News Feature | January 25, 2016

Restaurant And Hospitality News – January 25, 2016

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Chick-fil-A

In news this week, Chick-fil-A aims to produce fast responses to social media; consumer support drives expansion of Mobile Order & Pay in Starbucks Canada; and increased global terrorist attacks mean that the hospitality industry needs to be prepared.

Chick-fil-A Leverages Data To Respond To 35,000 Social Media Mentions Monthly

Chick-fil-A uses a mixture of data mining and loose rules of engagement in order to produce fast responses to over 35,000 social media mentions a month via Unit3C, a production and content studio created by its agency, Moxie. Digiday reports that Chick-fil-A is able to create content in under two to three minutes as a regular rule. Responsive posting that engages users is a crucial part of the game plan for brands like Chick-fil-A.

“The one thing we’ve realized today is that as a brand, we have a very short runway to get into any conversation,” Kristen Hunter, who heads social and digital marketing for Chick-fil-A, told Digiday. “So if we want to be relevant with our content, we also have to respond to as much as possible, and do it quickly.” The brand achieves this partly by tailoring its approach on platforms to its most common users.

Consumer Interest Drives Starbucks To Expand Mobile Order & Pay In Canada

Starbucks is expanding its Mobile Order & Pay capabilities to Toronto and Vancouver as popular acceptance grows, according to a company statement. The expanded service was effective as of January 12 in Toronto and January 19 in Vancouver.  The new expanded services allows customers to order ahead, and pay and pick up purchases on-the-go, skipping the lines to pick up their order. “We have already seen incredible uptake of mobile ordering since we first introduced the feature in September and we are excited to introduce Mobile Order & Pay to Android users in Toronto,” explained Jessica Mills, director brand and digital, Starbucks Canada. “The simple convenience of Mobile Order & Pay means customers can bypass the line and make it to that important meeting or to the train on time. This is a helpful way that we can enhance the customer experience and save our busy customers some time.”

Starbucks rolled out its mobile order & pay feature in June to thousands of U.S. stores following a successful pilot in Portland. The move helped increase sales, shorten store lines, and drive customer satisfaction. “Mobile payments now represent 18 percent of all in store transactions in our Canadian stores and we have seen a significant increase in incrementality and more transactions through Mobile Order & Pay,” Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick, public affairs at Starbucks Coffee Canada, told Mobile Commerce Daily. “We have learned that our customers love the simplicity of the order-ahead feature, ability to customize their drink and food orders, the time savings and access to exclusive MOP promotions to earn Stars. This program allows us to provide our customers with a tailored experience to meet their needs as they move through their day.”

Starbucks also recently signed an agreement with Visa Inc. to begin accepting Visa Checkout, a digital payments service. Visa Checkout was launched in 2014, and the service enables customers to store payment information and make purchases without leaving the merchant website.

Upsurge In Terrorist Attacks Has Important Implications For Hospitality

This article from eHotelier.com examines the implications for hospitality that come with the recent surge in global terrorist attacks. As the articles states, “It is readily apparent that terrorist and active shooter events around the world have experienced a dramatic increase of late. Up until recently, 9/11 was looked upon as a one-time event and billions were subsequently spent to combat terrorism in the US. Bu the rise of ISIS, lone wolves, and active shooters has not been deterred. In fact, it has gotten worse.” That means that hospitality needs to respond to the new reality and take additional steps to be better prepared. This requires significant investment in both time and money. And “soft targets” like hotels or public gathering places are particularly vulnerable.

The article author offers some guidance for strengthening hotel security. He states, “Having a well-organized emergency contingency plan can improve preparedness, response and recovery, including:

  • Security and threat assessments or upgrades of existing assessments;
  • Evaluation of physical security measures, surveillance, alarm and communication systems;
  • Public safety response protocols, evacuation and lock down plans and drills
  • Crisis communications/public relations and media/spokesperson training to minimize negative public reaction to increased security and the aftermath of an actual incident.