How to Boost Restaurant Sales in January

January is typically a slow month for most industries, and the hospitality industry is no exception. People are more cash-strapped after the holiday season, so spending will be down a bit. However, you can still bring in sales if you market and promote your restaurant properly. Here are some ideas to boost your restaurant numbers during this time:

#1: Winter food and drink menu

Create a specific menu for the winter season. Incorporate warm, hearty foods, like soups and stews, in the food menu. Comfort foods are popular choices during the colder months. Don't forget about the bar as well. Get creative with specialty cocktails to entice happy hour-goers to come in.

#2: Seasonal events and entertainment

Encourage diners to eat at the restaurant by offering live music and/or entertainment. You can also host seasonal events or game/trivia nights to entice customers.

#3: Special deals and prices

Offering special prices is another great way to increase sales and traffic. For example, if you notice lunch service is quiet, think about providing a lunch hour deal. Determine the time period (i.e.: 11 AM–2 PM) and specify that diners have to eat in. In addition, consider having a prix fixe menu, with set appetizer-entree combinations. These fixed-priced values are good for both your business and diners alike.

#4: Take out/delivery

Again, the cold weather means people rather stay in than dine out. Cater to those people and provide takeout/delivery service. You can offer deals and discounts here as well, like free delivery after $20 or $5 off $25 order.

#5: Participate in Restaurant Week

If possible, be a part of Restaurant Week. This is a great opportunity for diners to experience your restaurant, which may be usually out of their price range. These patrons can potentially come back and become repeat customers in the future.

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How to Prepare for a Job Fair

Attending a job fair is a great opportunity to meet with multiple employers and brands all in one place. But it can get pretty stressful too, especially if you're not prepared in advance. Here are some key tips to successfully navigate a job fair:

#1: Be informed about the event.

Make sure you know where you are going, and how long the job fair is running until. If you arrive early, you can prep and run through all the details once more. Also, you may have a slight advantage when meeting with the employers at an earlier time, because it is not as busy. Just don't arrive late or else you might not even get to meet with any recruiters.

#2: Research the companies.

Even though you are not having a formal one-on-one meeting with the employer, you still have to do research beforehand. You don't want to leave a bad impression and seem uninformed about the business you are looking to work for. If it helps, jot down key information on your phone or notepad. Then you can refer back to it between speaking at different tables.

#3: Dress professionally.

Remember to dress for success, and as if you were walking into a typical job interview. Even if you don't wear a blazer, at least, have on a collared shirt/blouse, pants and dress shoes. Read our blog, How to Dress for a Restaurant Job Interview, for basic job interview attire tips.

#4: Prepare an introductory statement about yourself.

Since you will only have a limited amount of time to talk with hiring managers, you want to use it wisely. If you prepare a brief 20 to 30-second introduction about yourself, you won't have to worry about it on the spot. However, don't memorize your speech word-for-word; be natural.

#5: Have a list of questions ready.

Write down specific questions you want to ask employers regarding the job and/or hiring process. For example, you probably want to know the job responsibilities, career development and growth opportunities, etc. Tip–Ask for a business card or email, so that you can continue corresponding with them.

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Harri's Hospitality Career Fair in LA

YOU'RE INVITED TO HARRI'S HOSPITALITY CAREER FAIR!

Incredible FT and PT opportunities available for FOH, BOH and Management talent. Participating brands include:

• The SLS Hotel
• Mendocino Farms
• Greystone Manner
• Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse
• Nobu
• BOA Steakhouse
• Soho House
• And MANY more!

All applicants must RSVP online in order to unlock location and job openings: http://bit.ly/HCFLA

Employers, if you want to participate in our Hospitality Career Fair in LA, contact Jeremy, Harri's Business Development Manager (West Coast) at jeremy@harri.com.

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Restaurant Middle Class Job Growth 4x Stronger Than Overall Economy

The restaurant industry has been a driving force behind the nation’s recovery from the Great Recession, adding roughly 2 million jobs during the current expansion. Not only are restaurants among the leaders in total job growth, they are also adding middle class jobs at a much stronger rate than the overall economy, according to the NRA’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy. His Economist’s Notebook commentary and analysis appears regularly on Restaurant.org and Restaurant TrendMapper.

The restaurant industry has been a driving force behind the nation’s recovery from the Great Recession. From the beginning of the employment recovery in March 2010 through the end of 2015, restaurants added roughly 2 million jobs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This equates to an average of more than 900 net new restaurant jobs added each day.

Overall, the 21 percent increase in restaurant jobs during the recovery is more than double the 10 percent gain in total U.S. jobs during the same period. Not only are restaurants among the leaders in total job growth, they are also adding middle class jobs at a much stronger rate than the overall economy.

In fact, the restaurant industry added middle class jobs* at a rate four times stronger than the overall economy during the recovery from the Great Recession, according to an analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Between 2010 and 2014,the number of restaurant jobs with annual income between $45,000 and $74,999 jumped 32.7 percent.  In contrast, the total number of jobs in the U.S. economy with income in this range rose just 8.0 percent during the same period.

Due to the scheduling flexibility demanded by much of the industry workforce, most restaurant employees work on a part-time or part-year basis.  Only 43 percent of restaurant workers are full-time/full-year employees, compared to 69 percent of the total U.S. workforce.

As a result, the restaurant industry is home to only 1.8 percent of all jobs in the economy with annual income between $45,000 and $74,999.

However, the restaurant industry was responsible for 5.9 percent of the net new middle class jobs added to the economy between 2010 and 2014, or more than three times larger than its current share of these jobs.

*For the purposes of this analysis, middle class jobs are defined as those with annual income between $45,000 and $74,999.

(via National Restaurant Association)

Top 10 Traits of a Great Employee

We previously reviewed what were the top 10 traits of a great employer. Now, we will be sharing some of the characteristics of an ideal employee:

• The common saying goes, "There is no 'I' in team." Being a team player is vital to any company, because as a group, you can accomplish more with greater results, and maybe at an even faster pace.
• Managers need reliable workers, people who they can count on for their business to run smoothly. This includes, but may not be limited to, arriving to work on time and not missing shifts.
• Hard working candidates are highly preferred since they will do whatever they can to get the job done.

See below for the other top traits that a great employee should possess:

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