BlogCatalog

The downside of visual/photo advertising in hospitality, restaurants beware.

I am seeing quite a few marketers and consultants encouraging restaurants to snap pictures of food and happy customers to post on social networking sites, on their blogs and on websites. While I heartily indorse this, photos DO sell, facilities need to be aware of the potential for damage.

I just finished reading Ken Burgin’s article, http://www.htrends.com/researcharticle42081.html, one of many articles by consultants that seem to be circulating, encouraging the use of photos online.

In none of them so far do they talk about the liabilities that can immerge from this.

Legally speaking you should be getting customers to sign model waivers in order to use their photos. But let’s go beyond that for a couple of examples.

You snap a photo of a bunch of customers (with their ok) having a great time at your restaurant. While you have the permission of most of them, you don’t ask permission of the people behind them sitting at the bar talking, they are not looking at the camera and it doesn’t even cross your radar at the time that they show up in the photo. Check out the Taphouse http://thelocaltaphouse.blogspot.com/ mentioned in Ken’s post for a good example.

Someone at the bar is with his or her girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other, but is not in fact there with their actual girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband, if you catch my drift.

Imagine:

“Gee honey, let’s go try out that new restaurant that just opened in town”

Wife checks out the restaurants blog.

“Harold! Who is that blonde you were with at the bar? You said you were at a meeting!”

Chaos ensues.

Imagine:

“Hey Boss, we were thinking of having a going away party for Matt, what do you think of Coco’s on Main”

Boss: “I’ll check it out and get back to you.”

Boss checks out web site/blog and there sitting at the bar, is his vice-president talking to his major competitor, right after a meeting where some very sensitive information had been discussed.

Chaos ensues.

The very negative example:

Imagine:

Snap is taken of drunken man dancing on the table.

Yup its hysterically funny.

Man tells wait staff he has a designated driver and proceeds to go out and run someone over.

Regardless of the fact that he then went to another bar and drank more, here is visual proof that he was inebriated when he left your establishment.

Guess who is going to get sued.

Everyone seems to be talking about privacy issues on Facebook, what about issues on blogs or social media. While the actual liability of a restaurant getting in trouble for posting a picture somewhere is probably not great, (with the exception of the drunken table dancer) the liability from potential loss of not protecting customer’s privacy IS great.

Can you imagine that the wife or executive will go to that restaurant to eat ever again? Do you think they will probably tell many, many people about this. which will reflect negatively on your businesses image? I would think so.

While I do encourage the use of photos on your media, eyeball them heavily first before posting them. To further protect yourself I would ask people to sign waivers to use their pictures and not post pictures of inebriated people, while they might be hysterical………………………….

Forfeng’s How to make the most mouthwatering roasted peppers

Forfeng’s How to make the most mouthwatering roasted peppers http://ping.fm/Kqzxq

Forfeng’s Chocolate Blueberry Cobbler

Forfeng’s Chocolate Blueberry Cobbler http://ping.fm/8VHAC

Death of the burger, it’s not a passing fad, you overcooked the damn thing.

Yup, this is a burger rant, read on or go elsewhere now, you’ve been warned.

There has been much talk about the death of the gourmet burger. PERHAPS…..

BUT restaurants let me point something out to you. If someone orders a burger rare to medium rare, and unless your restaurant has a standard and discloses, “we cook our burgers medium because of food safety concerns.” Please for the love of Mike, don’t serve us our burgers well done! I might as well go to MickyDs for that.

I love fine food and gourmet food, but I have the occasional craving for a big fat juicy burger occasionally. The last dozen times I have caved and ordered a burger out somewhere… well I have yet to receive a perfectly cooked burger and I’ve regretted it.

I generally get my way with steak, so hey Mr. and Mrs Chef dude/dudettes, is it beneath you to cook a decent burger? I order mine medium rare, my husband likes his rare. Even if all the other food we have ever had, having currently or will perhaps maybe have in the future (if we return) is affected by the fact that you who are cooking my burger don’t feel the need to cook it correctly because it’s a….burger.

I admit (while cringing) when I cooked for a living I HATED cooking burgers! But being on the consumer end now, it peeves me to be on the other side of the fence. Yes gourmet burgers can be lovely, but even when you add all those fabulous toppings and flavorings and yummylicious artisan bread to it, it falls flat if its patty well (this, in Irish Pub lingo means cooked beyond any chance of life remaining in it) so why do it.

This goes hand in hand with good service, if I have a nasty burger (yes it is an entree no matter where I am), I’ll tell at least 10 people about it. People that love their burgers will too. So the lesson behind this is Chefs and Owners, teach your staff (and yourselves if necessary) how to cook a decent burger, its not brain surgery and is certainly easier to learn then how to make turducken.

I guess until a restaurant can capture my heart with the perfectly cooked burger, I will remain at my trusty grill making fat burgers smothered with grilled portabellas, sharp cheddar and chipotle BBQ myself (and by the way they will be Medium Rare)

If you got this far, yes it was a rant and yes you were warned. 

Burger lovers unite and the next time you get a badly cooked burger, DON”T say, “its fine”

Forfeng’s Chocolate Chip Orange Scones

Forfeng’s Chocolate Chip Orange Scones
http://ping.fm/M0wmu

Chocolate Guinness Ginger Loaf

I used to make this when I was the Chef at the Olde Inn at West Dennis

This is great slightly warmed, sliced and drizzled with melted chocolate and Ben and Jerry’s White Russian ice cream

makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 2 cup Guinness stout beer
• 2 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons ground ginger
• teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoon grated, peeled fresh gingerroot

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 9- X 5-inch loaf pans, line the bottom and sides with parchment, and grease the parchment. Alternatively, butter and flour 2 6-cup Bundt pans.
2. In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the baking soda. Allow to sit until the foam dissipates.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars. Whisk in the oil.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.
5. Combine the stout mixture with the egg mixture, then whisk this liquid into the flour mixture, half at a time. Add the fresh ginger and stir to combine.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the top springs back when gently pressed. Do not open the oven until the gingerbread is almost done, or the center may fall slightly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool

Forfeng’s Banana Walnut White Chocolate Muffins

Forfeng’s Banana Walnut White Chocolate Muffins http://ping.fm/DgKeX