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OCTOBER 2010
marketing
MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR RESTAURANTS
»»» Inside
Behind the Scenes
with Kahala Brands
Chef-Rateur —
Special Touches
Point of Purchase —
The Silent Sales Force
The Secret Sauce —
Telling your Story
TM
PUBLISHING
Positive
+Personnel
=
Positive
Sales
mUrgent sits down with Juice It Up! Business Development & Marketing Director, Carol
Skinner, to discuss the marketing strategy of the 104 location franchise, the importance of
email marketing and social media in the fast-paced franchise industry and why they chose
mUrgent as their local store email marketing and social media partner.
Q: Why did you choose mUrgent?
A: We chose mUrgent because it has a reputation for
being the expert in email marketing, as well as mUrgent’s
affiliation with the IFA. Since day one, mUrgent has
delivered excellent results and performed beyond my
expectations. The support team is always available when
needed and has been conscientious and creative in its
approach to Juice It Up!’s email marketing campaigns.
Q: What are your plans for social media and how
will mUrgent be helping?
A: Our initial plan was to get it established with Facebook
and Twitter, and then build the fan base allowing us to
extend our reach by going directly to those who support
our brand, products and promotions. We are still in our
beginning stages, but feel social media will be the premier
way to develop our business and our brand for the future.
With mUrgent, we’ve integrated a social media component
to our email campaign, which will drive traffic to our social
media sites and will allow recipients to share the coupons,
offers and promos with friends and family members who
may not be members of the Smooth eClub.
Q: How will mUrgent help your marketing efforts?
A: It’s all about reaching the consumers and managing
the database to effectively bring them in to the store and,
ultimately, increase sales. mUrgent understands that
and offers ongoing strategy and specific solutions to
achieve success with our marketing efforts.
Q: Have you seen results since signing up?
A: Absolutely! Our Smooth eClub database has
increased beyond our initial expectations within the
first few months. I know we have a long way to go but I
believe mUrgent, with its strategic approach to our local
store email marketing efforts, can help us get there.
Q: Do you think other chains should choose
mUrgent?
A: Yes, the process is so easy and the customer service
is excellent. mUrgent takes the guesswork out of email
marketing, plus mUrgent offers tracking, reports and
analysis that show results.
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
A: I look for businesses we can partner with for the long
haul. I get dozens of calls every day from companies
who want to “help me” with my business, but
ultimately if I have a partner who delivers results, offers
competitive pricing and provides the service I need to
make my job easier, I’ll stick with them. mUrgent is
one of those partners and I believe that mUrgent can
successfully help us achieve our goals. At this point,
there’s no need to look any further.
mUrgent offers the most affordable and flexible email marketing solutions with social media
integration. Get control over your local store marketing with results-driven strategy and a
complete solution that you can count on boosting sales each and every month.
www.mUrgent.com
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | August 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T
M A R K E T I N G
M A G A Z I N E ®
|
M a r k e t i n g
Contents
40
pg
S o l u t i o n s
f o r
R e s t a u r a n t s
OCTOBER 2010
F R O M T H E C OV E R :
43
pg
+ Positive
7
Personnel
pg
= Positive
Sales
24
pg
marketing ingredients
3 2011 Marketing Calendar
7 Finding the Secret Sauce
11 Trends for Today’s Consumer
15 Point of Purchase –
The Silent Sales Force
19 Facebook or Restaurants
22 Responsible Marketing
bright ideas
14 TOMS Shoes for Tomorrow
chef-rateur
tm
24 Special Touches
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
27 faces
& places
food & menu
public relations
30 Crisis Management
34 New Rooms & Social Media
36 Behind the Scenes 48 Creating an Oyster Festival
50 “Small” is Still the New “Big”
Cold Stone Creamery
arracting guests
40 Arrow Spinners & Street
Teams
employees & training 43 Positive Personnel =
Positive Sales
47 Just Say “YES” pg
00
pick of the pub 52 Boudin SF
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
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Editor’s Note
Welcome to the premier issue of Restaurant Marketing
MagazineTM. Our goal with this new publication is to
provide restaurant operators and marketers with in-depth
marketing reports and strategies along with success
stories four times a year. In this premiere issue, we share
some of the top ideas and strategies for making the most
of today’s economic climate.
While consumers continue to eat out, they have changed the way they spend in
restaurants. A survey conducted late last year by the consultancy Horizons revealed
that 40 percent of consumers ordered a starter less often when they ate out than they
did a year earlier. The same percentage had cut out desserts and a third of diners
shared dishes to save money. Also, ordering wine by the glass rather than the bottle
had become commonplace.
The “great recession” has taught us all to be more demanding — food must be good
quality, service must be efficient and friendly and value for money is paramount.
Restaurateurs need to accept the new consumer, ensure their operations are consistently good and adapt their menus to reflect these changes. Our content and coverage
for Restaurant Marketing Magazine is intended to share both internal and external
marketing programs vital to riding out the difficult times and to adjust promotions,
offers and messages to consumer’s changing needs.
“Will Work 4 Customers” is our new 2010 motto for the restaurant industry. The days
of waiting for customers to come through the door are over. Savvy restaurant operators will use their time and effort to generate their own sales by getting out of their
four walls and becoming involved with the community and inviting area businesses
and potential guests in to dine. Today’ restaurant owners and marketers have to be
much more focused on the new “ROI — Return on Involvement” to be the consumers’
choice.
We welcome your input, ideas, success stories and photos. Just send an email:
[email protected] and for more frequent marketing updates, follow our blog
at: www.marketing-cookbook.blogspot.com.
L Duke
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
MARKETING INGREDIENTS
the
2011
marketing
calendar
m
arketing professionals are the keepers
of many things—
the company’s art work
and logos, photography
and business card templates, past and present
collateral, manuals, and
advertisements, and press
clips, just to name a few.
However, one of the most
important elements to track is
communications.
Working with so many different
companies as an outside partner, we
see different ways our clients put the
dates, deadlines, and launches together, but we found the trick, in one simple
format—a calendar.
Not just a simple calendar, but a calendar
with each component of a business plugged
in and
visible to all. For instance, a franchise organization needs to
keep track of its franchisees, their store openings and schedules, as well as company-wide new product development.
New products create a need to market them (once tested
and refined), and then marketing has to develop a name
and messaging, package design and signage, advertisements,
press releases, e-mail campaigns, and so on.
Using a calendar can work wonders. For a marketing
department, a calendar is a must. With so many integrated
communications involved in marketing, and the amazing
amount of details, we have to be able to look ahead and plan
accordingly.
Most magazines work 60-90 days in advance, so if you need
to place an advertisement for September, you are almost
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
too late in June Although
there are not always ads to run,
there is always a rush before a
launch date or deadline in the marketing department. It only makes
sense to have a master calendar
that can be shared within the
marketing department and
with partners (Ad agency,
PR firm, Duke Marketing,
etc.). Many companies
now have an Intranet
so all company employees can access information
not available to the public. This
has helped tremendously, but even a
simple spread sheet can work.
The most successful marketers get used to doing a
yearly communications calendar and are proactive instead of
reactive. Or at least until some urgent project becomes the
focal point and the whole “ahead of time” concept is hard
to reach.
If you can determine what the year ahead looks like, a calendar also helps for budgeting. If you can calendar when new
products or stores will be introduced, when major announcements or promotions are planned, you can actually see opportunities to try new ideas and budget accordingly.
For public relations it can help with making deadlines for
pitching news stories. Typically every business has trade
publications and they are typically monthly, so determining
the editorial they plan to cover for the year will help marketers hone their messages and stories to pitch ahead of time,
by putting early deadlines on a calendar, to land a featured
in the publication.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
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marketing calendar
january
{download Excel spreadsheet
template here}
february
march
april
may
june
august
september
october
november
december
Action
Promotion
Public RelationS
press release
pr stunt
event
WEB
email
facebook
MATERIALS
in-store signage
give-aways
advertisement
ADVERTISING
direct mail
print
radio/tv
EMPLOYEES
july
Action
Promotion
Public RelationS
press release
pr stunt
event
WEB
email
facebook
MATERIALS
in-store signage
give-aways
advertisement
ADVERTISING
direct mail
print
radio/tv
EMPLOYEES
»»»»»
Here are some
tips
to help you get
rolling!
1. C reate a list of top priorities
that you KNOW have to be
accomplished in the year ahead.
2. C reate a spread sheet for each of
the areas you are responsible for.
Example: public relations,
advertising, direct mail, web,
promotions, etc. put across the
top of the spread sheet.
3. B
egin to make a list under each
heading of the top priorities
for each of these areas.
fter you get through with all the
4. A
priorities, then begin to fill in a
“wish list” of things you would
like to be able to accomplish in
the next year. Perhaps you would
like to launch a new product, or
introduce a new marketing tactic to
the field.
5. N
ext comes “Calendaring”.
Create a visual calendar and
indicate what items on your spread
sheet will go into what months.
For example: indicate the month
M A R K E T I N G I N G R E D I E N T S : The 2011 Marketing Calendar
Besides keeping a marketing calendar,
marketing professionals usually need
to know what the sales team, operations team and internal departments
are doing for the year as well. If sales
is having a conference or tradeshow,
marketing will probably need to know
this, since they will need collateral, a
booth, signage, etc. Adding all internal dates on a marketing calendar will
actually create a master communications calendar for the entire company,
and soon, the marketing team will be
proactive leaders with a nice calendar!
Providing a calendar to restaurant
general managers and/or franchisees
is a great way to keep everyone in the
know. Togo’s Sandwiches gave out a 12
month calendar to all 242 franchisees at
a recent meeting. The monthly features
provide tactics that are easy to use and
important dates are noted.
