Wednesday, July 30, 2008

IRA Legend Awards: Celebrating Our Leaders


Photograph from the IRA Archives

We know it’s hard to always travel to central Indiana, and we want to make sure we reach all our members to let them know how much we appreciate them. Throughout our year-long 75th Anniversary celebration we will be traveling throughout the state. After kicking off the year at our golf outing, the Indiana Restaurant Association is now bringing the Annual Meeting to northern Indiana.

Check our website for the celebration schedule.

Legend Awards
At each event we will be giving special recognition to members for their long time commitment to the Indiana Restaurant Association – the people who helped organize and build the foundation for the IRA, and continue to support the industry through their participation.

Do you have employees that have been with you for 20 years or more? As part of our 75th Anniversary, the Indiana Restaurant Association has launched an exciting new program to recognize the long-term dedication of employees who make up the backbone of our industry – the Indiana Restaurant Legends Award!

To qualify for the Indiana Restaurant Legends Award, an employee must:
1. Be nominated by an IRA member.
2. Have worked at the member restaurant for at least 20 years.
3. Personify exemplary service and dedication.

An attractive certificate acknowledging the award will be designed for the employee. Another certificate will be framed and presented to the restaurant owner to be displayed proudly on the premises. Press releases will be issued to the local news media highlighting the remarkable service of the Indiana Restaurant Legend in his or her area.

We encourage members who employ an Indiana Restaurant Legend, or know of one in their area, to apply today. Together, we can spread the word about those outstanding examples of service and dedication in our midst.

For more information contact Debbie Scott: dscott at lmvconsulting dot com or call 317.673.4211

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Getting Ready for Golf!



No time for a great post today (or tomorrow either to be honest) - we are getting ready for our golf outing! Here in the Marketing/Commmunications Department there are awards to assemble, banners to pick up, rule sheets to print and Stephanie,our Director of Events, is hard at work organizing all the players into teams and printing name badges and door prize tickets - we busy, busy, busy.

Though I thought I would leave you with this great photo of last year's 1st place winners.

Monday, July 28, 2008

CRM and Web 2.0: What are you customers saying?

In today's Internet age, consumers are given more and a more of a voice. With the development of Web 2.0 (blogs, social networks, forums, i.e. user-generated content) businesses can no longer overlook the power of the people as a small blip on the radar. According to the NY Times Article about Yelp - 2.5% of all Internet users visted Yelp in March alone and, with 2.6 million reviews on the site, they pack a powerful punch. And yet, they aren't the only review site out there. With statistics like that no one can argue that media is shifting. Consumers are listening more and more to each other than to what the advertisements are telling them.

Do you know what your customers are saying about your establishment? Now is the time to find out! An easy way to get a glimpse about what dirt is out there, or who's singing your praises, is perform a simple internet search on your establishment. Be sure to also do a blog search - which will specifically search blog results based on your query - you can do so from here using Google.

Don't have time to pore through the search engine results? Start a free Google Alert for your restaurant. Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, blogs, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic. It's easy, free and delivered straight to your inbox either daily, weekly or as it happens - your choice and you can stop or change the service at anytime.

To help you along your way here's a list of review sites to check out:

Yelp

Chowhound

Trip Advisor

City Search

Urban Review

Boo Rah

Menu Network

Foodie View

Yahoo Travel

Urban Spoon

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Read more on CRM & Web 2.0:

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NY Times Article: "The Coffee Was Lousy. The Wait Was Long."

Judy Asman, Food Industry Consultant: Other Games in Town Besides Yelp

San Francisco Business Times: Restaurants learn to Yelp

FohBoh Article by Judy Asman: Yelp Shocker

DestinationCRM.com: CRM Where You Least Expect It

OpenTable.com Press Release: MATTERS OF TASTE

Friday, July 25, 2008

IRA Historic Photo Archives

In light of our 75th Anniversary, we have been dusting off the records and peeking into the past. During our search we found a box full of black and white photographs dating as far back as 1933 - our founding date!

I could spend all day looking through these pictures.

Here's a few we've unearthed, just so you know what I mean!





(Image reads: "Group of Indiana State Restaurant Men - 1933" and looks like it was a newspaper clipping pasted onto a whiteboard)







Now, we need to set to work on digitally archiving and safely storing these great photographs so they can continue to live on.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

2008 IRA Annual Meeting & 75th Anniversary Reception



The Indiana Restaurant Association is gathering up it's members to recap the 2007 year by reviewing the triumphs, struggles, and issues we faced as an industry.

Not only will we be looking back at what was 2007, but we will be looking at what we can do for the future ahead of us. And that's not all! We will also be looking ahead at our year-long 75th Anniversary celebration's many upcoming events (more info to follow).

As part of our 75th Anniversary, the Indiana Restaurant Association has launched an exciting new program to recognize the long-term dedication of employees who make up the backbone of our industry – the Indiana Restaurant Legends Award! More info to come!

2008 IRA Annual Meeting & 75th Anniversary Reception

WHEN:
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 P.M. Meeting
7:30 P.M. - 9:00 P.m. Reception

WHERE:
Blue Chip Casino Hotel
2 Easy St., Michigan City, IN 46360

For more information call 317.673.4211 or email us info@indianarestaurants.org.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Indianapolis Hospitality Job Fair July 23rd

The Indiana Restaurant Association has partnered with the Employment Guide and the Indiana Hotel & Lodging Association for a Hospitality Job Fair scheduled for July 23rd at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

This is a great opportunity to seek potential employees in the Indianapolis area. This event is being marketed to the Employment Guide's 20,000 person email address distribution list as well as through their magazines and other communication avenues.

For more information contact:
Donna Johnson
donna.johnson@employmentguide.com


Download more information:
Packages
Commitment Form

Monday, July 21, 2008

Celebrating 75 Years With A New Name & A Great Game of Golf!

Yes, I know. We have neglected our blog for quite some time. Lots have been going on around here, from office remodeling to name changes - quite a bit to keep us busy.

But now that we are back, let me share with you some exciting news here at the Indiana Restaurant Association.

Not only do we have our name change (from the lengthy Restaurant & Hospitality Association of Indiana [RHAI] to the original Indiana Restaurant Association [IRA]) - but we are also celebrating our 75th Anniversary!

Many great events are underway to celebrate this great milestone.

And it's not too late to join us as we kick-off IRA's 75th Anniversary year with the first of many year-long activities!

Indiana Restaurant Association 2008 Annual Golf Outing

When: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Noon - Shotgun Start

Where: Pebble Brook Golf Course Noblesville, IN - View Map

Click here to register online!

Who else knows how to have as much fun as those in the hospitality industry?