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Showing posts from April, 2019

Going green: Are restaurant owners, managers, and consumers on the same page?

“Americans crave foods that not only nourish them but also help sustain the planet.” That is what was reported in the National Restaurant Association ’s annual What’s Hot Culinary Forecast survey. Trends of “zero-waste cooking,” “hyper-local,” and “veggie-centric/vegetable-forward cuisine” made to the top 10 list for 2019. The good news is some big restaurant chains, such as Starbucks and McDonald’s , have already taken actions in responding to these sustainable trends even though a recent study also suggests that consumers might not want to make a lot of effort themselves to eat at a green restaurant. Do owners, managers, and consumers think alike when it comes to the critical green attributes that matter the most to the restaurant business? Restaurant owners, managers, and consumers represent three different stakeholder groups in the restaurant business. According to the stakeholder theory, various stakeholders of a business may show particular interest in cer...

Bigger isn't always better: Investors favor boutique stores and hotels

Bigger is better, right? That’s why there are more hotel mergers and acquisitions in recent years; there are also many hotel chains are building larger loyalty programs to pull in more travelers. Besides hotels, Airbnb and OTAs (online travel agents) also want to get bigger through acquisitions. When it comes to product development, however, investors seem to favor the small and boutique concept over the big ones. Here are a few examples. New stores called Sears Home & Life will open on Memorial Day weekend As Sears is getting through bankruptcy and closed hundreds of stores, the company plans to open three smaller stores --- Sears Home & Life on the Memorial Day weekend, which will only focus on the appliance, mattresses, and home services. The size of these smaller and specialized Sears stores ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet, less than one-tenth of an average Sears store (155,000 square feet). It is uncertain, however, whether Sears is trying to...