With rising hackers attacking businesses through social media, it's time to update company policy on employee use of company computers

If your bar or restaurant is starting to use social media, it's time to consider updating an employee policy concerning the use of Twitter and other social media outlets.

After focusing on email as a way to spread malware and viruses, hackers are now targeting social media outlets as their new distribution model.

In a recent blog in the San Antonio Express-News, Matt Scherer suggested that businesses should follow these guidelines:

1) Does your firm or business have a policy on the use of social media? For example, a corporate handbook could inform workers that if they accept a link from a follower named Xge333x to look at his or her pictures that they could be terminated if clinking that link spreads a virus or malware into the system.

2) Does a business have an outside channel of computers, not linked into their main business processing centers, for social media use? At one local Air Force base, the public affairs officer has a computer not linked into the base's main computer system where he can post blogs and follow Twitter.

3) Is the company's social media policy briefed to workers on a semi-annual basis or through the use of other corporate channels such as the company newsletter?
Restaurants should update their employee handbook to address this, especially for those managers and marketing professionals that use a company computer to post tweets on Twitter and messages on Facebook.

GRA provides restaurants with green certification program

Kermit the Frog sang "It's Not Easy Being Green," but with restaurants, going green is something that could save them money and create good will among their client base.

I recently found the Green Restaurant Association web site with its seven standards for meeting its full certification program. Below are the seven standards that the GRA evaluate:

1, Water Effciency
2. Waste Reduction and Recycling
3. Sustainable Furnishings and Building Materials
4. Sustainable Food
5. Energy
6. Disposables
7. Chemical and Pollution Reduction

Restaurants who want to download the standards for their green progran should visit this link.

With the cost of energy as well as a continued government pursuit of green initiatives, smart restaurant owners will remain ahead of the curve on this standard.

Subway shooting incident shows the need for restaurants to manager their security process

After three robbers shot a 17-year-old employee at a West Palm Beach, Fla., Subway Restaurant, her parents filed suit against the store.

"At Subway restaurants, employee and customer safety is of paramount importance," spokesman Craig Rasmussen said in a statement published in news reports. "We are aware of the recent lawsuit filed, but are unable to comment on pending litigation."

In today's troubled times, restaurant security is something that every store manager and owner should review as often as possible. One of the best things that restaurants can do is to get a security audit from their local police force.

Based on their recommendations, store managers should upgrade their security equipment. In many cases, adding new equipment can often lower the liability costs of their insurance policy.

Regardless of the costs, employee security is an issue that impacts the credibility of a restaurant or chain operation.

Social media effort helps Brassier Pavil get more catering jobs

If you are a restaurant who wants to increase awareness of your catering operations, consider an increased use of social media as a way to add more business in this category.

Brasserie Pavil, a San Antonio restaurant that specializes in French cuisine, has added over 1200 followers on Twitter. At a social media lunch in Thursday, Colleen Pence, the social media advisor for the restaurant, said the restaurant has gotten nine major catering jobs within the last six weeks.

My company is starting to help some of our clients with social media efforts. And, we are creating personas for clients from Midland to Dallas. Our clients recognize that this effort wil take a little time, but as the business case for Brasserie Pavil shows, the effort is well worth the effort.

Why restaurants should have a master recipe list

One of the biggest headaches for restaurant owners is consistency in food preperation. From one-restaurant operations to large franchises, restaurant managers want to make sure their customers get a consistent meal at every visit.

For management, it's hard to monitor the culinary performance of their staff without customer feedback. While spot checks can help a manager correct a cook who wants to deviate from a master recipe, customer feedback can provide a second source of verification.

Management needs to stress the need for consistency with their cooking teams. However, if a cook has a better way to prepare a dish, restaurant leaders should consider updating their master recipe list.

Why cell phones are an effective way to reach customers

Are cell phones becoming the next way to reach customers?

Yes, even though it's a pretty new technology.

Research has shown that restaurant operators are now starting to embrace cell phone as a way to reach their regular customers.

According to Brad Beasley, the president of CrossLink Media, the redemption rate for most wireless coupons are at 20-percent.

"Most restaurants are happy when they get a two to three-percent return on direct mail," said Beasley. "However, with wireless, they can target their core customers and get a higher return."

Customers have to opt in with this form of marketing by texting a message to a provider. As part of their database, the restaurant can send each of their customers special offers.

Restaurants should focus on driving their clients to visit their restaurants on their slower days of operations with special offers such as half-price promotion for special meals. By working with their vendors, restaurant operators can introduce new meal items or get special discounts on specialty items for their customers.

(Note: If you want to embrace the use of wireless cell phones for your marketing platform, please contact me at www.foodproconsulting.com.)

Exceptional customer service even more important with today's economy

As the 2009 Southwest Foodservice Expo kicks off, I have to admire the comment from Mark Brezinski, the owner of Bengal Coast Restaurant concerning the restaurant industry.

"We're in a business where you have to create reasons for people to come in," Brezinski said in the Monday edition of the Dallas Morning News.Even when the economy is rolling along, restaurant owners have to constantly stress the importance of customer service.

As a longtime restaurant manager, I believe training on customer service starts on the first day and continues every time there's a chance to coach someone. Shift managers can encourage exceptional performance and customer care with their own performance.

By welcoming guests and helping their staff when there's a rush, a restaurant manager can demostrate to his staff the importance of exceptional customer service. When it comes to monitoring the performance of shift leaders and managers, it's important for general managers and restaurant owners to manage high expectations for their leaders on this area.

Restaurant patrons are questioning the need to eat as much as they did two years ago, so a focus on providing customer service is even more important.