Preparing Restaurant Delivery for the Summer Months
Hotels
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Preparing Restaurant Delivery for the Summer Months

Rain or shine, humidity or snow, food delivery is a year-round business. But for restaurants that offer delivery, the same rules that apply to winter meal transportation don’t always hold during the summer. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re prepared for summer restaurant deliveries.

Food delivery in the warmer months presents new opportunities and challenges. Here are a few ways to capitalize on the sunshine and keep your delivery cool during the summer rush:

Create a summer delivery menu

The warmer months bring new seasonal ingredients, making it a great time to update your menu. Investigate what local ingredients are in season and feature them in your summer dishes. Many customers will be in search of summer menu classics like cold drinks, fresh fruit, barbecue and seafood. Adding light and fresh dishes to your menu can make your restaurant the go-to summer spot.

Run a summer promotion

Nothing gets a customer more excited to place an order than a good deal. This summer, take advantage of the summer rush by offering exclusive promotions that highlight your seasonal offerings.

Looking for ideas to promote your restaurant on social media? Consider using social media holidays to give customers a reason to celebrate your cuisine. Pick a holiday food that coincides with your menu offerings, and run a discount on that item to celebrate the holiday. On National Ice Cream Day (July 16), give out a free cone with every purchase. Posting about your promotions on social media using hashtags like #NationalIceCreamDay will help spread the word.

With more potential customers out and about, summer is a great time to double down on advertising. Emails, billboards, fliers, social posts and delivery inserts are all great ways to let diners know about your promotions.

Assemble a bike delivery staff

Sunshine and mild temperatures open up a whole new food delivery alternative: bikes. Consider augmenting your existing pool of delivery drivers with cyclists who can fulfill nearby orders. But when it comes to long-distance deliveries, sushi and smoothies still hold up better in an air-conditioned car than on two wheels.

When you partner with Grubhub, your restaurant can get access to our experienced drivers who can be trusted to get your dishes to customers safely. Learn more about how Grubhub delivery protects your restaurant’s reputation.

Stock up on the right packaging

In the summertime, food delivery packaging needs to control for seasonal variables such as humidity and scorching heat along with everyday challenges such as potholes and other road turbulence. When it comes to popular warm weather menu items – such as salads – make sure the delivery drivers are equipped with plenty of ice to keep the salads fresh. Similarly, you’ll want durable drink packaging on hand so cold beverages aren’t lukewarm by the time they’re delivered.

Take a look at these tips on how to select packaging that is both high quality and sustainable.

Accommodate catering delivery

For a lot of diners, summer means picnics in the park, backyard BBQs and neighborhood block parties. If you don’t already, now might be the time to offer food delivery for larger groups and event orders. Your restaurant can offer full-service catering for events, or opt for delivery and drop-off catering for a cheaper price. Adding catering to your restaurant is a great way to diversify your revenue this summer.

Before promoting this specific service, be sure to accumulate the right hot/cold packaging (and insulated travel bags or boxes) that can handle bulk orders.

Partner with a food delivery service provider

More likely than not, your existing delivery employees will be requesting time off this summer for their own vacations. By outsourcing your food delivery to a service provider like Grubhub, you can guarantee access to a steady stream of drivers whenever orders come through – and save yourself the scheduling headache.

Ready to reach new customers and grow your business with Grubhub? Signup today!

Winning Kiwi BBQ expertise heading to American Royal World Series –
Cheap Hotels
ameky , , , ,
Winning Kiwi BBQ expertise heading to American Royal World Series –

For Ken Van Mackelbergh, barbecue is out of season; it’s a community, a culture, a lifestyle, and, most importantly, it’s about family and friends. It is about celebrations and creating memories, about building old friendships, and making new ones.

This has been Ken’s ethos for as long as he can remember. With over 20 years’ experience as a qualified Chef, Ken is affectionately known as ‘BBQ BOI’, a name quickly adopted for the competitive BBQ team he is part of with Nick Borland and Jamie Urwin.

This year a partnership has been developed between BBQ BOI and kiwi-owned business, The Kiwi Outdoor, who manufactures what they believe to be one of the most outstanding BBQs ever built in New Zealand.

Ken, along with the rest of the BBQ BOI team and a Kiwi Outdoor Oven kit, will be heading to Kansas at the end of September to compete against some of the best BBQ teams in the world.