(and date
if you can
get that
specific), that
you will start
each of he priorities, the month that it
gets launched or implemented,
and fill in the calendar for the
year—what this will do is show you
how you can integrate other items
around specific priorities and make
sure you have enough time to get
everything done to execute. The
calendar diagram
in the center of this
page is an example of
a visual way to show
what is happening when,
and can serve as the entire
company’s visual for the year.
One can be created for each of
the areas of responsibilities, for example, one for advertisements that
are running, one for press releases
and subjects to target, and so on.
6. N
ext finding out what it all costs.
Once you figure out your priorities,
your wish list and your calendar
and it all looks like it can work, the
next step is to determine the costs
associated to create your budget.
7. C reate your plan—once you have
clearly defined the priorities,
understood the timing and calendared them, including lead times to
prepare, and you have determined a
budget for all, creating the plan is
easy! It is almost like starting with
the diagrams first and then writing
the report. This way you can see
how everything works together and
can present your plan both written
and visual.
Congratulations on the
Premier Issue of
Restaurant Marketing Magazine.
— Your friends at Fishbowl
www.fishbowlmarketing.com
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | June 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
MARKETING INGREDIENTS
Finding the
Secret
sauce
W
hat is the secret sauce
to restaurant marketing?
Everyone wants the silver
bullet, the sure fire way to get customers, lots of them, always returning and telling their friends. What
would the right concoction be? One
cup of each: great food, great story
and great people? Let’s see what
works.
What works? Giving away free food,
in the way of sampling or coupons
to redeem something free, works
to drive awareness and trial and
ultimately sales. People love free
anything. On a segment of the
Food Network, there were actually
people bobbing for chicken wings in
a tub of blue cheese dressing for a
free bucket of wings and a t-shirt.
Consumers will go to great lengths
to get something free. Having
opened more than 150 restaurants
in the United States, I can tell many
stories about guests who lined up
24-48 hours before a restaurant
opening just to be the first in line
to win meals for a year. What else
works? Entertain with a story. Usually the most successful restaurants
have a unique story to tell, either
about their chef, food or how they
got started. Ask Ralph Rubio, the
founder of Rubio’s Fresh Mexican
Grill the 190+ unit fast casual brand,
how he got started. He’ll tell you
about his trips to San Felipe when
he was attending San Diego State
University and every chance he got,
he and his friends would go to San
Felipe to eat fish tacos and drink
cold beers under the palapas on the
beach. His most famous menu item
when he first opened was the fish
taco, and you’ll find that even after
25 years, it’s that same story and
the fish tacos that keeps his fans
coming back for more.
Ralph Rubio has been
telling his fish taco story
for more than 25 years.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | June 2010
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M A R K E T I N G I N G R E D I E N T S : Finding the Secret Sauce
What makes a successful marketer?
One cup of each: enthusiasm, stamina
and no fear? Think about another
successful restaurant brand, El Pollo
Loco, and how my colleague Karen
Eadon, their chief marketing officer,
took the gloves off and went to–head
with the biggest chicken chain in
their recent grilled promotion. The
promotion, however you look at it,
cut through the clutter and stood
out. And by the way, it drove some
serious double-digit sales results.
The brand itself showed enthusiasm,
stamina and no fear!
Great people can be the secret
sauce. Ever been to Wildfish Seafood Grille in Scottsdale, Arizona
or in Newport Beach, California?
These four star, fine dining restaurants are doing gang busters in the
tough economy. On a recent visit
to Newport Beach, it was packed on
a Monday night. This place is all
about the people. From the greeter
at the door to the friendly sommelier, to the adorable expediter to
the general manager him or herself,
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“
“
Every successful restaurant
brand can easily articulate what
they do better and different
than anyone else and why
guests should eat there.
each makes a quiet statement at the
perfect moment in time. Whatever
they serve tastes delicious even
before it arrives from the descriptions told by the server and on the
lovely parchment menu. Different
servers come by and check to see if
you need anything, and often clear
unwanted dishes, as if each team
member in the restaurant watches
each other’s back. We find out later
that they do indeed share tips with
all wait staff, bus and dishwashers,
chefs and cooks. “We’re like a big
family,” said Gwen, general manager
Wildfish Seafood Grille, Newport
Beach.
So, is it the food, the marketing
campaign, the people or a whole
combination that makes the secret
sauce? For each brand it is different.
Some rely heavily on the food or
chef-driven concepts like Wolfgang
Puck, and others rely heavily on
standing out from the competition
like the fast food restaurant brands,
and finally there are those that
stand out by making a most memorable experience with their people.
The secret sauce is different for
every restaurant brand.
else and why guests should eat
there. That is their secret sauce.
The successful restaurant operator is part entrepreneur, part chef
and part marketer. These three part
masters are ChefRateurs, those that
own and operate a
restaurant and have
a great story to tell.
Understanding your
own secret sauce,
what makes you
unique, your
own story, and
telling that
story with
enthusiasm
and no fear to
your potential
guests can
be your own
silver bullet
for restaurant
marketing.
secret
sauce
Every successful restaurant brand
can easily articulate what they do
better and different than anyone
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
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Congratulations on the
Premiere Issue of
Restaurant Marketing.
— Your friends at Menu Calculator
www.menucalc.com
Analysis for Restaurants & Professionals
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | June 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
MARKETING INGREDIENTS
trends
Today’s
for
Consumer
W
ith restaurants
becoming more aware
that eye-catching
promotional and merchandising tactics provide significant
influence on sales, marketers
are placing more emphasis
on creating innovative, eye
catching point of purchase
materials. The investment in
design innovation is significant, both in time and money.
Where to start with your own
brand? Consumers are placing
increasing demands for information. And while this isn’t a
license to clutter your restaurant
with more copy (we’re always
promoting restraint), it is a call to
examine your information architecture and find new ways your visual
cues might convey the requisite
information—quickly, of course.
Think of ways your point of purchase materials can create delight,
show consumers new ways of doing
things or empower them to do
things they never could do very
well before. For design, the
challenge is to convey simplicity,
multi-function and sophistication
with few words, while still harnessing an intuitive ease of use
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
Information on-demand.
“Information” will likely be a big
part of marketers strategy. Why?
The Internet has spoiled your
customers. Used to finding
information at a glance, or at the
very least a few keystrokes away,
consumers are increasingly comparing their hyper-connected
online experience to their
experience with products and
services. Woe to brands that make
consumers work too hard or, worse,
leaves questions unanswered.
McDonald’s Japan is responding.
The company has “QR” codes printed on its wrappers, so consumers
can scan them with their phones
to instantly connect to an Internet
site with all the relevant nutrition
and allergy information.
Alpha (fe)males. Women are going
to be big news this year. Within a
decade, the companies that do the
best job of marketing to women
will dominate every significant
product and service category.
Liberated or not, women still make
the majority of the purchase
decisions, especially for a household. By the end of 2010, women
are expected to control 60% of U.S.
private wealth. Whether or not
women are the intended users, they
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
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M A R K E T I N G I N G R E D I E N T S : Trends for Today’s Consumers
{
Today’s woman,
whether she’s a
stay-at-home mom
or a corporate climber,
is always on the go,
and ease-of-use
and convenience
symbolize to her
that your restaurant
will make her
life easier.
are the prime audience restaurants
must attract. But just because
females are the purchasers doesn’t
mean the design elements have to
be “feminine.”
Women look to restaurant
brands that provide a
distinct
point of
difference.
Today’s
woman,
whether
she’s a
stay-at-home mom or a
corporate climber, is always on
the go, and ease-of-use and convenience symbolize to her that your
restaurant will make her life easier.
Ethical consumerism. Another
trend that is expected to skyrocket in 2010 has been years in
the making. Ethical consumerism
has become the phrase to describe
Americans’ penchant for shopping with a conscience. And it’s no
longer just about environmentally
friendly materials but, now, the
consequences of manufacturing and
consumption as well.
Brands have responded by significantly stepping up the number of
products taking an ethical stance,
such as organic, hormone-free, ecofriendly, locally-grown, cruelty-free
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
and other “ethical” claims
So how does these impact restaurants? To begin, it points to issues
of biodegradability, recyclability,
reusability and, even, the reduction
of packaging overall.
Brands are now
being held much
more accountable for their environmental and
social practices; if
you’re not tuned
in to all these ethical demands, you’re simply going
to lose out. “Enviro-biographies”
are going to be attached to just
about everything, letting consumers know the entire life story of a
product: where the materials were
harvested, where it was constructed, how far it traveled, and where
it ended up after being thrown
away or recycled.
Safe and secure. We’ll also be seeing increased scrutiny towards food
safety and security measures. Last
year’s H1N1 outbreak, and all of
the media coverage it received, is a
big factor. Add to that the ongoing debate about the prospect of
agricultural terrorism, the rising
number of counterfeited goods and
the release of new packaging toxicity studies and you have a recipe
for heightened anxiety about food
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
Can you write a caption for this McDonald’s visual
that could go here? Can you write a caption for this
McDonald’s visual that could go here? Can you write
a caption for this McDonald’s visual that could go
here? Can you write a caption for this McDonald’s
visual that could go here? Can you write a caption
for this McDonald’s visual that could go here? Can
you write a caption for this McDonald’s visual that
could go here? Can you write a caption for this
McDonald’s visual that could go here?
safety and packaging.
