Stu Macdonald’s Post

I love this strategy and way of thinking.

Sometimes, people ask me how all the pieces of Spice Hospitality Group fit together. The truth? We never set out to build a "hospitality group." Ever. We just showed up every day + did the next right thing. Here's the gist of how our ecosystem works for those who ask: 1️⃣ Spice Acres - (Our 13-acre farm in the CVNP) This is where it all begins. The land teaches us patience + respect for ingredients. Every season brings new lessons + possibilities. 2️⃣ Spice Catering Co. - We transform those farm-fresh ingredients into experiences that tell a story. We're usually catering a wedding or event or throwing our own event in nature somewhere. 3️⃣ Spice Field Kitchen - (Our non-profit) The classroom where it all comes full circle. Students learn firsthand about sustainable food practices + the joy of farm-to-table cooking. 4️⃣ Boom's Pizza - Making culinary excellence accessible to everyone while creating the best jobs in Cleveland. But here's what really makes it work: It's our team. When we hit a snag, we whiteboard it together. It's where problems meet their solutions. Every business decision comes down to one question: "How does this benefit our team?" Because when you take care of your team, they take care of everything else. That's how a collection of businesses becomes a family.

In the film "12 Years a Slave," there is a poignant scene where the overseer, citing the Bible, tells the slaves who can't read that they must labor tirelessly from sunrise to sunset, giving their all, and self-flagellate if they fail to meet expectations, to cleanse their sins. This scenario eerily mirrors the current dynamics between restaurants and food delivery platforms. These platforms, far from being charitable, continuously optimize their algorithms to their advantage, forcing restaurants to depend solely on them by phasing out their own delivery operations. This dependency has led many restaurants to shut down, while others struggle to reclaim their delivery services, realizing too late the damage done to their reputation and customer base. Personally, I don't blame these restaurant owners for their initial trust in a system they did not fully understand. This situation highlights the need for continuous adaptation and strategy refinement on my part to effectively support restaurateurs. Success in this industry is gauged by four critical factors: rating, staff service, delivery time, and packaging quality. When a restaurant effectively manages these areas, it significantly advances towards achieving success.

Ever wondered how much profit a fast-food giant like “Burger Palace” (a completely made up MNC for the purposes of this post) makes from orders that go wrong but never get claimed? Let’s dive into some fun (and slightly outrageous) assumptions! 🍔 Weekly Orders: Imagine Burger Palace serves 50 million orders a week globally. 🍟 Incorrect Orders: Studies suggest that about 10% of fast-food orders are incorrect. That’s 5 million incorrect orders each week! 📞 Complaints: Not everyone complains. Let’s assume 40% of people actually report the issue. That leaves 60% who don’t bother, which is 3 million unclaimed incorrect orders. 💸 Average Order Value: If the average order is worth £5, that’s £15 million worth of unclaimed incorrect orders each week. 💰 Potential Profit: Assuming a profit margin of 20%, Burger Palace could be pocketing an extra £3 million in pure profit weekly from these unclaimed orders. That’s £156 million a year! So, next time your order is wrong, remember, you might just be contributing to their “Oops, we did it again” fund! 😂 #FastFood #BusinessHumour #CustomerService #FoodForThought #DidYouKnow

Fundraiser’s Dinner Etiquette Tip #5: Napkin Etiquette Napkin placement may seem minor, but it’s a key part of dining etiquette! Here’s how to handle it like a pro: ➡️ Follow your host’s lead – Typically, you’ll want to place your napkin on your lap shortly after sitting, folded in half with the fold towards your waist. But if your host waits, you should too. ➡️ Keep it on your lap – Your napkin should stay on your lap throughout the entire meal. If you need to step away, place it on your chair or to the left of your plate to signal to the server that you’ll be back. ➡️ Never use your napkin to blow your nose! - Excuse yourself and blow your nose with a tissue in the restroom. ➡️ Watch for the host’s cue – When your host places their napkin on the table, it’s a sign that the meal has ended. Follow suit by placing your napkin on the table as well. Simple details like these can make a great impression. What’s one dining etiquette tip you always follow? Let’s hear it! 👇 #DinnerEtiquette #petrusdevelopment #fundraising #development #faithbasedfundraising #fundraisingdinner #EtiquetteTips

