15Mar
TRAVEL FOR FREE

Today, with the increase in air ticket prices, accommodation prices and basic needs, traveling has become very costly. Therefore, travelers want to minimize their travel expenses or even do it for free if possible. In this article we will give information to travel for free with the following options:

Look for Work Exchanges: There are many employers that offer free housing for short-term or even long-term stays in exchange for work. You can HelpX, helpStay, and Workaway for thousands of opportunities worldwide to stay for free in exchange for your services.

Volunteer With Short-Term Volunteer Organizations: Organizations such as Go overseas or idealist are offering to work ranging from teaching English to building infrastructure.

House-Sit or Pet-Sit: House sitters can stay in homes where pets live for free of charge. All that needs to be done for this is to take care of pets.

Travel to ‘The Old Country’ for Free: Some countries offer root research programs for visitors to visit their ancestral home. You can do some research on private or government funded programs and while you’re there you can stay for free and potentially even afford your airfare.

Transport a Car or RV: Car and RV dealerships or car rental companies sometimes hire people to drive cars to a different destination. Rental companies often find themselves with too many cars in one destination and want to move them to an area where rentals are more in demand. The trick with these jobs is getting a car that’s going where you want to go at the right time. For this you can get a free road trip and some money.

Freelance Photographer: If you love taking pictures, why don’t you make the most of your skills and being paid for it? Breaking into freelance photography is no easy, feat but it’s totally possible if you have perseverance and work at honing your craft every day. You can sell your photos to the media, magazines and some websites and it is possible to get around 0-5000$ for a month.

Make Money Blogging: One way to make money while traveling is to create a blog. You can share your experiences while traveling here, you can give travel tips for the audience. Once you reach a certain audience, you can receive ads as well as serve those who want to travel. Also, some hotels, restaurants can give you free options. Before creating a blog, you need to have a basic knowledge of marketing and media.


By participating in these and many other programs, you can travel for free and even earn money.
15Mar
How to get UK visa?

The UK visitor visa, commonly known as the Standard Visitor Visa, is a six-month short-stay visa that allows its bearer to stay in the UK. The embassy, on the other hand, has the authority to provide visas for a shorter amount of time. This visa is for persons who want to visit the United Kingdom for the following reasons:
1) Tourism
2) To visit family members
3) Medical treatment
4) For professional reasons

How to Apply for a UK Visitor Visa?
The application for a UK visitor visa must be made from outside the UK. The earliest you can apply for this visa is 30 days prior to your planned travel to the UK. There are a lot of documents required for a UK Visa.
To apply for a visa to visit the UK you will go through these simple steps:
Check if you are eligible for a tourist visa.
🔘 Complete the online application form.
🔘 Collect the required documents.
🔘 Schedule an appointment.
🔘 Attend the interview.

Documents required for a UK Tourist visa application:
🔘 UK tourist visa application form VAF1A. You should complete the form online.
🔘 Two photographs in accordance with the UK guidelines. They should be taken within the past six months and be in color.
🔘 Your valid passport with at least one blank page. It must be valid for three more months beyond the date you plan to leave the UK after your trip.
🔘 Proof of financial means to cover living costs while you are in the UK. This may be your bank statements for the last six months or pay slips for the same period.
🔘 Specifics about your accommodation in the UK. You will need to present a document that shows where you will be accommodated while in the UK.
🔘 Detailed travel itinerary. It has to contain dates of your onward and backward travel. Submit a travel plan that gives all the information regarding how and what you are planning to do in the UK.
🔘 Previous travel history. This has to cover the period of the last 10 years. It can be proven through visas and entry/exit border stamps in current and older passports, or through separate residence titles.
🔘 Biometric information. If you are applying for a visa that lets you stay in UK for more than 6 months, you will need to submit your biometric information.
🔘 Letter of invitation from the host.
🔘 Paid UK visa fees. You should submit the receipt that confirms you have paid the visa fee as required.
🔘 Some specific documents depend on the person.
The decision on your UK visitor visa is taken in 8 weeks if you apply by post. However, the decision is made on the day you apply if you use the premium service. ​​It costs £89 to apply for a UK Tourist Visa.
14Mar
Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking; wherever you are in the world, it is the culture of traveling with a vehicle that you randomly stop on the road to go from anywhere you want to another place you want. Yes, you didn’t misread. Hitchhiking is a culture.
1)No hitchhiking with a large team: If you want to travel as a large team, it’s best to split into groups of two. Imagine that you hitchhiked as a team of six or seven people. No one will want to take you in their car.
2) Indispensable safety: The most important element for hitchhiking is safety. Both for the car owner and for the hitchhiking traveller. Car owners often try to decide whether you are reliable by looking at your appearance and attitude. As a hitchhiker traveler, you do pretty much the same. Remember, you don’t have to ride every vehicle. If you encounter a situation in the vehicle that will threaten your safety, stay calm and find an excuse to get off at the most convenient place possible.
3) Be patient: Keep in mind that hitchhiking is patience. Sometimes you can wait for hours in forty degrees hot and sometimes in freezing cold. Of course, the luck factor should not be overlooked.
4) Hitchhike until the air gets dark: It’s more difficult for vehicles to see you at night, which is not good for your safety. In order not to cause an accident, you can use a luminous vest, etc., that you can use at night. Don’t hitchhike at night if you don’t have equipment.
5) Find the best place to hitchhike: Remember that hitchhiking is prohibited on highways. Use public transport that can take you out of the city to the nearest ring road and never hitchhike around bends and curves!
11Mar
Problems Restaurants face using third-party delivery apps.

Many restaurants have said third-party services have helped their business, especially
during the shutdown. However, many restaurants are rejecting third-party delivery because
they feel it hurts their brand and long-term profits. Here are some of the disadvantages of third-party delivery.

  1. High Commission Fees and Other Expenses:
    Major concerns are that third party delivery apps commission percentages are affecting
    the profitability of the Restaurants, paying someone else up to 40% of every ticket, including
    sales tax plus credit card processing fees and instrument rentals charges make the Restaurant
    income statement bottom line negative.
    Another concern is that, third party delivery services do not make high delivery fees to
    agents, when deliveries comprise most of a restaurant’s business. After all, you’re paying
    someone else up to 40% of every ticket, which is often higher than if you were handling them
    yourself.
    In addition, your people are losing tips, which are now going to the third-party delivery
    person. If you depend on tips to augment employee salaries, you may need to increase salaries
    accordingly.
  2. Vulnerable to Competition:
    While being listed with delivery apps increases your visibility, it does so for your
    competitors too. That means your restaurant may display next to your competitors, giving
    customers a choice which they may make based on location, price, rating on the app, and even
    the photos you use of your food.
  3. Lack of Control:
    Lack of control is the second biggest disadvantage of hiring a third-party delivery
    service. It’s important to consider especially when brand reputation is a vital part of your
    marketing, or when you are in an area with a lot of competition.
    Once your food leaves your restaurant, it’s out of your hands. If the driver takes a wrong
    turn or does not secure a bag properly, food could end up cold or damaged. If the driver is rude
    or in this era does what the customer considers unsafe (like not wearing a mask), it reflects on
    you more than the delivery service. An estimated 80% of customers say they blame the
    restaurant. To combat this, you should have a system in place for handling complaints
    concerning third-party deliveries.
    You also have less immediate control over things like your menu or pricing. If you have
    to make fast changes, they may not reflect in the app, resulting in dissatisfied customers who
    can’t get their order.
  4. Lack of Customer Loyalty :
    As noted in the advantages, third-party delivery apps have a loyal following. While you
    can take advantage of this by reaching a bigger fan base, there’s no guarantee that those fans
    will transfer to you. Further, you could sacrifice the customer loyalty that comes from people
    getting to know your hostess, waiters, or specific chefs.
    Many times, customers aren’t even looking at your restaurant name, but rather just a
    type of food. Thus, to stand out and promote loyalty, you have to consider adding a little
    something that makes you stand out, like a freebie or a coupon for an in-person visit.
    You also lose communication opportunities with your customer for feedback,
    suggestions, or even kudos for the chefs and staff. It undermines loyalty programs and frequent
    diner programs as well.
  5. Reputation and Brand:
    Some restaurants, especially high-ticket dining establishments, have worked hard to
    achieve a specific brand or ambiance. This relies heavily on the in-person experience and is
    hampered by delivery. Some restaurants are working around this by adding extras, such as
    higher-end containers or napkins or supplying a soundtrack for dining to. However, the
    impression your delivery person gives affects the impression your restaurant makes. That’s
    why some restaurants, even during the shutdowns, opted instead for takeout rather than thirdparty delivery.
  6. “Tablet Hell”
    Every third-party delivery service has its own platform that you must integrate into your
    POS or have a tablet or kiosk for. If you have multiple services, you could have your cashiers
    juggling several tablets with multiple systems, something restaurants call “tablet hell.”
    Tablet hell can get confusing, with multiple tablets using independent systems vying
    for attention when new orders come in. Your staff needs to be trained in every system, may
    have to transcribe orders into your own POS in order for it to get to the kitchen display, and
    must have a place to organize and hold orders for the delivery people. It can get overwhelming
    in a rush as well.
    More confusion can come when it’s time to track your third-party delivery sales and
    costs. You or your accountant will need the passwords for each system to check on your
    earnings and to keep track of payments coming in.
  7. Recent Third-Party Platform Controversies:
    Many third-party apps have been accused of shady practices, from overcharging to
    adding restaurants without permission. While they claim they are working in the best interests
    of their customers, it may not be in your best interest as a restaurant owner. Here are some of
    the most disputed practices by third-party delivery services.
11Mar
Tips to Reduce / Control food costs without compromising quality…

