Restaurant And Hospitality News – July 11, 2016
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In news this week, the Wendy’s data hack was larger than originally reported; Buffalo Wild Wings is betting on lunch guarantees to boost incremental spend; and travel suppliers are not adequately meeting the needs of female business travelers.
Wendy’s Suffers Data Hack That Affects More Than 1,000 Restaurants
The Wendy’s Co. has acknowledged that it suffered an October 2015 attack on point-of-sales systems at more than 1,000 of its franchisee-owned locations, in which malware was installed on terminals in several states, according to The Nation’s Restaurant News. The attack targeted payment card data at the 1,025 affected locations, including card holder names, debit or credit card numbers, expiration dates, cardholder verification value and service codes.
“We sincerely, apologize to anyone who has been inconvenienced as a result of these highly sophisticated, criminal cyberattacks,” wrote Wendy’s CEO Todd Penegor in a letter to customers. “We have conducted a rigorous investigation to understand what has happened and we are committed to protecting our customers and keeping you informed.”
The breach was much larger than initially reported, though the affected units represent less than one fifth of all domestic Wendy’s locations. According to the company, the security breach resulted from a pair of attacks, one in late fall and a second, later attack, for a total of 1,025 affected units.
“In a world where malicious cyberattacks have unfortunately become all too common for merchants, we are doing what is necessary to protect our customers,” Penegor wrote, including offering one year of fraud consultation and identity restoration services to affected customers. “We will continue to work diligently with our investigative team to apply what we have learned from these incidents and further strengthen our data security measures.”
Buffalo Wild Wings Is Betting On New 15-Minute Lunch Guarantee To Boost Sales
In an effort to boost sales and draw in the lunch crowd, Buffalo Wild Wings has announced the introduction of a limited time, 15-minute lunch guarantee across its nearly 900 U.S. restaurants. The new B-Dubs Fast Break Lunch menu offers quick options for guests, proving that they don’t have to sacrifice quality, value, or variety for speed over the limited lunch hour.
According to The Motley Fool, this new promotion is a way to drive significant incremental sales for B-dubs. On a conference call for investors, CEO Sally Smith asserted, “We believe this combination of speed, value, and variety is an attractive offering to guests. And when combined with additional advertising spend around lunch, it will drive incremental sales.”
“We want to prove to our guests that they can get the Buffalo Wild Wings experience they have come to know and love within the limited time they have for a traditional lunch break,” explained Todd Kronebusch, vice president of food and beverage for Buffalo Wild Wings. “our standard was already to deliver Fast Break meals within 15 minutes, but the new guarantee adds a promise to our Guests, and some fun, friendly competition.”
The new guaranteed menu is available Monday through Friday between 11am and 2 pm, and applies to parties of six or fewer guests who dine in-restaurant, ordering from the Fast Break Lunch menu. Servers actually have timers that are started when they leave the table with the order and are stopped when the food is delivered. If the guarantee is not met, guests will receive their meal and any fountain soda free of charge.
Women in Business Travel Report Finds Travel Suppliers Failing To Meet Their Needs
A new report has found that travel suppliers are failing to meet the needs of their female business travel clients, from desired in-room facilities to more assistance with luggage, and flexibility in seating arrangements on planes and trains. The Women in Business Travel Report, commissioned by Maiden-Voyage, specifically examined the needs of female business travelers and how well travel suppliers are currently meeting them. To download copies of the Women in Business Travel Report, click here.
Among the findings: 77 percent of female business travelers say that their company’s travel programs should account for their specific gender needs, while 70.02 percent say that travel providers need to do more to address those needs, and 73.4 percent report that their experiences with travel providers affects their policy compliance, and 75.4 percent think companies should prioritize suppliers who specifically address the needs of female travelers.
Currently, 47 percent of women who travel, do so on business and 80 percent of all travel spend is managed by women. Women are also the fastest growing segment of business travelers, making it even more important for the hospitality industry to pay close attention to their needs.
“We live in a risk-filled world where corporates must remain ever-mindful of their duty of care to traveling employees. More women are in senior corporate positions, and more are traveling on business too, often alone,” explained Maiden-Voyage.com founder and CEO Carolyn Pearson.
“Travel management has changed, too. Personalizing the traveler experience is essential to maintain the policy compliance that drives maximum value from corporates’ travel spend, so travel managers are engaging with a more diverse range of stakeholders than ever before in a bid to create travel programs that meet the personal needs of every business traveler. But, as our report shows, there is still much work to be done.”