I didn’t do a lot of exploring today, but mainly stayed around the Technology Pavilion where our booth is located. We’ve got some pretty amazing neighbors at the show including menu ordering app builders ChowNow, social media bat signal creators at Beamboard, and digital check book inventors at Humm.

There were a handful of booths for online ordering, and also many POS systems. Next to the technology pavilion I found a hidden gem of bloody mary mix makers, and we had to of course sample them all to find our favorites. I also found a booth for my alma mater Michigan State University School of Hospitality and Business.

Tomorrow marks the last day of the show, so if you’re at the event and haven’t stopped by the booth, please do so! We’ve still got a few sunglasses left and you can enter to win an iPad mini. Until tomorrow!

I spent most of the day at the booth, so I wasn’t able to check out much of the show. When I did get away, I spotted some of my foodie idols. I snagged a seat to watch Chef Aaron Sanchez do a cooking demo, and while I was watching I spotted Chef Marc Murphy, and Chef Cat Cora. I was lucky enough to meet Cat and get a picture. However, the gal that took the photo was so excited to meet Cat, that she was physically shaking, and the picture came out a little blurry, so here’s one of just Cat. I don’t get star struck often, but I was pretty excited!

I tried to hit the Howard Schultz (Starbucks CEO) keynote presentation, and even went 20 minutes early to catch the talk. Unfortunately the line was so long that they turned away hundreds of people. Bummed there wasn’t a live stream so we could have still caught the talk.

The ShiftNote team is having just a fantastic time at the NRA Show! We’re meeting cool people, spotting celebrities, and spreading ShiftNote love. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring! Until tomorrow!

We handed out several hundred pairs of our sweet ShiftNote sunglasses. People liked them so much, that I gave away my own pair while walking around. We saved some to continue giving out the rest of the show, so stop by booth #6372 to grab a pair while we have them! You can also get a free ShiftNote t-shirt by checking in at our booth on FourSquare.

When I wasn’t working the booth, showing off the amazing management communication and online employee scheduling tools, I was wondering the South Hall, Level 3. The hall was filled with a mix of equipment vendors and food suppliers. Today I decided to focus mainly on the food, and oh was there food! We had some amazing cheesecake from Mike’s Pies, caffeinated ice cream, smoked salmon, stuff pulled pork bites, deep fried mushroom balls, Chicago style hot dogs, finished off with a nice beer from Budwiser. I’m stuffed! We saw a ton of frozen yogurt machine vendors, almost all serving frozen concoctions. There was also a plethora of tap systems, unfortunately none serving actual beer.

A highlight of the day was when the crew from Digital CoCo came to our booth to interview CEO Matt Thompson for their internet show Turn and Burn. We’re excited to see the finished show, and will of course share with all of you! All in all, it was a great show! We met some really cool people and helped spread the word about ShiftNote. Until tomorrow!

It took me a few tries just to find our booth since there are 3, yes 3, exhibit halls. I stopped at more than one NRA information desk to find my way to the team. Everyone was extremely helpful, and I think I now have my bearing. There was some crazy setup going on in all the trade show halls as booths were going up, and all are gearing up for tomorrow when the show opens to the public.

We spent the day building out our booth, and are so excited to share with everyone the amazing things that ShiftNote can do to help restaurant communication. I’m equally as excited to make my way through each trade show floor to see all the restaurant products on display. I’ll be doing a blog post each day to recap what I see, who I talk to, and the fun things that are going on at the ShiftNote booth.

If you’re at the show, please come stop by booth #6372! If you check in on FourSquare, we’ll give you a free t-shirt, and you can enter for a chance to win an iPad mini! We also have some cool sunglasses that will be perfect for the sunshine tomorrow.

After the booth setup was complete, the team went out for a fantastic dinner at Del Frisco’s. What a cool place! There was an amazing atmosphere and equally as amazing food! It was a great way to wrap up day 1 at the NRA Show, and an even better way to spend time with the team. Until tomorrow!

To change the overtime settings, go to the Schedules section of ShiftNote and navigate to the Settings section. Click the Set Overtime link. Select from the drop down 30, 40 or 50 hours worked in a week to determine which one will trigger overtime warnings in ShiftNote and hit the Save button.

We’re pretty dang excited to visit with existing customers, taste some amazing food, check out new tools, gadgets, etc., and see who out there might not know about ShiftNote – and of course should! We will be showing off our new employee scheduling tools and explaining how our software will help evolve your communication. We will be located at booth #6372 in the North Hall, Level 3 and expect each and everyone of you to stop by and say hello! And here are 5 reasons why you should come visit the ShiftNote booth at the NRA Show.

1. ShiftNote Shades
We will be handing out a limited number of ShiftNote Shades so that you can not only stay cool during the show, but be cool.

