WebProNews

Tag: Restaurants

  • Square Pickup Lets You Place Orders With Square-Using Restaurants

    Square Pickup Lets You Place Orders With Square-Using Restaurants

    Square is testing a new app called Square Pickup, available by invitation only. The app reportedly lets users order food from restaurants who use Square, and is testing with “several San Francisco restaurants”.

    Presumably it would be used with non-restaurant businesses as well.

    Priceonomics.com first reported on the app after noticing it when picking up lunch. You can check out their article for screenshots.

    After using it, the site suggests the product could be “a massive step in bringing more offline commerce online”.

    The news comes just after a report from The Information indicating that Square is also testing a service in which it gives merchants “thousands of dollars” in capital to help them grow. That report also indicates that the company is considering taking a new round of funding, and delaying its IPO, which was expected to happen this year.

    It’s been a pretty busy month for Square. The company also announced its first grocer partnership with Whole Foods Markets, and launched new money-requesting functionality to its Square Cash product.

    The company has also made headlines for poor handling of a chargeback situation with one New York business owner, though its later efforts once the story emerged were somewhat redeeming.

    Square is also said to be looking to offer more big businesses custom rates.

    Image via Square

  • Google Shows New Menu Results For Restaurants

    Google is showing some users new card-style menu results for restaurants.

    Allie Brown tweeted a screenshot (via Search Engine Land):

    It would appear that this is only a test at this point, but if rolled out, this would be another instance of Google showing content to users on the search results page, making it so they don’t have to click over to another website.

    In this case, the result would be just as helpful to the business as a site visit, assuming it hopes to lure in customers with its menu.

    As others have pointed out, it’s a safe bet that Google is drawing the menu info from Allmenus.com, given that this is the source for the Menu feature on the restaurant’s local result.

  • Hot Coffee Once Again Lands McDonald’s in Hot Water

    Hot Coffee Once Again Lands McDonald’s in Hot Water

    Nearly 20 years after Stella Liebeck won compensatory and punitive damages from McDonald’s after spilling hot coffee in her lap and sustaining serious injury, another woman is suing the fast food giant over a similar injury.

    Los Angeles resident Paulette Carr has filed a suit against McDonald’s after she spilled hot coffee on herself at a drive-thru on January 12th, 2012. According to the LA Times, Carr claims that the lid was improperly affixed to the cup, and that’s what caused her to be injured by the spilled coffee.

    “The lid for the hot coffee was negligently, carelessly and improperly placed on the coffee cup…resulting in the lid coming off the top of the coffee at the window, causing the hot coffee to spill onto the plaintiff,” reads the lawsuit.

    As you probably know, there is precedent for winning damages for spilling hot coffee on yourself. In 1994, an Albuquerque, New Mexico woman named Stella Liebeck was awarded $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $640,000) when she successfully sued McDonald’s for serving her super-heated coffee in 1992.

    The case, one of the most famous civil cases in recent history, sparked debates about tort reform and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon. Many at the time held the case up as the epitome of the country’s “sue anyone for anything” culture – but as time passed and the full story came into focus people began to change their minds about Liebeck and the validity of her suit.

    Liebeck suffered third-degree burns on her inner thighs from the spill and was forced to spend 8 days in the hospital where she underwent skin grafts. Her rehabilitation lasted for years after that. Liebeck and her representation claimed that the coffee must have been super-heated to an unsafe temperature (likely 180+ degrees F) to cause such injuries.

    A 2011 HBO documentary on Liebeck’s case helped make believers out of a lot of skeptics:

    Obviously, the two cases share a similar thread but appear, at least on first glance, to accuse McDonald’s of a different style of negligence. While Liebeck argued that the coffee was simply too hot, Carr seems to suggest that the vessel wasn’t properly sealed – and that’s what resulted in her injuries.

    Injuries – the severity of which have yet to be revealed.

    This isn’t the first time since 1994 that McDonald’s has faced lawsuits over spilled coffee.