The Kiwi Outdoor Oven journey began at Pauanui Beach back in 2012, when two kiwi blocks decided they wanted a ‘fast heat up, top quality pizza/cooking oven and outdoor fire’. At the time there were various options on the market, but none that did it all, they wanted a product that was NZ-made and large in size (with the idea of ​​commercial use in mind).

Quickly, the duo created prototypes and the testing stage began. The company officially launched in 2013 where the ovens were initially promoted by a wood-fired pizza caravan set up in Pauanui beach. Word of mouth quickly spread about this mouth-watering wood-fired taste. In 2018, Brendan and Naomi Arnet purchased the business to take it on the next level of its journey – becoming the best.

Kiwi outdoor oven/fire on the market

“Known as the ‘entertainer’s dream’ – the ovens produce cooking results that previously one could only dream about and outdoor heating that is described as phenomenal.

“The oven is capable of cooking banquets for large groups, or just have the pizzas ready at the same time for the entire family. Enjoy roasts that fall off the bone, beautiful natural smoky BBQ flavours, and an oven that cooks it all.

The oven is capable of cooking banquets for large groups, or just have the pizzas ready at the same time for the entire family.

“Slow cooking is a dream because of the oven’s conductive heating and insulation, meaning you can spend your time mingling with guests, instead of being stuck in the kitchen or behind the BBQ.

When the Arnets purchased the business, they were obviously impressed with the food cooked in the ovens, but also joked about how great it would be if they could be part of a competition to prove it. The Kiwi Outdoor oven featured on ‘My Kitchen Rules’ back in 2014, but the duo had their sights set on something bigger.

After joining forces with team BBQ BOI, they began testing the Kiwi Outdoor Oven in the 2023 NZBA competition season, kicking off with back-to-back Grand Championships in Kumeu and more recently, Grand Championship at Smoke on the Coast, the biggest competition of the year so far, putting the BOI BBQ team at the top of the National Leader board. The field at such competitions is highly competitive, and their wins have earned them a coveted spot at The American Royal World Series of Barbecue.

This is the world’s largest BBQ competition and has over 500 teams competing. Ken, along with the rest of the BBQ BOI team and a Kiwi Outdoor Oven kit, will be heading to Kansas at the end of September to compete against some of the best BBQ teams in the world.

When Should You Buy Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H)?
Cheap Hotels
ameky , , , ,
When Should You Buy Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H)?

Today we’re going to take a look at the well-established Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H). The company’s stock received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$123 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$104. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Hyatt Hotels’ current trading price of US$110 reflects the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Hyatt Hotels’ outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

Check out our latest analysis for Hyatt Hotels

What’s The Opportunity In Hyatt Hotels?

According to my valuation model, Hyatt Hotels seems to be fairly priced at around 2.8% below my intrinsic value, which means if you buy Hyatt Hotels today, you’d be paying a fair price for it. And if you believe that the stock is really worth $113.36, then there isn’t much room for the share price to grow beyond what it’s currently trading. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Hyatt Hotels’ share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator of how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

What does the future of Hyatt Hotels look like?

earnings-and-revenue-growth

earnings-and-revenue-growth

Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company’s future expectations. However, with an extremely negative double-digit change in profit expected over the next couple of years, near-term growth is certainly not a driver of a buy decision. It seems like high uncertainty is on the cards for Hyatt Hotels, at least in the near future.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Currently, H appears to be trading around its fair value, but given the uncertainty from negative returns in the future, this could be the right time to reduce the risk in your portfolio. Is your current exposure to the stock beneficial for your total portfolio? And is the opportunity cost of holding a negative-outlook stock too high? Before you make a decision on the stock, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on H for a while, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. The stock appears to be trading at fair value, which means there’s less benefit from mispricing. Furthermore, the negative growth outlook increases the risk of holding the stock. However, there are also other important factors we haven’t considered today, which can help gel your views on H should the price fluctuate below its true value.

So if you’d like to dive deeper into this stock, it’s crucial to consider any risks it’s facing. In terms of investment risks, we’ve identified 3 warning signs with Hyatt Hotels, and this understanding should be part of your investment process.

