Saigon Sisters’ Post

Learn more about the origin story of Dunn Vineyards from Lori Dunn!

So excited to announce our latest offering!!! Full Cup Solutions Launches Visitor Audit + Assessment for Wineries The Comprehensive Program Offers Expert Analysis to Enhance Visitor Experiences and Drive Growth April 30, 2024, Paso Robles, CA—Full Cup Solutions, a full-service consulting firm specializing in business strategies for agriculture and beverage industry clients, announced today the launch of their “Visitor Audit + Assessment” program. Created by Full Cup Solutions Principal Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, the multi-phase audit and assessment evaluates all critical aspects of a winery’s hospitality and customer service, offering insights and practical solutions to enhance the customer experience, identify new opportunities, and improve operations.   Over the course of multifarious and strategic visits, anonymous reviewers—trained by Wittstrom Higgins and representing varied customer profiles, industry expertise and perspectives—evaluate the direct-to-consumer experience through a distinctive methodology that encompasses comprehensive data analysis, scoring systems and supplementary observations. Areas of focus includes digital communications, booking process, brand continuity, staff presentation, wine club acquisition and tasting experience, as well as customized areas of interest as indicated by clients. Upon thorough examination of the results, Wittstrom Higgins will personally engage with clients, delivering insightful recommendations for enhancing operational efficiency and driving long-term business growth.   “With its unique 150+ point evaluation of over a dozen critical categories, the Visitor Audit + Assessment provides a valuable perspective on the essential components that can make or break the visitor experience,” says Wittstrom Higgins. “By evaluating the entire customer experience from start to finish with the trained eyes of our experienced assessors, businesses will gain new insights on how to offer a more compelling—as well as profitable—visitor experience in this increasingly competitive market.”    Many wineries are looking for ways to attract and retain new and existing customers, differentiate themselves with engaging experiences and excellent customer service, and drive increased revenue within their establishment. The Visitor Audit + Assessment has been designed to offer the best, fastest, and most efficient way to critically analyze current operations, uncover new opportunities, and maximize impact.   For more information on the Visitor Audit + Assessment, go to https://lnkd.in/gkcVSQmT . Press inquiries can be directed to [email protected]. 

In honor of launching our WiRL platform this week, we gathered insight from women leaders across the industry to share advice on how to start your career, as well strike a balance in life. To note, we'll have a FSR version of this story as well shortly. "Be endlessly curious. One of the reasons I love the food industry is because it sneakily interacts with every other industry—tech, finance, design, architecture, agriculture, even healthcare," says Nikki Freihofer (pictured below). "Zoom out and look at the bigger picture, then dig into what interests you most. This will help you become a specialist with big-picture perspective, which will take you far." Also featuring the wisdom of: Cheryl Fletcher, Maria Rivera, Dave's Hot Chicken, Anne Pritz, Patricia Perry, CFE, Felicia White, Jen Abernathy, Jourdan Daleo, Kris McDonald, CCIM, JD, Marianne Radley, Jessica Monson, Stacy Soderstrom, CFE, Nikki Freihofer, Regina Cheung, Amy Parman, Korey Love Taylor, M.S., Lauren Lumbley, Paige Morrison Wiley, Jullie Nguyen, Sandy Nguyen, Denise Pedini, Cass Tenney, Michele Maerz, Briana Stewart, and Christina Clarke.

#WomenOwnedWednesday Meet Onyka & Patricia - Pat’s Kitchen @pats_kitchengt Tell us about your business. Pat’s Kitchen is a family-owned business bringing the Caribbean cuisine experience to your palate. Pat has always been passionate about serving delicious food. This influence stems from her mom the late Elaine Bailey. The influence has been pass down to Pat and the rest of her siblings. We’re now bringing authentic Guyanese flavors to the DFW. What is one thing you've learned as a woman-owned business?  One thing we have learned is to not be afraid to start. We saw the need for authentic Caribbean food so we took the leap of faith to start our business. What is one tip you'd give to a woman looking to start her business today? One tip we would give is although things may start off slow don’t get discouraged be consistent and patient with the process. How do you support other women-owned businesses?  We love to network so we are happy when we meet other women-owned businesses. We support by sharing any women-owned businesses we know also attending events. #WOWWedensday #BlackOwnedDFW #BlackWomenOwned #CaribbeanFood #SoulFoodCooking #CateringServices #WomenOwned #InspirationalWomen #TXWomenOwned