    Image via Thiago Martins, Flickr

  • Restaurant Offers Insane Discount If People Just Turn Off Their Damn Phones

    One restaurant owner in Abu Ghosh, just outside of Jerusalem, is taking a stand against distracted eating. In “wow that’s great, but aren’t you running a business?” news, the owner of Abu Ghosh is offering anyone who completely shuts down their phone during dining 50% off the entire meal. Yep, 50%.

    Apparently, he’s not collecting phones at the door – he’s working on the honor system. Cellphones must be turned completely off – not on silent or not on airplane mode – off.

    “I’m changing something. It might be something small, but maybe in some small way I’ll be changing the culture of eating,” the restaurant’s owner, Jawdat Ibrahim, told the AP. “Technology is very good. But just when you eat, just especially when you are with your family and your friends, you can just wait for half an hour and enjoy the food and enjoy the company. A lot of people, they sit down and they don’t enjoy their food, their company.”

    But…but how am I going to Instagram my delicious falafel?

    Ok, he has a point. People should get the hell off Facebook and enjoy their meals, and their company. This bar has the right idea (this is not a photo from Abu-Ghosh).

    As far as Abu Ghosh’s clientele? Well, they love the concept – as almost every patron has taken advantage of the deal since it was instated. Ibrahim says he’s taking a financial hit due to the offer – one you’d expect from a restaurateur offering a discount so large.

    This is not an entirely new idea, but it is the first time I’ve heard of a restaurateur offering such a gigantic price cut for such a seemingly easy act. Last year, a Los Angeles restaurant made headlines when they offered a 5% discount to any diner who left their phones at the door.

    Image via Renée Suen, Flickr

  • Tip Receipt Hoax: Family Denies Leaving a Nasty Comment in the Tip Box for Gay Server

    Remember the waitress in New Jersey that claimed she wasn’t given a tip because she is gay? It turns out that is a hoax. A couple that wishes to remain anonymous contacted NBC 4 New York and said the whole thing is a lie, plus they showed their receipt and credit card statement as proof that they did leave a tip.

    Dayna Morales submitted a picture of a receipt to a pro-gay Facebook page earlier this month that contained an anti-gay message where her tip was supposed to go. The note left on the receipt reads “sorry I cannot tip because I do not agree with your lifestyle & the way you live your life.”

    Morales said that in addition to not receiving a tip for being gay, the family also made a rude comment to her based on her appearance. “Not only was it a family with two kids, but as I introduce myself and tell them my name is Dayna – the mom proceeds to look at me and say ‘oh I thought you were gonna say your name is Dan. You sure surprised us!’” In the Facebook post, Morales went on to say that she is a former Marine and that she served “to keep ignorant people like them free.”

    Check out the original Facebook post, which includes the receipt, below. Click “See more” to read Morales’s entire note.

    Post by Have A Gay Day.

    People were outraged to hear that this former Marine was denied a tip just because she is gay. Morales received at least $2,000 in donations from people that felt bad for her.

    After a family recognized the receipt that went viral and showed proof that they left no such note, it appears the whole thing was a hoax. According to NBC 4 New York, the husband and wife Morales accused of leaving the anti-gay note not only proved that they didn’t leave the note, but that they left a 20 percent tip as well.

    “We’ve never not left a tip when someone gave good service, and we would never leave a note like that,” the wife said. After showing NBC 4 New York her copy of the receipt and her credit card statement that showed she left an $18 tip, the wife also said that based on the handwriting it was impossible for her to have left the note. The woman said that she is left-handed and that the handwriting indicated a right-handed writer.

    So far Morales is denying that the receipt is a hoax and still claims she didn’t receive a tip, despite the family having proof via their credit card statement. The manager of the restaurant Morales works at is investigating the situation, so it should be interesting to see what they turn up.

    [Image via Facebook]

  • Chipotle Eyes Price Increase in Quest to Remove GMOs

    The cost of a burrito at Chipotle may be going up in the near future.