An interesting story of the gradual decline of a once ubiquitous roadside diner in the UK. Seemingly a lack of vision, focus on profit, missing the opportunity to adapt to changing customer desires and habits, and a reluctance to keep the restaurants appealing to customers as it cost money. In some ways, the definition of the business is key. Was Little Chef providing a relatively cheap roadside restaurant (focus on sit-down meals), or was it providing sustenance for travellers (providing food to eat-in or takeaway)? Even that small difference changes how you innovate and change. Dashboards will help you to see if you're doing things right, but sometimes you need to step back and ask if you're doing the right things to attract and retain customers and staff. For businesses, you also need products that they want at a price they are willing to pay. For charities, you need giving options that they connect with and a way to engage the donors through sharing the impact your having. Can you spot whether your business or charity is in decline? Have you been ignoring the facts? Have you looked at the bigger picture recently? Contact us if you want help to think about how your business or charity is doing. https://lnkd.in/eKHck_Qe

Poco Culina @pococulina hosted Shop Cotswolds networking event on Wednesday, for food and drink producers in the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean region. Food and drink producers came together to share best practice with their peers and to learn from the guest speakers. Lindsey Holland, owner @cleevehillhotel, shared her top tips on how to pitch to the hospitality sector. Claire Dovey from @goodfoodcheltenham also spoke on ‘Sourcing good ingredients to work with and Environmental concepts to think about'. Claire says ‘In today's crowded marketplace, consumers want to know where their food has come from, how far it has travelled, and its production methods. There are many ways to source GOOD ingredients but thinking outside the box can add to your product's story. Why not collaborate with your local urban community growing scheme like Project Grow in Cheltenham, plan next year's produce with your local CSA farmer or source from your community allotment scheme like Poco Culina has this year. Not only does this add to the providence of where your food is sourced it adds a community or charitable angle to your whole product.’ The session was wrapped up with both Lindsey and Claire, under the umbrella of the Cheltenham Food Board, recognising the journey of an ingredient from start to end, and what food and drink producers can do locally to ensure ethical values match commercial plans. #cotswolds #forestofdean #foodanddrink #ethical #sourcing #hospitality #event #networking #goodfood #ingredients #urbangrowing

With back-to-school season🎒just around the corner, we’re focused on the incredible impact students can have on the climate, just with the foods they eat.  With Better Food Foundation and Sodexo USA, we implemented plant-based defaults in three college dining halls, enabling a nearly 60% increase in plant-forward eating. 🥗 Now imagine if all U.S. campus dining halls offered plant-based dishes by default. ➡️ This is just one example of how FCL is tapping into the crucial role students play in food system transformation. Help us empower them by donating to scale up our defaults projects and other Gen Z-focused work: https://lnkd.in/emGJ6HA9. #backtoschool #defaults #college #students #cafeteria #dininghall #plantbased #plantforward #school #university #plantbasedbydefault #norm #nudge #foodforclimateleague #foodforclimate #food #climate

Giving customers options (without significantly increasing costs) seems like an obvious move for salad-centered restaurant/ fast food concepts. #strategy #moment #strategicthinking #strategicplanning #marketintelligence #strateg #strategy #strategicpartnerships #strategicthinking #businessconsulting #strategydevelopment #strategyandtransformation #businessconsulting #strategicplanning #consumers #businessmodel #bethechange #fundraising #cashisking

🎒 Ready to get organized for the new school year? The Back to School Bundle has 40+ amazing freebies on topics like organization, meal planning, and more. Grab your free gifts today! Link in comments. #thewayitreallyis #backtoschool #backtoschoolbundle #backtoschool2024 #freebie