If you are no longer interested in Hyatt Hotels, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Disappointment at APTR decision –
Cheap Hotels
ameky , , , ,
Disappointment at APTR decision –

The accommodation industry has expressed its disappointment with the Supreme Court ruling that the Auckland Council’s Accommodation Provider Targeted Rate (APTR) funding for tourism is valid.

The contentious hotel bed tax was introduced in 2017 by the Auckland Council to boost tourism funding and has now been given the green light after being suspended in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality economy.

Hospitality New Zealand’s Accommodation Association Lead & Sector Chair, Troy Clarry, says the decision to overturn the Court of Appeal ruling will have long-term implications for operators; not only for Auckland but probably throughout New Zealand.

“The APTR, as proposed by the council, is unfair, inappropriate and simply does not work – Covid-19 proved that beyond all doubt.

“It did not work as intended and now Auckland has no funding for marketing and events, inevitably affecting New Zealand’s ability to attract major events going forward. But this ruling is the end of the matter and we now need to move forward.

“We pleaded with other local councils around New Zealand to work with the industry on models similar to the fairer funding model for destination marketing that has worked on with Tataki Auckland Unlimited and the wider tourism sector since the Court of Appeal ruling 18 months back.

“This is well advanced and covers the wider industry on a much fairer basis, and we ask other councils to look at what is being done and work with local tourism operators on similar models.

“At the same time we also ask the Government to work with us to develop a centralized funding model.

“This is urgent – ​​not just for the industry but also for the benefits tourism can provide to the whole economy – GtDP, tax take, GST, branding etc.

“We still have a concern around targeted rates in general, and our concern with this ruling is that councils around New Zealand will now be tempted to implement targeted rates, not just for tourism but for other sectors going forward.

“So, we urge councils to work with the sector to find alternative fair, reasonable, and nationally endorsed funding models for tourism.

“Ultimately, we want to solve the funding for tourism problems, and this needs central government involvement.

“The hospitality and accommodation sector has always been willing to work with councils and the government, and we think this is the perfect time to do that. But it needs to be done quickly because we’re already falling behind competitively in international tourism and our ability to attract travelers from abroad.”

The Supreme Court ruling, released on May 12 determined that the APTR was reasonable and complied with the legislation in the Local Government Act 2002.

Super ideas for Mother’s Day Promos –
Cheap Hotels
ameky , , , ,
Super ideas for Mother’s Day Promos –

If you haven’t already fixed your marketing plan for Sunday May 14, take a look at these promotional ideas to grow your repeat business!

1) Promotions That Maximize the Entire Day

Brunch: Try a Little Trendiness

You can’t go wrong with omelette and waffle stations. But these trendy, menu-based Mother’s Day promotions are the way to her heart.

  • Bottomless Mom-mosas: Just for Mum…it might be her dream come true. Serve mimosas in a mason jar or other special glassware she can take home.
  • Avocado Toast Trio: Prep 3 variations of this trendy toast.
  • Gourmet Yogurt Bars: From house-made granolas, to shaved chocolate – set out gourmet toppings and let Mum choose. It’s the brunch version of the sundae bar. Or prepare a Bloody Mary bar as one of your Mother’s Day promotions. Think crumbled bacon, fresh herbs, and hot sauces.

Mid-Afternoon High Tea, Dahling

When 2 pm hits, tap into the British tradition of high tea for your Mother’s Day promotions. Complete with tasty finger foods and an array of teas, it’s the perfect mother-daughter event. Use the BBC’s guide to high tea to plan an authentic tea time.

Farm-to-Table Prix Fixe Dinner

Fixed price menus make for popular Mother’s Day promotions at every meal. Guests love knowing how much they’ll spend in advance. Plus, limiting choices means your kitchen can work more efficiently (hello, faster table turn).

Create a special Mother’s Day dinner inspired by the farm-to-table trend. Focus on in-season, local fare.

2) Free Gifts for the Win

A little Mum-spoiling goes a long way in building loyalty. Show your appreciation with a small gift as part of your Mother’s Day promotions.

  • Sweet Succulents: All the other restaurants will offer her a rose. Go trendy with a little potted succulent. Already ordered those roses? Print out a few lines of epic Mother’s Day poetry to go with each rose or plant.
  • Treat Bag: Welcome Mums to your restaurant with a gift bag filled with chocolates. Ask nearby businesses if they’d like to include coupons or offers, too.
  • Branded Merch: Send it home with a souvenir like a coffee mug or pint or wine glass with your logo. Each time she sips, she’ll see your logo – so these freebie Mother’s Day promotions are worth the investment..