    The company just reported their Q3 earnings, and in the earnings call CEO and Founder Steve Ells said that a 3-5% price increase could be on the way. The increase could come, in large part, as a product of the restaurant chain attempting to fully remove genetically modified organisms from their ingredients.

    “We are not going to make a decision today on pricing but I think that it’s probably in kind of a mid-single digit range, whether that’s 3, 4, 5 kind of percent. What it will depend on is what happens with general ingredient inflation between now and then and then what it costs us to remove GMOs from the rest of our ingredients,” said Ells.

    “Once we have all that information at hand we’ll be able to do a better job of figuring out what the price increase might be. And in terms of timing it’s really hinging more on removing GMOs. We’d really like to make more progress, understand what that’s going to cost, how much time that’s going to take, all that kind of stuff and then we’ll feel better about coordinating a price increase around the time that we’re removing GMOs and we think that there might be an opportunity as well. We think it will be a pretty exciting time for us when we can announce that.”

    Current Chipotle ingredients that contain GMOs include soybean oil, corn flour, and cornstarch.

    “We decided we’d rather try to avoid GMO ingredients until perhaps the science is more clear,” said Ells earlier this year. “There are some things that we just can’t, today, get non-GMO.”

    “I don’t know that I can say today that we have no soybean oil, but very shortly, in weeks, we will have none. It will not be long before a Chipotle is GMO-free.”

    One of Chipotle’s main marks of pride over the years has been their “Food with Integrity” commitment, which means that when possible, Chipotle sources uses ingredients that are sustainably grown and occasionally local.

    “We are not aware of any other restaurant company anywhere near our sight that’s even attempting to do this and so to actually accomplish it will be pretty exciting and we’d like to time that excitement around with the price increase,” said Ells.

    Chipotle reported an 18% increase in revenue in Q3, up to $826.9 million.

    Image via Avlxyz, Flickr

  • Google Now Has A Tip Calculator In Search

    Google revealed in a Google+ post on Friday that it has a tip calculator tool that you can access when you enter a question about what a tip should be on a bill of a certain amount.

    It also works if you enter something like “how much should i tip on a 25 dollar bill”.

    You can also bring the tool up if you simply search for “tip calculator”.

    Pretty convenient.

    [h/t: Google Operating System]

  • Groupon’s Breadcrumb POS App Gets New CRM, Management Features

    At Money2020, Groupon announced a new update to its Breadcrumb POS app, adding some CRM and employee management features.

    A new CRM feature lets businesses track customers and learn more about them, while storing their contact info and analyzing purchase behaviors, recording notes on their preferences.

    Breadcrumb customer profile

    Another feature lets businesses set functions for specific roles and employees, assigning transactions to individual people, filter sales and product reports, and track commissions and tips.

    Groupon Breadcrumb

    The app also lets you use the iPad’s camera to scan standard barcode SKUs to edit items. They can also upload images for each menu item.

    “Our team spent countless hours conducting on-premise research and interviewing merchants about their biggest point-of-sale obstacles,” says Groupon’s Varun Krishna in a blog post. “Today’s updates are a reflection of how a modern solution addresses some of these operational challenges.”

    The updated app is available in the App Store. An update earlier this year expanded its functionality to be useful to businesses beyond restaurants.

  • Dine & Ditcher Shamed on Facebook, Promptly Arrested

    In the social media age, it’s probably a bad idea to dine and ditch. Ok, it’s always a bad idea to dine and ditch – because if you dine and ditch, you’re an asshole. But if you plan on dining and ditching, make sure that one of the restaurant’s employees hasn’t managed to snap a photo of you before you do it.

    On Wednesday, the Brewers Cabinet brewpub in Reno, Nevada posted an alert to their 2,000+ fans. It was a picture of a man and attached was a warning: this guy skipped out on his check and it’s not the first time he’s done it. What we’re looking at here is a “serial thief,” according to Brewers Cabinet.

