True story of how restaurant marketing success happens when you least expect it appear as if it were magic marketing.

Twenty years ago today.

Table to table, family to family I walked through the dining room.

The split personality loves this aspect of the dining room cruise.

• The things.  Are they as expected?
• The people.  Are they in happy mode, more than satisfied and want for nothing?

To test the second, it is necessary to capture a glance, a moment and maybe even a few words need to be exchanged.  Those words can’t be canned.  They must be sincere.  The body language must scream “I care”.

Read more:  True Story: Instant Restaurant Marketing Success Guerrilla Marketing Style

 

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Wiener's Circle restaurant has turned it around because they include the five essentials to business success.  Primarily they are unbelievable and the leader drags the business behind them vs. the other way around.

Read more:  Restaurant Marketing Idea; Be Rude like the Wiener's Circle

 

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Restaurant marketing ideas are a dime a dozen.  More so since you can Google "restaurant marketing ideas" and there is no end to the number of ideas to promote a restaurant.  Magazines, websites, consultants, next door neighbors, reputation management software, Point of Sale (POS) Software, advertisers and of course the food suppliers are all very opinionated and will show you data about what is hot on the market and offer your next big idea for the future.

 

 

Read more:  The Imperfect Restaurant Marketing Plan using Social Media and Texting

 

 

Not much of a headline if you ask me.  Restaurant Marketing Coach certainly does not pop my name on the Google  #1.  You will find RestaurantWorx though and for good reason.

This step is one of the simplest of them all.  Send an email to Posterous from your email address and this automatically sets up a blog.  (As long as you do not have a Posterous blog set up already).

This may be hard to grasp so I will repeat it a little louder.

if blogging is part of your restaurant marketing plan (Why wouldn't it be?) you can create a blog on Posterous by simply sending an email to post@posterous.com.

Read more:  Restaurant Marketing Coach Creates Posterous Blog for Salty's

 

 

Sure, I understand that no one is searching for Salty's Restaurant Marketing.  That is not the point here.  This is to show you the speed at which Google is tracking results now and posting them.  Google Caffiene?  whew.

No wonder that they are talking about taking page speed load time into consideration.  The ability to post something in search results in less than an hour is very remarkable vs. the old days.

I did give it a tweet at @coachrestaurant and saved it under a delicious bookmark so I could find it later.  It could be that both of these online tools had something to do with it.

Read more:  Salty's Restaurant Marketing in Under 60 Minutes on Google

 

 

One of my favorite restaurants is at Salty's Seafood Grill Restaurant in Redondo Beach. (Des Moines, Washington).  I am also a fan of GuestPulse and Gary Tripp of Inside Hospitality (Who is also recommended by Jeffrey Summers from RestaurantWorx.  I listen to Jeffrey and you can too at Hospitality101Radio.) 

If you can stay with me for a moment because this is not a plug.  (Even though I just plugged Salty's Restaurant, GuestPulse AND RestaurantWorx.)

Since I no longer own a restaurant, I miss some of the good times when I can play around and test the fun stuff.  I can't resist any longer, I am now testing GuestPulse personally. 

Read more:  Salty's Restaurant Marketing vs. GuestPulse and Social Media

 

 

The easiest ways to get restaurant marketing ideas:

Sit in the lobby of the restaurant and pretend you are waiting for a table.  Listen to the guests as they come and go.  Note what was talked about.

Sit in the lobby of any restaurant in the local community and pretend you are waiting for another party. Be sure to listen closely and understand from where they come and why they chose this location.

Have the team write down or record every question they hear from a guest.  Fix it.  Send a message about the NEW product, service or benefit (that answers the questions)

Read more:  Restaurant Marketing Ideas the Easy Way | Google Wonder Wheel

 

 

Read more: Restaurant Forms - The best resource for forms and spreadsheets

 

 

The question is: How much time do you spend searching? Why? You have a restaurant business to run. The reason your marketing may not be getting done is because you have not set up alerts. New York Times will let you know when an article comes up that is relevant to your chosen search terms. Here is my latest alert.

My Alerts alerts on your Mobile Phone or PDA: http://m.nytimes.com/newstracker?emc=tnt

 

May 31, 2010 My Alerts

Alert Name: restaurant tech
May 31, 2010 Compiled: 12:48 AM

TECHNOLOGY

On the Go and Hungry? Dinner Is an App Away

Read more:  Restaurant Marketing News About Technology Delivered to Me

 

 

If you are watching the trends to know the best restaurant marketing strategy, you must subscribe to The Lampert Report.  Some studies show that even with all the labels there is not a large surge to healthy in restaurants.  Here is a study which says:  More profit with healthy.

