Mirus Reporter

May 1

Does anyone else sense that time is flying even faster than usual? You may not have this distorted sense of time if you are working from home, or laid off, but it is already May. Some thought at the start of this pandemic that all would be normal at this time. Seems like a silly, optimistic projection today, and we still have no clear picture on how the next several months are going to play out.

For those following this diary, I'd like to say thanks. And, if you have any thoughts or ideas you think would be constructive to our audience, please leave your comments at the bottom of this blog, or email me at dave@mirus.com.

Positive events continue to be revealed. Last week, the sales trend data indicated that we might have hit a bump in the road. Since then, the growth of restaurant sales has continued in a steady fashion. Here is the Mirus Index by Day for the month of April compared to the same day from the Previous Week. Easter is the first thing you might notice. There are two anomalies related to Easter, the week it fell on last year, and the week it fell on this year. The large negative is Easter this year, and the spike is the following Sunday when this year is compared to a weak Easter last year. Keep in mind these are same-store calculations, so a restaurant has to be open this year and last year to be included in these numbers.

April 24 Diary Entry

For those who have been following my posts and articles, you have heard the news that the sales of the restaurant industry hit their lowest point at the end of March. Since then, sales have been improving slowly on a week-to-week basis. In recent weeks, the Mirus Index has shown an increase in sales on a same-store basis.

Since Easter, the rate of sales increase accelerated to about 16%, that is until a couple of days ago.

April 13 Diary Entry

The restaurant industry started the year 2020 stronger than any year in more than a decade, although the impact of Covid-19 was already working its way into the numbers. Between March 12 and March 16, city by city, state by state shut down the restaurant dining room. All of the sports leagues also suspended operations. Curbside, takeout, drive-thru and delivery were now the only service channels for restaurants. That is when it hit the fan. Since then, is there any good news?

The restaurant business is complex, much more so than customers would typically believe. We have lived through an explosion of new software tools that help restaurant operators manage this complexity and in the process they have created a new dilemma; understanding it all.

The Roaring Twenties has a lot of similarities to what has been going on in recent times. In the early 1920's, it was a time of hope and prosperity. With WWI over, the economy was booming, jazz was all the rage, women's rights was a critical topic, and people were out spending lots of money.

Willie’s Restaurants operates two original concepts. Willie's Grill & Icehouse is a casual dining traditional Texas Icehouse where guests can relax and enjoy great food and cold beer in a laid back atmosphere. They also operate Fajita Willie's Cafe & Cantina which specializes in Tex-Mex fare.

Willie's operates a total of 17 locations throughout San Antonio, Houston, and College Station. Each restaurant is unique and tailored to the fit the neighborhood it resides but garage doors and patios are always included for an indoor/outdoor dining experience.

As a Mirus client for over 4 years, we've been helping them manage their sales, actual labor, labor scheduling, speed of service, guest loyalty, and weather data. Not to mention a Point of Sale transition.

I had the chance to sit down with Willie's Financial Analyst, Rikky Salazar, to talk about how Mirus helps them manage labor and increase sales through employee contests.

A restaurant’s marketing department might use a slew of strategies to determine where their brand strategy is going in the next few months. Whether that means adding new items to the menu, incorporating new combos, and/or other customer-related experiences, data integration can help restaurants make fact-based decisions using real-time information. Continue reading to find out more about the benefits of utilizing restaurant data to help with marketing tactics.

Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurants is more  than just a restaurant, they're a lifestyle brand.  While centered around wine, their focus is on creating memorable moments that enrich lives. They currently have 35 locations in 8 states throughout the United States and over 400,000 Wine Club Members.

As a Mirus client for over 3 years we've been helping Cooper's Hawk manage those wine club members along with point of sale and labor scheduling information. 

I had the chance to sit down with Cooper's Hawk Solution Architect, Matt Reid, to talk about how Mirus helps them engage guest loyalty. 

At Mirus, the job of an Integrations Specialist, is to help restaurants figure out which systems should be integrated immediately and which systems can wait. It’s important to prioritize integration because the process requires a bit of effort and focus. However, if done right, the business will begin to gain reporting insights that will turn into actionable intelligence.

In this article, we will focus on the benefits of integrating financial data. The content presented here is meant to be an introduction piece dedicated to thinking about why it is important to integrate financial data and how restaurants can increase profitability and decrease losses through proper data analysis.

There are several reasons why integrating operational data for your restaurant is an ideal choice. From keeping tabs on sales and labor to essential reporting and more, integrating data is simply a must. For more insight on integrating operational data, we had a moment to catch up with Mirus Integration Specialist Kadiata Diop, better known to friends and colleagues as Jet.

What does integrating data mean and why is it beneficial for your restaurant? With Mirus’ services, it’s all about ease-of-use. “What that means is looking at all the systems a restaurant may have and deciding which data points they want to see, bring in, and integrate into Mirus so that they can run reports of analysis on that data all in one place, “ says Jet. Convenience is the name of the game and with professional data integration, reporting can be achieved all in one place.