Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Your Vote Matters

Last week, we shared that the government's chaotic response to the 'VID caused a restauranteur in Minocqua WI to shutdown for the season. Not that such a decision is an unusual situation in these unsettled times. But, the owner wrote an open letter to his fans, closing it by saying, "Please join me in voting against everyone who hurt us on November 3." 

Here's hoping he ordered his pair of Regenerative Organic Stand Up Shorts from Patagonia...because a company spokesperson has confirmed they are sold out of run that had the words "Vote the Assholes Out" on the backside of the garment tag.

Too funny.

The Suffering Congress Ignores

Few have been spared from the pain wrought by the 'VID. But, it's the small business owner that has been impacted the most. And, when one recognizes that roughly 95% of tourism-related businesses are classified as "small business" by the SBA, you have your proof that travel and hospitality have been hurt the worst. Yet, Congress fiddles while small businesses close, wiping out hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and millions of jobs.

A restauranteur in Minocqua recently closed his business until next season, citing the lack of State leadership in an insane, partisan-fueled stop-start-stop dance that has been Wisconsin. His closing line in a Facebook post announcing the close was "Please join me in voting against everyone who hurt us on November 3."

You'd think that, in the less than 50 days to election day, our elected leaders would be focused on voters over campaign contributors and political ideology. But, I see no such evidence as scores of business owners shutter their dreams and the livelihoods of so many. Think they're pissed? Think they'll vote?

Maybe what our elected leaders all need is to read this open letter from one of the owners of the now-shuttered Mermaid Inn on New York City's Second Avenue. I dare any member of Congress to read the owners' story and not be galvanized to do something NOW to assist these businesses who were forced to close in March. 

Because, if action isn't taken, I dare say that there will be a sizable portion of the more than 15 million people that were employed in the restaurant industry in this country in March that will give voice to their disgust at what Congress has become on November 3rd.

Or, one must ask, does Congress even care?

This is What DMO Pros Do

In yesterday's post, we shared a story about how a City government has shifted from "them's the rules, bub" to "how can we make this work." Refreshing...and as Quint Studer points out in Building a Vibrant Community, that's exactly what today's local governments should be doing to encourage private sector Place Making.

The back story makes this tale even better. Amie Burrill is the Executive Director of Experience Burnsville. The reporter who wanted to do a story on the soon-to-open Ineffable Brewing Company had reached out to Amie via the DMO's Facebook page using Messenger on Monday morning around 10. That would be the morning of Labor Day, when Experience Burnsville was closed, for a Labor Day story to run that evening.

Never fear...because DMO pros like Amie don't pay attention to holidays or operating hours. Even when they are out of town, as Amie was. But, because she brought her "business phone" along on her trip, she picked up the message in minutes, connected the owners of Ineffable to the reporter and alerted a Board member (also a City Council member). An hour later, the TV crew arrived at the brewery to interview the owners (and the City Council's Dan Gustafson). And, the piece aired that evening, showcasing not only the brewery but the City's can-do response to entrepreneurial opportunities for viewers throughout the Twin Cities.

This is how it's done in the pros.

Nicely played, Amie.

 

This is How Government Should Work

You gotta love the entrepreneurial spirit in the face of a global crisis. Three friends from the Twin Cities are planning to open a brewery in Burnsville MN next month called the Ineffable Brewing Company. As with any such venture, there is typically a staggering gauntlet of regulatory hoops to traverse. But apparently, the economic struggles brought on by the response to the 'VID has the City of Burnsville reassessing how it works with local businesses.

Dan Gustafson is a Burnsville city council member (and Board member of Experience Burnsville). In a recent interview on KSTP-TV, he said, "We've gone from 'these are the rules' to 'how can we make this work?' And that's how we're operating out here these days."

Bravo Burnsville. And here's hoping that more communities realize that going back to "these are the rules" isn't nearly as effective in Place Making as "how can we make this work."

Congratulations to the crew preparing for their grand opening. We can't wait for our next visit to Burnsville to experience Ineffable.

A Powerful Piece on Our Farm Neighbors

Terri and I are 'Sconnies (people who live in Wisconsin). Our move two summers ago to the country places us just miles from the "Driftless Area" of the State, where some of the finest agricultural land in the nation can be found. A region where Federal policy changes promised by the President in his last campaign have yet to materialize. In fact, his trade wars have made it worse.

We are a farm family. While I'm pretty much a city-boy (but, evolving every week), some members of Terri's extended family work the land and milk the cows. And, I learn more everyday about their struggles, many of which are government induced. But, I gotta say, none of what I've learned in our time together prepared me for this story in The New Yorker.

If you live in the Midwest, you must read this piece. If you live anywhere else, you should.

Winter is coming.

An Archer Hits Her Mark

Those of us in the Destination Marketing and Tourism field have been left adrift in the Federal response to the 'VID. With legislation that would bring some relief stalled in Washington over philosophical differences that just simply don't matter anymore, DMO pros are writing impassioned missives to urge action.

Our friend Rick Antonson penned one a week or so ago that hit a nerve. And, Destination Madison's Deb Archer so nailed it last week in her op-ed piece in the Wisconsin State Journal.

There are people that are surviving these times...and for every one of them, there is someone who isn't:

"For every local resident who glides across Lake Wingra in a kayak, there is an out-of-work tourism industry worker who is swimming in debt. For every group of friends who picnic in a shady park shelter, there’s a family headed by an unemployed hospitality professional who doesn’t know how much longer they’ll have a home. For every restaurant striving to survive by serving outdoors, there’s another that’s permanently closed its doors."

