Hulk Hogan made a beer

I had some unexpected family things to attend to this week, so we're taking a one-week break from including an interview at the top of the newsletter.

We'll be back to usual programming next week! 🍻

❓ Why?

Because there are QR Menu flows that suck and actually make things worse for customers.

To be clear, we're talking here about the experience of what happens once a customer scans a QR code. I.e. you can have a bad QR Menu experience even if everything pre-scan is great (you have enough codes, staff is good about introducing them, etc.).

Here are the 3 biggest offenders of a bad post-scan QR Menu experience:

1. Customers are brought to a PDF. Hands down this one's the worst. PDFs are hard for customers to deal with because in order to enlarge the menu (almost always necessary on a phone), they have to pinch to zoom. This is tough to do, especially for folks on the less-tech-savvy end of things. It just so happens these are the same people for whom enlarging is most important.
2. The menu doesn't include item descriptions. It's tough to stay on top of website content, so businesses just include item names rather than researching, vetting, and pasting in item descriptions. This means the menu doesn't do any salesmanship work. As with a paper menu, it's best practice to include descriptions for everything you sell.
   
3. The menu doesn't include all items. Similar to the last one, but even more egregious. Updating website content can be time consuming, so instead of having to update every time a beer or cocktail changes, folks just say something like "Ask your server about our rotating drafts."

All of these harm sales because it makes the ordering process harder. Best case scenario it takes longer to decide what to order. Worst case customers just don't want to deal with the QR Menu at all. Which, depending on your service setup, can really throw a wrench into things.

❓ How to do it?

You could create and stay on top of a manual QR Menu experience, involving finding your own QR code generator, keeping the URL where it sends folks up-to-date, and so on. It's a lot, but doing it manually is better than not offering a QR code experience.

• Convicted felon Trump's NJ liquor licenses investigated. Donald Trump is a convicted felon, and that may be problematic for his New Jersey properties, including The Bedminster Golf Club. New Jersey investigators are looking into whether his felony conviction makes him ineligible to hold liquor licenses in the state. The law states licenses can not be issued "to any person who has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude.”
• Kelce Bros buy stake in Garage Beer. Jason and Travis Kelce, fresh off a year where the football playing brothers became more famous than they could have ever imagined, bought a stake in Garage Beer, which is based in Cincinnati. The brewery is already on a growth trajectory, so they'll likely let the engine keep turning as-is, only adding in a little more Kelce. Maybe there'll be a Lavender Haze IPA showing up too.
• Hulk Hogan beer. This summer Hulk Hogan will launch his very own Real American Beer in 17 states, stating that he hopes it will help bring America together. I'm not holding my breath on that outcome, but I may need to get a 12-pack. They'll be sold at Wal-Mart, Total Wine, and a bunch of other places.