Friday, September 28, 2012

Stronger Sales, Traffic Bolster Restaurant ... - Hospitality Industry


Stronger Sales, Traffic Bolster Restaurant Performance Index in

Stronger Sales, Traffic Bolster Restaurant Performance Index in August

Same-store sales rose for the 15th consecutive month; Restaurant operators are somewhat more optimistic about the economy

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2012 - Buoyed by stronger same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association?sRestaurant Performance Index (RPI) posted a modest gain in August.? The RPI - a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry - stood at 100.6 in August, up 0.4 percent from July and the first increase in five months. August represented the tenth consecutive month that the RPI stood above 100, which signifies continued expansion in the index of key industry indicators.

?Growth in the RPI was driven largely by improving same-store sales and customer traffic results in August,? said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association. ?Six out of 10 restaurant operators reported positive same-store sales in August, while customer traffic readings bounced back from July?s net decline.?

?In contrast, the Expectations Index remained dampened compared to recent stronger levels, with restaurant operators retaining a cautious outlook for sales growth and the economy in the months ahead,? Riehle added.

The Restaurant Performance Index is constructed so that the health of the restaurant industry is measured in relation to a steady-state level of 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators.? The Index consists of two components - the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.?

The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators (same-store sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures), stood at 100.6 in August - up 0.8 percent from July?s level of 99.8. After dipping below 100 in July for the first time in nine months, the August reading represents a return to expansion in the index of current situation indicators.

Restaurant operators reported positive same-store sales for the 15(th) consecutive month, with August results representing a solid improvement over the July performance. Sixty-one percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between August 2011 and August 2012, up from 53 percent who reported positive sales in July. In comparison, 25 percent of operators reported lower same-store sales in August, down from 36 percent in July.?

Restaurant operators also reported a net increase in customer traffic levels in August. Forty-seven percent of restaurant operators reported higher customer traffic levels between August 2011 and August 2012, up from 35 percent who reported positive traffic in July. In contrast, only 32 percent of operators reported lower customer traffic levels in August, down sharply from 46 percent in July.

Despite the uptick in sales and customer traffic, restaurant operators reported somewhat lower levels of capital spending.? Forty-one percent of operators said they made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling during the last three months, down from 46 percent who reported similarly last month.

The Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators? six-month outlook for four industry indicators (same-store sales, employees, capital expenditures and business conditions), stood at 100.7 in August - unchanged from July?s level. Although August marked the 12(th) consecutive month that the Expectations Index stood above 100, it remained nearly two index-points below the post-recession peak reached in March.? ?

Restaurant operators remain generally optimistic that their sales levels will improve in the months ahead, as their sales outlook was essentially unchanged from last month. Forty percent of restaurant operators expect to have higher sales in six months (compared to the same period in the previous year), compared to 42 percent who reported similarly last month. Meanwhile, only 12 percent of restaurant operators expect their sales volume in six months to be lower than it was during the same period in the previous year, down slightly from 15 percent last month.

Restaurant operators are not as bullish about the direction of the overall economy, though their outlook improved somewhat from last month.? Twenty-nine percent of restaurant operators said they expect economic conditions to improve in six months, up from 22 percent who reported similarly last month.? Meanwhile, 20 percent of operators said they expect economic conditions to worsen in the next six months, while 51 percent think conditions will stay about the same.?

Restaurant operators? outlook for capital spending dipped somewhat from recent months. Forty-four percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, down from 49 percent who reported similarly last month.?

The RPI is based on the responses to the National Restaurant Association?s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, which is fielded monthly among restaurant operators nationwide on a variety of indicators including sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures.? The full report and a video summary are available online at http://www.restaurant.org/research/economy/rpi.

The RPI is released on the last business day of each month, and a more detailed data and analysis can be found on Restaurant TrendMapper, the Association?s subscription-based web site that provides detailed analysis of restaurant industry trends.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 970,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry?s largest trade show (NRA Show May 18-21, 2013, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF?s ProStart, including the National ProStart Invitational April 19-21, 2013, in Baltimore, Md.); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids? menu options. For more information, visit http://www.restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association

National Restaurant Association

CONTACT: Annika Stensson, +1-202-973-3677, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Rachel Salabes, +1-202-331-5977, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Web Site: http://www.restaurant.org


Number of visits: 208

Posted on Sep 28, 2012 - 04:49 PM ? Print

Source: http://www.hospitality-industry.com/index.php/news/comments/stronger_sales_traffic_bolster_restaurant_performance_index_in/

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Pretty in Pink Country Pets Contest - Eagle Hardware Farm & Ranch

Pretty in Pink Country Pets Contest

cropped pink ribbon Pretty in Pink Country Pets ContestThe month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.? Help Eagle Hardware raise awareness and you could win FREE product for your pet!? Dress your pet up in pink during October, take a picture of your pet, and post the picture on our Facebook page (or email it to us at eagle@eaglehardwarefarmandranch.com and we?ll post it on Facebook for you).? This will enter you to win a FREE bag of pet food, your choice!? Winner will be notified in early November via email.

