Contract dining, wifi opining, social media mining

Three quick news hits to start off the week:

• Reservation agreements: not that Rogue?

For the past week, the internet has been a-buzz with news of the “reservation agreement” required by new Washington, DC hot spot Rogue24.  The Globe and Mail had a particularly useful article that offered up the restaurant’s rationale for rules ranging from  strict cancellation deadlines (less than 72 hours’ notice prompts a charge of half of predetermined bill, while same-day cancellations and late-arriving guests must pay full price) to bans on cell phones to no cameras (G&M: To eat at this hot restaurant, you’ll have to sign a contract).  But as the Washington Post revealed in a follow-up piece, when it comes to dining agreements, Rogue 24 is not alone.

• Free Wi-Fi: best for guests?
  

The latest SmartBlog on Restaurants poll asked an interesting question: Do you think restaurants should offer unlimited wi-fi to guests?  Responses were split — almost exactly — between those who think offering free wireless internet service is meeting guests’ expectations and those who think it detracts from the dining experience:

50.65% — Yes, guests have come to expect it.
49.35% — No, it can affect other guests’ experiences.

• Social media index: how do you measure up?

Nation’s Restaurant News has launched a new service aimed at being “the most comprehensive tracking system for social media efforts in the restaurant industry to help businesses understand and compete in the social world.”  From the debut release:

(The Restaurant Social Media Index (RSMI)) gathers the basics of social media efforts, from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google, and utilizes third-party technologies — from the highly-acclaimed Klout rankings to the social analytic system Social Insights from DigitalCoCo — to determine what brands and actions are moving consumers.

The index is free to join — you can learn more about it here and register your restaurant brand today.

Coming up tomorrow: the secret to secret menus.

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Snow place like home

I haven’t seen the word “Snowmageddon” in print/pixel yet, but I’m assuming it’s only a matter of time, if predictions of the impending winter storm turn out to be accurate.

It certainly wouldn’t be the first bad weather Canadian restaurateurs have contended with in recent years, but on the upside, there are lessons to be learned from this winter’s bad storms that have repeatedly hit our neighbours to the south.

Last week, SmartBlog on Restaurants identified “7 Bright Spots in the Snow” for foodservice establishments, including delivery (“a mixed blessing,” bad weather boosts demand for delivery but can make driving hazardous), free wi-fi (“coffee shops with free internet … were rewarded with crowds of people who needed a connection after they lost power”) and social media (“(restaurants) are tweeting their status, either to let regulars know they’re closed or offer storm-weary patrons a place to get away from reality for a bit”).

The news, of course, is not all good.  In Calgary, there are reports that snow bites into eateries’ profits, while during last month’s storms in Atlantic Canada, “businesses were closed … roads crumbled and residents hunkered down.”

Here’s hoping that Wiarton Willie and Shubenacadie Sam bring us good news on Wednesday!

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