NRA Show Blog

Beverage-alcohol experts give tips on generating profits

A panel of seasoned beverage-alcohol leaders shared their best practices yesterday on generating beverage-alcohol profits in restaurants. The speakers’ operations — T.G.I. Friday’s, O’Charley’s and Darden Restaurants — together represent more than $1 billion a year in beverage-alcohol sales.

The Improve Your Beverage Margins education session is one of several free seminars at the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event, which concludes today. The IWSB Event is part of the NRA Show.

David Commer of Commer Beverage moderated while industry heavyweights George Barton, vice president of beverage and bar, T.G.I. Friday’s, Stuart Melia, corporate beverage director, O’Charley’s Inc. and Doug Jackson, senior director of beverage development, Darden Restaurants, presented strategies for increasing beverage margins. Together, the panelists have more than 100 years of industry experience.

Starbucks Brews Action With Word of Mouth and Social Media

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Last week's ideas-packed Word of Mouth Supergenius Conference hosted by GasPedal was a smash hit. Thanks a mil to all the speakers who shared tips and ideas on how to be great at word of mouth marketing.

We met up at the conference with Starbucks'  very own word of mouth/social media master Matthew Guiste for a one-on-one interview about how the company creates action with word of mouth and social media.

Q: How [and why] does Starbucks engage in WOM and social media?

A: We view social media not as a marketing channel, but as a way to genuinely connect with our customers outside the four walls of our stores. We meet them through a variety of experiences and online places. Chief among them are Facebook, Twitter, MyStarbucksIdea.com, YouTube and Flickr. We engage in these channels for a variety of reasons, most of which fit into the following three buckets:

• Listen and Learn: Active participation in the conversations in these places help us hear directly from and speak directly to our customers.

Bring On The Experts, Trend-Setters

 
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

As the industry’s most colossal restaurant and foodservice marketplace, industry leaders and trend-setters are encouraged to share their expertise and best practices with attendees at NRA Show 2010 and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB).

Education sessions are an important and exciting part of the NRA Show and IWSB programming, and each year these events strive to provide attendees with a wide range of topics and speakers to help improve their business now and into the future. The National Restaurant Association is now welcoming proposals from individuals and companies, both large and small, to share insights and expertise into the hottest topics of today and beyond.
 
Do you think you have what it takes to engage, excite and inform attendees looking for ideas and solutions? Here are some helpful tips when submitting education session proposals. Remember, ideal proposals should focus on current trends and solutions to help restaurant and foodservice operators succeed while positioning themselves for long-term growth, without highlighting specific products or services. Best practices and expertise are preferred.

NRA Show 2010 and IWSB education session proposals may be submitted in five categories: