restaurants

An Aragonese company used the brand ‘La Mafia’ for its restaurants. Italy has managed to have it annulled in Spain

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The restaurant chain ‘The Mafia sits at the table’ it’s news. And not because of the new features of its Italian-inspired menu or because of the opening of new stores. What has made it hit the headlines (much to its chagrin) is its brand, a business card that the Republic of Italy considers offensive and takes years starring in a complicated judicial soap opera. Now Roma has achieved a key victory that puts the brand in serious danger in Spain. The key: Can the word ‘mafia’ be used happily? What has happened? The news has advanced it the diary Expansion. The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) has resolved that the name of ‘The Mafia sits at the table’a popular restaurant chain founded more than 20 years ago in Zaragozais “contrary to public order and good customs”, which is why it has endorsed the request for annulment made by the Government of Italy. The OEPM resolution is recent (February 26) and leaves little room for interpretation. In the opinion of its techniciansthe brand alludes to a real organization with activities “contrary to the ethical and moral principles” of the EU. Hence, I agree with Italy that it is questionable whether it can be registered and exploited on a commercial level. “It would offend the victims and their families,” he warns. Is it something new? Yes. And no. Italy has been maneuvering for years to force the Aragonese restaurant chain to abandon a name that it considers offensive. And nothing has gone wrong in his efforts. In 2015, he filed a complaint that led to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) refusing to register the trademark at the community level. Years later (2018) it was marked equally important when the General Court of the EU (TGUE) endorsed the decision of the EUIPO and prevented the company from shielding its commercial name. What does that mean? That was more than a simple judicial victory. The decision The TGEU prevented the company from registering its trademark at the community level, which in practice left it unprotected. However, the TGUE’s decision had its limitations. For example, it did not prevent the Zaragoza chain from continuing to use its name in the dozens of restaurants it has throughout Spain. What changes now? The OEPM opinion goes one step (and several) further. The brand is no longer only annulled at the community level, but it is also doing so in Spain, a fundamental decision since ‘La Mafia sits at the table’ (remember) is a chain born 26 years ago right here, in Zaragoza. The Spanish organization has aligned itself with European justice and has come to the conclusion that the name is “contrary to public order” and “good customs”, which is why it has endorsed the request for annulment presented by Italy. Not only that. The transalpine country has already gone to the commercial courts of Barcelona to prevent the Aragonese company from continuing to use its name. What will happen now? “The resolution could be issued in less than a year and, if favorable, would force them to cease using the trademark,” explains to Expansion Josep Carbonell, partner of Fieldfisherthe office that has advised Italy in the procedure. Of course, the company also has margin (one month) to appeal the OEPM’s decision. In any case, its resolution of February 26 represents a setback for the future of the brand in its large market. What is the problem? The underlying question is very simple: can the word ‘mafia’ be used happily or not? Should its commercial use be banned? The company claims that it was inspired by a recipe book and appeals to the right to freedom of expression, remembering in passing that it is not unusual to find books, movies and series focused on the same topic. years ago in fact already clarified that its objective is not to offend anyone, but to generate an atmosphere similar to that of the ‘Godfather’ saga. For the authorities, however, the reading is somewhat different. In its resolution, the TGUE recalled that (at least in this case) using the term “banalizes organized crime” and even warned of the risk of “romanticizing” it. In a similar vein, the OEPM recalls that Spain is no stranger to this criminal organization and its activities, “contrary to the ethical principles” and “fundamental moral values ​​of the EU.” In the background there is a more complex issue, such as remember Carbonell: Is using the word ‘mafia’ in an artistic work the same as elevating it to the category of a business’ trademark? Is it an isolated case? Not at all. The Italian authorities have not only focused on the Zaragoza company. In 2024, fed up with his town being associated with organized crime, the mayor of Agrigento (Sicily) issued a municipal order to prohibit the sale of tourist souvenirs related to the mafia. The underlying reason was similar: to prevent people from doing business with (and romanticizing) an organization that, beyond the veneer that Hollywood has given it, has been causing headaches for the Italian authorities for years. Images | The Mafia 1 and 2 Via | Expansion In Xataka | Sushi was a sleeping giant of the fast food industry: in the US it has already begun to eat hamburgers

There are people stealing spoons, napkins or glasses in restaurants. And for many it has become an economic drain

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Those of us who have lived in student flats know that there are objects that appear without anyone remembering very well how they got there. A jug of 100 Montaditos, for example. Be careful, I’m not accusing anyone, I found her in the kitchen when I lived sharing a flat in Barcelona. The fact is that stealing—not stealing—utensils from bars, restaurants or hotels is not something new. What is new is the standardization with which it is done and the real cost it is beginning to have for the sector. Because taking a “cute” spoon, a nice glass or a towel with a logo is not an isolated anecdote or a cute prank. It is a widespread, systematic phenomenon and, according to national media and internationalincreasingly expensive. When it affects the budget. The problem is no longer anecdotal. According to data provided to The Spanish by the gastronomic agency Foodie Love, the constant disappearance of objects forces many bars and restaurants to reserve a specific replacement item. In the province of Alicante, one of them – distinguished with a Michelin star – allocates around 2,000 euros annually solely to replacing what customers take away. The phenomenon has been described in this environment as “posh thefts”: thefts committed not out of necessity, but for fun, collecting or simple impulse. However, the label is as striking as it is questionable. Because, more than sophisticated, these thefts are repetitive, predictable and, in many cases, quite shabby. There is no epic or transgression: there is economic wear and tear and a progressive loss of quality in the premises. The impulse to take something “just because.” The objects that disappear are repeated with an almost industrial regularity: tableware, consumer products and bathroom items. On tables, what flies the most are coffee spoons, especially if they have a special design, color or texture. While a basic one can cost one euro, a designer one costs four. Saucers, cups, oil bowls, sugar bowls or sweetener jars they follow the same path. Some restaurants they recognize having to buy dozens every month. The bathroom is another key focus. As waiters report in testimonies collected by Diario Vasco Following a query launched by the profile @soycamarero, soap dishes, toilet paper, air fresheners, plugs, toilet seats, push buttons or even tiles disappear. Irony abounds among workers, but the problem is serious. Furthermore, as detailed in the specialized media Food & Wineit is not necessity, it is sentimentalization of the object, attractive design, alcohol, disinhibition and, above all, a feeling of impunity. The client does not perceive himself as a thief; He tells himself that it is a souvenir. The theft assumed in hotels. If the phenomenon is worrying in bars and restaurants, in hotels it is directly massive. According to a Hosteltur survey87% of guests admit to having taken something from a room at least once in their lives. Towels, soap dishes, mini pillows and tissue boxes top the ranking. The president of AC Hoteles, Antonio Catalán, acknowledged on the Nude Project podcast that his chain loses more than 80,000 towels a year, both in Spain and Italy. All with a logo, which do not go unnoticed at all. Some establishments have chosen to take it on as part of the business: tolerating certain losses such as involuntary advertising, selling the objects or charging them directly on the invoice. Others have explored more creative avenues. This is the case of the Swedish chain BWH Hotels, which launched the campaign The Hotel Theft Rewardinviting people to return stolen objects—from lamps to mannequins—in exchange for hotel nights or breakfasts. What if they catch me? The legal reminder. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that, no matter how normalized it may be, taking an object without permission is theft. As criminal law experts explain cited by RRYP Globalthe Spanish Penal Code clearly distinguishes between theft and robbery, but both are crimes. If the value of what was stolen does not exceed 400 euros, it is considered a minor crime, punishable by a fine. If it exceeds that amount, it can lead to prison sentences. And not only the isolated object is valued, but the total amount and the circumstances. “I accidentally took it” doesn’t always work as an excuse. The souvenir that we all pay for. Maybe that jug of 100 Montaditos is still on that floor, turned into a recurring joke. But multiplied by thousands, that same logic empties bars, restaurants and hotels of personality and quality. And it has a direct consequence: more expensive menus or cheaper products, as hoteliers recognize. cited in El Español. It is not an elegant or rebellious robbery. It is a small, repeated and assumed gesture that ends up having a big effect. And in the end, as almost always, we all end up paying for the souvenir. Image | freepik Xataka | The hoteliers promised them happy times in a summer of record tourism. Until the ghost reserves arrived

There are restaurants charging their customers 15 euros when they do not appear in a reservation. And it is a trend that is going more

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“There are people who accept it and people who don’t. Let them make an effort so that we can make it to the end of the month,” comments Danitza Gabriela, Executive Chef of the Manifiesto 13 restaurant, with a laugh, in a video on the channel ‘The Xef in Kitchen‘. It refers to the charging of a fee if someone does not attend a reservation at your restaurant, But although it may seem drastic, it is not a problem that should be laughed at. It is a whole phenomenon baptized as ‘no show‘, and there are already restaurants that are taking measures. For example, charge 15 euros if you don’t show up. He no-show. Also known as ‘ghost reserve’, it is one of the nightmares of the restoration. The name is quite revealing: it is a reservation for a table that, without warning, does not show up at the agreed time. There the restaurant fills its gap, but there are times when it is not possible, leaving holes of hundreds of euros depending on the case. There are situations in which it is inevitable not to show up, even others of greater cause in which the last thing we think about is calling to say that we will not be able to go, but unfortunately it is becoming common in certain cities. Spread booking. Another Anglicism that is easy to understand. In large cities, there are diners who adopt the strategy of making reservations in several restaurants at the same time. This may seem like nonsense, but it makes “sense”: they secure all the options they like and then decide on the fly which one they prefer, not canceling, or not canceling early enough, on the discarded options. Freak. How often this occurs depends on the city. TheFork platform carried out a study on phantom reservations and, according to their analysis, between January and July of this year, there was not a single month in which no-shows accounted for more than 3.4% of the total. Then, it depends on the regions and, as we say, the city. Others studies They point out that, in large cities in the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand, the absence rate is around 15%. In the United States and Canada, 20%. 15 euros. According to that same study by The Fork, of the total number of diners who do not attend the reservation, only 38% do so due to last-minute unforeseen events that have prevented them from calling the restaurant. 7% say that they do not notify because they are embarrassed to call and 55% say that they get lost or forget that they had made the reservation. That is precisely what is leading restaurants to take action. We mentioned the words of Danitza, from the Manifiesto 13 restaurant, at the beginning of the article, and the amount they charge for not appearing is 15 euros. He explains it at minute 8:10 of this video: “Every day we call to reconfirm the reservation. We are applying a cancellation policy, only on weekends, because those are the days when we have the most occupancy. It is 15 euros, just so that people have that bit of respect.” Danitza continues by pointing out that “it’s very hard when you’re starting out. If you don’t have a lot of fuss and the table doesn’t come to you, you’ve already prepared… and it’s complicated. There are people who accept it and people who don’t.” At Gordon Ramsay’s, if you don’t cancel at least 48 hours in advance, it’s 150 pounds. Impact. Manifesto 13 is not the only restaurant that applies this. A couple of years ago, Amelia, a restaurant in San Sebastián with two Michelin stars, charged 510 euros for a service not provided to three diners who did not show up. It was a case that came to court after a complaint from one of the customers, and the result was the ruling in favor of the restaurant. Studies indicate that losses due to no-shows can suppose between 5% and 20%, depending on the type of business, and this is what has motivated locals to move tab. For example, with card number like warranty and deposits, as are done in other forms of entertainment and consumption. It has even come to pose the expulsion from the reservation system of clients who accumulate several. Images | Hitesh Dewasi In Xataka | The restaurant with the longest waiting list in the world is not a Michelin star: it is in Bristol and costs €40

In Spain more and more restaurants are declaring war on an old custom: paying accounts separately

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You probably lived it a thousand times. You stay with your friends for dinner in a restaurant and after the first, the second, the dessert, coffees and chupitos arrives the test of fire: the great Huge dilemma of how Devils foot the bill. Together or separate? Does each one pay your own or the bill is fractionated in equal parts? Card, metallic or a mixture of both? And in case someone forward money, especially if the minute is high, who does it and how the rest of the guests are organized to pay you? In Spain increasingly Bars save those headaches to their customers by applying a very simple standard: no divided payments. A table, an account. If you go together, you pay together. There are no official figures and from Facu increasingly Bars and restaurants in Spain embrace a rule when they have to charge guest groups: nothing to divide accounts between different customers sitting at the same table. At least if they intend to pay by card. A group, a payment. So simple. Lasxta revealed recently that the custom is spreading through the Malaga hospitality, but similar news (and more or less recent) about restaurants from Aragon either Catalonia. There is also a good handful of references in Xeither Tiktok or even Reddit threads in which the pros and cons are discussed and whether it is legal or that a restaurant refuses to fraction an account. Click on the image to go to Tweet. The big question: why? Like more or less, the undeniable thing is that the norm generates debate and Not everyone He feels comfortable with her. So … why are the hoteliers apply, even at the risk of angry at their clientele? The reason is simple: efficiency. A waiter is more comfortable and quick to manage a single charge to repeat that operation five, seven, ten or more times, depending on how many diners they have sat at the table. “It is super complicated to charge separately and more when they are large groups,” Recognize A waiter from Malaga to Lasexta. “Sometimes groups of fifteen or twenty people are made and each one wants to pay their convenience,” confesses Another hotelier from Barcelona. When that happens, work is slowed down in the room and the business risks that the box ends up disabled. There are times when the situation is further complicated and customers no longer ask for the payment, but each one is charged. It may seem a minor issue if the account is from a table with few customers, but the thing is complicated when we talk about broad groups and minutes of several hundred euros, as reported Two years ago In Tiktok a waiter. But … Is it legal? The million dollar question. “There is really nothing regulated. The solution is to say no, that each diner will pay their part. The establishment has two options: accept or not collect,” he says Rubén Sánchezof Facua. “If at the door he indicates that he accepts card payments cannot reject that means of payment in half. “There is no law that determines that customers have the right to fraction the account to pay it at once. It is an aspect in which the law does not deepen so much. You have to apply common sense,” agrees Enrique García, spokesman for the OCU. “The logical thing is to inform the company that provides the service and customers to attend these circumstances.” @xavi_abat Have you found in this situation? #Elabogadodetiktok ♬ Original sound – 🙋‍♂️ #Elabogadodetiktok A supplement to fraction? At the end of 2024 Xavi Abat, “Tiktok’s lawyer”, He warned of another practice to which more and more bars and restaurants are being accepted: the collection of “separate accounts supplements” to those customers who ask for the payment of payment. In Your video Abat in fact showed the poster of a bar that applies different “management” positions depending on the size of the table and how many payments should process: one to eight diners, one euro; from eight to 12, two euros; And in the case of tables of more than 12 clients, three euros. Those sums, says the place, cover “the resources” invested and the use of TPV. The key: Information and visibility. The question is the same … are that kind of supplements legal? The key, ABAT revealsis in the information available to the client when he sits at the table. “There is no law, nothing is said in the Civil Code. The contractual relations between the parties are free. Each establishment can establish what they want,” reason The expert. “Therefore, if the restaurant warns of this charge, there is a contractual offer and you and you accept, you have to eat it.” “Contrary, if you go to a restaurant, you are seven or eight and at the end of the food they do not let you pay separately, as you have not been warned, as you have not had the option to negotiate it, you can oppose and demand that you want to pay separately. You could file a complaint or plant yourself there until they let you charge separately,” adds ABAT. Argument shock. The reality is that both parties, hoteliers and customers, have arguments to be in favor or against collection subdivisions. Business They allege What dividing the accounts demands more time, slows down their work, you can unravel the box and carry an expenditure of time and extra resources. After all, there are payment systems that generate extra commissions when several operations are carried out. The truth is that the unique payment in groups is a common practice in other countries in Europe. As for customers, the main complaint is the discomfort and headaches that can lead not to divide the accounts. Without counting that someone must pay the full amount of the invoice. “Why do I have to fight with the people of a group to make me the bizum of what they have consumed?” Question A user … Read more

We already know what was ate in the restaurants of Catalonia in 1625. And we have very little to envy

