Blackbird Labs’ Post

$600 to book a table? $1000 reservations for dinner for two? Of course we’re talking about New York City where, according to this The New Yorker piece, dining out has become even more overpriced. Well actually, not New York City. We’re talking about Manhattan, which narcissistically identifies, and has brainwashed the rest of the world to recognize, as the entirety of New York City, largely disregarding the other boroughs (including THE BEST: Brooklyn). Manhattan has always been the capital of overrated, overpriced (in part to cover the cost of a restaurant’s real estate) food. You only face ridiculously high prices when you are looking for “hot” restaurants, which is very different from searching for the most delicious, satisfying food. These days, I split my time between New York and Chicago (my favorite city, outside of Brooklyn). Chi-Town food has always been far better than anything you can find in Manhattan, even at its hottest, most pricey and exclusive restaurants. #TheSuccesspert #Chicago #newyork #restaurants #food #businessmeals

Great article in The New Yorker on how bots, mercenaries, and table scalpers have turned the restaurant reservation system inside out. Also, a sobering reminder on just how low margin the restaurant business is. Excerpt: "Over the last decade, profit margins at American restaurants have languished at around four per cent. Gitnux, another research firm, reported that high-end restaurants may only see margins of two per cent." #retail #restaurants #dining #finedining #economics #arbitrage #bestpractices #automation #reservations https://lnkd.in/gqtnrkUt

SOLO DINERS | Personal Opinion but this is utter tosh. Unless you are full from first slot till last slot every session, there’s always space for a little one. Solo diners are almost always the most Interesting person in the room. They’ve probably travelled from another city to get there, they’re confident and comfortable enough in themselves to not feel phased in dining alone and some of the best spenders, most lucid speakers and tell the best stories. In my book you ALWAYS give the solo diner the best seats in the house. You ALWAYS engage in conversation unless they give you a ‘leave me alone vibe’ and they’ll ALWAYS take the recommendation to seek the best experience your restaurant or bar has to offer. They usually tip the team better too! Frequently they’ll make your place their place every time they come to town because you make it easy for them and you never ever know who they know or who they’ll bring in next time. So…if they’re solo and you’re worried about spend, give them an early / late slot if you have to but double charging a solo diner is so very short termist, a victory of technical over experience and more than anything, thoroughly inhospitable. Prove me wrong. Prove to me that treating people like this will drive your business forwards and make the difference between success and failure.

What New Yorker doesn't think about a way to get into the latest hot restaurant? If you're looking to snag a reservation at one of the toughest restaurants in NYC, check out this guide for tips and recommendations on where to dine. #NYCFoodie #NYCEats

You have likely used wi-fi in public places--on the plane, in a restaurant, at the hotel or even at work as a guest! However, consider some of these tips to see how (un)safe public wi-fi is and how you can keep your data safe while out and about. https://shorturl.at/wzVX2 #travelsafety #publicwifi

Check out my new blog post below that I put together with ResDiary. Includes top tips how to become a successful restaurant in a big city. Happy reading 🙂 📖

Over the years, the restaurant industry has seen significant shifts in how fees are passed along to the consumer. Finding the right balance between protecting business interests and ensuring a positive customer experience remains paramount. Here's a great article from the team at Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine discussing some strategies operators can use when deciding what fees they are passing along to their customers. #restaurants #restaurantfees #servicefees

NEW YORK SERIES: NEW YORK CITY RESTAURANT WEEK RETURNS THIS SUMMER WITH NEARLY 500 RESTAURANTS Hungry New Yorkers will be thrilled to hear New York City’s Restaurant Week is back this summer. NYC Tourism + Conventions, the city’s tourism agency, announced that the program, which allows patrons to eat at hundreds of the city’s best restaurants with discounted, prix-fixe menus, would return to the five boroughs this summer with nearly 500 participating establishments. The four-week program will run from Monday, July 24 through Sunday, August 20. #listings #apartments #manhattan #residentialrealestate #onthemarket #sellers #average #inventory #price #active #closings #ny #newyorkcity #report #months #apartmentsforsale #market #resale #pricedown #lowerprice #buyersmarket #bestopportunity #linkedin #buyersmarket #listings #realtor #realestate #apartmentsforsale

💡Interesting to see how new comers in the industry tackle the issue of yield management for #restaurant business. 🤔 I have thought about it for a while. Even if I can’t understand why this is not accepted by customers in restaurants but that they fully agree to it when it comes to hotel or airplane tickets… …As a restaurateur I don’t feel it’s fair to change the price of a table only based on an offer - demand balance. 🚫It destroys the experience and just makes it more commercial. Access is then only reserved to people who can afford it. But the reason why those people want to come is because there is a great energy in those places and that clientele is not curated on the size of its wallet. ⚠️ At the end of the day you kill what makes a place an institution : gathering people from various background to create an incomparable experience 💰This might be a nice play on the short term but may also kill your #business on the long term #hospitality #innovation