Ideas for Halloween cookies

If you are looking to try something different this Halloween instead of the usual chocolate and candy, then you would love these easy recipes for the whole family! Happy Halloween to All!

What can every restaurant do in a case of a large party "No Show"

 We've all been there once or twice in our restaurant's careers: taking a large party reservation, preparing for the party, stoking up on food items, over stuffing to assure that kitchen and service run smooth, and then when the time comes for the party to arrive only to be slapped with the regretful "No Show". Find out how you can prepare yourself for the unwelcome "No Show" which every restaurant owner dreads:
1. Confirm reservations- train your hostess to confirm reservations up to the morning of the reservation date for evening bookings and the night before for morning reservations.
2. 30 minute rule- do not hold tables more than 30 minutes. This way you can free the tables you've put together for your lunch or dinner crowd and still make some profit.
3. Use your dining area- if you have a dining area that you use for banquets or overflow seating you can seat your large parties there. This will free your regular tables for service. You can also schedule servers specifically for this parties, and if there is a cancellation you can always send the extra servers home.
4. Deposit- you can take a deposit for the reservations which easily can be applied towards your guests' bill, and in case of "No Show" you can always keep the deposit for your troubles.
May we all never have to experience again another reservation "No Show".

How to create safe environment at your restaurant

 Most restaurant owners know that more often than not it comes down not only to the quality of employees you hire but also to the way you manage them. Find out how this 10 tips on how to create safe environment at your restaurant can help you not only better understand your stuff but your business as well.
1. Build relationship of mutual trust
2. Change the way you think about your employees
3. Do not assume ask specific questions
4. Reward good performance
5. Provide constructive feedback
6. Make debates and decisions transparent
7. Share restaurant's objectives and goals
8. Communicate change properly
9. Trust your employees with responsibilities
10. Hold your employees accountable

15 Halloween ideas for every restaurant to increase their profit

 Halloween is not only a fun night for people of all ages to celebrate but can be an excellent time for restaurants to market their business and products. Don't miss out on this huge opportunity this year instead take advantage of this Halloween ideas that can help any restaurant increase their profit.
1. Give out candy with your restaurant logo.
2. Create Halloween inspired food specials.
3. Create Halloween inspired drink specials.
4. Offer spooky discounts on all of your restaurant gift cards and a special incentives like a free appetizer or a dessert if your customers use their gift certificates by Halloween night.
5. Hold a competition for the best carved pumpkin with your company logo and give out free coupons or discounts.
6. Hold a contest for the scariest twitter slogan for your restaurant which you can feature for the whole month of October. To the winner, you can give free gift certificate to your restaurant or free dinner for two.
7. Organize best Halloween costume contest for all of your customers and give out free drinks or a free appetizer to the winners.
8. Offer special Halloween versions of your merchandise.
9. Make Halloween coupons valid only for Halloween eve and Halloween day.
10. Send Happy Halloween emails and/or cards to your customers and include a 10% discount, free Halloween inspired appetizer, or a dessert.
11. Organize a Halloween cooking class for kids and their parents in your community where they can make popcorn balls, candy apples, or any other Halloween theme desserts.
12. You can use the names in your already existing customer database and hold a raffle. To the selected winners, you can send "Thank you" treat bags filled with candy treats, certificates for dinner, or discounts for your restaurant merchandise.
13. Run a week long trick or treat event in which you can offer special deals each day for parents and their kids alike. On Halloween night you can stay open late and give out candy to the kids and restaurant's coupons to their parents.
14. Hold an online contest at your website by hosting trivia Halloween legends contest.
15. And last but not least: have your customers submit their favorite ghost stories to your restaurant Facebook fan page, and then allow the rest of your customers to vote for the scariest one. You can give out gift certificates to the winners.

Apps every restaurant owner should take advantage of

 If as a restaurant owner you are constantly running here and there to find ways how to grow your business, it is not a surprise you may feel disconnected from your business. This is why your smart phone should be your weapon which you can easily turn into an organized business center especially if you are taking advantage of these apps:
1. Square.com- this app will allow you to accept credit cards on the go. There is no monthly fees or contracts. You will be charged 2.75% per transaction, and will receive a free card reader. This is a great tool for those restaurant owners who are looking to receive payments anywhere.
2. Proongo.com- helps you track receipts,  your mileage, credit card transactions, and also allow time tracking. This app can assist you with all your expenses and business transactions and can put you in great advantage when it comes to your taxes.
3. Evernote.com- helps you take a photo of a business card, clip web pages, jot or record a note, and more. This is a great app for any restaurant owner looking to maintain business contacts or important information.