    Brewers Cabinet2 days ago

    ATTN RENO: If you know, or see, this dude, please call RENO POLICE DEPT at 334-2121 immediately, and then remind him that his tab at The Brewer’s Cabinet is still waiting to be paid…. and his tab at Campo…. and his tab at Imperial…. and his tab at Chapel… and his tab at many other fine establishments. And, while you’re at it, you could tell him that visiting restaurants/bars with your friends, running up a huge bill, roughing up servers and then bailing is pretty uncool… pathetic, really. Get a life, man. PLEASE SHARE. DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS: BEWARE.

    Powered by socialditto  302 likes ·  136 comments

    The owners at Campo, Imperial, and Chapel Tavern confirmed that the man, Saul Zelaznog, had also skipped out on tabs at their establishments as well.

    “It’s something you have to deal with, there are certain ways we take precautions for it, however sometimes people are clever and they get away with it,” said a bartender at Chapel Tavern.

    Unfortunately for Mr. Zelaznog, the Reno police (with the help of Facebook) finally caught up to him.

    Brewers Cabinet announced the arrest (for probation violation) early Friday:

    “Thanks so much for your help and overwhelming support in this unfortunate situation. We are excited to announce that Mr. Z has just been taken into custody by the Reno Parole & Probation Department. We hope that all of his outstanding debts are paid in time, but more importantly, that he makes wiser decisions in the future. From this point forward, law enforcement will be handling Mr. Z’s case, and we will get back to brewing amazing beer!”

    Zelznog claims that he was going to go back to take care of his bill.

    Often, Facebook makes it easier to be a dick, but sometimes it helps to thwart dickish behavior.

  • Facebook Adds Restaurant Reservations, TV Listings to Mobile Pages

    Facebook has just launched a rolling update to both its iOS and Android apps that should make mobile pages much more useful to the average user. It also helps Facebook keep more users on their own app, making them less likely to have to open up another app to do simple tasks like making dinner reservations or checking the air times on their favorite TV shows.

    “Each month, more than 800 million people access Facebook on a mobile device. And today we’re announcing two updates to mobile Pages launching later this week that will expand the useful features and relevant information Pages provide,” says Facebook.

    First up, Facebook is tapping OpenTable for new integration to mobile pages that will allow users to book tables at over 20,000 participating restaurants without ever having to leave the Facebook ecosystem.

    Pages for TV shows and movies are also benefitting from the update. Now, they will show upcoming local air times based on users’ current time zone.

    “Finding shows and movies on TV is getting easier as well. For people that use iOS, Facebook will display TV listing information on US primetime TV and movie Pages. Listings will be based on your current time zone and include the channel name, air time and a description of the show or movie playing, meaning that the listings that exist in cable box guides, magazines and newspapers are now conveniently located on the Facebook Pages of peoples’ favorite shows,” says Facebook.

    These new features should start hitting all eligible mobile pages this week.

    Back in April, Facebook launched a significant redesign for mobile pages that gave more real estate to star ratings, user reviews, and other pertinent information that a mobile user might need on the go. Today’s additions are in the same vein – they give users more quick info on the go, making mobile pages more useful to the average user.

    Today’s update also brings hashtag support to the app. Facebook first launched hashtags on the web back in June.

  • McDonald’s Franchisees are Furious About Costs of Doing Business

    McDonald’s Franchisees are Furious About Costs of Doing Business

    A showdown of capital proportions is taking place in the fast food world, as if the constant striking by workers were enough for the industry: McDonald’s franchise owners are alleging that McDonald’s costs are too high, citing rent, remodeling and training fees among other complaints.

    According to a letter sent to Bloomberg News, franchisees have reported a deteriorating understanding between the corporation and its store owners.

