SURREAL’s Post

I think SURREAL is really hitting the mark with its advertising. The phrase 'challenger brand' is a little out-of-fashion at the mo, but this is how a relatively new brand, in such a cluttered and mature market, needs to act to get cut through. Disclaimer: Unfortunately not a Cheeky client.... ..yet 😂 #foodandbeverage #foodadvertising #fmcg #advertising #digitaladvertising #creative #challengerbrand

Another tip for Thanksgiving and for work: The “Smile and Sip” Strategy Try the smile-and-sip technique when Aunt Mildred starts telling you why her mashed potatoes are superior—or your coworker gets into the nitty-gritty of office gossip. It’s simple: 1. Keep a kind smile on your face. 2. Take a sip of your drink. 3. Nod and let the moment pass. It’s polite, non-committal, and gives you a moment to regroup. Bonus: Whether you’re sipping cider at Thanksgiving or coffee during a tense office meeting, it works. Have you tried the “smile and sip”? Let’s hear your stories!

Another tip for Thanksgiving and for work: The “Smile and Sip” Strategy Try the smile-and-sip technique when Aunt Mildred starts telling you why her mashed potatoes are superior—or your coworker gets into the nitty-gritty of office gossip. It’s simple: 1. Keep a kind smile on your face. 2. Take a sip of your drink. 3. Nod and let the moment pass. It’s polite, non-committal, and gives you a moment to regroup. Bonus: Whether you’re sipping cider at Thanksgiving or coffee during a tense office meeting, it works. Have you tried the “smile and sip”? Let’s hear your stories!

Do one of these 4 things if the company you are interviewing with says “we’re like a family”: 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝟰 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗳𝗹𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵: This should take a minimum of 30 minutes, and end in everyone agreeing to watch something they’ve all seen. Bonus points if someone complains about the shows auto-playing while you’re just trying to read the description or tries to show a clip they saw on YouTube while one of the others is trying to think of "that one thing with that Australian guy that plays an American on that British show.” 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗻, 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝟯 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻/𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝟭 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆. 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝘁. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝟭 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘁: This also works if they refer to their people as “rockstars”—except everyone has to chip in for gas, but they can only use whatever cash they have on them, and 1 person isn’t allowed to shower for 3 days prior to the trip. Also, give the unwashed person a set of drum sticks. 𝗢𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀: Acceptable responses would include: “That’s great, sweetie. But can we stay on topic?” or an eye roll follow by “you said that one already, bud.” 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮: One person should ask “Is that where those go?”, while another quietly picks them up and puts them by the door. Your response should be something like a disingenuous “What? Oh, sorry. I forgot.” Follow for more expert tips on subjects in which I am not an expert.

The Cleaning Chronicles: A Comedy of Errors Ever notice how cleaning your home is like starring in your own sitcom? Here’s a peek into the hilarious episodes: - The "Just One More Thing" Syndrome: You start by tackling the dishes, then find yourself organizing the entire kitchen, rearranging the pantry, and suddenly it's a full-blown home makeover. - The Missing Sock Mystery: Where do they go? They vanish into the cleaning void, only to reappear months later... probably in a parallel universe. - The Vacuum Tango: Ever tried vacuuming around furniture? It’s a dance routine of awkward twists and turns. Bonus points if you accidentally knock over a lamp. - The Cleaning Product Collection: How many bottles of cleaning stuff do you have? It’s like a science experiment of potions—each one promising to solve all your cleaning woes. Cleaning may be a chore, but at least it provides plenty of comedic moments! Keep laughing and keep cleaning—because let’s face it, that’s where the fun is. What’s your funniest cleaning mishap? Share your stories in the comments! #CleaningComedy #MyFriendAnnaCleaning #NotJustACleaner #CleaningTherapy #HomeLife #CleaningFails #LaughOutLoud

Sometimes simple solutions make a huge difference to your clientele. We went to dinner in a dark restaurant that catered to an older crowd. Along with the thank you note that has become so common on the receipt, our server rewrote the total in large print. A step that takes her a second but aleiviates the need for people to take out their reading glasses or a light. This displays a knowledge of a common issue and shows she cared enough to provide a solution. What simple solutions can you provide for your clients?

This is how every boss/owner/manager should be, if you’re not prepared to do a task or don’t know how to do certain things how on earth can you expect the people working with you to do it. If a colleague sees you getting stuck in from time to time and they know that you have knowledge of their roles, they are less likely to feel contempt and will have a new level of respect. There is nothing worse to an employee than being dictated how things should be done within a dynamic that the one dictating has never been an active part in. Best example is how the standard day works and how reduced staffing numbers may then affect that, either jump in and give a hand or learn that adjustments need to be made, it should not run on 2 people the way it would with 3. Become their 3rd.

How does my brain work? Like so: when I hear a child screaming in a restaurant, I immediately measure the type of noise and frequency of occurrence to determine if the child is old enough to know better and/or the parent/guardian isn't regulating it properly. If this kind of thinking would benefit your business, I'd like to chat.

Sometimes, What Matters Most Is That You Tried This weekend, we promised our kids (3 and 2) that we’d take them to see the new Paddington film. They’d been a little unwell during the week but seemed okay, so we decided to go for it. Here’s how it went: 🥪 Forgot water bottles and snacks → Lunch at Pret: £28.40. 😭Eldest spilled a smoothie on himself → New clothes for both boys (youngest jealous): £32.50. 🍿 Film, ice cream, and drinks → £56.50. 😴 Halfway through the film, the eldest got restless and tired → We left early. 🤮 On the way back to the car, he was sick… all over himself, me, and a little on mum. Was it worth it? Some might say no. But here’s the thing: we tried. Sometimes, despite the cost, the mess and the unexpected hiccups, what matters is showing up and doing your best for someone else. It’s the same in business. Sometimes plans fall apart and the outcome isn’t what you hoped for. But when you genuinely try your best for a customer or team member, they remember the effort. Whats the worst day at the office you’ve had and kept going? #ParentingLessons #LifeLessons #CustomerTrust #DoYourBest #DayAtTheOffice

Have you ever felt your world crumble over a plate of food? I have. I slammed the kitchen door open. Chaos erupted. Pots clanged. Knives flashed. Flames roared. "What the hell is this?" I thrust the plate under Marco's nose. His eyes widened. "The new special, boss." "Special? It looks like roadkill!" Servers bustled past, arms laden with more abominations. "Stop!" I yelled. "Don't serve that crap!" Too late. Complaints flooded in. Plates returned untouched. I cornered Marco. "Who approved this?" He shrugged. "Thought you did." "Me? I've never seen this monstrosity!" My phone buzzed. The owner. Sales plummeting. I gathered the staff. "Who's responsible?" Silence. Shifty glances. "Someone better start talking, or you're all fired!" Slowly, the truth emerged. A game of telephone gone wrong. No clear chain of command. I rubbed my temples. "We're fixing this. Now." We huddled, argued, planned. New system. Clear hierarchy. No more assumptions. The kitchen hummed. Perfect plates emerged. Crisis averted. Lesson learned. Communication is key. But damn, I needed a drink. #Consistency #FoodPreparation #RestaurantBusiness #RestaurantOperation #FastFoodBusiness #CasualDiningBusiness #FoodandBeverageBusiness #HospitalityBusiness