six tips restaurant operators can use to get going with social media tools

1. First, find out what is already being said about your company. You can do this by signing up for Google alerts, reading message boards and checking out reviews.

2. Decide who within your organization is going to be responsible for social media. This needs to be someone who can speak in your brand’s voice. An intern who will part of your team for only a few months is probably not a wise choice.

3. Make sure that any offer you put out there is easy for the customers and staff to execute.

4. Integrate your campaigns. Use brick-and-mortar signage to encourage current guests to become your online fans and followers.

5. Stay in the know about trends in the industry by signing up for “Smart Briefs for Social Media.” It’s free (www.smartbrief.com/socialmedia).

6. Try to be timely about addressing any concerns that come back to you. Customers want to know that you care about their experience

Intuitive Fare & AIM Restaurant Consulting Join Forces

AIM Restaurant Consulting completes Intuitive Fare’s hospitality offering. Together we provide clients one stop shopping, including:

• Restaurant Employee Training & Support
• Operations Assessment, Improvement & Maintenance
• Cost Segregation Studies
• Business Valuation
• Secret Shopping
• Customer Surveys
• and of course, Integrated Marketing!

How many times have you had to correct the same problems over and over again in your restaurant operations?

The biggest problem restaurant owners have is making improvements stick. They work hard to get things up to speed but then something always seems to break down. Some of the main recurring problems are employee turnover, poor follow through and falling back into old habits.  When these problems come back, profit often declines to old levels and the money spent on the improvement plan and marketing is lost.

Call Heidi O’Leska to schedule an appointment for a free operations and marketing assessment. - 703-922-2442

Making your web site work for you

Are you receiving inquires directly from your web site? You should… 

Do you know how many hits you get and what search term’s viewers used or where they linked from to your site  (information you can use to make sure your web site is working for you) ?

What are the most common search terms a prospect would use to find your service or product offering? Those terms should be the titles in your title bars (very upper-left hand corner of the web browser), be repeated in your body copy and used as HTML meta tags.

Other tools you can easily implement:

• Ask strategic partners to list your web site URL as a preferred vendor/partner on their site, increases SEO.
• BLOG! and be sure to list your web site url (www.intuitivefare.com).
• Facebook/Tweet - post daily and often, Google loves to pick your posts up
• Send out a monthly newsletter, but pack it with useful information to your target audience and link to useful resources on your web site, don’t try to sell them anything, if you have to, it should be very secondary.  
• Have relevant resources on your home page, so it is recommended to others to visit your site, it is all about value add first, then tell them about your offering, but win their trust first.

100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do

From the New York Times, Part II:

51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.

52. Know your menu inside and out. If you serve Balsam Farm candy-striped beets, know something about Balsam Farm and candy-striped beets.

53. Do not let guests double-order unintentionally; remind the guest who orders ratatouille that zucchini comes with the entree.

54. If there is a prix fixe, let guests know about it. Do not force anyone to ask for the “special” menu.

55. Do not serve an amuse-bouche without detailing the ingredients. Allergies are a serious matter; peanut oil can kill. (This would also be a good time to ask if anyone has any allergies.)

56. Do not ignore a table because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.)

57. Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment.

58. Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested.

59. Do not leave place settings that are not being used.

60. Bring all the appetizers at the same time, or do not bring the appetizers. Same with entrees and desserts.

61. Do not stand behind someone who is ordering. Make eye contact. Thank him or her.

62. Do not fill the water glass every two minutes, or after each sip. You’ll make people nervous.

62(a). Do not let a glass sit empty for too long.

63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right.

64. Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices.

65. Always remove used silverware and replace it with new.

66. Do not return to the guest anything that falls on the floor — be it napkin, spoon, menu or soy sauce.

67. Never stack the plates on the table. They make a racket. Shhhhhh.

68. Do not reach across one guest to serve another.

69. If a guest is having trouble making a decision, help out. If someone wants to know your life story, keep it short. If someone wants to meet the chef, make an effort.

70. Never deliver a hot plate without warning the guest. And never ask a guest to pass along that hot plate.

71. Do not race around the dining room as if there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency. (Unless there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency.)