Look to other categories. Influence comes from any number of
directions. There aren’t hard lines
between what is relevant to a
marketer in one category versus
another these days. Consumers
tune in to what’s relevant, and
what’s served up in a unique way,
and tune out the rest. They don’t
‘consume’ marketing by category.
Gas stations, convenience stores
and general merchandisers like
Target and Walgreens are adding
fresh food and grab and go items
for busy consumers. These foodservice at retail brands are watching restaurants, are you watching
them?
Product visibility. Does your brand
“break through” even from several
feet away?
Some restaurant brands simply
look more compelling than the
competition, which helps them
break through clutter and connect
with consumers on an emotional
level. Try the gutter test. We’ve
all seen them, cups smashed in the
gutter on the side of the road; can
you tell what brand it is? Where it
came from? It’s a great way to see
if your brand can really stand out
and make an impact visually, in a
split second.”
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
Kids! The phenomenon of overscheduled kids who require constant shuttling to and from activities might underlie a valid shift
toward on-the-go consumption and
convenience meals. This is unlikely
to reverse itself in the foreseeable
future. But, just forcing your product into a cup holder or backpack is
not the solution. Product formulation and structure must work handin-hand to create true out-of-home
convenience.
Busy Lives. Harried lives drive
consumers’ expectations that the
things they buy improve their busy
lives. The majority of consumers
are not passionate about “design”
per se—and if they are, it is surely
a trend rather than a shift. But
they are forever thrilled by design
that delivers. Restaurants brands
that are better than expected are
broaching a new frontier of unabashedly delighting the consumer.
Positioning your restaurant brand
so that it truly accommodates the
way a consumer wants to use it—
is more important today than ever.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
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Bright Ideas
f
TOMS shoes for tomorrow
f
or TOMS shoes making covetable
footwear and giving back to children
in need are one in the same goal.
While traveling around the world in
2006, Blake Mycoskie, came up with the
creative vision of TOMS shoes when he
saw that many children in third world
countries didn’t have shoes to protect
their feet. In countries where walking is
a way of life and shoes are scarce, Blake
saw an opportunity to change the lives
of children. TOMS shoes is built on the
premise that with every shoe purchased,
a child in need gets a new pair of shoes.
“One for today and one for tomorrow.”
Since 2006 over 300,000 pairs of shoes
have been given to children in need.
Companies like TOMS shoes demonstrate that purchasing power makes a
difference. Restaurateurs can take a cue
from TOMS business model by hosting a
shoe fundraiser in their own community.
Invite local community members to come
and eat for free with the donation of
a pair of shoes. For more information
about TOMS shoes please visit
http://www.tomsshoes.com.
The Dukester
Restaurant
Marketing
Seminar
© 2010
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
MARKETING INGREDIENTS
POP
Point of Purchase
The Silent Sales Force
f
or restaurateurs, marketing
within the four walls is just
as important as marketing
outside the four walls. Point of
purchase materials are essential
in carrying out the communication of marketing messages
within the restaurant. These
materials allow consumers to
make perceptions about a brand
and can potentially drive traffic, increase sales and positively
impact consumer choices. Point of
purchase materials help consumers make purchasing decisions at
these strategic locations throughout the restaurant.
Choose a message to communicate. Restaurants can use POP
materials to share about instore events, sell menu items or
introduce new menu items. These
materials can communicate a
message, share the brand story
and increase trial. It is very important that brands commit to a
message and follow through with
their POP materials. The message
should be clear and to the point
and should fit into the brand’s
positioning with all other
marketing materials.
{
Table tents, check presenters
and table numbers provide
messaging space to
communicate to guests.
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M A R K E T I N G I N G R E D I E N T S : Point of Purchase, The Silent Sale Force
»»» Utilize all different types of POP.
Here are some of the different forms of POP that are available to restaurants:
»
T able Tents & Register Toppers: Use these at the tables and on registers in the restaurant to market upcoming
events, specials or promotions. Use these to upsell drinks, desserts and appetizers as well as to promote new
menu items.
» Wall Hangings & Signs: Posters and signs with a message, logo and food photography shot can help increase
sales of new and existing guests. Use these to share store messages, increase customer appetite and drive sales
of menu items.
»W
indow Clings: These are easy to put up and attract attention from the outside.
» Ceiling Danglers: Use these to promote new menu items in the store as an alternative to posters.
» D igital Advertising: These work best for quick service restaurants to keep customers entertained while they
wait in line. They can be used to advertise menus options and events. Fast Casual Magazine says, “Digital
signage and digital menu boards have shown plenty of promise for quick-service chains, especially their ability
to offer centralized control over promotions, price changes and menu rollouts.”
» C heck Presenters: Many restaurateurs forget to utilize this important tool that customers are insured to see
when they pay the bill. Use these to share upcoming event information, bounce backs or the restaurant story.
» G ift Card Displays: These can be utilized all year round, not just for holidays. Use POP merchandised gift
cardholders to increase impulse buys for birthdays, graduations and other holidays outside of winter like
Valentines Day or Easter.
Point of purchase materials increase impulse buys.
Research shows that 53
percent of those in-store
purchases are made on
impulse. Depending on
the restaurant establishment, quick service
or fast casual, impulse
purchases can occur at
the register or the table.
Both register toppers
and table tents can help
promote the impulse
purchases of dessert and
appetizers. Using enticing food
photography and creative copy,
restaurants can increase sales of
both new and profitable menu
items. These are both great ways
to launch sales of new menu items
or increase profits by selling higher
16
margin menu items.
Brand the point of
purchase message.
Point of purchase
materials should
always reinforce
brand positioning
and should include
the same design
aesthetic, logos and
colors as the rest
of the marketing
materials. Similarly, POP materials need to be synced with one
another. Too many messages in the
restaurant window, at the register
or table can confuse guests and
lower restaurant brand perceptions.
POP messages need to be positioned
to work together to form a single
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
message to drive sales and increase
traffic.
Use point of purchase materials
to inform guests about events and
promotions. Restaurateurs need
to take advantage of those customers that they already have because
these are the ones that are most
likely to attend special events and
participate in promotions. Restaurateurs should always integrate
point of purchase materials to
communicate the message about
events and promotions. Table tents,
register toppers and check presenters can be used to share these
messages to in-store guests, while
banners, posters and a-frame signs
can communicate event messages
to community traffic outside the
restaurant.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
“
“
Take advantage of vendor partnerships when creating point of
purchase materials. Often, vendors
can provide photos or even help
pay for point of purchase materials if their logo is included. For
example, Duke Marketing recently
helped Sandella’s Flatbread Café
design POP collateral for their
Mardi Gras promotion in which
the entire chain gave away a Pepsi
with the purchase of their Brazilian
Flatbread.
Point of purchase materials
should include the same design
aesthetic, logos and colors as
the rest of the marketing
materials.
Pepsi contributed a soda photo to
add to the posters, table tents and
banners that Sandella’s used to
promote their Mardi Gras
celebration.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
17
M A R K E T I N G I N G R E D I E N T S : Point of Purchase, The Silent Sale Force
Restaurants have a very valuable
tool at their disposal to drive home
the messages of POP materials—
food! Using samples along with POP
is a great way to increase sales.
Restaurants can use bakery display
cases to show off new menu items,
or provide small pastry tasters to
increase add-on purchases.
Finally, restaurants must remember
that POP cannot stand alone. POP
must be integrated into all the
marketing efforts of the brand.
Whether the POP exists to promote
an event or communicate about
catering orders, all employees must
fulfill their sales and local store
marketing obligations. Staff
members also need to communicate
POP messages, like new menu
items, by upselling to patrons in
the restaurant. Signs do promote
the message within the four walls,
to existing guests, but to create
an integrated marketing campaign
that works restaurateurs must
share their message with the
public.
the Do’s&Don’ts
of
POP:
» D O use POP to create a
» DO use point of purchase
» DO integrate all point of purchase branded materials.
» D O keep POP simple and
branded message.
» D O use point of purchase materials to increase sales.
» D O use eye catching food
photography and contrasting
colors to get the attention of
guests.
» D O use point of purchase ma-
terials to inform guests about
upcoming events and promotions.
18
materials to sell new and high
profit menu items.
direct.
» D O partner with vendors for
POP.
» D O rotate POP every 4-8
weeks.
» D O place POP in highly visible
» D ON’T forget to put a logo on
point of purchase materials.
» D ON’T forget to add an offer to
increase sales.
» D ON’T use point of purchase
materials without a food shot
if you are marketing a new
menu item. Please make sure
that the food shot looks professional.
areas to drive sales.
» D ON’T use multiple point of
purchase materials to share
many different messages.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
MARKETING INGREDIENTS
facebook
for
Restaurants
f
or restaurateurs, community
involvement and interaction is
essential to spreading positive
word of mouth, increasing trial,
frequency and loyalty. However, for
busy restaurateurs, getting outside
the four walls and communicating with loyal patrons as well the
community can prove challenging.
Social media sites, like Facebook, can
help restaurateurs regularly share
interactive messages, even when it
is impossible to get outside of the
restaurant. Further, restaurateurs
can get to know fans, get valuable feedback and create beneficial
relationships with local community
members.
Although Facebook cannot completely supplant traditional marketing and public relations tactics, it
creates another channel to share
these messages within the local community. Facebook creates a virtual
space for members of the community
to interact with a restaurant and can
help a local restaurant establish its
place in the community. Restaurants
can use Facebook to impart messages about events, new menu items,
daily or weekly specials or other
promotional offers to drive traffic
and increase sales in the restaurant.