We also would like to share with you a list of local resources where you can get a mammogram done for free or at a low cost.? The doctor?s visit alone is stressful enough, so let?s eliminate some of the research stress.?Make October the time to be more aware of Breast Cancer and get yourself and? your loved ones examined.

Please visit Susan G. Komen North Texas or Susan G. Komen Dallas for local Breast Cancer resources, donation opportunities, events and more.

Source: http://www.eaglehardwarefarmandranch.com/news-updates/prettyinpinkcountrycontest-2012-09-2587

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Scheduled Notifications Is a Simple Way to Remember Things in Notification Center [Mac Downloads]

Scheduled Notifications Is a Simple Way to Remember Things in Notification CenterOS X Mountain Lion: We have access to all types of ways to remind ourselves to do things?whether it's to-do lists, task lists, or calendars. But if you're looking for something much simpler that just reminds you to do something in a few minutes, or an hour, Scheduled Notifications does the job.

Scheduled Notifications sits in your menu bar and works with Notification Center as a lightweight system to give yourself quick reminders. It's not meant as a to-do list. Scheduled Notifications is meant more as a disappearing sticky note that reappears when the time is right. You can set Scheduled Notifications to notify you at a specific time, or just type in something like, "in 20 minutes."

Scheduled Notifications ($2.99) | Source Dump via TUAW

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/AiFaawiKIfQ/scheduled-notifications-is-a-simple-way-to-remember-things-in-notification-center

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Friday, September 14, 2012

Microsoft?s new Windows Phone Store replaces Marketplace, adds much-needed tweaks

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Benghazi airspace shut for hours "for security reasons"

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Pink Teams With Lily Rose Cooper On Bittersweet 'True Love'

Track off upcoming Truth About Love finds Pink dishing on drama with the newly named U.K. singer.
By James Montgomery


Pink
Photo: Michael Tran/ FilmMagic

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1693766/pink-lily-allen-true-love.jhtml

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SNL: Jason Sudeikis staying "at least until January"

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People names Gwyneth Paltrow best dressed

Lucas Jackson / Reuters file

By Jill Serjeant, Reuters

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow was named the "World's Best Dressed Woman" of 2012 by People magazine on Wednesday, wowing the celebrity magazine with a simple elegant style that avoids some of fashion's quirkier trends.

The Oscar-winning actress, 39, and wife of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, headed a list of the year's style mavens that included Prince William's wife Kate, R&B star Rihanna, and the Kardashian family of TV reality show fame.

People said the list was compiled after soliciting input from the celebrity magazine's 42 million readers, its editors and fashion bloggers.

While Oscar-winner Paltrow won the best dressed title, fashion icon Kate Middleton -- formally known as the Duchess of Cambridge -- was named the woman with the best classic style.

Paltrow's stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman, told People that the actress was not a slave to trends. "She doesn't do fringe. She has a uniform. It's simple, not overdone," Saltzman said.

Emma Stone, the 23-year-old star of "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Help," was chosen as having the best red carpet style, while singer Rihanna was praised for taking the most risks in her fashion choices.

Actresses Jessica Alba (best jeans), Jennifer Lawrence (best under 25s), and Reese Witherspoon (best pregnancy) also made the top 10, along with Australian model Miranda Kerr.

Among men, honors went to actors Andrew Garfield, Brad Pitt, Colin Firth, Robert Pattinson, Chris and Liam Hemsworth and singer Jay-Z.

People also looked back at some of the fashion faux pas of 2012. The magazine recalled an orange lace dress worn with prominent black underwear by pop singer Fergie, and a floral floor-length dress worn by Sarah Jessica Parker that fashion blogger Heather Cocks said made the "Sex and the City" actress look like a cast member of polygamy TV reality show "Sister Wives."

People's special "Best & Worst Dressed" double issue hits news stands on Friday and can be seen online at www.people.com/bestdressed.

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/09/12/13826459-gwyneth-paltrow-named-best-dressed-woman-by-people-magazine?lite

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Probe of Chevron Richmond fire finds thinned pipe wall

RICHMOND, California (Reuters) - The wall of a pipe figuring in the investigation of Chevron Corp's Richmond refinery fire last month had thinned to 20 percent of its original design thickness, the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said on Tuesday.

While the cause of the thinning was not yet certain, Chevron had recently replaced another pipe in that part of the refinery, CSB Managing Director Daniel Horowitz said at a city council meeting in the northern California city.

"We know Chevron was concerned about corrosion in this section," he said.