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If today you turn around the center of Barcelona you will surely find pizzerías, hamburger, Asian restaurants, springs, grills, premises specialized in Vegetarian food or vegan and a long (very long) and so on business willing to fill your palate with flavors. Some even with Regional dishes. But … what if instead of being in Barcelona of 2025 you were in the 1625? What would you find in the Catalan fondas in the early seventeenth century, when Cocoa either The potato were almost newly arrived foods from America? Those old “menus” are already far behind, but despite the passage of the centuries we can get an idea of ​​how they were thanks to the historical archives. “What is in the menu?” The 2025 Catalonia resembles that of the early seventeenth. Your menus too. We know it thanks to the information preserved in dietary and goats, documents on the payment of taxes. Recently the historiographic and articulist researcher Marc Pons published in The National A brief essay In which he explains precisely what the goats of 1625 show, the annual liquidation in species that the free peasantry paid to the order of Sant Joan del Hospital. The document is interesting because it reveals to us what reached the markets and what ingredients ended in the stoves of the hostels. Speciler: neither rich nor varied. Despite the image of big and opiparos banquets that Hollywood sometimes shows, the reality is that food in the fondas of That Bandoleros Catalonia It was not especially rich or varied. The menus were rather sparse, there was not too much diversity and many of the dishes that seem to us today were a luxury reserved for the best pockets or certain times of the year. The desserts were not available to all the diners and not even the wine served to relieve penalties: in the fondas they did not worry about how it was preserved, so it was common for it to be chopped. The star dish: the Catalan pot. As Pons explainsthe goats of 1625 show us that in the markets the cooks of the fondas could basically be found with legumes, tubers and fruits of the forest, that is, foods that could be easily kept in pantries. That includes from beans, chickpeas and pea, nabos or chestnuts. Also vegetables taken from the garden, such as onions, garlic, chard or pumpkins. With those ingredients one of the dishes they used to prepare was the Catalan pot, a broth that thickened with wheat and millet. Nothing else? To complete the broth to the diners, a bacon slice, a sardine, a boquerrón or a herring was also served, depending on the type of fonda and how much the client was willing to pay. The menus did not stand out for their diversity, but in the establishments of the region it was also not strange to find dishes made from turnip and boiled col, a popular option despite their reputation. Other option was boiled rice with thyme. And for dessert? If you are a friend of sweets, in the Catalan fondas of the early seventeenth century you would not have a great time. Not at least they had a few coins in your bag. The desserts used to enjoy them the wealthiest customers, although in some hostels they could find biscuits with fruits of the forest or fruits taken from the private garden, such as apples, pears or peaches. Nor were they places for sommeliers. The single dish used to be accompanied by a jug of wine (safer than water, which could be contaminated); But in the wineries they did not care too much about how the mouths were preserved, so it was not strange that the drink reached the client in more than questionable, hot and chopped conditions. If I didn’t have convincing you, you could always opt for something a little stronger and go to fondas with brandy. Looking beyond 1625. It is not the first time that the dietary, old tax records or even kitchen books allow us to get an idea of ​​what our ancestors ate. ‘The Free of Soví’for example, the oldest recipe. What was served during the great banquets of the low Middle Ages. Goats have also allowed us take an eye on to the menus of the early 18th and years ago, thanks to the collaboration of chefs, anthropologists and historians, even We could reproduce some dishes of the Catalan cuisine of 1714, “a survival kitchen” in which “what could be”, ” remember The Catalan cook Sergi de Meiá. Images | Wikipedia 1 and 2 In Xataka | We finally know what sailors ate at the high seas in the 16th century. Thanks to the CSIC and a sunk galeon

The traditional couple model is in crisis. And it has translated into more people eating alone in restaurants