The full column is here.

Your job? Try to beat Deb's words. And then, get them heard.

We are all depending on you.

Doing Right

One of the reasons tourism and hospitality remains the Rodney Dangerfield of careers for some is likely forged in their experience as a past (and pitifully compensated) employee. For others, it's likely the elitist attitude that service jobs are somehow beneath them (I no longer tolerate those people in my life). But, that may have its roots in the whole pay thing.

I'm not here to debate the $15/hour construct but, can we start to have the conversation that hospitality should increase pricing rather than pay sub-standard wages? If you need a nudge in that general direction, check out this story from Galveston.

The Spot is a gulf-side, multi-level restaurant (with locally-sourced seafood) and entertainment venue. Like most restaurants in this country, they had to close their doors to in-house dining mid-March as "the VID" became real. Sales dropped 90% and 171 of 200 employees were put on waivers. The Spot owner Dennis Byrd noticed that, as those personal stimulus checks began hitting bank accounts, sales started to tick up. And, he had a fascinating idea.

"What if I over pay my team members," he mused. Would they then go out and help stimulate the local economy, which would help everyone. A true "Pay It Forward" concept.

Dennis increased his veteran employees to $20/hour and everyone else to $15/hour. Those on salary got $250 per pay period for "hazard pay." The cost? Over $650,000.

Mind you, the business was still more than 80% off, year to year. But, it was the right thing to do...and Galveston took notice.

The Spot had the biggest May in its 22-year history.

Dennis? I don't think you overpaid your team in the least. And, I can't wait for others to take your lead and run.

Do right by your people, ensure that your customers know you've done right...and we'll pay whatever you charge.

 

The Future of Culinary Tourism

It's what drove a significant amount of pre-VID tourism over the past five years; the sense that one can learn about a place through its food. Anthony Bourdain showed us this truth...and travel consumers bought into the concept.

As we watch the professional research firms reveal the thoughts of today's travel consumers, there are also the one-off polls that do not necessarily reflect America, but the readership of a particular online publication.

Such is the case with SmartBrief, a daily compilation of fascinating articles from around the world. The respondents to their polls could be expected to skew white-collar business professionals...and that's what is so concerning with last week's poll: Do you expect your dining habits to change after the pandemic?

Only a third of respondents said they would return to dining out like it was 2019...and 40% said they would be cooking more at home. To be sure, these responses aren't necessarily travel responses (as most of us can't cook in when we're on the road). But, it paints a distressing picture of a restaurant's base clientele's attitude.

Even more reason for DMOs, as they can, to help our culinary partners ideate ways to shift consumer sentiment. If, indeed, they want to cook in, attempt to facilitate that. The best restaurants source from specific farms. Our local butcher sources from only one farm for his beef tenderloin (and, it's awesome). Not taking away from the artistry of the chef, the source food is almost always better than supermarket, if they are not depending on a national distributor.

Hey, I know nothing about restaurants (other than I miss them). But, the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells offers to stock your cabin fridge with the same cuts of meat that they serve in their sensational Kaminski's Chop House. Seems like an idea that independent restaurants, regardless of the fare they serve, could emulate. People want to cook at home...show them the good stuff.

The farmers would benefit too. Win-Win.

Stay Strong.

Which Industries Can Physically Distance Best?

When we got swept up in "The Vid" (our household name for the pandemic), Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was regarded by many as being one of a handful of State leaders that understood the severity of what was to come...and what to do to protect residents from the virus.

Today, however, he's dragging his feet...and one has to ask why? On Sunday's "Meet The Press," the Governor sorely tested his support from the tourism and hospitality industry when he said he didn't know when he would allow those businesses to reopen.

But, he has said "yes" to restaurants and bars, tattoo parlors, hair salons, weddings up to 300, swimming pools, retailers and gyms...all businesses that one would think would be harder to physically distance than a zoo or museum. A set of proposed safety guidelines was sent to the Governor last week by a task force of top attractions and, according to this story on Cleveland.com, his office has gone radio silent.

Don't get me wrong. I saw the videos and images of all the malakas in beach destinations over the weekend. And, I don't begrudge any business that has gotten a pass to open. But...puleeze, who wouldn't feel safer in a controlled hospitality environment than a bar and grill called Sam 'n Ella's?

Just sayin... 

How Can We Help?

One of the more fascinating aspects of the meltdown of the travel and hospitality industry in March was just how quickly so many Destination Marketing Organizations pivoted, reaching out to their restaurant communities to help promote pick-up and take-out services in an attempt to keep restaurants alive. Last month, some reached out to help local retailers set up and promote online sales. Others have coordinated streaming concerts as fundraising vehicles. In short, not what they teach in DMO school.

Destination Analysts has been releasing its weekly Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Study for the industry since the crisis began to help us make sense of the mindset of both travelers and residents. CEO Erin Francis-Cummings reached out the other day with an intriguing finding from last week's focus groups of local businesses. When Destination Analysts asked restauranteurs about how DMOs could help them now, they said it wasn't marketing...but leadership and advocacy. Leadership in helping them gather and understand the new health guidelines they would be expected to follow in the weeks ahead. And, advocacy to ensure that local governments consider their business plight.

And, that's what the relevant DMO of the future must do, as it is able.

Lead and Advocate.