    Franchise owners remember a time not too long ago (the mid 1990’s) when McDonald’s Corporation’s desire to expand was greater than its desire to properly manage franchise-owned restaurants. Former McDonald’s owner Dick Adams of San Diego said that while franchisees are upset and morale is not quite as low as in the 1990’s, “we’re getting there again.”

    One of the McDonald’s franchisee’s biggest complaints revolves around the rent and royalties they pay to the company. Bloomberg cites the notes from an April 23 meeting attended by store operators as revealing that some franchisees pay 12 percent of store sales in rent alone.

    In response to this complaint, McDonald’s spokeswoman Ofelia Casillas said in an email to Bloomberg, “Across the country, the rent owner/operators pay for their McDonald’s restaurants is determined by local market real estate costs, as well as the cost of doing business in a particular market… The range for rent has historically varied based on these and other regular business variables.”

    Business Insider notes that the goal of becoming a franchise owner is way out of reach for most Americans. The McDonald’s corporation would “require a minimum of $750,000 of non-borrowed personal resources to consider you.”

    When it comes to customers, all this discussion of what franchise owners want seems to overshadow the effects on average Americans who purchase the food every day. The costs that a franchise might incur could mean financial ruin for its managers. High-rent McDonald’s franchises often find themselves in need of remodeling, which is a high cost activity for McDonald’s. Bloomberg cites Slater-Carter as quoting a McDonald’s renovation as costing at least $800,000; By comparison, Burger King franchisees can get a renovation done for about $300,000.

    Although Burger King and Taco Bell’s remodeling may seem cheap, acquiring a Taco Bell of your own would require you to be sitting on a cool $1 million, while BK pushes it even further at $1.5 million.

  • Subway Employees Instagram Penis on Bread, Frozen Pee in a Bottle

    Two Subway employees who posted incredibly gross photos of themselves on Instagram have been terminated.

    One photo shows an employee holding a bottle of frozen urine alongside the caption “Today at work I froze my pee.” And the other photo shows another employee putting his penis on an unbaked loaf of Subway bread. The photos have since been deleted, but luckily we have screenshots:

    According to The Huffington Post, our footlong fondler claims that he would never do anything like this to actual bread that people were going to eat, and that he did this at home:

    “I would never do that at work – it was at home,” he said. “This isn’t something I’d ever do at Subway. It was totally a joke.”

    Nevertheless, Subway has responded to the situation in a Facebook comment:

    “This isolated incident is not representative of SUBWAY Sandwich Artists. These actions are not tolerated and the store owner took immediate action to terminate the two employees involved,” they said.

    Both the employee who froze his pee and the one who put his junk on the bread have been fired from their respective Subway restaurant.

    You would think that people would understand that you can’t upload photos of you putting your dick on food and keep your job – but I guess some things are pretty hard to understand. At least we have a new gold standard for gross restaurant behavior. This incident well surpasses our KFC mashed potato-licker and our Taco Bell taco-licker of recent infamy.

  • Yelp Acquires SeatMe: Better Online Reservations and More ‘Closing the Loop’

    Yelp has announced that they have acquired online reservation startup and rising OpenTable competitior SeatMe in order to “further enhance the consumer experience by extending the convenience of easy, online reservations directly through Yelp to thousands of currently unserved businesses.”

    The total purchase price is $12.7 million ($2.2 in cash and the rest in 263,000 shares).

    SeatMe’s 15 employees will join the Yelp team in Q4 of 2013.

    “I am excited to welcome SeatMe’s employees and customers to Yelp,” said Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp co-founder and CEO. “SeatMe has developed a truly compelling product for restaurants and bars of any size. With approximately one million U.S. businesses listed on Yelp in the restaurant and nightlife categories, we believe SeatMe will add online reservation capabilities to a broader market while complementing our existing partnerships. Additionally, SeatMe provides us with yet another way to close the loop between local businesses and consumers.”

    In terms of closing that loop, Yelp just unveiled their new initiative that focuses more on transactions – and keeping those transactions on Yelp. The newly launched Yelp Platform is starting with food delivery, offering users the ability to order, pay for, or schedule delivery at a few participating restaurants.