Guests and restaurateurs can engage
in direct communication using
Facebook to increase frequency and
loyalty with their fans.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
19
M A R K E T I N G I N G R E D I E N T S : Facebook for Restaurants
Creating a Facebook Page. First and
foremost, restaurants need to create a
Facebook page. Perhaps Business Week
puts this best, “Resistance to Social
Media is futile. Your competitors are
already there. Your customers have
been there for a long time. If your
business isn’t putting it out there,
you ought to be.” Creating a Facebook
page for a restaurant is easy and if
you don’t have one already, chances
are that people want to follow your
brand. Restaurants can
choose to preface their
company in the business, group or product
category and can then
tailor their profile to
match their brand
by adding additional
general and contact
information and
photos. The information section should
typically resemble
the information that appears on your
website, such as store hours, locations,
what kind of food your restaurant
serves as well as the types of drinks
that are available, what type of dress
is expected or whether your restaurant
accepts reservations. Restaurateurs
can also include a link to download
a menu, a sample of signature menu
items and a backgrounder about
the chef.
Communication is Key. Facebook provides restaurants with many options
for successful public relations and
communications. Networking through
fans is one of the best ways that
restaurateurs can share information
and create a following on Facebook.
Restaurants can reach out to fans by
posting notes or links, which share
news stories about local promotions or
recent restaurant reviews. Restaurants
can also send out event invitations for
events where fans can
R.S.V.P. or upload photos or video. Facebook
also allows restaurants
to interact with fans
through polls, quizzes,
or group discussion. Engaging in communication with fans through
these various tactics
on Facebook creates a
buzz and helps build a
fan base. Restaurants
should use these free and easy tools
of Facebook to connect with their
community, and most importantly, use
them often to keep their Facebook fan
base connected.
Facebook Update. Like any form of
communication, social media sites
cannot flourish if the site is left to
its own devices. To generate a buzz,
a Facebook site needs to be updated
regularly to generate on online community
tips:
» D O NOT use Facebook to pitch other brands or the media. It is inappropriate and simply does not work.
» Facebook Pages ensure better search engine optimization results, spreading information about a
business. It only takes a few hours to create, but businesses must be sure they have the time to
update it frequently.
» C ross Promote Your Facebook Link on your website and blog, even on your restaurant menus
or table tents to increase fan base and page visits.
» P ost Videos of Events, cooking demonstrations or a restaurant tour to keep fans interested
with your brand.
» P romote events online. Let people know about specials or events by sending an event invitation
on Facebook. This can increase viral marketing through news feeds from your network outwards in the
greater social graph.
» S hare Information on Facebook Post restaurant locations, a website URL, what types of credit
and to build readership among fans—
if content is left alone a fan base
will never grow. Facebook provides a
channel to harness relationships in
the virtual world, but for meaningful relationships to grow, restaurants
need reciprocate comments, post new
information and engage their fans. By
restaurants simply positing status updates once a week or more often they
can increase click through rates and
page views. Dairy Queen, for example,
shares links from its other sites, like
its “Blizzard of the Month”, but this
small act increases fan participation
of posts and comments. When users
comment, their friends will see links
to these comments on their own
Facebook walls. An investment in time
can engage restaurant clientele, help
restaurant’s receive feedback, both
positive and negative, and promote
products and marketing efforts to their
fan base.
Measuring Success. A popular Facebook page can easily spread word of
mouth about events or promotions and
even increase sales and drive traffic
to a restaurant location. To expand
the fan base, many restaurants host
a contest or giveaway. Contests and
giveaways help measure online success
with real world numbers. Take Einstein
Bros. Bagels Facebook promotion as
a good example. The national bagel
chain gave out digital coupons for a
free “bagel and shmear” to Facebook
users that joined their fan page. Before
the giveaway launched, the fan page
had 4,000 fans, and it grew to more
than 300,000 fans in less than two
days, according to the company. Restaurants can use this example to create their own contest, such as monthly
dinner for two giveaways exclusively
for Facebook fans. This tactic helps
build brand ambassadors and can create a viral effect that will help bring
Facebook fans to your restaurant.
Integrated Marketing. Restaurants
should use Facebook to create a buzz
about in store promotions, events or
contests. Baskin Robbins’ makes it
easy for Facebook fans to participate
in their “Birthday Club” promotion,
which gives participants a free ice
cream each year on their birthday just
cards are accepted, hours, name and photo of the chef and a link to a menu.
20
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
by signing up. When Facebook users
click on the image of its “Birthday Club” they can sign up for the
Birthday Club on the Baskin Robbins
webpage. This helps increase their
email database and drive traffic to
their homepage so that users can see
other information about the national
ice cream chain. Restaurants can use
this example to hold their own e-club
contest or invite Facebook fans to
events and promotions in store. This
can help increase sales and drive traffic to a restaurant location.
Picture This. One of the more gratifying uses of Facebook is sharing photos
from events, activities or food shots
that display the restaurant experience. Fans become more engaged and
connected through pictures of the
restaurant brand. Not to mention
that those that have never
been to your restaurant will be
encouraged to visit a restaurant
if their Facebook page offers
compelling photos. Recently,
Duke Marketing assisted Sandella’s Flatbread Cafe in Aliso
Viejo with their Fat Tuesday
Mardi Gras celebration.
Duke Marketing took photos of the
event and posted pictures to the
brand’s Facebook page. Posting
photos allows restaurateurs to make a
connection with those in their community while inspiring others to come
try the restaurant.
Use existing applications to promote
your story. Polls, quizzes and other
applications are readily available in
the administration section for Facebook page owners and take only a few
minutes to install. Restaurateurs can
use applications like Opentable, for
online reservations, or Zagat, to share
reviews, which are easy to find within
Facebook’s application directory.
Another option, if you know how to
develop HTML, is to create your own
tab customization using Facebook’s
HTML-style FBML markup language.
These can help drive product awareness, give away a coupon or free menu
item and increase participation in
discussions about a restaurant brand.
A final note. The goal of any restaurant’s marketing campaign is to
increase frequency and loyalty among
new and existing guests. Making and
updating a Facebook page can help
promote recommendations, which
ultimately increases frequency and
trial. To directly track the return on
the cost of running a Facebook page,
proprietors should try more advanced
methods of using pages. A tab with an
image of a printable coupon would be
one way to track internet success into
real world numbers. Most importantly,
restaurateurs should use their Facebook often so successes translates into
increased frequency and loyalty at
their restaurant.
{
{
Networking
through fans is one
of the best ways that
restaurants can share
information and
create a following in
Facebook.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
21
MARKETING INGREDIENTS
Responsible
{
marketing
a
ccording to the
National Restaurant Association’s
(NRA) 2010 Restaurant Industry Forecast,
restaurants will account
for 9% of the workforce,
currently contributing
4% of the gross domestic product and these
numbers are expected
to grow. The restaurant
business may soon become the nation’s argest
employer.
The US has lost jobs in manufacturing, hi-tech industries, agriculture
and more to other countries. As
such a large employer, we have a
responsibility to aid in the economic recovery. This does not mean
adding more employees or
supporting the IRS by donating
more to taxes. What this means is
being responsible when purchasing
product, supplies and materials.
22
national producers and
companies. This will
increase the velocity of
the dollar, offering you
a return in investment
by helping to create a
healthy economy.
Restaurateurs must think “sustainability” on a local and national
level.
Work with your distributor by
asking what products you can order
which are made or grown locally.
It is surprising how many already
have sources for “organic” and “
sustainable” lines now available.
This helps by distributing your
money locally, statewide or
nationally, which will help employ
and support local, state and
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
How does this benefit
you? It is good PR. By
using menus, signage,
check presenters and
just having you and your
people tell others of
your efforts, you create goodwill,
loyal customers, and ambassadors
willing to share your story bringing
more business to your table.
Restaurants have the ability to
become part of the solution by
taking an active part, thinking
where their money is being spent.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
source locally:
» Food
» S upplies
» Materials
it creates:
» Jobs
» Good
Will
» Loyal
Guest
» B rand Ambassadors
» Healthier
Economy
»M
ore Business
{
g
As such a
large employer,
we have a
responsibility to
aid in the
economic
recovery.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
23
CHEF-RATEUR
TM
special
touches
22
With celebrity chefs and foodie
culture on the rise, consumers are
more curious than ever about the
face behind the food. Creating a
local celebrity chef is a wonderful
way to inspire consumer intrigue.
The story of the chef is important to share with guests, the
community and the local media.
The chef’s story can be communicated through the website or
A great way for chefs to get to
know guests is through an intimate food and wine tasting event,
cooking class, or a educational
session. By showing guests the
art of tasting, they will better
understand the complexity of the
food and wine pairing as well as
the selection of wines a restaurant
has to offer. Chefs can invite wine
vendors to help with this event. A
cooking class is also a great way
for chefs to get to know locals and
loyal patrons.
By providing
special touches, chefs
and the restaurant
they work for will stand
above & beyond
others and they will
stand out and be the
consumer’s
choice.
{
The importance of special touches
is to create a personal relationship between the chef and the
customer. Chefs need to assert
their position in front of guests to
create this relationship. Bringing
food items straight to the table
with an introduction makes guests
feel important. A chef can bring
a plate of food or a warm tray of
freshly baked cookies straight from
the oven and serve them to a table
of guests. This creates an intimate
connection with guests. Similarly,
on the menu. On a more personal
level, chefs can share their favorite
recipes with guests. Hand signed
recipe cards from the chef passed
out alone or tied to a bag of cookies, is a great way to impress guests
and share a story.
{
s
C
onsumers have lots of choices
when it comes to restaurants.