The Lempert Report® Daily Marketing Analysis, Issues & Trends Exchanging Unexpected Pieces of Knowledge May 10, 2010 Subscribe Forward this Email Health & Wellness

Organic Snack Study The illusion of "healthy" drives consumers to eat more, buy more and therefore spend more. A recent study by the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab set out to understand and test consumers' taste perception of organic snack foods. With marketers anxiously pursuing the movement towards 'healthy' and organic foods, a better understanding of the influence of health claims is necessary. The Cornell University researchers set

Read More: The Business of Health & Wellness - Organic Snack Study

 

 

Restaurant marketing is too fun.  Restaurant marketing is actually too easy once you get it.  Restaurant marketing can be done by anyone and everyone.  Inside Hospitality has the best articles on restaurant marketing.  Here are four restaurant marketing idea examples.

Restaurant Social Media Marketing Radio Show Review – Hospitality101radio.com

Posted on 12. Apr, 2010 by Guest Blogger in Inside Hospitality, Week In Review

by resident guest blogger Michael Hartzell

Restaurant owners and managers need a restaurant business warning buzzer.  (or would you prefer a bell?) There are warning systems, buzzers, and bells in all parts of life.  They serve as a reminder for something important and can save lives.  The seat buzzer, the open door notice and the low battery beep are all helpful tools.

www.Hospitality101Radio.com serves as a resource to both warn AND support for restaurant marketing and restaurant hospitality a

 “The Real Voice of the Restaurant Hospitality Industry”.  This resource offers challenging questions, helpful hints, serious thoughts and an occasional “funny” thrown in for bonus.

Here are but a few of the take-aways from the Hospitality101 blog talk radio show on March 30^th, 2010. (Which covered many important topics.)

 

Read more:  Inside Hospitality has the Best Restaurant Marketing Articles Ever!

 

 

Bad boss equals bad restaurant business. Poor leadership means no direction. Spiraling sales indicates more than just poor economics in a community.

A restaurant business may float and be "OK" during times that thrive. A good restaurant owner or manager knows that is when you keep the gas pedal on regardless. To coast because things are easier wastes not only current resources it risks the future of all interested in the business.

Negative sales do happen because of craziness, war, floods, disasters. It can be temporary but not if there is leadership in place who will be able to describe what is happening but take little or no action to change the future.

No amount of social media, my personal style of magic marketing, guerrilla marketing, TV, post cards, mailings, door hangers, radio will make up for bad leadership.

Read more:  Negative Sales = Restaurant Marketing + Change in Leadership

 

 

Twelve months from now you will look up from your restaurant marketing plan and dashboard and say to yourself:  "I just have to reach out to Mike and thank him for getting in my face more than once to do more restaurant markeing".

I look forward to your contact.  In the meantime?  This restaurant marketing tactic works.  Even if not a single person buys something today?  You may at the very least get their name and address and send them a unique personal invitation with a card. (Which I guarantee they will open)

Even if you do not use this as one of your weekly restaurant marketing tactics it will service as a way to listen and recruit talent.

Read more:  Restaurant Marketing Ideas Low Tech and Low Cost with High ROI

 

 

 

This will be a simple restaurant marketing idea.  The goal is to keep you on top of your game, connect you with the guests, do something to add to their experience, and capture an  email address so you can stay in each person's inner circle.

Here it is:

Buy a digital camera

(You probably already have one)  Fast and easy to use, which can upload a file to the web or by email in a snap.  It will need to have a wide angle for the photos and operate will in lower light.

Read More:  Restaurant Marketing Idea with Digital Camera

 

 

Posted by Michael Hartzell on Tue, May 04, 2010

Does menu labeling make a difference?  Does reading the newspaper help you be smarter?  Where is the American Journal of Public Health and who reads it?

 

Answers:  Yes, in a way.  Yes, in a way.  Rob Carson from the Tacoma News Tribune and here is his article:

Menu labeling prompts some Pierce County diners to rethink meal

County health: You might regret that Reuben

 

ROB CARSON; Staff writer

Last updated: April 25th, 2010 09:15 AM (PDT)

OK, so you open the menu and see the dirty details all laid out.

The Reuben sandwich you wanted has 1,730 calories and 4,490 milligrams of salt.

Read More:  Restaurant Marketing vs. Menu Labeling in Pierce County

 

 

Small business owners comment about why they don't do restaurant marketing:

• "I am so busy, there is no time to go out and do marketing."
• "I am very good at doing my business but I do not have the skill, the will or the interest in marketing."
• "There are too many options and I don't know which one to choose."
• "I don't know which one will work."

 

This video presentation was made to help restaurant owners and managers with marketing and covers:

1. What are barriers to marketing?
2. What is your status?
3. What is a solution? (Magic?)
4. How to implement, step by step.
5. How to measure success.

Read More:  Guerrilla Marketing Squad for Restaurant Marketing Video Presentation

 

 

20 Years: Restaurant Marketing, Balloon Man, Own a Restaurant

It has been 20 years today that I walked into a restaurant and said:  "Hello, I am the new owner" to about 6 employees.  About $4000 per week in sales in the restaurant and history of no profit (loss of $30k per year). 

20 years have passed.  What was I thinking to buy a restaurant that was losing money?  