Things to consider before opening a second location for your restaurant Part II

 Opening a second location for your already existing restaurant can be quite a challenging task for any restaurant owner. To help this process as previously discussed in Part I are listed, what we consider foundation question which all owners should answer and then formulate a solid plan on how to accomplish them before committing to a life changing decision such as opening a second location for their restaurant. In Part II of "Things to consider before opening a second location for your restaurant", we outline what we believe every restaurant owner should concentrate their efforts on such as exhausting all valuable options of profitability in the already existing locations. Keeping this in mind, we have listed 3 ideas that can provide as much or even more profit potential than a second restaurant at a fraction of the investment and risk.
1. Establish a birthday club- this is a great promotional incentive to bring customers into your restaurant especially on specific day of the month.
2. Direct and expand your efforts on outside catering and/or delivery- if you are not already doing this you should. Catering and/or delivery can add profitable revenue to your restaurant's bottom line.
3. Add new dining area for banquets and overflow seating. This can be a sizable investment, but will cost you much less than a new location with less risk and can offer you a great way to increase your sales and profit.

How to handle customers' complaints

 Every restaurant at least once had to deal with customers' complaints. The most important thing to remember however is not how many complaints a restaurant has received but how it responds to them. Instead of taking it as a personal attack, consider complaints an opportunity to improve. To help you with this we have listed some tips on how to handle customers' complaints.
1. Show them you care -thank the customer for making you aware of the problem.
2. Apologize- offer sincere apology and don't become defensive.
3. Tell your customers how you are going to fix the problem- customers really don't care why a certain problem has happened but rather what you are going to do about it now that you are aware of it.
4. Invite them back- remember you goal should be to turn the disappointed customer into a loyal one. You should invite them back and can always offer a gift certificates, coupons, or discounts for their next visit. This is a fantastic opportunity to redeem your restaurant, so use it to your advantage.

3 Steps on how restaurant owners can minimize job burnout

 One of the greatest occupational hazards for restaurant owners is job burnout since more often than not owners take on too many functions and responsibilities which can lead to long hours and most of the time no personal life outside of the restaurant. Find out how you as a restaurant owner can minimize the effects of job burnout.
1. Take all inventory and evaluate all the functions you currently perform.
2. Identify the right stuff that will be capable of completing the tasks.
3. Teach and train the employees to perform the work.
This tips may sound simple but once you relinquish some of the task you currently perform to a well trained stuff, you may find yourself with enough time on your hands to actually spend more time with your family or concentrate your efforts on more important matters like growing your business for example.

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust.
A must try!


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together the crushed gingersnap cookies, pecans, and butter. Press into the bottom, and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture. Blend 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the remaining mixture.
3. Spread the pumpkin flavored batter into the crust, and drop the plain batter by spoonfuls onto the top. Swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.
4. Bake 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until filling is set. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Allow to cool before removing pan rim. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.               

Courtesy of Renee

Things to consider before opening a second location for your restaurant Part I

 Opening a second location for an existing restaurant can be the single most difficult decision a restaurant owner can make. Having two restaurants can not only create new operating and management challenges many owners don't anticipate, but can put to risk not only the new restaurant but also the already existing one as well. Since this is a broad topic we have broken it down to two parts. Part I of "Things to consider before opening a second location for your restaurant" concentrates on what we call foundation questions which we first think each owner should answer and then build a solid plan on how to accomplish them. Part II of these series gives details on the areas we believe a restaurant owners should concentrate before opening a second location. So here are the things we think every owner should consider before making this life changing decision:
1. Consider the time, resources, and risk entailed in opening a second restaurant, and if possible talk to other owners who have already opened a second location. What have they learned? What would they change?
2. Look into your projections, they should be realistic. Then take your worst case scenario and make it your best case scenario, and ask yourself can you live with the results?
3. Do you have systems in place already set up that have been established to work?
4. And last but not least ask yourself: have you exhausted all of your existing options of profitability in your operation?
To learn more read Part II...

3 Must have Facebook apps for your restaurant

 Today most restaurant owners know that the world's largest social network, Facebook, is a great tool for expanding and strengthening your customer base. One of the best things on this social giant is its huge apps directory which can be of great help for restaurants when it comes to traffic, sales, and brand awareness. To make selecting the right apps an easy process, we listed what we consider top 3 must have Facebook apps for your restaurant business.
1. RatePoint- this app allows you to utilize your already existing customers to gain new ones. It gathers reviews and testimonials and generate an overall rating for your services which can help you build customer loyalty.
2. Promotions- this app combines coupons, contests, giveaways, and sweepstakes and creates interactive campaigns which can be priceless for brand awareness and for engaging your restaurant customers.
3. RSS Graffiti- great app that can save you time especially if you have multiply sites since it connects with your RSS feed and posts on your wall. Accordingly, all you need is a blog or a website that has an active feed.