    Yelp says it’s just the beginning of bringing more transactions to the site:

    “In the coming months, we’ll add categories like spas, yoga studios, salons and dentist appointments starting with Booker, Intuit’s Demandforce and MindBody. Consumers can expect us to add more categories in the future,” says Yelp.

    And more to that “closing the loop” gameplan, Yelp just launched its new “Call to Action” feature which lets businesses promote transaction types of their choosing directly on their Yelp business listing. It’s basically a way for businesses to direct users to the exact, offsite place where they can buy their services.

    “We’re excited to join the Yelp team and help connect consumers with great local businesses,” said Alexander Kvamme, SeatMe’s co-founder and chief executive officer. “We are committed to providing an innovative, easy-to-use and affordable restaurant management system that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. We target a large, underserved market of restaurant and nightlife establishments, and we’re excited about the opportunity to significantly extend our market reach.”

  • Google Launches New Business Photos For 167 NYC Restaurants Ahead Of Restaurant Week

    Google announced today that it is launching 360-degree, interactive photos for 167 of the 294 restaurants participating in NYC Restaurant Week (next week).

    Google Maps summer intern Evelyn Chang writes on the Google Maps blog:

    Let’s say you’re in New York City, home to over 25,000 restaurants, just before the start of NYC Restaurant Week (TM) (July 22 – August 16). You can quickly narrow down the choices by picking from a list of eateries participating in their summer’s Restaurant Week.

    Google Maps lets you see the interiors of more than 50% of participating restaurants with Business Photos, so that you can make sure you’re choosing the right setting for your meal out. Street View allows you to take a closer look at the exterior of any destination, and even virtually stroll through the surrounding neighborhood.

    Earlier this week, we looked at the process of getting business photos onto Google, talking with one of Google’s Trusted Photographers, who provided a great deal of insight into how they get your businesses photos into Google’s local search results.

    In January, Google announced that Google Business Photos were being used by 100,000 businesses. This has no doubt grown significantly since then. A couple months ago, Google announced the expansion of business photos into seven additional countries.

  • Golden Corral Can Thank Reddit for This Bad PR Buffet [UPDATED]

    Golden Corral Can Thank Reddit for This Bad PR Buffet [UPDATED]

    Today’s going to be a long day for the public relations team for the Golden Corral restaurant chain. Thanks to some front page prominence on Monday morning’s reddit news cycle, the company is going to have to deal with some pretty disgusting sanitation issues depicted in a few YouTube videos and a series of images posted to the site.

    Posted within a few hours of each other, both a set of images depicting the dishwashing stations at a Golden Corral and a YouTube video showing some unsanitary food practices shot the the top of the front page.

    The images, posted with the title “Just an average day for a Golden Corral Employee, best working conditions ever,” show a kitchen in disarray – with trash and dishes stacked up everywhere.

    “This is how the Golden Corral I worked at was every single day. I feel like more people should see these pics,” says one commenter.

    “I used to work at a Golden Corral in Kentucky and I can confirm this. Ours never got quite that bad but it was still pretty nasty,” says another.

    Alone, these pictures might have been overlooked. But when combined with these videos that just emerged – well, it’s looking like an all-you-can-eat PR nightmare for Golden Corral. There’s even a new subreddit for tracking all the Golden Corral drama. Yes, r/goldencorral now exists.

    YouTube users Ben Jammin actually uploaded these videos earlier this month, but they just found their way to reddit late Sunday night.

    “Apparently, what my company likes to do to get ready for inspections, is put their food by the dumpsters,” says the Golden Corral employee in the video.

    “I’m an employee here, I’ve been working here for a long time – and I don’t feel that this is right.”

    In a followup video, our little Edward Snowden of Golden Corral laments what is happening, expressing concern over the future of his job:

    According to the YouTube uploader, the employee in the video made repeated attempts to turn in statements to management.