The food cost is one of the biggest operating expenses (25% to 35%) for a restaurant
business. With perishable ingredients and fluctuating sales, controlling food costs in restaurants
can be extremely challenging.
Your food costs and your stock are huge spending plan details. At the point when you
misconstrue requesting or overspending on food costs, it straightforwardly influences your
primary concern. There are numerous systems for controlling food costs that you can apply to
your café business tasks.
How do restaurants control food costs? Here are Five Tips to control the food costs in
your restaurant.

  1. Ensure transparency and accuracy in vendor contract price
    Vendor-side changes or errors in ordering and invoicing can be difficult to catch and fix, but
    they can affect your food cost percentage. By verify manually or running automated receiving
    reports, you can keep an eye on vendor pricing. Your restaurant management solution can flag
    items outside of a contracted price for a specified data range, ensuring that you’re being billed
    at the quoted price.
  2. Closely Manage Your Inventory, Reduce Waste: purchase inventory at the right Level
    One of the most direct ways to reduce food cost is to avoid purchasing what you don’t
    need. With data-driven suggestive ordering, you and your managers are better able to purchase
    inventory at the right level to reduce order waste.
    Smart ordering and receiving allows you to leverage ordering suggestions, informed by
    historical and forecasted sales and inventory data.
  3. Recipe Costing: track usage and yield on each food item
    Lowering your food costs starts with understanding the cost of your food. Recipe
    costing breaks down the cost details of menu items to portion size and individual ingredients,
    calculated to the penny.
    Tracking each menu items’ recipe cost can help you optimize food usage and reduce
    food waste over time. With trends broken down by menu item or location, you can use recipe
    costing to save money by reducing incorrect portions, improper staff training, or employee
    theft.
  4. Menu Planning: Proper pricing of Menu.
    Menu engineering helps you control food costs by helping you maximize the
    profitability of your menu items. By collecting sales mix polling from your integrated POS and
    combining it with recipe costing. you can instantly compare menu item popularity versus
    profitability.
    By seeing what items are underpriced or overpriced, you can make food cost decisions
    about revising recipes or ingredients. For instance, if you are selling a large quantity of a low
    margin item, which increases your food cost percentage, you can make adjustments to either
    raise the menu price or adjust portion sizes. Menu engineering also enables you to seize menu
    opportunities, like promoting a menu item that is high margin but low sales. Understanding the
    balance of menu item popularity and profits enables data-driven decisions that lower the cost
    of food.
  5. Food Cost Calculations: Track variances between actual vs. theoretical food costs
    Truly understanding your food cost goes beyond a “food cost percentage” calculation.
    Tracking the difference between your theoretical and actual food costs allows you to make
    impactful changes to your food cost and bottom line.
    Theoretical food cost is what your food costs should be, given the current cost of all
    ingredients, over a period of time. Actual food cost is the real amount that a restaurant spent
    on ingredients over the same period of time. The difference between these two numbers
    accounts for imperfect portion sizes, improper invoicing, kitchen waste, or employee theft.
    Tracking the actual vs. theoretical food cost variance shows you critical information
    about leaks in your profit margin. By knowing where to focus to reduce food waste, you are
    able to see where you can save money on food costs. Tracking this variance daily can help you
    spot anomalies and make adjustments before variances become issues that affect your bottom
    line.
9Mar
What is the difference between economy, business, and first-class seats?