What makes for a good meal? Is it the chef? The food? The restaurant itself? Sure, those things and more can be--and often are--critical components to a memorable night out. But, at the end of the day (or evening), we'd argue it's the people with whom you break bread that matter most. What are restaurants but an excuse to sit down with the people that interest you? At Blackbird, we're always thinking of the people in the room, and how to make each of our users a regular at their favorite restaurants. That's why Take Me to Your Spot might just be our favorite content franchise on our blog, The Supersonic (hit that subscribe button!). The premise is simple: a profile of a fascinating person, told through the prism of their favorite restaurant -- a spot at which they rank as a true regular. For our latest installment, we sat down at Via Carota with Willa Bennett, editor-in-chief of Highsnobiety, to rank pasta, talk TikTok, discuss the importance of covering queer culture, and why it pays to patronize places you truly care about. Read more at the link below. https://lnkd.in/evi8Sw58

The sommelier industry is evolving towards greater diversity and inclusion. Our latest blog, "Uncorking Change: How the Sommelier Industry is Moving from Exclusion to Inclusion," explores the challenges and progress within this vibrant field. 🍷🌍 Learn how organizations, consumers, and industry leaders are working together to create a more equitable and welcoming wine world. Read the full article and join the conversation: https://lnkd.in/g6KiUpJ2

What are your team non-negotiables? Great read from chefs on theirs. Would make a good team conversation. What resonates? What's true for your team? How do you make your team non-negotiables explicit and visible instead of unspoken expectations? https://lnkd.in/gRc67ezr

Are you or do you know an inspiring female chef? We're looking for women who that to join us to inspire the next generation of chefs 💡 During International Chefs Day, we want to highlight women by sharing recipes from different chefs on our platform! As a female founded company, we know how underrepresented women are in the culinary world. We want to raise awareness on this issue with the campaign 🧡 What we ask: 👉 Share one of your share recipes via this page: https://lnkd.in/eX9uxafh 👉 We will make a selection of the 12 most inspiring recipes/chefs 👉 The recipes are prepared and photographed in our Test Kitchen  👉 We share your recipe on our platform, in a video on social media and in our newsletter 👉 Everywhere we refer to your recipe, your name and restaurant will be mentioned If you have the tip for a woman that's a perfect fit for this campaign, we'd love to hear it 😊

So US fast-food operator Chick-fil-A is due to make a second attempt to enter the UK market. Their aborted first attempt some four years ago had no sooner started than it closed in a LGBTQ+ backlash protest about the owner's purported anti-gay reputation and protests were duly waged against their UK vanguard location at the Oracle shopping centre in Reading. But this time I am guessing they are a little more robust in their plan - certainly with their announcement that they will open five sites in the UK by 2025. And the 'operating environment' or, as I call it, the 'retailscape' will have changed even further by then. Why? Well I'm guessing they will have some better customer demand traction given it's about four years on since that initial forray was seemingly so roundly rebuffed by protests. And that's because I can only imagine that, several years on, many potential UK customers here will probably ask themselves; 'if they are that awful a business then how does that equate with the fact that they now have some 2,700 outlets in 47 US states employing around 140,000 'team members'? Secondly, I think the British consumers are now far more familiar with the brand due to transatlantic travel (just think 352,000 British nationals made it to the US and Canada in just December 2022 alone and some portion of those will have tried out the offer. And perhaps the biggest question of all - will UK 'cancel culture' overwhelm consumer curiosity/demand a second time or now might there just be a backlash against what might be termed as 'LGBTQ+ driven consumer censorship'? That will be interesting to see as there seem to be some signs of a more general 'tiring' of 'cancel culture'. When you have a brand that, in 2018, was reportedly visited at least once in a three-month period by 36.43 recent of customers aged 18-29 years, 32.19% of customers aged 30-49 years old and 26.95% of customers aged 50-64 old, then... well, you have to ask yourself why? And as a landlord seeking F&B occupiers, it's likely that you will be doing more than asking why? If their consumer price-point is right and if the economy remains tough (there are empty units all over), then you'll be asking 'when'! "I want my Chick-fil-A' doesn't exactly have the same ring as "I want my MTV' but I suspect that the brand now thinks it's finally time to push beyond the existing, US, Canada and Puerto Rico markets it has. The UK remains a natural springboard for brands heading to Europe. Watch this space and if they really do open up here - will someone please get me an order of their waffle fries with a Smokehouse BBQ Bacon sandwich and a chocolate shake... or a ticket to wherever else they first open in mainland Europe. Because if the UK doesn't work out - then I'm sure that other key European cities will be next. #Chickfila #foodandbeverage #brands #protests #retail #shoppingcentres #drivethru

Great article on insightful female leadership continues to propel innovation at LP