How do restaurants stand out
to be the consumer’s choice? In a
tough economy, restaurants must
deliver a memorable experience.
One of the greatest ways to create
a memorable and enjoyable experience for guests is through special
touches. Now more than ever,
guests are very selective about their
dining choices. Guests have the
expectations of a fine dining experience, without a hefty price point.
Guests crave an emotional connection and a high level of customer
service, as well as an experience
that cannot be matched.
the act of finishing a dish
at the table is a wonderful way to win the heart’s
of customers. Providing
simple touches like tossing
a salad or dusting powdered sugar on a desert is a
touch that personalizes the
dining experience. experience. Providing guests with
something additional, that
they did not order, is a
great way to impress guests
and to create a valuable
relationship with patrons.
In the face of the recession, many
restaurants have cut back on extra
amenities before a meal. These
small touches are what often define
the consumer’s choice. A small
taster, like an amouse bouche,
before guests order or before they
are seated is a special touch that
will be remembered. The chef can
deliver small, complimentary desserts for guests when the meal is
complete. Bringing out a taster is
a great way for chefs to meet their
loyal patrons before and after the
dinner rush. If the chef doesn’t
have time to make this trip, waiters can help by bringing tasters
“Compliments of the Chef” to
guests.
.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
25
M A R K E T I N G I N G R E D I E N T S : Facebook for Restaurants
Special touches like bringing hot
cookies out of the oven for guests
creates a memorable experience.
tips:
» P osting a sample video of a cooking demonstration can help get
people to sign up for a cooking class. Chefs can also work with the
local community college to promote the culinary classes.
» It is imperative that chefs and restaurants get involved in the
community. Whether this means giving back with a fundraiser or hosting a kitchen
tour for kids, the community will recognize these personal actions and will be loyal
diners.
» H ost a local’s night. Have the chef provide a tasting event for locals only and donate
the proceeds to a local charity.
» H ave chef take photos with guests. Create a photo album to share at the front of the
restaurant and email guests their portrait with the chef. This will make anyone feel
like a celebrity!
A chef instructed cooking class
reveals the secret of the restaurant
chef and provides guests with an
unmatchable experience. Not to
mention that educational sessions
are also a very popular community
activity and are a great promotional
tool for restaurants.
The chef may not always be able
to make a trip out to the restaurant floor, but with a bit of planning, special touches from the chef
can still be arranged. Bottling
a restaurant’s signature sauce or
preparing small bags of cookies to
give to customers at the end of their
meal is a special touch that keeps
the restaurant in the mind of the
guest long after they have left the
restaurant. However, when bottling
26
and packaging food, restaurants
must adhere to FDA rules and regulations. For example, a bottled sauce,
even if it is only a marinade, must
be vacuum packed and stored at a
proper temperature, especially if it
contains perishable ingredients. To
take this step out of the restaurant
kitchen, chefs can license their
sauce to an established proprietor so
that FDA regulations are followed.
However, this can be expensive and
consideration must be given. If
bottled items are meant as a give
away to guests or to sell in house,
an at home canning or preserving
method may be a better approach.
Food items like dry rub spice mixtures, herb infused oils or packaged
homemadebread is great to give to
guests at the end of the meal and
require less regulation. Including a
recipe card with an oil or spice rub
for a popular dish at the restaurant
allows guests to enjoy their favorite
dishes in their own home.
A guest book is a great way that
chefs can engage with customers
even when the kitchen is busy. The
hostess can ask guests to sign the
book at the end of their meal. This
is an interactive activity that guests
enjoy. The chef will too feel proud
reading the compliments of loyal
guests, which can help a chef get to
know his or her diners.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
For many chefs, social media provides a way to market themselves to
the public. The Internet is a great
space for chefs to share their love of
food and their opinions with their
community. Youtube videos of cooking demonstrations from the chef are
a great way to interact with guests
at home. New York Times says, “For
many chefs in the current economic
climate, cooking no longer seems
enough. To make their names, they
need to develop online personas as
well as culinary ones.” Other social
media channels like Facebook or
Twitter allow chefs to share photos,
recipes and stories from the kitchen.
This allows the chef to communicate
with guests on their free time to
answer questions and comments.
Now more than ever, restaurants
must take initiative to ensure loyal
diners. Chefs in particular must
assume a public role to make a
personal connection with guests
in order to increase loyalty and
frequency. Whether chefs provide a
complimentary taster or post a cooking demonstration on the Internet
they are showing their dedication
to their community. By providing special touches, chefs and their
restaurant will stand out be the
consumer’s choice.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
FACES & PLACES
faces
& places
The International Culinary School and The Art Institute of California-Sacramento
invited Linda Duke to Speak to the Restaurant Management class shown here.
Students are working towards a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management and
Duke shared real client case studies and firsthand experience to students getting
started in the dynamic culinary field.
PR@Cal, a social group of students from UC Berkeley,
Haas School of Business, which focuses on educational
topics regarding public relations, hosted an educational dinner and mixer and a panel of industry experts.
Linda Duke was one of the panelists and students
enjoyed hearing real client examples and enjoyed
one-on-one questions with Duke afterward.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
27
NRAShow2010
L
A
B
C
D
E
F
M
H
G
I
> > > Please send your photos in from restaurant industry
events to be in Faces & Places next issue.
28
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
N
J
I
K
L
M
N
P
O
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
Captions: A) Ed Frechette of Au Bon Pain
and Fast Casual Industry Council Member
leads the Fast Casual seminar at the NRA
show. B) LDuke at the NRA booth on
the show floor. C) Celebrity Chef Spike
Mendelsohn and LDuke at his cookbook
signing. D) Nik & Al Bhakta of Genghis
Grill with Mike Fagen of Duke Marketing
E) Wall Street Journal Network Radio
Editor and LDuke at ZED451 in Chicago.
F) CSP Media’s Paul Reuter and friend
with LDuke. G) Fast Casual Council
Members enjoy dinner out. H) Mike
Fryer, editor Food & Beverage News enjoys
the press tour of ZED451. I) The Broaster
Company had a line at their booth the
whole day—free chicken. J) Darren
Tristano of Technomic and Paul Barron
of Fast Casual at Technomic’s annual Ritz
reception. K) The Monkey Media gang!
L) The Fast Casual panel at the NRA show
was standing room only. M) TV and
Radio talent for Wall Street Journal sips
a cocktail at the press tour of ZED451.
N) CNBC has a youth production crew
O
(recent college grads) produce local news.
The crew filmed a piece about ZED451.
O) Fast Casual Panel NRA Show. Left to
right: Scott Davis of Panera Bread, Louis
Basile Chairman of the Fast Casual
Council and CEO of Wildflower Bread
Company, Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs
and Fast Casual Council Members, Linda
Duke & Paul Barron. P) Linda Duke,
Louis Basile and Dawn Sweeney, CEO of
the National Restaurant Association at
the meet and greet event for the Fast
Casual Council following
25 the panel at the
NRA show.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Crisis
Management
Food Borne Illnesses. Every year, the
effects of food borne illnesses sicken
nearly 76 million Americans. Getting
people sick is the last memory that
restaurateurs want to leave in the
minds of their customers. So what
can restaurants do when trouble
strikes? Well, most importantly restaurants need to take control of the
situation, deal with the problem at
hand so no one else gets
sick and then work to return
trust to their communities.
When a small restaurant chain experienced an E. coli break out in their
restaurants they took action immediately. They contacted all general
managers and ordered them to discard
all produce and any other suspicious
food that could have been contaminated. Further, they found a new lettuce supplier to take the place of the
supplier that delivered the contaminated lettuce. Next, they coordinated
their own private investigation with
state and county health officials to
pinpoint the source of the outbreak.
Within a matter of days they publically apologized to their communities
in which the restaurants are located.
The restaurant chain invited the
media to the restaurant to film their
new lettuce washing procedures.
They sent food to news crews and
published a full-page ad in the local
newspaper offering three days of free
food at their locations. This act
{
30
brought in nearly 50,000 customers
throughout the three-day period,
many of who said they would return
and pay their moneys worth next
time. Finally, the chain also created
a 1-800 number giving customers
the opportunity to call in with their
medical claims, which they paid in
full.
Restaurateurs can use valuable educational measure to control preventable
food borne illnesses in the kitchen.
Educating employees about hand
washing, sanitizing, keeping foods at
their proper temperatures or heating
foods to their proper temperatures are
all preventative measures. Food safety
programs like the National Restaurant
Association’s ServSafe® work with
restaurants to educate others about
proper food handling. Please visit
http://www.servsafe.com for more
information.
Practicing the plan
for crisis management is
essential to ensure that
everything goes smoothly
in the event of a crisis.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
{
r
estaurateurs need to know how
to manage and deal with a
crisis. Irresponsible or irrational actions pertaining to a crisis can
be damaging to a long withstanding
reputation. Restaurateurs can learn
from other’s stories and take necessary steps to handle their crisis in a
positive manner. Once restaurateurs
learn to deal with a crisis at hand,
they can work to rebuild trust in their
communities and return to satisfying
their customers with great food.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
t
Social Media Scandal. The fear of a
social media scandal is a real concern
for restaurants. The problem of a viral
video, photo or Internet rumor can
spread like wildfire in a matter of
minutes damaging the restaurant’s
reputation far beyond the 3-mile
radius.