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Eating is a necessity, a pleasure … and also (in your own way) A social act. Around the tables we celebrate, remember and honor. We remain for dinner in our first events, to celebrate birthdays and promotions, the arrival of the New Year or say goodbye to that friend who moves to another city. Eating has always been synonymous with sharing, especially if we do it in a bar, where it also becomes a public act, exposed to unknown looks. Or at least so it was until now. Table for one, please. It is very simple. He arrives with any restaurant at rush hour and observing the room: There are more and more people eating alone. And not by obligation or because he does not have anyone to share dinner. On the contrary. We do it by choice, to enjoy loneliness and backs to the stigma that until not so long persecuted those who sat alone at tables that were designed precisely to gather large groups. Impressions … and data. As with most trends, there are studies and percentages that help us better understand their scope. Although finding a site to eat alone It is not always simplein the OpenTable US calculates that the reserves for a single diner 64% have shot Since 2019. Moreover, between 2022 and 2023, Resyanother New York reservation platform, calculates that requests of this type increased by 21%. They are forceful percentages and it is not unreasonable to think that they are short. After all, both opening and resy register only those who reserve in advance, not those who appear in the premises without calling before. Is there more data? Yes. And although there may be variations from one study to another, most point in the same direction. In 2024, opening calculated that the alone dinners in the United Kingdom had experienced a year -on -year increase of 14%percentage that in the case of Manchester stretched until reaching 23%. Other studies They also talk that the ‘Only Dining’ He has gained weight in Germany and Japan or that the number of Americans who recognize having recently has grown by 53% In just two decades, between 2003 and 2023. And Spain? There are some indicators that suggest that Spain does not remain oblivious to that trend. In 2022 Mapfre published A FOOD REPORT in which he revealed that, although most of the Spaniards continue to enjoy the family meals, between 2017 and 2022 the number of people who sit at the table without company, especially during working days, increased 5%. In 2020, in full pandemic, Thefork also perceived that the reserves for a single person had grew by 4% In our country. Of course, they were still a minority. In an attempt to go further in 2024 Reasonwhy did A poll Among several restaurant chains with presence in Spain that showed that, at least in part of them, it is increasingly common to see customers without company. Well because they are more or because those who already ate alone before do it now more often. Alsea, behind Vips, Ginos or Foster´s Hollywood, requires that 7% of Foster´sy customers 18% of those of VIPs eat without anyone next. And what is the reason? The right thing would be to talk about reasons, in plural. When analyzing the trend, so much The sector As analysts usually coincide in certain factors that have clearly influenced customers. Above all there are two: pandemic, with its restrictions and fear of infection; and a cultural change that leads us to look with other eyes to those who sit in a restaurant without a company. “That a person was lonely has always been might, but now that taboo to exhibit loneliness has broken,” Notice in The country José A. González, anthropologist. “It was growing before pandemic, but now it has been strengthened because we have become accustomed to being alone,” agrees Chef Lola Marín. “In addition, it was unthinkable that a woman was alone to eat or take a wine to a bar. Luckily it is now more common.” Even in networks They can be found Videos of people who presume that: to enjoy their dinner alone. Generational issue? There are those who believe that there is another factor that has influenced so much or more than the COVID: the change of mentality that accompanies the Z generation and the Millennials. Whether or not the truth is that the trend is accompanied by a transformation of Spanish society itself, in which It is increasingly common meet people living alone. If the INE forecasts do not fail in 2039 there will be some 7.7 million of unipersonal homes, 33.5% of the total. Question of loneliness (s). That we normalize loneliness does not mean that all loneliness is the same or all its positive effects. In fact it also carries certain challenges, as I collected recently An article of The New York Times in which a curious relationship is pointed out: in the US the increase of the people who eat alone has coincided with a worsening of the country’s general happiness index. The reason: not all loneliness is deliberate. The professor of the University of Oxford Jan-Emmanuel de Neve even It goes further and reflect on the implications that excessive isolation can have. “That we are increasingly socially isolated also assumes that we do not test our ideas about the world with other people,” he says. The result, in his opinion, is an amplification of echo chambers and polarization. Image | Ismail Hamzah (Unspash) In Xataka | More and more Spanish bars refuse to pay at the table. Its objective is very simple: greater rotation

In the US they have realized that Covid has had an unexpected effect on its restaurants: it has triggered its production