That was a time before fancy computers and everything was tracked each hour by hand.  I remember the goal:  Next week make at least $1 more dollar in sales each and every hour.  There can be no "backwards".  Every step forward, no matter how small, was still considered progress.  (I am sure I drove the staff nuts)

How did sales double in six months and then double again?  The Five Essentials to Business Success come to mind along with the fact I am addicted to a smile.  (do I need to see a business psychologist?)  Whatever it takes to create that smile.  "Make someone's day" has never been just a phrase.

Read more about  20 Years: Restaurant Marketing, Balloon Man, Own a Restaurant

 

 

Seattle Super Chef Restaurant Owner Saves Seattle Fireworks

Posted by Michael Hartzell on Fri, Apr 02, 2010

 Twitter |  digg it |   delicious |   LinkedIn 

Who makes a difference?  A restaurant owner can.  Specifically Tom Douglas "Super Chef" Restaurateur.  The video will tell the story about how a local business owner connects.

Sure it was not a single business person who saved the fireworks as there were many on the bandwagon and the big companies pitched in.  It did take one person though to start the ball rolling.  Could there be benefit in the restaurant marketing for Tom's business?  Sure but this is about more than that.  People, Puirpose, Profit in every decision is healthy and beneficial to all. 

Seattle super chef Tom Douglas and Dave Ross challenged local businesses to pledge money to preserve the Gasworks Park firework display.

Watch Dave Ross and Tom Douglas announce Microsoft and Starbucks match pledge:

Seattle Super Chef Restaurant Owner Saves Seattle Fireworks

 

 

Five Places to Find Funds for Restaurant Marketing

Free restaurant marketing is my preference.  (Which refers to no cash needed)  However, if you understand about investing into a restaurant marketing plan, maybe a few tips on where to look for funds?  The goal is to ear-mark dollars which can then be invested and re-cycled as each marketing campaign pays off.  If your restaurant business has a sales issue and short cash then investing in anything, especially marketing, seems an impossibility. 

Here is where I have looked for cash in the past:

Read on about  Five Places to Find Funds for Restaurant Marketing

 

 

Restaurant Owner Increases Sales by 110% with Foursquare Swarm Badge Party

I am a little ticked off.  Why?  Because Hubspot caught the following article and I did not.  After being in the restaurant business for so long, I have my ear to the wall and nose to the wind.   Ah well.  Regardless, here is the great Hubspot beating me at my own game talking about how a restaurant owner used Foursquare as a part of their restaurant marketing plan. (Don't forget, every operation is different.  Sharing the success stories keeps you hopeful and but not necessarily a copycat.

 

Read on about: Restaurant Owner Increases Sales by 110% with Foursquare Swarm Badge Party.

 

 

 

Restaurant Marketing by Students Beat Out Restaurant Owners

Restaurant owners be afraid.  Be very afraid.  Your restaurant business may be in jeopardy.  Not because of what you are doing, it is because of what an organization such as Washington DECA does.  They teach high school students about business success and marketing.  The event I attended was about restaurant marketing. Read more about how restaurant marketing by students beat out restaurant owners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Email Marketing Service for Restaurants With Benchmark Email

If you are a business owner, you know that an email marketing service company is a top of the list priority.  For an offline business, the ability to import email database is important along with customer service and simplicity.  To that end, here is Andy Shore from Benchmark Email.  You will find Bencmark Email on the "Best Email Marketing Services List on the Planet".

 Read more about how to do Email Marketing Service for Restaurants With Benchmark Email

 

 

 

Restaurant Marketing Ideas with a Kindle

Interested in great restaurant marketing ideas?  What would happen if you wrote a Kindle book?  Then each page on the Kindle could have a recipe, an offer, a special occasion, or some other reason to celebrate.  What would happen if your Kindle book was all about reasons to celebrate at YOUR restaurant?  What would happen if the title of your Kindle book was the name of your restaurant?  Or maybe named after the keyword phrase you wanted to be found on the Internet for?  For your next great restaurant marketing idea, what would happen if you use the latest and greatest technology to get found by people who are already searching for you? 

Read more about Restaurant Marketing Ideas with a Kindle.

 

 

 

Restaurant Marketing Idea: 40 Social Networking Sites SmallBizBee

How do you use the Internet to help you with great restaurant marketing ideas?  Let's not stop at one, lets talk about 47 social networking sites to choose from.

First:  Hospitality101radio.com  If you need restaurant experts in a community that is rich in B.S. Stories (Business Success Stories) and low on SPIN (Sarcastic Painful Inept Nobodies), Hospitality101radio.com can be your first stop.  Restaurant marketing ideas and support will not be in shortage. 

Read more about Restaurant Marketing Idea: 40 Social Networking Sites SmallBizBee.

 

 

 

Restaurant Marketing Tool: Free Twitter Guide from the Government

Is your restaurant not into Twitter yet?  Don't know much about Social Media tools or how to use them?  This Twitter for Business page has all you need to learn and follow best practices when using social media.  Successful restauranteurs are always finding new ways to reach out and connect with their guests.

Read more about Restaurant Marketing Tool: Free Twitter Guide from the Government.

 

 

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