Domino’s Pizza provides a great
example of properly dealing with a
social media crisis. When two Dom-
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
ino’s employees posted to Youtube
crude acts behind the scenes in the
restaurant kitchen, Domino’s had a
full blown crisis on their hands in a
matter of hours. The video attracted
an alarming number of views and
threatened positive perceptions of the
Domino’s brand. However, Domino’s
reacted quickly to the situation and
turned a negative attention grabber into a positive situation. The
pizza chain listened, responded and
reassured the public that this was
an isolated event, through the same
video channel that the perpetrators
used to post their crude acts. The
video was removed within a few days
with the Domino’s company assurance
video posted in its place. Domino’s
instilled trust in the public by using
Youtube to demonstrate that what
these employees did was wrong
and that it does not reflect on the
whole of the Domino’s brand. Natural
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
31
Disaster. A natural disaster is not an
isolated event at the restaurant because it affects the entire community.
Restaurateurs can work to provide assistance and a meeting place for their
community members. For example,
after Hurricane Georges hit Key West,
Florida, Mangoes restaurateur Amy
Culver-Aversa worked to feed more
than 1,000 residents and disaster
relief workers despite power outages.
The day following the storm, the
restaurant worked to feed the police,
firefighters, members of the National
Guard, the media, locals and staff
members. Additionally, during the
two week clean up, Mangoes provided
hot meals for anyone who visited
the restaurant and even delivered
meals to those that were housebound.
Mangoes worked with other Key West
restaurant to prepare meals with their
running generator for food that would
otherwise be spoiled in order to fuel
the effort. Overall, the restaurant
worked with the local community in
their time in need and was greatly respected for their actions—they stood
out as a responsible restaurant and a
community leader.
tips:
» Social media networks are powerful assets in managing a crisis. This is the space where many people will come to look first for the truth
from those that they trust.
» The affects of the crisis do not just affect your business. They affect the community and the general public as well keep this in mind.
» In order to make sure that crisis plans get practiced, set a date and time each month to carry out the scenarios.
» Create a crisis management team that incorporates all different sectors of your company. Having a diverse team from including quality
assurance, operations, claims and communications helps keep clear communication throughout all aspects of the company as well keeping
options open to different suggestions about way to deal with the problem.
» Local non-profits are there to help. Whether raising money or spreading good word, these are community members that you can trust.
» Keeping good relationships with the media is essential for positive press during a crisis. Until waiting for a crisis to occur, bring the
media some food and drinks just to let them know you think they are important.
» If it isn’t already mandated by the state, every business should have an evacuation plan. This needs to be posted clearly where
employees will know to find it. On the plan should be listed emergency phone numbers, a corporate contact and medical phone
numbers. Training employees in CPR and first aid can also help when managing an emergency.
» You should have well-stocked first-aid kits, fire extinguishers, and fully charged batteries for things like portable telephones.
» Print out copies of a prepared statement to hand to customers that have questions.
» Brands may need to be willing to bring in a psychological counselor for employees during post-crisis management.
» Restaurateurs are important members of the community. People trust and rely on your business. During a crisis
it is essential to appear visible, open and human. Approach the media with confidence in your leadership.
» Competition is tough but if restaurateurs attempt to see the positive elements they can make the most of
the situation. Fox example, restaurateurs could have a cooking competition between their store and the
competition. They could both invite the local media and community and broadcast it through the media.
They could sell food all day as well and raise money collectively for charity. This could become an
annual activity that brings community members to both establishments.
32
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S : Crisis Management
tipsfor crisis management
While no restaurant enjoys a crisis, the result doesn’t have to be entirely
negative, even if the restaurant is at fault. Generally, the public is forgiving
of honest mistakes. When restaurants admit the error and make amends with
the community, they may have a chance to enhance their reputation. Here are
some tactics to reinvigorate consumer trust:
Give food away. This is a great way to increase traffic, keep the restaurant full
and change customer perceptions that have been damaged by a crisis.
Involved the media. The media can help restaurants improve their image. Restaurants can invite the media to film about improved food safety initiatives,
help with finding criminals or spreading the word about how a restaurant has
turned a negative situation into positive situation.
Keep customers informed. The worst possible thing your restaurant can do
during a crisis is to keep customers in the dark. Customers want to know
what is going on at your restaurant and it is your responsibility to keep them
informed. Restaurants can and should use social media, media outlets and in
store POP to keep customers in the know about action steps that restaurants
have taken since the crisis.
Instill Trust. As leaders in their communities, it is imperative that restaurateurs take the necessary steps to reinvigorate confidence in the public about
their brand. Restaurants need to share information with the public and keep
communication lines open—especially if people are in danger. Restaurants
must remember that building trust again takes time. If restaurateurs are taking
positive steps in the right direction and staying true to their communities,
trust will follow.
Don’t give into panic. Yes, it is important that restaurants act quickly, but it is
also important that they do not make anxious or rash decisions. The first signs
of a crisis are tense moments, but take a few moments, collect your thoughts
and start thinking rationally about the situation.
Take care of regular business. Do not get so highly wrapped up in the problem at hand so that you neglect your daily business responsibilities and most
importantly loyal customers.
Similarly, when fixing a problem the focus should be on taking care of what
needs to be dealt with immediately. Communication following a crisis will flow
more smoothly once the problem has been handled.
Bring in a professional. Handling media calls, getting business back on track
and taking care of regular customers may be too much to take on, especially if
you’re facing your first crisis. A crisis management team knows how to handle
the situation at hand, and most likely has in the past handled one similar to
the one that you are facing. Most importantly, a trained crisis management
firm allows you to get back to work and takes some of the stress off of yourself
and other workers.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
33
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Newsrooms &
social media
»»»»»»
S
ince the collapse of the financial sector last fall, the journalism industry has lost jobs at almost thee times the rate of jobs lost in the
country. News media, including newspapers and broadcast, have lost
35,885 jobs since September 15th 2008.
While each new social media tool has its own unique features and benefits,
all share common characteristics.
Message. We must tailor the message to fit the channel. With social media,
the message requires two big adjustments. One is length: social media demands concise, well-honed messages, with no room for excess verbiage. The
second adjustment involves tone: Corporate speak isn’t accepted in social
media. If you want your message to connect with your audience via these
channels, then it needs to be straightforward, open and honest.
Audience. Social media allows you to focus on narrowly targeted audience
segments. Using Facebook fan pages, Twitter’s robust search capabilities,
intensely focused message board and other social media grouping tools, users seek out like-minded people online. We are essentially sorting ourselves
into audience segments through our online habits.
An online audience can provide insights into attitudes and opinions of critics and evangelists. Its simply a matter of knowing where and how to look
for them and then doing what we do best: engage people and cultivate
relationships.
Channel. As with every aspect of your communications plan, using social
media channels should be appropriate to the situation.
Consider and evaluate social media tactics the same way that you would
traditional media. Often this leads to a program that is a blend of traditional and new media tactics.
The basic fundamentals for effective communication are constant: Finely
tune your messages: know your audiences, which are more micro segmented that ever and deliver your messages using channels, new or traditional,
that are appropriate for your audience.
Today however, it is equally important to be prepared for the speed with
which information spreads and evokes conversation.
34
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
Coming in 2011
Local Store Marketing
University
www.lsm-u.com
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
35
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Behind the
Scenes
Did you know when you were
going to college that you
wanted to do PR?
For as long as I can remember I’ve
always been attracted to marketing,
communications and philanthropic
endeavors. I was the public relations
chair for my sorority, Kappa Kappa
Gamma, and I had a public relations
internship with the American Cancer
Society in college. I graduated from
Arizona State University with a B.S.
in Marketing.
What was your first PR job?
I was a public relations coordinator
for Santy, a Phoenix-based full-service
marketing agency. I was there three
years and focused on retail, restaurant
and luxury accounts. After paying my
dues, I was ready to give all my attention to one brand at a more strategic
level.
How did you get the Cold Stone
job? How long have you been
there?
The first time I had Cold Stone was
during my freshman year at ASU and
I instantly loved it. More specifically,
I loved the concept of creating your
own ice cream Creation, which was
relatively new at the time.
36
When I learned that Cold Stone
Creamery was based in Scottsdale,
Arizona, I really set my sights on
working there. A friend of a friend
made the introduction for me and
when a public relations coordinator
positioned opened up, I grabbed an
interview. I’m told the competition
was fierce, so I was extremely lucky
to land the position.
With my new position I could leverage
my experience working with entrepreneurs, which in Cold Stone’s case
were franchisees. I was also able to
leverage media contacts that I developed at Santy to help put Cold Stone
Creamery on the map. When I started
with Cold Stone in 2003, there were
only 300 stores. By 2005, we had
more than 1,000 stores in the US and
had begun our international expansion. It was exciting and challenging
to be part of such a high-growth
company.
This is my 8th year with Cold Stone
Creamery and Kahala combined.
(Note, Kahala is a multi-brand
franchisor that acquired Cold Stone
Creamery in 2007.)
Most exciting PR project you
have done for Cold Stone?
Getting Cold Stone Creamery on The
Oprah Winfrey Show is most definitely
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
the highlight of my career. After four
years of relationship building with the
producers, the founders of Cold Stone
were invited on the show. The Oprah
Winfrey Show constructed a store-like
set so the Cold Stone branding could
not have been better. After taking a
bite of our ice cream Oprah declared,
“I get it. I get what all the fuss is
about. This is incredible.” It was
music to my ears.
What is the most terrifying or
difficult PR project you have
had to do for Cold Stone?
When it comes to the different facets
of public relations, I find live events
to be the most challenging because
you never know if there going to be a
success until the event actually starts.
