By Natalie Holler
Intern at Urban Eats Consulting Group
I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately on the population segment known as the Gen Y’s. As a 22-year-old Gen Y myself, I have developed an interest in how the media and pundits are portraying my generation. Born between 1981 and 2001, the “Millennials” are the largest generation in America since the Baby Boomers and aren’t going unnoticed. Our population, in numbers alone, has consumer industries scrambling to understand us, and why we put more emphasis on living in the moment, instead of investing for the future. Well, as a Gen Y, I can honestly attest to the stereotypes that have been bestowed upon my age group. We have proudly embraced an era that may leave some (our parents in particular) scratching their heads.
Instead of saving money for a new car, house, or any other major investment, I have noticed that my peers would rather rent a house or apartment, drive the car our parents bought us and use our disposable income on taking weekend getaways or traveling to another part of the world. Buying the new iPad, pampering ourselves with manicures/pedicures, facials, and highlights, and going out with friends to enjoy incredible food and fancy drinks rank high on the priority list. Not to mention a new outfit for every outing. We want to be a part of the social scene, while at the same time finding out who we are as young professionals through interaction and networking. Image is everything now days and being seen at certain events or with certain people can open many doors for opportunities. Several articles have stated that the Y Generation is a major influence on every industry, especially the restaurant industry. Industry leaders are turning their focus to this generation and introducing loyalty programs, experimenting with tech-savvy marketing approaches, and making some serious lucrative adjustments.
Read More Post a comment (2)You really have to hand it to Atlanta based Morris & Fellows. Weathering the worst recession in decades, this family-run, mixed use development team emerged to ignite a foreclosed lifestyle center in of all places, Woodstock, GA. If you have not been to Woodstock lately, you’re in for a big surprise. For those of you geographically challenged or who live ITP, take I-575 to Hwy 92 and turn left onto a quaint two lane road, (Caution: 25 MPH speed limit – and the popo take it seriously), that rambles past rollicking, wood clad houses, antique stores and other small town Americana. After a mile or so you’ll eventually happen upon the downtown commercial district. And it’s at this point you will swear you are not in Kansas anymore – having instead been transported to trendy Inman Park or Virginia Highlands. You have to go there to believe it.
In addition to Pure Taqueria, Canyon Burger and J. Christopher’s, Morris & Fellows has announced that Fire Stone Wood Fired Pizza & Grill and Freight Kitchen and Tap will join the restaurant line up in their eclectic mixed use development, Woodstock Downtown. Fire Stone Wood Fired Pizza and Grill, according to owner Jason Sheetz;
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Demand for shared commercial kitchen space is on the increase in the Atlanta area. Several factors have surfaced that are contributing to the need for hourly, daily and shared commercial kitchen space. New Georgia Health Code laws have restricted caterers from cooking in residential kitchens, and the popularity of the food truck and specialty food businesses are increasing the need for inexpensive, health department approved work space. A new facility located in Lawrenceville, GA is now open offering several kitchen station set ups ideal for bakers, specialty food processing, food truck commissaries and entrpreneurs with a new ideas. Monthly memberships and hourly rates are available.
If you’re a caterer, food truck operator, chef or entrpreneur and interested in learning more about this new facility please contact Cornelia Florea at 404-484-4588.
We have all seen the bumper stickers; “Save The Earth”, “Eat Organics”, “Slow Food”, “Go Green”, “Who’s Your Farmer?”, “Think Globally, Invest Locally”. These buzzwords, once considered radical hot air, have now become the widely accepted mantra for a new way of living.
As the 21st century emerges human beings have been confronted with some inconvenient truths about our environment and the way we live. We now know that emitting millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere is not good for our environment. We know that a diet full of fat, sugar and processed foods is not good for our bodies. We know that by spending and investing a majority of local dollars in foreign markets does not maintain strong communities at home.
So we have begun to change our behaviors by turning off light switches, watching what we eat and supporting local businesses. And all of that is good. However, a 2nd generation of initiatives with the promise of broad and far reaching change is now available. These high level ideas exist in the world of finance, new business models and social agendas. 
The results of investments in these areas will offer the human race new frameworks of living that are earth-friendly, healthier, and community strong.
I read a great article, by Jeffrey Summers, about common social media mistakes made by restaurants and hotels on the Restaurant and Hospitality Social Media Marketing Bootcamp 2010 blog. These mistakes can be made by people of all positions and levels in the restaurant industry. Jeffrey describes the six common mistakes as:
- “No goals. Without setting goals, your efforts become aimless and unfocused. Unless your social media strategy fits seamlessly with your overall marketing strategy, your message becomes fragmented and confusing to guests and results in killing your businesses momentum.
- No measurement. You can’t pay the bills with fans and followers. You have to tie results to actual cash in the till. Doing anything in social media (or any of your marketing efforts in general) further than two degrees of separation from an actual sale is worthless and a waste of resources. The closer you engage a guest at their point of experience with your brand, the more impact your efforts will have on real loyalty and facilitating great word-of-mouth.
Have you performed a restaurant audit lately? I’m not talking about about an accounting audit, (although that’s not a bad idea either), but rather having a consultant take an unbiased look at the key brand components of your operation. A restaurant brand audit is a great opportunity to get an objective analysis of the customer’s experience, management performance, operations, menu item mix, physical plant and more. Many restaurant owners lose perspective because they get caught in the vortex of operational minutia. A restaurant audit is an affordable exercise that all owners should perform in order to regain perspective and realign their brand, food and customer’s experience.
The information contained in an audit can help ownership and management strategically plan for the future. Let’s face it, running a restaurant takes a lot of hard work and long hours. Therefore leveraging your restaurant resources to the fullest is paramount. Wasting time and money on actions that do not augment your brand, the customer’s experience and put more dollars in your till are just that, a waste. Audits reveal beneficial data that can help to identify product and service inconsistencies, customer disconnects, special events or promotions that are actually interfering with your core message rather that bolstering it.
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