The pipe had not been inspected with ultrasound during the refinery's maintenance shutdown in November 2011, even though Chevron's own best practice guidelines said it should have been, Horowitz said.

The August 6 fire at the only crude distillation unit at the plant, which can process 245,000 barrels of oil per day, meant thousands of nearby residents had to seek hospital attention and also caused a spike in regional gasoline prices.

California's second-largest refinery first spewed out a white vapor cloud that CSB officials said 18 workers had to escape from, before fire broke out and the cloud was replaced by a pitch-black plume visible all around San Francisco Bay.

A 4 foot (1.2 meter) section of carbon steel pipe, which had been carrying a hydrocarbon known as gas oil at a temperature of about 600 degrees Fahrenheit (315 degrees C), had been sent to a lab for further study, Horowitz said.

The pipe's wall had thinned to as little as 1/16th of an inch, versus 5/16th originally, and the thinning had occurred from the inside, he added.

CSB officials had a new video of the fire outbreak that they said gave a better view of how the vapor cloud dispersed, and which was played at the city council meeting, attended by about 50 residents and the refinery's general manager, Nigel Hearne.

Hearne offered no further detail on the investigation or the potential cause of the fire, but reiterated Chevron's regrets.

"Clearly we fell short of the high standard that we set ourselves," said Hearne, who took charge of the 110-year-old refinery this month a year ago.

(Reporting by Braden Reddall in Richmond; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and David Holmes)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/probe-chevron-richmond-fire-finds-thinned-pipe-wall-060329821--finance.html

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Start A Kids Sports Photography Business, Arts & Entertainment

James McGrath - Live @ Claycastle Recording Studio - REDTV.IE - Live Web Entertainment (Music Video)

James McGrath - Live @ Claycastle Recording Studio - REDTV.IE - Live Web Entertainment (Music Video)

http://www.redtv.ie - James McGrath - Recorded live from Claycastle Recording Studio, Youghal, Co. Cork, Ireland. James McGrath & Band performs "Kingdom Of Smiles" an original song as part of a live web broadcast by YoughalOnline.com Productions on 17th October 2008. Performing are: James McGrath (vocals/guitar) Johnny Powell (lead guitar) Joe Collins (bass guitar) Fergal McCarthy (percussion) For more info on James McGrath visit: http://www.jamesmcgrath.com http://www.myspace.com/jamesmcgrathmusic Camera Crew: Kieran McCarthy Shane Supple David Farrell Video Editing: Kieran McCarthy Photography: Michael Hussey Stage Manager: Shane Supple Audio Recording: Warren Tivy John Burke http://www.claycastlerecording.com-James McGrath - Live @ Claycastle Recording Studio
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Categories: Music & Dance

TEDTalks - Nathan Myhrvold: Cooking As Never Seen Before

TEDTalks - Nathan Myhrvold: Cooking As Never Seen Before

TEDTalks Cookbook author (and geek) Nathan Myhrvold talks about his magisterial work, "Modernist Cuisine" -- and shares the secret of its cool photographic illustrations, which show cross-sections of food in the very act of being cooked.
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Categories: Entertainment

Tahiry Uncensored Calender Shoot

Tahiry Uncensored Calender Shoot

http://mmehiphopnews.com
Ranked 4.22 / 5 | 3901 views | 0 comments

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Categories: News & Events

Meet Nokia X7 - The Entertainment Smartphone

Meet Nokia X7 - The Entertainment Smartphone

Nokia X7 is the perfect phone for gaming. The 4" Amoled screen display makes browsing the web, watching videos or gaming a real pleasure. Learn more: http://www.nokia.com/x7
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Categories: Science & Tech

Naked with Body Paint? Super Fitness Celebrity Jennifer Nicole Lee Body Painted!

Naked with Body Paint? Super Fitness Celebrity Jennifer Nicole Lee Body Painted!

www.FitnessModelFactory.com www.ShopJNL.com Super Fitness Celebrity announces her 2012 16 Month Caledar dedicated to the Art Form of Body Bainting, Body Art, and Body Airbrushing. This painstaking process will be captured each day at her new Fitness Model Factory www.FitnessModelFactory.com
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Categories: How To

The Sound Of Silence - Instrumental with Lyrics. The Sound of the Flute.

The Sound Of Silence - Instrumental with Lyrics. The Sound of the Flute.

Written in 1964 by Paul Simon. The sound of silence, produced by the sound of the flute, becomes a beautiful sound. Silence isn't always golden. People need to connect with each other.
Ranked 4.38 / 5 | 211 views | 0 comments

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Categories: Music & Dance

If I Can Dream - Giglianne's VLOG: Sat, May 22, 2010 - Morning Season: 1

If I Can Dream - Giglianne's VLOG: Sat, May 22, 2010 - Morning Season: 1

If I Can Dream Season: 1 Giglianne tells us about the visitors that will be arriving today, and then shows off photos from her shoot with Deborah Anderson.
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Categories: Entertainment

On The Next PLAYBOY SHOOTOUT: The Final Four!