72. Do not serve salad on a freezing cold plate; it usually advertises the fact that it has not been freshly prepared.

73. Do not bring soup without a spoon. Few things are more frustrating than a bowl of hot soup with no spoon.

74. Let the guests know the restaurant is out of something before the guests read the menu and order the missing dish.

75. Do not ask if someone is finished when others are still eating that course.

76. Do not ask if a guest is finished the very second the guest is finished. Let guests digest, savor, reflect.

77. Do not disappear.

78. Do not ask, “Are you still working on that?” Dining is not work — until questions like this are asked.

79. When someone orders a drink “straight up,” determine if he wants it “neat” — right out of the bottle — or chilled. Up is up, but “straight up” is debatable.

80. Never insist that a guest settle up at the bar before sitting down; transfer the tab.

81. Know what the bar has in stock before each meal.

82. If you drip or spill something, clean it up, replace it, offer to pay for whatever damage you may have caused. Refrain from touching the wet spots on the guest.

83. Ask if your guest wants his coffee with dessert or after. Same with an after-dinner drink.

84. Do not refill a coffee cup compulsively. Ask if the guest desires a refill.

84(a). Do not let an empty coffee cup sit too long before asking if a refill is desired.

85. Never bring a check until someone asks for it. Then give it to the person who asked for it.

86. If a few people signal for the check, find a neutral place on the table to leave it.

87. Do not stop your excellent service after the check is presented or paid.

88. Do not ask if a guest needs change. Just bring the change.

89. Never patronize a guest who has a complaint or suggestion; listen, take it seriously, address it.

90. If someone is getting agitated or effusive on a cellphone, politely suggest he keep it down or move away from other guests.

91. If someone complains about the music, do something about it, without upsetting the ambiance. (The music is not for the staff — it’s for the customers.)

92. Never play a radio station with commercials or news or talking of any kind.

93. Do not play brass — no brassy Broadway songs, brass bands, marching bands, or big bands that feature brass, except a muted flugelhorn.

94. Do not play an entire CD of any artist. If someone doesn’t like Frightened Rabbit or Michael Bublé, you have just ruined a meal.

95. Never hover long enough to make people feel they are being watched or hurried, especially when they are figuring out the tip or signing for the check.

96. Do not say anything after a tip — be it good, bad, indifferent — except, “Thank you very much.”

97. If a guest goes gaga over a particular dish, get the recipe for him or her.

98. Do not wear too much makeup or jewelry. You know you have too much jewelry when it jingles and/or draws comments.

99. Do not show frustration. Your only mission is to serve. Be patient. It is not easy.

100. Guests, like servers, come in all packages. Show a “good table” your appreciation with a free glass of port, a plate of biscotti or something else management approves.

Bonus Track: As Bill Gates has said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” (Of course, Microsoft is one of the most litigious companies in history, so one can take Mr. Gates’s counsel with a grain of salt. Gray sea salt is a nice addition to any table.)

Restaurant owners, are you getting great press? Do you have more butts in seats as a result?

So, you’re getting great press, but you can’t understand why it’s not translating to more butts in seats…

There is a proven methodology to successful hospitality marketing - based on identifying and communicating your restaurant’s differentiators, uniquely and consistently.

Do you know what truly differentiates your restaurant? What the benefit of the restaurant’s offering is to your target market? Great food and great service? Nope, most competitors communicate that, all potential and current guests expect it, not a distinct marketing message to hang your toque on.

 You need ito implement integrated, grassroots marketing as part of your strategic plan. The success of which depends on a clear understanding of your restaurants’ differentiators and understanding the most effective way to communicate it to your specific target audiences.

Press is great, but it needs to be supported by

grassroots marketing:

In-house 

• Are hosts and servers engaged, do they understand the success of the restaurant depends on them?
• Are servers order takers or do they up sell and do it well?
• Are in-house promotions truly intriguing; do they stand out from competitors?
• Are you building a permission-based, high quality email database? Does your email marketing campaign bring results?
• Are check presenters being used as a marketing opportunity, every time?
• Does the outside of your restaurant truly communicate your differentiators?

In the ‘hood

• Local businesses are your best mouth piece, reward them and involve them in all kinds of creative ways
• Local residents have choices, reach out to them in unique ways
• The chamber – don’t waste the membership, take advantage of it, and all the other great organizations that support your neighborhood
• School kids – your future customers, treat them right, and do it with pizzazz
• The sky’s the limit, opportunities abound

Web Site

Did you know that most web sites are the worst source of new business and have the potential to be the best? There’s a balance between fancy creative and optimizing your web site for a great user experience and maximizing organic search engine optimization.