What is UGC and 3 ways how it can benefit your restaurant

 UGC or User Generated Content is a content added to a website exclusively contributed by online users which can be a dream come true for most restaurant owners. Because the work is done by the online users and the content is free, your site has the potential to grow constantly which can be a great way for restaurants to expand on their brand. We also have found that a great way to stimulate UGC content for your restaurant website is by including a "reviews" section or by asking controversial questions. These methods can encourage your restaurant customers to send feedback about anything you are interested in collecting more information about like customer service or menu items. Using UGC is a great way for restaurants to:
1. Generate original and free content for their site which can save them time and money
2. Help them establish customer loyalty
3. Strenghten their restaurant presence on the web
 However whether you decide to implement UGC into your restaurant website or not, keep in mind that as you business continues to grow using creative solutions like UGC can only benefit your restaurant on the long run.

10 Tips on how to WOW your restaurant's customers

 Today many restaurants struggle how to not only attract new customers but also how to retain existing ones. The secret has always been in impressing your customers in such a way that your restaurant name stays on top of their mind at all times. Keeping this in mind, we listed 10 tips to help restaurants WOW their own customers.
1. Train your stuff not only on proper service and menu, but also on food service habits such as insuring that cold food is served cold, hot food is served hot, and always making sure that glasses and plates are clean of any food residue or water stains.
2. Go the extra mile and always anticipate your customer wishes. For example, if your customer is drinking coffee and is due for a refill, instead of asking if he needs more anticipate his wish and refill his cup.
3. Instill teamwork- just because every server is responsible for their own section it doesn't mean that his coworkers cannot help with the clearing of dishes or the refill of beverages. All customers should be given equal attention and care.
4. When your guests make a reservation, train your stuff to take down the guest name and the occasion for the reservation (if any). This way when your customers arrive, they will be addressed by name, escorted to their table which should be decorated for the specific occasion, and the guests given the appropriate attention and service.
5. Set up birthday club for your customers and send out birthday cards, notes, or dinner coupons.
6. Establish loyalty programs and reward your guests for being loyal customers by giving out coupons, discounts on special events, or awards.
7. Acknowledge all of your customers, especially the returning ones- get to know your guests better than your employees do, show them you care, and create "at home" feeling.
8. Provide clean bathrooms. Having a immaculately clean restrooms that are also stylishly decorated with mouthwash, lotions, fresh flowers, or over sized mirrors, is a very affective way to show your guests how much you care about them and how serious you are about cleanliness in all area of your restaurant.
9. It's all in the details. Sometimes small things matter the most such as dining on a clean tablecloths, drinking from spotless glasses, having enough napkins and silverware, attentive stuff, timely  service, consistent and great tasting food, etc. Keep in mind that these things matter more than incredible designed restaurant.
10. Make "Welcome" and "Goodbye" memorable. Since customers remember the first and the last minutes of service more than all of the rest, make sure to leave a sincere lasting impressions.

10 Ways you can use Twitter to make your restaurant successful

 Twitter has come a long way since its launch in July of 2006. Today Twitter is not only an online social networking and micro blogging service, but it is a way for businesses like restaurants to share their messages to existing and future customers.This is why we have gathered this 10 tips on how restaurants can use Twitter to become successful such as:1. Promote specials
2. Promote your menu
3. Hold customer contests
4. Promote seasonal and special events
5. Post job openings
6. Give out coupons
7. Promote your restaurant
8. Keep customers informed of any changes your restaurant may be undergoing
9. Rally your existing or future customers around shared passions for food or the restaurant industry
10. Help you build trust and customer loyalty

10 Ways you can use Facebook to your restaurant advantage

 Today most restaurants are aware that maintaining a social profile is a necessity. That being said there are ways you can use social networks like Facebook as a marketing tool to your restaurant advantage, and here are 10 tips on how to accomplish that.
1. Promote specials
2. Promote your menu
3. Collect feedback on service, food quality, menu design, restaurant design, interior or exterior of the restaurant, etc.
4. Give out coupons
5. Hold customer contests for slogan, menu items, specials, etc.
6. Post a job opening
7. Share your restaurant to the world through pictures and videos
8. Collect customers' reviews and use them as testimonials for your restaurant
9. Make valuable and lasting community connections by sponsoring local baseball or football teams
10. Build trust and customer loyalty by posting useful information

10 Ways you can use QR codes to promote your restaurant business

 QR codes or Quick Response codes have been used since the mid 90's in Japan where the code were invented. In other countries QR codes are finally becoming popular as the use of Smart phones continues to grow. Don't be left behind instead find out how you can use QR codes to your restaurant's advantage. You can:
1. Post it on your website and direct customers to Google maps for directions to your restaurant.
2. Post it on your menu and direct your customers to your website where they can rate your menu items.
3. Post it on your napkins or beverage coaster and direct your customer to your website where they can purchase your merchandise.
4. Use your QR to generate more "Likes" on your Facebook fan page.
5. Use it to share video of your restaurant or snippets of your customers testimonials.
6. On flyers and posters instead of interactive media ads.
7. On your business cards which can direct customers to your online website.
8. On to go and take home packaging.
9. Use it to direct your customers to downloadable media such as e-books of your restaurant recipes.
10. Use it to generate links to all of your social sites where customers can connect with you.