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The Covid has not sat badly at the US bars. At least if we talk about productivity levels. Even though pandemic He hit with viciousness to the hospitality of half the world (including the Spanish), He sank the billing From the sector and condemned not a few businesses at the close, American premises reached during the health crisis a level of labor productivity by 15% greater than they had before COVID, a notable increase that has not been diluted. The explanation is very simple: express visits. The Covid heritage. That the pandemic was devastating for the hospitality and forced to close Many businesses It is clear. However, however, a group of researchers from Chicago and New York universities asked a question that goes a little further: Did Covid-19 influence the productivity of the premises? And if so, in what sense? Is that effect still maintained? Their conclusions were reflected in A study that has just published the National Bureau of Economic Resarch (NBER) with a quite eloquent title and that gives a clue to which direction its findings point to: ‘The curious increase in productivity in US restaurants’. A percentage: 15%. The team of economists has not only found that effectively the performance of restaurants seemed to increase during the years of the health crisis. Has even encrypted that increase, as they need in The conclusions Of its report: “We verify that, after being practically constant for almost 30 years, real work productivity in restaurants increased more than 15% during the Covid-19 Pandemia.” The data is interesting because it does not only reflect a specific and past reality, related to the worst years of the Coronavirus. After sliding that percentage (15%) the researchers clarify that this turn has not yet diluted its effect. “This increase has been maintained even when many conditions have returned to prepondondemic levels.” And what was the reason? Clarified and calculated the increase in productivity, the following doubt was obvious: what was the reason? What did he answer? To answer all these issues, experts examined about 100,000 restaurants distributed by the US, focusing on aspects such as sales or the number of consumers attended by each employee. They also had access to information about visits thanks to mobile phones. The sample is wide, but presents certain characteristics that should be taken into account. To start the experts set in a very specific business profile, the Limited service hospitality (LSR), the one in which the interaction between the staff and the client is minimized, as in many premises of Fast food. The study in fact that focused on three subcategories: restaurants in the style of Taco Bell or McDonald´s, buffets and coffee shops such as Starbucks. For the sample to be wide, they covered more than 600 brands. Why this choice? The study It clarifies that the LSRs represent about 45% of the employment and sales of the sector in the US already throughout the last decades its productivity has evolved in a “very similar” way to the whole of the restoration sector. In addition, limited services offered an extra advantage: economists have complete information on their visits. Combing (thousands of) data. With all that information about the table, economists began drawing conclusions. And the first were striking. “Microdatos reveal significant growth in productivity, already measured in sales per employee or even in a more basic/physical average of the total number of customers per employee,” he says The study Published by Nber, which also rules out that this rebound can be explained by economies of scale, a greater weight of the sector or changes in demand. The experts also found that if the employees sold more it was not because they spent more time in their positions. When they were proven that the average weekly hours worked between July 2022 and June 2024 was 25.1 hours, “the same”, they clarify, that from 2006 to 2008. “In fact the current hours per worker are actually a bit below the pre-covid average from 2018 to 2019”. What is the cause? The rhythm. Or rather, the duration of visits. The researchers appreciated “significant descents in the amount of time” that customers spent in restaurants, with an increase especially pronounced in the group of consumers that remained in the premises 10 or even less minutes. That phenomenon was found during the pandemic years and did not seem to dissipate once the health crisis has been overcome. “The average permanence time of customers decreased and most of the reduction was due to the increase in the percentage of visits that lasted less than 10 minutes,” says the study. Your reading It is therefore clear: the increase in the performance of the restaurants “is strongly correlated” with the reduction of the time that customers pass in business, especially with express visits, which do not reach the quarter of an hour. Beyond the minutes. The data of the minutes clarified part of the mystery about the increase in performance (shorter visits translate into the possibility of attending a greater number of customers without increasing the templates), but letting another equally important question be bumping: why? Why was that increase in fleeting visits, 10 or even less minutes? Researchers are clear: leading food. “The frequency of these carrying food clients increased during the COVID-19, even in restaurants in Fast foodand it has not decreased “, They conclude Economists. The key would therefore be Deliverythe increase in orders made by telephone or customer apps that then collect their orders to eat them at home, office or any other place. “If businesses can satisfy these fast customers, in addition to the usual ones, with the same labor, the data will reflect a clear and legitimate increase in productivity,” economists add in their article. An advance with nuances. The 15% yield increase is positive for business, but there are experts who already invite you to value it with perspective. Douglas Hoktz-Eakin, president of the US Forum of Action, I pointed After examining the study that there is … Read more

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