, management turnover, etc. Also ask the person interviewing you why they like working for the company. This will surely get you an honest response and give you a more personal insight along with building better rapport with the interviewer.
Distinguish Yourself by Working with a Recruiter
Searching for employment is always a challenging task, but when there are more people seeking jobs during this time than we’ve seen in recent years it becomes even more important to distinguish yourself from everyone else out there searching.
One of the best ways to distinguish yourself is to have a partner in the search advocating for you. Find a recruiter that you connect with, trust, and feel does have your best interest in mind. If you choose to partner with a recruiter, it is essential that you feel you can be open and honest and truly partner with them in your search efforts. A recruiter will be able to understand where you are coming from and where you are looking to go, enabling them to create options that will actually help you move forward in your career and not just find you a job. A recruiter will be able to present options to you that you may have never thought of on your own, introduce you to an emerging concept, or open the door of a confidential search that isn’t advertised anywhere. Additionally, a recruiter has a relationship with the hiring manager and can directly present you to the person making the hiring decisions. This direct access is priceless as the amount of people applying on their own is continually growing and it’s important that you are not being lost in a sea of resumes. Having someone representing and advocating for you is an endorsement that cannot be missed.
With all of the support a recruiter can provide, it is essential to your success at finding the right position and getting the right offer to be 100% on the same page with your recruiter. Treat them as a trusted advisor and share all of your excitement, concerns, nerves, and questions. Their role is to support you and get you the information you need to make an informed decision that is best for you. Without complete candor, the relationship can only go so far and you may be limiting the recruiter’s ability to truly bring everything to the table for you.
Interview Tip- Preparation
The key to preparing for an interview is being able to answer the question “Why do you want to work for us?” If a company doesn’t sense a genuine interest level, they are not likely to feel you are a good fit. The best recommendation to knock this interview question out of the park is to do your RESEARCH. This begins with scouring their website for details – look at the info they offer to describe their company, their culture and mission, their career offerings, and even their management team. If they offer stock information as a publicly traded company, do research on their stock performance over the last year. Search for restaurant reviews online to see what their guests think. In addition, the best source of research is to do an actual visit to the restaurant and dine there. There is no better way than a firsthand experience to help you learn as much as you can, sometimes even seeing the person you will be interviewing with you in action.
When you do a restaurant visit, go to the interview prepared to discuss your observations. Always start by offering the positive feedback – what did you notice that you were impressed by and would make you want to work there. It is then appropriate to offer a concern or opportunity you observed based on having a critical eye. Pick the one area that you think may affect the operation or guest the most and highlight your observation, why you think it is an area of concern, and then offer a time you overcame a similar obstacle so that the hiring manager gets a sense you are a solution oriented manager.
Professional References- An Important Component to the Interview Process
One of the most important parts of the interview process, yet often the area least thought about, is professional references. In the mind of a hiring manager “past performance indicates future performance” so it is very common for a company to want to speak to former employers. While many companies have a no reference policy and will only verify dates of employment and eligibility for rehire, it is still commonly expected that a job seeker can supply names and phone numbers of former supervisors and colleagues. A good rule of thumb is to be able to offer the name and phone number of a former supervisor for your last three employers. More often than not, a hiring manager prefers to speak with someone who managed you as opposed to a colleague, someone you managed, or vendor. Very rarely will a company look to speak to a personal reference so be prepared with appropriate contact information.
In addition, it is imperative that the people whose names and numbers you provide are aware they are references for you and are willing to chat with potential employers on your behalf. Every time you are in search mode, you should be updating these people so they can be prepared to expect calls and return calls in a timely manner. If a reference doesn’t follow up to an employer within a timely manner, that is usually detrimental to your overall presentation to the client.
The other sticky situation is being able to provide a reference from your current employer. It is always helpful if you can provide someone at your current job, but many companies understand that is not always possible. This is when it may be appropriate to offer the name and number of someone who is currently working there in a lateral position to you as opposed to a supervisor or maybe even a former supervisor who is no longer with the company. If you truly feel there are no options to provide a reference from your current employer, let them know that you are discreetly searching and no one at your current place of employment is aware, but if an offer is extended you would be happy to provide someone at that time.
Landry’s to buy Morton’s for $116.6M
Tilman J. Fertitta, owner of Landry’s Inc., said Friday he has agreed to buy Morton’s Restaurant Group Inc., the owner of the 77-unit steakhouse chain, for about $116.6 million.
Fertitta said he has offered $6.90 per share for Morton’s outstanding stock, a 34-percent premium over Morton’s close of $5.16 a share on Thursday. Morton’s has 16.9 million outstanding shares that have traded between $4.18 and $7.75 in the past 52 weeks. Fertitta already owns about 5 percent of Chicago-based Morton’s outstanding stock, which he said made him one of Morton’s largest individual shareholders.
“Morton’s is one of the most recognizable and successful high-end steak brands in the world,” Fertitta said in a statement. “They are a dominant operator in the high-end steak category. Morton’s will be refreshed and modernized while still maintaining its first-class atmosphere and food quality.”
Fertitta, who on Nov. 8 agreed to acquire Portland, Ore.-based McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants Inc. in a $131.6 million deal, added that Morton’s plans to introduce new food items and expand its menu.
Christopher J. Artinian, president and chief executive Morton’s, said, Fertitta “really understands the value of the Morton’s brand and our people, and is well-positioned to further enhance our reputation as the world’s best steakhouse.”
Morton’s Steakhouse generates more than $300 million in annual revenue. For the third quarter ended Oct. 2, its net loss was $2.4 million, or 15 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $2.1 million, or 13 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter rose 7.8 percent to $71.4 million, compared with $66.2 million a year earlier.
Morton’s same-store sales rose 5.1 percent in the third quarter, its seventh consecutive period of same-store sales increases.
Fertitta has created Fertitta Morton’s Restaurants Inc. and Fertitta Morton’s Acquisition Inc., both affiliated with Landry’s Inc., to complete the acquisition.
Landry’s, which Fertitta took private last year, owns a variety of hospitality and gaming companies that are expected to generate about $2 billion in revenues in 2011. Restaurant brands include casual-dining Landry’s Seafood House, Rainforest Cafe, The Chart House, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Claim Jumper, Saltgrass Steak House and Oceanaire, as well as a fine-dining Vic & Anthony’s, Grotto, Willie G’s and others.
Landry’s also owns the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casinos in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev., and Atlantic City, N.J. as well the Kemah (Texas) Boardwalk, the San Luis Resort Hotel in Galveston, Texas, and the Downtown Aquariums in Denver and Houston.
The following information is from an article today published on Nation’s Restaurant News by Ron Ruggless.
Read more: http://nrn.com/article/landry%E2%80%99s-buy-morton%E2%80%99s-1166m?ad=finance&utm_source=MagnetMail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=rgoebel@goodwin-associates.com&utm_content=NRN-News-NRNam%20Breaking%20News-12-16-11&utm_campaign=News%20Alert%3A%20Landry%27s%20to%20buy%20Morton%27s%20for%20$116.6M#ixzz1giIpDd00