What is the difference between economy, business, and first-class seats? Most of us fly in economy class, also known as coach or standard, but for those of us who want a little something extra on our trip, there is always the opportunity to upgrade to a different cabin. We’ll go through what you get for your money on the standard economy, premium economy, business, and first-class tickets to help you better comprehend the different cabin seat options. The first and most crucial thing to know is that seat specifications and luxuries (or lack thereof) vary depending on which airline you’re traveling, which airplane you’re on, and whether you’re flying short or long distances.

1) Economy class

In general, you’ll obtain a seat that will get you from point A to point B in economy class. However, there are significant distinctions, the most obvious of which are the seat width and pitch (legroom). Pitch and breadth can range from 28 to 34 inches. While a few inches may not seem like much today, they count while you’re sitting for more than 6 hours! Power outlets, Wi-Fi, food, in-flight entertainment, TV screen kind, and service quality are among the other variables that may differ.

2)Premium economy class

Flying premium economy will give you a dedicated lounge at the airport, and the seats will be in a different cabin to economy. Usually, you’ll get a wider seat with a greater pitch, larger TV screens, better food (this could be a larger selection, complimentary drinks, etc.), and a greater luggage allowance.

3)Business-class

They say that if you fly business class once, you’ll never be happy in economy again. While it might be hard to easily see the benefits of a premium economy over economy, the luxuries of business over a premium economy are immediately apparent. Business-class is in fact becoming so good, that many airlines have abandoned their first-class seats altogether. Simply put: everything is better. From pre-flight drinks in real glasses to meals served on real china with proper knives and forks, you’re spoilt rotten. Full flat-bed seats are the general standard for business class, with seat width going as wide as 34 in and pitch all the way to 87 in. Some airlines even offer a chauffeured pick-up and drop-off service if you live within a certain distance from the airport, and most – if not all – have a dedicated lounge in the airport where you can fill up on free food and drinks.

4) First-class

The pinnacle of air travel, first class is reserved for celebrities and the super-rich (or the super-lucky). Think all the perks from business, slathered with a thick layer of luxury. Aside from privacy and seat size (bear in mind that many first-class flights don’t so much have seats, as individual suites), the noticeable difference in price, with seats costing up to five times as much as business class seats.The standard of service is incomparable in first class, with a highly trained crew able to anticipate a passenger’s every need.
9Mar
Offline marketing ideas for restaurants

We live in an increasingly digital world, but that doesn’t mean that offline marketing tactics are obsolete. Old-school offline restaurant marketing ideas that have existed for a long time continue to increase sales while also maintaining customer loyalty. Without further ado, here are some methods to attract customers offline.

Hosting Events

Customers are constantly on the lookout for new and exciting experiences. Hosting events at your restaurant is a great way to differentiate yourself from the competition. Inviting a live band, a DJ, or a celebrity singer to perform attracts not only your customers, but also the performer’s fan base. If you’re on a tight budget, you can organize events like Karaoke Night or Standup Comedy Night, in which you can invite your customers to participate rather than just watch a show.

Partnerships

Offline marketing can also be accomplished by collaborating with local organizations and brands. You directly introduce potential customers to your food by catering to the events of another organization. If people enjoy what they eat at such events, they will undoubtedly return to your restaurant for more. You can also increase your customer base by serving as a food sponsor at events.

Participating in Food Festivals

Food festivals provide an excellent platform for both new and established restaurants to market their products and showcase their best offerings to a large crowd. It is an excellent medium for conducting market research and testing for new ideas and dishes. The food festival will help you to connect new customers, stay in touch with your competitors, and to introduce your brand publicity in an easy way.

Coupons and discounts

People will always be attracted to rewards and special deals, and they will drag themselves to your location to take advantage of the benefits of food discounts. You can hand out coupons or handouts to customers to inform them about the concessions you are providing. Customers who visit your restaurant for the first time can also be given discount coupons. You can reward your regular customers and give them discounts if they recommend your restaurant to their close family and friends group. People will always be drawn to rewards and discounts, and you can use them in your offline restaurant marketing.

Support a social cause

People are more likely to be loyal to brands that give back to the community. This is what we call “cause marketing,” which means that businesses that have a cause or do good are more profitable as a result. So, don’t be afraid to promote your restaurant and support causes that are important to you.

Implement these offline marketing ideas for restaurants to bring back old-school methods of promoting your restaurant and make your business a fixture in the local community.
8Mar
How to get supercharge productivity with restaurant management tools and apps?

Every day, advancementsin restaurant software, technology, and services are produced.

Back-office operations are managed by an average of three technology vendors in restaurants.