3) Mother’s Day Promotions (That Bring Them Back)

For most restaurants, Mother’s Day is already a big business. Use the event to earn repeat business with these Mother’s Day promotions that bring ’em back:

  • Mum’s Night Off Certificate: Create a free meal certificate that Mom can “redeem” any weeknight in May when she doesn’t want to cook. Of course, she’ll bring in the rest of the family.
  • The Envelopes, Please: Give Mum a sealed envelope. She can bring back the envelope (in 2-3 weeks) for the server to open – and reveal her surprise offer. Include a free dessert or appetizer voucher. In a few envelopes, throw in a $10 or $15 gift card.
  • Father’s Day Deal: Try Mother’s Day promotions that encourage guests to book future reservations – on the spot. For example, give a $25 credit if the family books their Father’s Day meal with you.

4) Cater to the Kids

The fastest way to Mum’s heart? Mother’s Day promotions that entertain her children at your restaurant. Translation: she’d love to sip that rosé in peace please, can you help make it happen? Here’s how to be mother’s little helper:

  • Make Mum a Card: Hand out blank cards and crayons for kids. Ask them to play Picasso and make her a handmade card.
  • Digital Arcade Games: This is one Mother’s Day gift that keeps on giving all year. Bring in restaurant tablets loaded with trivia and arcade games for both kids and adults.
  • Mini Me Meals: “I’ll have what Mum is having, thank you very much.” Older kids have a thing for ordering from the grown-up menu. Cave into their demands by offering small portions of your main dishes.

Sarin Group unviels Thordon Quay apartment hotel –
Cheap Hotels
ameky , , , ,
Sarin Group unviels Thordon Quay apartment hotel –

New Zealand-owned family business Sarin Hotels has opened a 72-room apartment hotel on Thorndon Quay – the eponymously named Proximity Apartments, located near Sky Stadium and The Beehive.

The project has been four years in the making, with delays caused by Covid-19. The new 9-storey building is owned by Wellington property developer Craig Stewart and is his first hotel development.

As the third hotel operated by Sarin in the Wellington area, and its eighth throughout New Zealand, the 4.5-star Proximity Apartments join the Sarin-managed DoubleTree by Hilton Wellington and The Sebel Lower Hutt, which opens in May/June. The group also operates the Lower Hutt Events Centre.

Offering short, long and residential stay options, Proximity Apartments are priced in the $199-$299 per night range. The hotel features undercover parking, 24/7 guest services, full-service kitchenette and digital check-in.

Speaking about the launch, Udai Sarin, CEO of Sarin Hotels said, “Wellington offers so much to travelers. It’s not just the political capital, it’s becoming the country’s cultural capital as well.

“During one of my business trips, I realized this is one of the very few cities across the globe to have a great balance between work and play. These new apartments are affordably priced, and styled to meet the needs of business people, domestic and international tourists alike.”

Given the city’s ongoing room shortage, David Perks, General Manager, Tākina Commercial Development at Wellington City Council welcomes the new hotel.

“As Wellington has emerged from the pandemic the demand for commercial accommodation in the city has quickly picked up to what it was in 2019, with demand driven by an unusually varied business mix of leisure and business travelers.

“Tākina – Wellington’s new Convention and Exhibition Center – opens at the end of May. We expect to see 500,000 visits to the center, 60 percent from outside the Wellington region. Hoteliers are going to be busy every day of the year.”

Also commenting on hospitality’s post-pandemic recovery, Stephen Hamilton, Director of leading hotel, tourism and leisure consulting firm Horwath HTL New Zealand, also predicts the recovery in Wellington’s hotel occupancy will be reasonably strong.

“The average room rates in Wellington have particularly risen, and in the last six months were 25 percent higher than the same period before the first national lockdown three years ago. The imminent opening of Tākina will provide a further boost to hotel occupancy in the city, and probably room rates as well.”

Other Sarin family-operated hotels include the stylish new Observatory Hotel in Christchurch’s Arts Centre, which recently received a 5-star ranking, as well as Christchurch’s MUSE Art Hotel, Holiday Inn Queenstown Frankton Road, Ibis Invercargill by Accor, and another Proximity Apartments hotel in Manukau.