    “It’s been over a week now since this has been brought to corporate attention, I contacted the volusia county health dept…..they dont handle it….they gave me a number and a persons name…..said to ask for them in person……the operator didnt know who i was talkin about and didnt seem to care,” they say.

    Golden Corral has yet to respond to any of this on their social media accounts or on their corporate page. But it’ll only be a matter of time, as these images and videos are still holding sway over reddit and are beginning to spread around to other corners of the web.

    If they take their cues from other restaurants that have been “exposed” for unsanitary practices by internet investigators or poor social media decisions (think Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King), Golden Corral will probably just fire whoever was involved and issue a public apology. We’ll have to wait and see how this one turns out.

    UPDATE 1: Golden Corral is beginning to respond on YouTube in the comments section of the above videos:

    “None of these items were served to a single customer. All food items were destroyed within the hour at the direction of management.
    1. Brandon Huber, the employee who made this video, participated in the disposal of the food.
    2. The following day, the father of the employee, posted an offer to sell the video for $5,000, which was not accepted.
    3. The manager involved in the improper storage was terminated for failing to follow approved food handling procedures”

    UPDATE 2: They’re also posting comments to Facebook and Twitter now:

    [via reddit]

  • Groupon Reserve Launched For Premium Deals

    Groupon announced the launch of a new service for “premium” deals called Groupon Reserve. According to the company, it’s a destination for “the finest things to eat, see, do and buy.”

    So all those other Groupons are like coach, and this is like first class, apparently.

    “Reserve is an important step in Groupon’s journey from a daily deals company to a leading marketplace for online deals, where consumers can come to Groupon and discover great businesses at unbeatable prices,” a spokesperson for Groupon tells WebProNews.

    Groupon Reserve is launching with Savored.com’s reservations engine, which lets customers book tables at restaurants at discounts of up to 40%. The service will expand to include more premium deals from various beauty, product, travel and entertainment brands.

    CEO Eric Lefkofsky writes, “Groupon Reserve is an important step in our journey to become the leading marketplace for online deals, where consumers can come to Groupon and discover great businesses at unbeatable prices. As Groupon has evolved, we’ve seen growing demand from our customers for upscale offers and exclusive experiences. Reserve gives the most prestigious brands a new way to reach our large and desirable audience.”

    Customers can get their checks discounted without pre-payments or vouchers. Local businesses, Groupon says, get a tool to drive traffic during slow periods.

    “Whether it’s because of a slow night or a last minute no-show, even the best restaurants have empty tables,” Lefkofsky said. “Reserve provides these businesses with a yield management solution to bring customers through their doors at the times they need them the most.”

    The product is launching in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. More cities are coming this year, both in the U.S. and internationally. It’s starting off with over 600 restaurants.

    Groupon acquired Savored last year.

  • Groupon POS For iPad Launched In App Store [Updated]

    Update: This was just an unintentional leak. Here’s what Groupon has really released.

    Groupon has released a new POS solution for the iPad. The app, which can be found in the App Store, is described as “a beautiful and simple way to manage your business and accept payments at the lowest rates available today.”

    Groupon has not put out any official announcements about the product so far, but one is likely on the way. Appsfire tweeted about the app, which was then picked up by TechCrunch and other outlets:

    On the Groupon POS app page, Groupon describes it:

    Setup your offerings in seconds, quickly check out customers, and view real time analytics. Start running your business more effectively.

    Groupon POS works also works with an optional cash drawer and printer to automate and simplify your point of sale.

    Groupon POS works for a wide variety of merchants from cafes and delis, to salons, spas, and florists.

    Here are screen shots from the App Store:

    Groupon POS

    Groupon POS

    The app appears to build off Breadcrumb, the POS app Groupon acquired last year, and has since been improving.

    Groupon reported its Q1 earnings last weekend, beating Wall Street expectations for revenue.

