Restaurants
Postponed Wedding? Domino's Has a Rain Check Registry for That
Domino's Pizza has announced a Rain Check Registry, which will allow friends and family to show their support to those having to plan or replan a wedding due to the pandemic. Couples that create a Rain Check Registry can choose packages like "Small Wedding Now, Big Celebration Later" or "Bridal Shower, but Make it Virtual." After creating it, the couple can share their wish list with their friends or family on social media or with a unique URL. All gifts will be delivered in Domino's eGift Cards.
"We created Domino's Wedding Registry because pizza-loving couples have shared over the years how Domino's pizza was a part of their big day," said Kate Trumbull, Domino's vice president of advertising. "With so many weddings being postponed or scaled back in 2020, we knew those couples might need some extra love from those around them, because everything is better with pizza."
Moe's Opens First Kiosk-Only Restaurant
Moe's Southwest Grill has announced it is opening its first kiosk-only restaurant in Pittsburgh.
According to the above QSR Magazine article, "This timely launch provides a more contactless ordering option in the time of COVID-19, as well as additional sanitation efforts have been put in place in accordance with CDC guidelines. As diners have embraced a more digital-first dining experience, this restaurant is a natural next step. The kiosk-only restaurant, owned and operated by Moe's multi-unit franchisee, Mike Geiger, also features Moe's new brand design."
Corporate Social Responsibility
Raising Cane's CEO Investing $2 Million to Help Independent Restaurants
Raising Cane's CEO Todd Graves has been announced as the new host of a docuseries titled “Restaurant Recovery.” According to the above article, “Todd and his team of business experts, financial advisors, marketing team, and strategic food enthusiasts will provide knowledge and resources to a range of diverse restaurants, eateries, distilleries/breweries, bakeries and more have been so important to their local communities.”
In the first 20 episodes, Graves will be helping 20 different restaurants with $100,000 each for relief and recovery.
“I want to help people that knew how to be successful in their own business but now need help to overcome these extraordinary circumstances we’re facing,” adds Todd Graves in a QSR Magazine article. “I know the challenges of keeping a small business going and I want to help these great independent restaurants that have so much soul and really make a community special. These restauranteurs care about their employees and community, and that means a lot to me, and should mean a lot to all of us. In ‘Restaurant Recovery,’ you’ll see an iconic family restaurant that has been around for decades in one episode, and on others, it may be a local bakery that is a community’s gathering spot, or a new restaurant that has been the owner’s dream for decades who fell victim to horrible timing upon opening.”
News
BJ's Looks to Capitalize as Consumer Buying Habits Shift
BJ’s Wholesale Club has seen its sales rise 27 percent during the first quarter of 2020 and continues to see record elevated sales, according to Grocery Dive.
“The idea of shopping in a couple of places over the course of a week is less likely in this environment than it has ever been in the last 15 or 20 years,” Christopher Baldwin, executive chairman of BJ’s Wholesale Club, said in the above Grocery Dive article.
Payments
Brazil suspends WhatsApp’s payments service
According to the Tech Crunch article, Brazil has suspended WhatsApp’s payment services. Brazil’s Central Bank stated it hadn’t had the opportunity to go over WhatsApp’s payment services before it released.
According to the above article, “A WhatsApp spokesperson told TechCrunch that the service’s goal is to use an “open model” and it is continuing to engage with “local partners and the Central Bank to make this possible.””