What are QR codes and why you should use them in your restaurant business

 A QR code stands for Quick Response code, and it's a 2D matrix bar code first designed by the automotive industry in the mid 90's in Japan. Created to allow its contents to be decoded at a high speed, this code consists of a black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. As the use of Smart phones is continue to be on the rise, QR codes are becoming more and more popular. They are quite simple to use, in fact if you have a camera-enabled Smart phone you can scan the QR code and gain an immediate access to information such as links, web addresses, emails, phone numbers, or images. Basically QR codes are an amazing bridge between your offline and online world, and you can implement them quite successfully into your restaurant business. You can easily use them for directions to your restaurant, to direct customers to your website, to stimulate the growth of your Facebook fan page, to share videos of your restaurant, etc. Even creating QR codes is easy, and you don't need to hire a specialist. There are services out there like Delivr, QR Stuff, or QRifier which can assist you in the creation process and will allow you to choose the type of content appropriate for your restaurant needs. Remember whichever service you choose don't forget tracking and statistics are necessary tools which will help you measure the success of your QR codes, so you might want to insure that your QR generator provides this service. You can even use a generator that has a color palette and customize your code. It's all up to you, and creativity is the name of the game.

Five easy steps to clean and organize your business email as a restaurant owner

 Being efficient should be the goal of every successful restaurant owner. Let's face it you can't afford to waste your time, and messy mailboxes can add a lot of unwanted noise. Save yourself the headache and take advantage of this guides for cleaning and organizing your email box.
1. Email time- schedule a specific uninterrupted time of the day to process all your emails, or you'll find yourself going over your email all the time.
2. De-folder- having too many folders can eat up a lot of your time since you have to sort your mail each day. Instead use just a couple of folders like Follow up/Attention- for work you haven't checked or one that requires your particular attention, Incomplete- for mail that requires more work, and Complete- for all finished work.
3. Filter- not everything you receive have to reach your mailbox. You can set up filters by using keywords, subject, or sender.
4. Automate- save time by sending canned responses which are a great way to quickly view and respond to emails without having to retype or copy and paste the same message.
5. Unsubscribe- to be more efficient you can set a time, collect all unwanted emails you wish to unsubscribe to, and unsubscribe at once saving yourself time and headache.

Creative ways for restaurants to increase their sales

 Are you a restaurant owner who is looking for ways to increase your restaurant's sales? Have you tried  the old traditional ways and discovered you need something more? Look no further, this 10 tips will help you in a creative way to increase your restaurants sales.
1. Set up cooking shows and teach your customers cooking techniques and/or recipes.
2. Publish and sell your restaurant's cook book.
3. Take advantage of your website and sell merchandise.
4. Hold weekly or monthly races that start and end at your restaurant.
5. Encourage your customers to tweet about your restaurant specials, menus, or contests by giving out gift cards, merchandise from your restaurant, or a whole year of free meals for the best tweets.
6. Use Facebook to hold customer contests when looking to introduce new menus, new restaurant slogan, or even when looking to make changes to your existing decor.
7. Sponsor local LLBB,peewee football teams, or any other teams of your choice.
8. Turn your restaurant wall into art gallery for student art clubs or art departments.
9. Hold yearly events such as food competitions or races.
10. Get involved within your community and hold food drives especially around holidays.
 At the end, this tips are merely suggestions, and you have to find the right fit for your restaurant business. As long as you keep it fun and remember your goals at all times, there is nothing that will stop you.

How to make your restaurant mobile site successful

 Mobile consumers are fast growing phenomenon. Since the market is growing rapidly and becoming only more advance, there is no escaping it your restaurant business needs to go mobile. Creating a mobile website is not as hard as one may believe and to guide you through this process, we have listed this helpful tips to make your restaurant mobile site successful.
1. In with the new- contrary to what many may believe, you can't just duplicate your existing site. Instead you have to edit and select your texts and images carefully, and since users tend to browse sites quickly you have to captivate their attention.
2. Structure- don't forget your title, content, and links are all important for helping search engines index your site correctly. Design this wisely.
3. Minimize scrolling- the less scrolling is involved the more your clients will appreciate you. Keep in mind a great way to break your content into segments is using links.
4. Stay connected- don't forget to connect your mobile site to various social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, Google maps, emailing, etc. which will allow your customers to easily connect with you from anywhere anytime.