More than 75 percent of 367 patrons of a restaurant here said they would be willing to dine during off-peak hours in exchange for discounted prices, according to a research paper produced by Cornell Hotel School Professor Alex Susskind and published in a recent issue of the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly.
Two of every three respondents even said that they would be able and willing to change their dining time to earn such an incentive.
Study results suggest that restaurant managers who do not take reservations may want to consider using incentives to increase business during off-peak hours, Susskind said. That strategy could result in both increased revenue and a more satisfied customer base, one that no longer must endure long waits for a table.
Respondents completed questionnaires while queued up for dinner at this popular, casual-dining restaurant, which does not take reservations.
Other key findings:
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Enlight has gone the extra mile to create the Rolls-Royce of tycoon games. Presented in real-time 3D, Restaurant Empire allows players to interact with their virtual establishments with an unprecedented degree of control. Besides just balancing the books, it is also necessary to be a smart interior designer, maximizing the comfort level of customers while retaining a high level of visual interest, while keeping track of the attitudes of patrons and employees alike. Wedded to this strong foundation is a narrative campaign that works exceedingly well as a tutorial and seamlessly integrates the various scenarios and their sundry of objectives into a single story. A “sandbox” mode is also included, allowing the player to strike out on his or her own, in an attempt to dominate the culinary arts in one of many famous cities the world over.
Read the full review: http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=restempire
Although ascetics long have experimented with uncooked food as a path to spirituality and long life, a new generation of chefs is winning a wider audience with dishes that are as much about flavor as health. In the hands of culinary luminaries such as Charlie Trotter, the raw food diet is being transformed from regimen to cuisine with blenders, juicers and dehydrators.
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/living/8697142.htm
The Whopper’s vital statistics will receive more public exposure than ever before under a new initiative from the fast-food giant.
Burger King is rolling into its restaurants posters that offer detailed information on fat, calories, carbohydrates, cholesterol and other key nutritional metrics, it said today. The posters, around 18 x 24 inches in size, will be placed in prominent spots, the company said.
http://www.restaurantbiz.com/restaurantbusiness/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000512813
The Monterey Bay Aquarium , www.mbayaq.org, is “the prime mover” behind a campaign to convince consumers to accept “only seafood that is plentiful and sustainably caught,” reports Elizabeth Weise in USA Today. The aquarium began its campaign back in 1997, as part of “an exhibit on sustainable fishing practices” by creating a “pocket buying guide.” More than 3.6 million copies of the “business-card-sized” guide, which lists “fish that have been overfished or caught or farmed in ways that harm the environment,” have been distributed to date. “We’ll go to the fish market and I’ll whip out my little card, and say, ‘No, we don’t want to eat that,” says one card-carrier. “There’s always a better choice available.” Yeah, I’ll take the tilapia, please.
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