McDonald’s UK is planning to restore its fortunes by introducing Pret A Manager-style sandwiches and Starbucks-style coffee to its menus, according to the Sunday Times. The company is currently trialling the snacks, including a New York-style pastrami sandwich and a grilled vegetable on rye, in Canada and Australia and plans to introduce them in Europe next year, along with upmarket McCafe lounges in their existing restaurants with espresso, cappuccino and latte coffee.
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Mozzarella's Moment (Move Over, Tomatoes)
Obikà is Rome’s, and probably history’s, first mozzarella bar. Since it opened about five months ago, at Via dei Prefetti 26a, near the Pantheon, it has been doing a brisk business.
“People are tired of pasta and pizza,” said Andrea Corsetti, one of the owners. “Mozzarella has always been considered a poor food. But we said it should be valued. It represents Italy.”
“Now it’s become a status symbol,” he said. “Cheese is fashionable, and mozzarella is the cheese of the moment. It’s prêt-à-porter.” [Read more…] about Mozzarella's Moment (Move Over, Tomatoes)
the leader is a servant. the leader is a servant.
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
– Max De Pree
Why Discounting Doesn't Work: The Dynamics of Rising Occupancy and Falling Revenue among Competitiors
https://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/chr/research/abstract/WhyDiscountingDoesntWork.pdf
by Cathy A. Enz, Ph.D., Linda Canina, Ph.D., and Mark Lomanno
Executive Summary: The long-running debate over whether hotels should discount room rates to boost financial performance becomes particularly contentious during tough economic times. The results reported in this study show that discounting relative to the competitive set does, in fact, fill a hotel, but the study also clearly shows that hotels in direct competition make more money when they maintain their price structure and do not discount to fill rooms. Data drawn from over 6,000 hotels between 2001 and 2003 show that hotels with lower prices relative to their competitive set captured market share from the competition, but did not gain higher RevPAR. Conversely, those with higher prices relative to their competitive set had lower occupancy and higher RevPAR. These results suggest a strategy of holding rates constant when competitors are discounting, or even raising prices to a small degree. By raising prices above the competition a hotel will lose occupancy but make up for that loss with higher RevPAR. By offering a lower relative price, on the other hand, a hotel will gain occupancy but its RevPAR performance will be lower than that of its competitive set.
In particular, the data analyzed over the last three years, a difficult period for the industry, show that when a given hotel discounted its room rates to a greater degree than its competitive set, the result was decreased RevPAR compared to its competition (despite increased occupancy). The dynamics between price and occupancy remain quite stable from segment to segment, but the degree to which higher relative prices produce dramatic or gradual relative drops in occupancy does vary by segment. In addition, for 2003 small relative price increases did not enhance relative RevPAR for some segments.
https://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/chr/research/abstract/WhyDiscountingDoesntWork.pdf
Fast food from grocery stores can make busy lives easier
Fast food from grocery stores can make busy lives easier
In the quest to make consumers’ lives easier, grocery stores have gotten into the fast-food business.
It is amazing to see the array of already-prepared foods in your favorite grocery stores. You can buy everything from made-to-order submarine sandwiches to roasted chicken to sushi.
Far East Restaurant Battle Heating Up
The latest food fight in Southern California is between wok-wielding foes vying to dominate the market for fast, fresh and affordable Asian fare.
Pei Wei Asian Diner, Pick Up Stix and others are expanding despite the hurdles: an abundance of mom-and-pop competitors, a shortage of prime restaurant sites and the complexities behind churning out shrimp with lobster sauce, vegetarian stir-fry and three-flavored dumplings. [Read more…] about Far East Restaurant Battle Heating Up
Zurich Airport: SSP Compass ouvre 13 restaurants
A l’occasion de l’inauguration de l’Airside Center, au sein de l’aéroport de Kloten-Zürich, SSP Compass Suisse gérera 13 nouveaux restaurants, ce qui porte à 20 le nombre de concessions exploitées par la société de restauration.
[Read more…] about Zurich Airport: SSP Compass ouvre 13 restaurants
MARKETERS CHASE CONSUMERS INTO THE BATHROOM
In the old days, the only “commercial” text normally found in toilet stalls and on urinal walls were those placed by anti-social cranks and hookers of various sexual orientations. Often using ballpoint pens as chisels, they scrawled phone numbers and crude taglines like “For a good time in Dallas, call…”
[Read more…] about MARKETERS CHASE CONSUMERS INTO THE BATHROOM