On The Next PLAYBOY SHOOTOUT: The Final Four!

The final four teams leave the Malibu mansion and head over to a downtown LA loft for their most challenging assignment yet! Which team will break under the pressure and get eliminated this week? Tune-in Saturday at 10PM E/P!
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If I Can Dream - Giglianne's VLOG: Fri, Mar 19, 2010 - Night 2 Season: 1

If I Can Dream - Giglianne's VLOG: Fri, Mar 19, 2010 - Night 2 Season: 1

If I Can Dream Season: 1 Giglianne talks about how excited she is for her first LA photo shoot occurring the next day.
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IGN - IGN Babeology: Jeri Lee, Week 3

IGN - IGN Babeology: Jeri Lee, Week 3

IGN Jeri Lee swings by for her third lesson.
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Source: http://condo-office-rentals.5ver.com/categories/40-arts-entertainment/12848-start-a-kids-sports-photography-business-arts-entertainment.html

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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Product Reviews Canada: Ever noticed how University and College ...

Seriously.

Ever noticed how University and College apparel is overpriced?

Let me give an example... I went to York University in Toronto, Canada... for 5 years.

And I don't have a single piece of university apparel. Or a school ring either. I admit, I loved the university too. Loved the teachers. Loved the classes. Loved the campus. Heck, I even grew to love the concrete architecture and bizarre sculptures.

York University even had its own shopping mall on the campus known as York Lanes... and within York Lanes was the official university apparel store... where the prices of t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, hats, scarves, etc were jacked up so high as to make it ridiculous. I am talking like $60 for a simple t-shirt.

Part of this problem I think was because York had somehow privatized its line of apparel and the private company running it, in order to make a profit, had jacked up the prices. Furthermore the private company had to pay to rent the space in the York Lanes mall, and since it wasn't exactly booming in terms of sales they had jacked up the prices more so.

What they should have done is have a tiny basement office in a corner of a rarely used building (like in the basement of the Behavioral Sciences building)... someplace where the rent was cheap and it would really just a storage room (similar to the Lost and Found office) monitored by 1 person.

Now I must admit York University isn't alone in this. A LOT of universities and colleges have jacked up prices for their apparel (and vigilantly guard against "copyright thieves" making knock-off versions).

SIDE NOTE: Since then I think the ownership has changed and York apparel is now sold via the York U bookstore (also in York Lanes)... so presumably prices have probably dropped. Finally. 9 years after I graduated.

But not all places of higher learning do this. Let say for example you attended the University of Alabama... and you wanted some University of Alabama shirts... Well then you just visit their website, browse the prices, and order whatever it is that you actually want.

Easy. And the prices are fair. Not cheap, but fair. Comparable to what you might pay in Old Navy, American Apparel or H&M.

That is the way it SHOULD be done.

Some of them will even have a broad selection of products, like the "Alabama Houndstooth Fedora Hat"... which is *cough* actually not a Fedora. Its a Hamburg hat. Fedoras are broad brimmed. Hamburgs are short brimmed. Sheesh, seriously people, stop calling Hamburgs by the wrong name.

Same goes with Swiss hats. If it looks like a Hamburg but has a feather in the side, it is called a Swiss.

I swear... It is just like idiots in Hollywood (and video game designers) who keep using Egyptian khopesh swords BACKWARDS and having people committing suicide by slicing their wrists sideways (the proper way is to cut lengthwise along the vein).

And this is what you get for attending university for three to five years... You become educated to the point that:

1. You can recognize historical inaccuracies in TV shows and movies.

2. You *should* be able to spot the difference between different pieces of clothing and their proper names. (Like the difference between "leggings" and "stretch pants".)

3. You can do math and you know when something is overpriced and ripping you off.

4. You can recognize when a company is giving you a fair deal (and when their stuff is made by sweatshops in South East Asia) because you know how to read the label.

5. You can use your brain enough to go to a custom T-shirt place with a logo and have a new shirt made for $30 instead of paying $60 for the official university shirt which is grossly overpriced. (Better yet, you can pick colours and designs nobody else has, thus ensuring you have a shirt that other alumni will be jealous of.)

Oh, and assuming you are also potty trained, you should also be able to dress yourself.

Now go join the workforce of brainless zombies who sit at computers and press buttons, doing what you are told by the uncaring bosses with their big salaries... and ignore the fact that you were told for years that people value creativity and individual thinking.

Pfffff!

Source: http://productreviewscanada.blogspot.com/2012/08/ever-noticed-how-university-and-college.html

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