  • Hooters: Free Food on Mother’s Day

    Hooters: Free Food on Mother’s Day

    With their scantily-clad waitresses and focus on sports TV, Hooters restaurants aren’t normally thought of as the place to bring your mother. This Mother’s Day, however, the restaurant chain is encouraging moms to ditch the fancy restaurants for some free chicken wings.

    Hooters this week announced that on Mother’s Day 2013 mothers who bring their children to a Hooters can receive a free (up to $10) entree with the purchase of a drink. No coupon is needed, but each mom must be “accompanied by one or more of her offspring,” according to the Hooters website.

    “Kids of all ages are encouraged to invite their mothers to Hooters for special treatment on Mother’s Day,” said Dave Henninger, CMO of Hooters. “The free entrée deal is just one way for Hooters to show its appreciation for hard-working moms and to provide a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy a delicious meal with the family.”

    This isn’t the first time Hooters has offered a Mother’s Day deal. For Mother’s Day 2012 the restaurant offered moms 10 free boneless wings.

  • Lion Tacos Pulled After Restaurant Generates Controversy

    There was a time when you could go into a restaurant in Tampa and get yourself some lion meat tacos. Those days are now behind us. Taco Fusion has reportedly pulled lion from the menu after causing a media stir.

    “There’s nothing like eating a predator to make you feel like a predator,” said one patron in the above Fox News report.

    “They’re surprisingly tasty,” another said about lions.

    Surprisingly, nobody said, “It’s like eating a cat, because that’s what it is.”

    As you can see from the video, otter and beaver were also on the menu. It’s unclear whether they’re still serving these meats, but here’s a page from their online menu, which indicates you should still have no problem getting a kangaroo taco:

    (image)

    Also, they deliver.

  • Square Register Gets Smarter for Restaurants

    Square Register Gets Smarter for Restaurants

    According to Square, the amount of restaurants using Square Register as their main point of sale system has tripled in the past year. Not only that, but the amount of money that they have processed has quadrupled.

    “There are already tens of thousands of merchants in the food industry are increasingly adopting Square for its simple interface, smart analytics, continuous updates, and low processing fees,” says Square.

    And with that, the’ve just launched an update to Square Register that helps “quick-serve” restaurants better run their kitchens.

    First off, food merchants can now utilize new order modifiers. “Orders are recorded more accurately and communication with the kitchen is faster, creating a seamless experience on both sides of the counter,” says Square.

    Plus, custom tickets are now available, giving kitchens a better way to make sure special orders are being processed correctly.

    “In an industry where speed, accuracy, and a great customer experience are essential to success, Square Register gives quick serve restaurants tools that are powerful, intuitive, and affordable,” said Square co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey. “Square is focused on connecting businesses with customers and now, more than ever, merchants can concentrate on providing great food for their customers.”

    Back in February, Square unveiled a new “business in a box” package deal point of sale system. For $299, you can get two Square Readers, an iPad stand, and a cash drawer. Of course, Square Register has the ability to wirelessly print receipts and tickets, but that hardware will cost you extra.

  • Here’s A Meat-And-Olive Ndamukong Suh (And A BBQ Chicken Jarvis Jones)

    You know those Subway commercials with all the athletes? Did you know that when you’re one of Subway’s athletes, you get a sandwich bust in your likeness?

    Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones is the latest to enter into this tradition. Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh shares this, along with a memory of his old bust, on Facebook, saying, “Welcome to the Subway fam Jarvis Jones! I remember mine like it was yesterday!!!!”

    The img.ly post comes with the caption:

    Welcome to the family @sacmanjones_29 ! I remember mine like it was yesterday! #FamousFan @subway #smokehousebbqchicken sculpture

    Jones is also showing his sandwich pride, tweeting out some different angles as captured with Instagram:

    (image)

    Why don’t they put these in the commercials? These are much better than this actual Smokehouse BBQ Chicken ad from Subway:

    At least they’re actively promoting the sandwich art on social media (and in interviews):