It was 2005 and we were hosting the
World’s Largest Ice Cream Social to
benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation
simultaneously at all stores nationwide. We invited actress Nicolette
Sheridan to a store in L.A. to be a
celebrity server. She was at the peak
of her popularity due to her character
on “Desperate Housewives.” A coworker and I were sent to oversee the
event. When we arrived hours before
the event to set-up, paparazzi
were already lining up. By the time
the event began we had at least 50
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
public relations, Kahala
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Jami Thompson, director of public
relations for Kahala Brands with
Desperate Housewife, Nicolette Sheridan
and Summer.
{
s
Q&A with Jami Thompson, director of brand
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
37
Harpo Studios, Chicago. Oprah doesn’t allow any
cameras or phones, even for the guests inside the
studio but I got a picture of us with Don and Susan
Dutherland, their five daughters, the producer (red
dress) and a crew member (green scarf).
paparazzi and every national entertainment broadcast network in attendance. If we hadn’t hired additional
security guards at the last minute, we
could’ve lost control of the crowd.
When it was all over, it was a huge
success and gave the Cold Stone
Creamery brand the relevancy boost
it needed. A few months later, Life &
Style ran a two-page spread titled “Celebrities Love Cold Stone Creamery.” It
was such a flattering piece, couldn’t
have asked for better!
38
What is a typical week look like
for you?
Every day brings something different, whether it’s a new crisis or a
new opportunity. However, removing
the unknowns, any given day could
consist of the following:
»M
eeting with the Kahala executive team and brand leadership
teams on strategic initiatives.
» P roactive and reactive media
relations.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
» S trategizing with our corporate
partners such as Tim Hortons or
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
» C ontributing content to Pipeline,
Kahala’s quarterly glossy magazine. I’m the editor for the “Green
Scene” section.
» C oaching franchisees on local
media opportunities
» Brainstorming
upcoming promotional ideas with the marketing
team.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
The Make-A-Wish
team that helped grant
a wish for Kate. Her
wish was to create a
Cold Stone Creation that
would be dished out to
help the organization.
We made her
Tastemaster for the day.
She made ice cream,
conducted a taste test,
was presented marketing
ideas, had a lab coat,
had an office, etc.
»W
orking on cause marketing
endeavors with the Make-AWish Foundation or the National
Breast Cancer Foundation.
Do you have a favorite Cold
Stone Flavor?
Cookie batter ice cream is my current favorite, however, rumor is our
Tastemaster has just created cinnamon bun batter ice cream in his lab.
It could be a new favorite! .
Favorite part of working for
Cold Stone?
I love promoting a product that just
about everyone loves. I also love
that fact that by helping the brand
succeed, I’m helping franchisees realize their dreams of being a successful
small business owner. It’s also rewarding to work for a brand that does
so much for the community, either
through local store-level fundraisers or through our national philanthropic efforts with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation or National Breast Cancer
Foundation.
Biggest challenge today with
social media and handling PR?
I love social media – it’s finally
putting the public back in public
relations. Before we were limited to
working with a few key media influences to spread our message, now we
can reach customers directly via the
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
web using interesting and informative content. Social media is a game
changer for marketers and I find that
very exciting.
How do you show your success—
how do you track/measure your
PR effectiveness?
A Cold Stone Creamery success is
always determined by sales and
franchisee profitability. However,
since our campaigns are integrated,
it can be difficult to track success or
failure back to one specific strategy
or tactic.
Other ways we measure success is
through anecdotal feedback from
franchisees and customers and
through the significance, tone and
reach of a media placement. Again, I
think social media is exciting because
you get instantaneous and raw feedback from your customers.
Goal you have yet to accomplish?
I’d like to accomplish my dream of
becoming an entrepreneur in the
future. I admire the people who have
the courage to take a leap of faith
like the franchisees and clients I’ve
serviced over the years.
What’s next (that you can
share—news?) for Cold Stone?
edible pieces of art that
will set the bar for the industry.
In 2010, we’re also going to continue
to expand our licensing portfolio to
include Cold Stone Creamery branded
cocoa mix.
What is the COOLEST Cold Stone
you have visited (International?)
Our flagship store in Times Square is
incredible from the inside out. The
marquee sign lights the street up and
many of the crewmembers are
Broadway hopefuls.
What do you do for fun?
Hobbies or passions when you
aren’t working?
My three biggest passions outside of
work are: 1) Dogs: I have a long-hair
miniature dachshund that I adore and
I volunteer at a local no-kill shelter; }
2) Friends and family: I love to celebrate the little and big things with
my close group of friends here in
Arizona or my family here and back
in Oregon; and 3) I just got back from
my first trip to Cabo San Lucas and
I still can’t stop talking about it. It’s
my goal to have a vacation on my
calendar at all times. My next two
vacations this year are in Las Vegas
and Telluride, Colorado.
Over the holidays we’re introducing a
new line of ice cream cakes inspired
our international partners. They are
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
39
&
ATTRACTING GUESTS
ATTRACTING GUESTS
Arrow Spinners
StreetTe
a
rrow spinners and street teams
are cost effective marketing
services which allow restaurateurs to place their marketing or
advertising messages anywhere in the
community, anytime. Restaurateurs
can effectively use arrow spinners and
street teams to increase brand recognition, promote visibility, get outside
the four walls, reach their target market and engage the local community
at a fraction of the cost of traditional
advertising. Unlike traditional advertising methods, arrow spinners and
street teams offer a creative approach
to advertising and marketing using
brightly colored signs and handouts
that are hard to forget and impossible
to ignore.
Increase Brand Recognition. Using
arrow spinners and street teams can
help increase ad views in the community. These groups use guerillamarketing tactics and colorful signs
to target a larger audience and drive
traffic to the restaurant location.
Street teams and arrow spinners
lure walking traffic and can be used
throughout the community to pass
out fliers, bounce backs or coupons to
promote a restaurant.
40
Promote Visibility. Hidden location? Off the main strip? Away from
other restaurants? These are a few
challenges that restaurateurs often
face with their restaurant location.
However, restaurateurs can effectively
drive traffic to a hidden location
with the help of arrow spinners and
street teams. These groups use word
of mouth, fliers and posters to increase visibility throughout the local
community. Their positive reminder
helps drive traffic of lapsed guests
and increase traffic of both new and
potential guests.
Get Outside the Four Walls. Restaurants get busy; food has to be served,
books need to be kept, payroll needs
to be calculated, among hundreds of
other tasks that make getting out
side the four walls difficult. Arrow spinners and street teams can
alleviate this responsibility from
the restaurateur to communicate a
message and make a community presence. Their messages can effectively
increase awareness, drive trial and
share information about promotions.
Reach Your Target Market. For restaurants, reaching their target market is
vital to increasing sales. Arrow spinners and street teams are able to work
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
with a restaurateur to
target a certain audience
or demographic based
on locations where these
groups frequent. For
example, if a restaurateur
wishes to offer early bird
specials for senior citizens,
arrow spinners or street
teams could spend time in
front of churches, retirement homes or recreational
facilities to pass out fliers
or complimentary cards.
Restaurateurs also can use
these groups to target a day
part such as lunch or dinner
to increase traffic and sales.
Arrow s
increas
in the c
Engage the Community.
Arrow spinners and street
teams remind and engage the
community about a restaurant while driving traffic and
increasing brand recognition.
Their colorful signs and fliers
remind community members
about a restaurant’s location,
share information about promotions and communicate information about food specials or new
menu items.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
Teams
spinners and street teams can
se brand recognition and awareness
community.
considered and this does
not mean discounting.
R
estaurants
are feeling
the pinch of
the “Great Recession” due to consumers eating out less often.
Finding ways to please guests
has become even more important
to make your restaurant the place
guests choose when they finally do
open their pocket books to eat. Any
advantage you can offer needs to be
tips:
Saying “yes” to your guests adds extra
sales and develops loyalty. Today,
many »
people
large, extravagant
Use find
a message
with a call to action on signs and
deserts too
large fortoone,
even two
handouts
motivate
people to come into the
For example,
provide a something free
people to restaurant.
share. With consumer
beltwith
purchase
offer
samples
tightening,
deserts
mightorbe
easier
to of signature menu
itemssize
within
the restaurant.
sell in smaller
and price.
Instead
of losing
because
of cakes
» sales
Position
arrowslices
spinners
in a desired location to inand cheesecakes
are
so
large,
crease traffic from a say
target market or demographic.
“yes” to guests
whenarrow
theyspinning
request company can help with
A trained
half orders.
Charge
half price for these
this
process.
“slivers” and make guests very happy
» Amaking
ny sign or flier should always clearly display the
while stillrestaurant
the
sale.
logo and colors. Try to integrate arrow
spinners
or entrees.
street teams
Say “yes” to
splitting
Thatinto the marketing message
by
having
them
wear
your branded shirts or hats.
is offering no charge for putting
» Restaurants can have their own arrow spinning sign
created and hire an employee or intern to spin near
the restaurant during lunch hour to lure drivers and
passers-by.
» Have arrow spinners and street teams sample food.
» Are you near a college campus? Hire college stu-
dents interested in marketing or communications
to work as a street team to pass out fliers and hang
posters on campus in exchange for food.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
24
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Restaurant Marketing Magazine
OCTOBE R 2010
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Behind the Scenes nds
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Chef-Rateur —
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R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | June 2010
Quarterly, in-depth and online
restaurant marketing publication.
Tips, tactics and success stories.
One year Subscription.
$36
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EMPLOYEES & TRAINING
EMPLOYEES & TRAINING
+ Positive = Positive
Personnel Sales
O
ne of the greatest challenges that the restaurant industry faces is
the high turn over of employees. In fact, employee turn over rate
in the restaurant industry is nearly 60%. Therefore, it is critical to
keep employees happy, which keeps the restaurant healthy. Happy attitudes drive customer frequency and loyalty, so it is critical that restaurateurs focus on employee satisfaction everyday.