Accounting, payroll, and business intelligence tools are said to be extremely critical to

50 percent of restaurant professionals. 68% of restaurant professionals evaluate sales reports

on a regular basis, 45 % study labor records on a regular basis, and 32 % review menu reports

on a regular basis.

Your visitors value technology as well. Restaurant guests named contactless/mobile payment availability (34 percent), pay at the table technology (33 %), and online ordering as the technologies that would most enhance their dining experiences during and after the COVID-19 crisis (33 percent). To put it another way, technology enhances both your efficiency and the experience of your guests.

We’ve prepared restaurants management apps list and productivity tools to keep you up to date. Use these tools to simplify your processes so you can focus on what matters most: your guests, food, and crew.

• Avero

Avero provides invaluable insights into restaurant operations and sales to restaurateurs. When combined with your restaurant POS, you gain access to a comprehensive set of solutions such as server performance tracking, inventory management, labor and food cost tracking, revenue management, and more.

• Buffer

Buffer is a social media management app that allows you to manage all of your restaurant’s social media accounts in one place. You can plan and schedule posts in advance, as well as track social media performance, all from your phone or laptop.

• HotSchedules

HotSchedules is a mobile-friendly, cloud-based solution that assists managers in reducing the time, it takes to create, communicate, and manage employee work schedules. It assists you in scheduling the right people at the right time in order to reduce labor costs by up to 2%, according to the app.

• Rockbot

Rockbot, which has over 16 million songs licensed for your restaurant, allows you to play the best background music to create the mood that matches your brand. Control the app and manage what’s playing in your restaurant from any mobile device. Guests can also make requests from your pre-approved music library. The music can be customized, and playlists can be set to play automatically throughout the day. What’s the best part? You don’t have to be concerned about restaurant music licensing fees.

• Zero Hour Health

Zero Hour Health is a crisis management solution that can assist your restaurant in dealing with a wide range of issues, such as foodborne illness outbreaks, violent episodes, workforce issues, and a plethora of other crises. Additionally, Zero Hour Health provides comprehensive COVID-19 clinical guidance and medical direction, including reopening plans, employee health checks, and operating procedures.

• Restaurant Productivity Calculator

This free Toast resource allows restaurant owners and managers to identify gaps in their day and see how they compare to the average restaurateur. Enter the number of hours you spend per week on tasks such as inventory tracking, accounting and reporting, and menu work. The template calculates your time and provides you with concrete restaurant productivity metrics, allowing you to see exactly how much time you spend in the restaurant each week and how you can become more productive.
8Mar
What are the best online marketing strategies for the restaurants?

 The ambition of any business owner is to succeed in their field. A functional restaurant,

on the other hand, is not the same as a successful one. Due to the extremely competitive nature

of the restaurant industry, many restaurants are thought to fail within the first few years. In

order to be successful in a highly competitive business, it is important to be different in every

way. The main way to stand out in the digital age is to implement a digital marketing strategy.

This article covers some of the online marketing strategies.

  • Social media

Social media has had a huge impact in our era. There are 4.48 billion people actively

using social media in the world and this number is increasing day by day.

Restaurants may use Facebook and Instagram marketing to attract new customers and

keep existing ones coming back for more. You don’t need to be a digital marketing manager to

manage social media accounts. There are many tools that make this process even easier. One

of these internet tools is HootSuite. Via connect to multiple social channels and send a post out

on all of them at one time, monitor your audience, and analyze your results. Also, you can

increase the number of visitors by using the advertising function of Facebook and Instagram

and some artificial marketing strategies.

  • Google My Business

It’s a Google tool that’s absolutely free and aimed at encouraging more businesses to

provide accurate information about themselves with individuals conducting searches. People

will get an upgraded search result for your restaurant when you’ve claimed it and filled it out

entirely, which includes information like when you’re open, ratings, locations, images, and a

link to your website.

  • To open website

Customers will conduct research before deciding to patronize a new business. This is

particularly true in the case of eateries. According to surveys, more than 80% of people glance

at a restaurant’s website before deciding to visit it. Therefore, it is important to have website

for digital marketing.

  • Share video content

Studiesshow that people have become lazier in recent years, preferring 78% more video

content than photo or text content. Video content will give the customer a clear impression of

the product, increase confidence in the brand, and bring more traffic because it is convenient

to watch.

Having a successful restaurant is no longer as easy as it once was. You can operate a

street corner shop and do business for years if you have decent food and service. However,

how you interact with marketing and the community now necessitates a little more thought. In

today’s world, it’s almost impossible to survive without online marketing.