Social Marketing

    It’s a necessity. Embrace it.  

 Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, YouTube, YELP and more.

Direct Mail & Advertising

Effective if executed strategically.

 Which do you think is more effective, a ½ page ad in Washingtonian, or a full page, back cover ad in the local high school football program?  

An insert in a mailer to 40,000 or a jumbo post card to 5,000 within 5 miles to a targeted household income? What’s your message, is it compelling?

Are you showing an empty restaurant of nice tables or highlighting what truly differentiates the restaurant?

To FaceBook or not?

I won’t lie, it takes work. If you are a restaurant or retail establishment, you will reap the rewards quickly.

A FaceBook business “page” (different from your personal profile) gets your brand out there in a real way, a brand that is interactive, which not only younger but increasingly older target audiences are demanding. You stay in fromt of “fans” on a constant basis with permisson based marketing. For it to be succesful, content must have a value, invites to events that are of interest, or posting of information that isn’t promotinoal but is interesesting to your fans.

How? If you have employees, make them all social marketers. Each employee,  manager or owner is a source of “fans” for your busienss. Through their personal page, they can invite their friends to become fans of the business page. To set up your business page, simply go to the footer of the FaceBook home page, click on Advertise, than “page”. They will walk you through it.

As a person that doesn’t often talk about work with friends, neighbor or church members, FaceBook affords me that. Church members have come up to me and asked me about my company, my offering, I’ve received referrals, etc.

It works!

Why aren’t I getting results from advertising or direct marketing?

Often I hear business owners complain that direct mail or print or online advertising doesn’t bring results, it’s a waste of money. And, often it is a waste of money… The “secret” to successful direct marketing or advertising is taking a step back and asking - does our brand resonate with our target audiences? Do we know who are target audiences are? Are we offering them what they need, are we communicating a true BENEFIT to them? Is it TRULY distinct from our competitors?

The key to developing a distinct brand is doing your home work  - who are your competitors (yes, you have competitors, even if you think your offering is so special that you don’t have any competitors, you do…). What does their home page or advertising or direct mail say that makes them different? Or, do competitors not really communicate anything special  - a key advantage for your business. You need to know what they are advertising, where they are advertising and what their offering. Do your ads stand out? Are they communicating a distinct benefit to your target audience vs. what your competitors are communicating? Is there a niche not being offered?

Secondarily - a SWOT analysis needs to be conducted, what are the businesses’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats when compared to competitors, your industry, the economic climate?

The research findings from your competitive and SWOT analysis ALWAYS result in an “ah hah”: this is what I need to communicate (benefits of your distinct offering), this is how and where I need to communicate (integrated marketing tools) and this is who I need to communicate it to (target audiences, primary and secondary).

Once you have established the strong foundation of what, how, where and who (a.k.a. your brand), then you will begin seeing results from your marketing efforts - if done consistently and constantly. It takes time to build a brand reputation, it won’t happen over night…

It’s Intuitive - Driving qualified prospects to your trade show booth

Trade shows - are they worth it? Well, not if you just show up and smile, you have to drive qualified prospects to your booth. Remember one simple rule (for all your marketing) What’s In It for Me? Why does the prospect want to come to your booth and get your pen? Because you have the best product? Let’s say you do, how are qualified prospects going to know? You need to position your business as the expert in the field.

Host a webinar before the event and host a seminar at the event, then invite attendees to your booth for “Part 2″. Invite prospects via mail and emai to both events. So, how do you get the attendees to your booth for part 2? While a raffle for a $100 Visa gift card will bring traffic, you want qualified prospects, not quantity that just want to take your stress balls and win $100. Part 2 has to be of great value to your prospects, and non-promotional. For example, for the webinar or seminar, Intuitive Fare would teach the top 10 tips to effective direct mail. At the end of my webinar/seminar, we would communicate that part 2 of this seminar is seeing the work, (campaigns that worked and why, campaigns that didn’t and why). We would also provide examples of direct mail pieces that show various printing options - diecuts, gloss, no gloss, perforations, folds. Not that Intuitive Fare provides printing, but demystifying the printing process is a true value-add to our clients and prospects, We’ve now earned their trust, and if they have marketing questions about their business, they will ask, and most likely will ask for Intuitive Fare’s assistance. At the very least, Intuitive Fare will be top of mind when a colleague needs an integrated marketing and design agency - and the referral will be made.

(4 votes, average: 0 out of 5)

 Loading …