2. Win an iPad mini
Anyone who signs up for a free trial during the NRA Show will automatically be entered into a drawing to win a brand new iPad mini! Plus, you’ll get a free 30 day trial of ShiftNote, it’s a win win!

3. Check in on Foursquare, Get a Free Shirt
Check in on Foursquare at the ShiftNote booth to let everyone know where the coolest spot is at the NRA Show and we’ll reward you with a ShiftNote t-shirt (while supplies last of course.)

4. Meet The ShiftNote Team
We’ll all be on hand and wandering around the show floor, we’d love to say hi and hear more about how you use ShiftNote, or how you want to use it. In a digital world, it’s always nice to meet in person.

5. See What’s New
We’re always adding new features and enhancements to our communication and workforce management tools. We’d love to hear your feedback on what you’d like to see next, and we’ll also give you insight to what we are working on for the future. Plus, we can help answer existing questions and show you some tips and tricks to get the most out of ShiftNote.

In conclusion, COME VISIT US at the NRA Show! We’d love to see you!

To setup the text notifications, log into your ShiftNote account, select the Board icon in the top menu, click the Employee Info link in the left hand menu, and then click the Notifications tab. You can choose to be notified by email, text message, or both for different schedule related instances. In order for the text message alerting to work, you must enter your mobile number and carrier. If your carrier is not listed, please contact us and we will make sure to get it added.

Managers can set this up for their employees as well by going to the Schedules icon, the Employees section, and clicking on the edit link next to the employee. Then click the notifications tab and proceed the same as above.

Notification options can be changed at any time.

To change the currency for one of your ShiftNote locations, go to the new Admin Area of ShiftNote and click the locations section. Click the edit link next to the location you wish to change the currency display for, and then scroll to the currency drop down. Choose the correct currency format, and hit save.

If you would like a currency option that is not shown in the currency drop down, please contact support@shiftnote.com and we will work on getting your currency added. The currency formatting is not yet translated in the Cash Count section, but again, contact us and we can help customize that area for you.

Thanks, and as always, have a great shift!

There is perhaps no bigger global brand than McDonald’s. For billions of people worldwide, the name evokes images of golden arches and red-haired clowns, and the smell of cooking French fries. Mmmmmm!

From its beginning in the 1940’s in California, through its transformation as a franchise in the 1950’s, McDonald’s has over 31,000 locations in 119 countries, spanning six different continents.

Success is not always guaranteed, however. McDonald’s went through four CEO’s, mostly due to unexpected illness and death a few years ago. This coincided with their first-ever quarterly loss, a major vision change, and global economic problems.

As a result, McDonald’s established a talent management team. This team focused on several initiatives:

• Enhancing their performance development system
• Improving succession planning and talent development globally
• Establishing leadership programs, such as the Leadership at McDonald’s Progam (LAMP), the McDonald’s Leadership Institute, and the Global Leadership Development Program

Although initially their focus was on executive-level positions, their focus later expanded down the pipeline, including a variety of global areas.

McDonald’s has been ranked in the top 10 best global top company for leaders by Fortune magazine.

So, what does their management program look like?  Take a look!

There are a few key supporting principles to this map:

• Although McDonald’s invests a lot in leadership development, more is invested in the “high potentials”
• Simpler, standardized processes are always preferred
• Technology should not be a barrier

At JDeane Jobs, we find that many restaurants start looking at how to better manage their talent once it is too late.  A solid, fun and engaging plan will help you retain good employees and develop them into great employees.

We invite you to share what your restaurant is doing in regards to talent management.

If you think it is time to start a talent management program at your restaurant send me an email and I will get back to fast …before another great employee give you their resignation letter.

Can’t wait to talk to you soon!

You will be able to create schedules in a digital format, and your employees will now have access to ShiftNote to view their schedules, request time off, release and pick up shifts, and see messages from management. Approved time off requests and shift trades will automatically update to the schedule without you having to even lift a finger!

» Watch ShiftNote Scheduler Demo

The ShiftNote Scheduler is jammed packed with lots of additional features that include advanced reports and daily roster creation, overtime detection, holiday pay settings, and more! We have made sure to keep with the simple and intuitive design that ShiftNote is known for when designing the new online scheduling tools, making the ShiftNote Scheduler super easy to use and setup. There is no training or installation needed, simply sign up for a free 30 day trial and start using right away! Click here for more information, or learn more about pricing. Visit our help guides for additional setup information and questions.

If you are an existing ShiftNote user, please have your company administrator contact us to have the new features added to your account.

Come meet the ShiftNote team and learn more about our suite of communication tools! We’ll be in booth #6372 at the 2013 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago on May 18th-21st.