{
Smiling
samplers
help drive
sales.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
The restaurant industry is one of the largest employers in the
United States. Restaurateurs, as vital leaders in this growing
economic sector, have the ability to change and improve the
lives of their employees by fostering an educated workforce.
For some restaurants this means a motivational or an educational
kick-off meeting once a year to increase employee retention and
job satisfaction.
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | June 2010
49
E M P L O Y E E S & T R A I N I N G : Positive Personnel = Positive Sales
Employees are the cogs in the wheel
that keep business turning year after year.
Their good words and happy attitudes
drive customer frequency and loyalty.
tips:
» Find ways to make employe
creating different hours. Pro
to your restaurant.
» Be an emplo
show, Unde
about y
» Som
due to long ho
offer and how you ca
» Throw an employee party, li
» Use trust games to build sup
a ball across to their fellow co
which build positive relations
» Don’t keep secrets from you
50
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | June 2010
transparent with their staff.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
E M P L O Y E E S & T R A I N I N G : Positive Personnel = Positive Sales
For other’s, meeting with employees
before promotions or involving them
in local store marketing activities
keeps employees motivated and
in the know. For example, teaching employees about business-tobusiness relationships by passing
out food in the community helps
employees learn the importance of
marketing skills, makes them
feel proud while breaking up
their everyday routine. Take
for example Wegmans Food
Markets, the multi-unit grocery
retailer, which has a program that
exemplifies dedication to employee
training and education. Last year
the chain increased spending on
employee training by 13%. Wegmans also awarded 1,423 employees
tuition scholarships for their education. Educated employees feel that
their increased job skills give them
positive responsibility in their lives,
and increased potential and education to build a brighter future for the
restaurant industry.
When employees are appreciated
they feel a better connection to their
workplace. Positive attitudes, great
customer service, coming to work
on time everyday and doing an all
around great job should never go
unnoticed. Kip Tindell, CEO of the
Container Store, which is named as
one of the “100 Best Companies To
Work For” by FORTUNE Magazine,
understands this concept very well.
The Container Store coined Valentines Day as “National We Love
Our Employees Day” to thank their
employees for their hard work and
dedication. The Container Store
worked with their vendors to create
special goody bags to give to their
4,000 employees. Employees also
received Valentine’s Day inspired National We Love Our Employees Day tshirts, sweet treats in the stores, and
a mention in a full-page ad in The
New York Times Sunday edition that
listed every employee’s name. Using
the company newsletter or Facebook
is an applicable way to build recognition and demonstrate to others what
makes a great employee. Restaurant
operators should recognize what
employees do to stand above the rest
to build a community of positive and
happy workers.
Gas cards, money and gifts, are all
great incentives, but restaurants
have something wonderful to give
away to their employees everyday—
food! As most restaurateurs know,
food makes their customers happy,
and it makes employees happy too.
Employees can make better recommendations to guests when they
know what the food tastes like,
which can help drive sales of new
and profitable menu items. Only
when the staff gets to taste the
menu items can they be passionate
about ingredients and preparation
of foods. A ‘family dinner’ before
the start of a shift involving the
entire restaurant staff can be used
to facilitate understanding of food
and cooking methods. This engaging activity establishes trust in the
restaurant and helps employees to
better understand the food as well
the brand they work for. Extending
the spirit of giving with a special
discount for employee’s friends and
family also makes employees feel
more engaged in their workplace. Not
to mention that offering a friends
and family discount increases brand
loyalty and positive word of mouth
in the local community.
For many restaurateurs the past couple of years have proved challenging.
Profit losses have lead to increased
cutbacks in jobs and cutting staff
often means that loyal employees
have to work twice as hard for the
same amount of money. This equation does not lead to happy workers.
However, some restaurants, despite
rough times have worked to improve
employee retention and satisfaction. The fast casual sandwich brand,
Panera Bread has kept its stores
ees lives more enjoyable. Perhaps they are having difficulty-finding daycare or are interested in
ovide them with answers to their challenges, and their positive attitude will be a HUGE reward
oyee for the day. Be an employee for the day. Take a cue from ABC’s newest reality television
ercover Boss and work as a regular employee at your restaurant. You can learn a great deal
your employees, what is working in the restaurant and what is not, and ways to improve.
me of the challenges the restaurant industry faces and reasons for low employee retention is
ours, low pay and a lack of benefits. Take the time to research what benefits you can afford to
an provide a better work environment for your staff.
ike a BBQ, so employees can get to know one another better and have some fun.
pport with one another. Create a circle of trust by having employees stand in a circle and pass
coworkers. This activity stresses the importance of eye contact and communication, both of
s and demonstrate the importance of being part of a team.
ur employees. Good leadership is all about communication, and the best leaders are completely
. Share your sales with staff so they understand and can offer help and solutions.
45
E M P L O Y E E S & T R A I N I N G : Positive Personnel = Positive Sales
your greatest return on investment.
Employees work face to face with
patrons and are the life support of
your business. Kip Tindell, CEO of
the Container Store says, “Think
about if the thousands of the companies across the country would put
their employees first, communicate
to them, and make them feel a true
sense of ownership in the business.
fully staffed, despite the
economic slowdown. The
company is also testing a
new cash bonus program
for hourly employees,
while expanding a program
for long-term incentives.
While all restaurant brands
may not have the ability to avoid
cutbacks they can increase employee
loyalty by offering rewards and recognizing hard work.
In a workforce of 13 million and
growing, it is hard for restaurateurs
to ignore the powerful difference
they can make in the lives of their
employees. When restaurateurs demonstrate loyalty to their employees
they can increase loyalty to their
restaurant brand and the restaurant
industry. Implementing strategies
to listen, educate, feed and reward
employees for positive behavior and
sales, will build positive attitudes
everyday. Remember, employees are
Can you imagine what the business
world in America would look like?
And talk about customer service.
When you have happy employees,
there’s no doubt you’ll have happy
customers.” Show employees they
are important assets to the company
and you will increase employee
retention, sales, customer loyalty
and make positive change for the
future generations of the restaurant
industry.
CONGRATULATIONS
FROM
www.TECHNOMIC.com
EMPLOYEES & TRAINING
Just Say
“Yes”
r
estaurants are feeling the pinch of the “Great Recession” due to
consumers eating out less often. Finding ways to please guests has
become even more important to make your restaurant the place
guests choose when they finally do open their pocket books to eat. Any
advantage you can offer needs to be considered and this does not mean
discounting.
Saying “yes” to your guests adds extra sales and develops loyalty. Today,
many people find large, extravagant deserts too large for one, even two
people to share. With consumer belt-tightening, deserts might be easier
to sell in smaller size and price. Instead of losing sales because slices of
cakes and cheesecakes are so large, say “yes” to guests when they request
half orders. Charge half price for these “slivers” and make guests very
happy while still making the sale.
Say “yes” to splitting entrees. That is offering no charge for putting one
entrée on two plates. Today many people want smaller portions, sometimes splitting a salad and/or an entrée is plenty of food for two. Also
consider guests want variety, sharing dishes is a great way to allow them
to try different things.
By saying “yes” you make your restaurant unique and different and your
guests know you care. People don’t like being told “no.” People like the
feeling of being special, spoiled, looked after, appreciated and anything to
accommodate their requests gives the operator an advantage. Instead of
looking for ways to charge more or discount or do what the “other guy” is
doing, find ways to please by saying “yes” to guests.
5
ways saying “YES” helps
1. People are cutting back, if you help,
you will win.
2. Because you are helping guests
with their budget and portion size,
they ma come in more often.
3. Guests will tell others and bring in
friends to share a meal.
4. You will end up doing more business!
5. H alf a sale is better than no sale!
FOOD & MENU
FOOD & MENU
Creating an
Oyster festival
a
n festival is a food festival
centered on the oyster. There
are a number of oyster festivals worldwide, including Australia,
New England and Northern California.
Each year, a small restaurant chain in
Northern California, Left Bank Restaurants, celebrates Oyster Week. The
promotion gives Left Bank restaurants
a unique promotion to generate addon sales and generates news about
their fresh shucked menu item and
winners of the contest they offer.
48
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
Here’s how it works:
The Promotion
1. E ach day of Oyster Week one oyster is marked with a golden X for
LUNCH and one for DINNER.
2. T he recipient of the “golden”
oyster is given a gift certificate
which will allow the guest to
receive one dozen free oysters
on the guest’s next visit to build
frequency and loyalty.
3. T here are two winners per day.
One at lunch and one at dinner.
The Contest
1. At the end of the week, all golden
oyster recipients are entered into
a drawing (20 people total).
2. T he name drawn will receive a gift
certificate which allows the winner to a one night stay at a local
Bed & Breakfast.
5. The restaurant that sells the most
oysters overall will also win. Each
employee will receive a Movie pass
at the winning location.
Implementation & Execution
uild excitement within team in
1. B
regard to sales contest
2. “ Oyster Festival” details given to
servers
Objective
1. C reate awareness of a unique
promotion
2. P rovide servers with knowledge
that will allow them a level of
comfort when selling oysters.
This will create a habit of suggestively selling the “oyster course”
pre hors d’oeuvres. Therefore
adding an additional course to the
check.
3. T he event will not only get servers trained on up-selling oysters
but other courses and beverages
Execution & Marketing
3. A
ll servers participate in an
additional contest.
1. F lyers, check presenters, bag
stuffers and table tents
4. The server that sells the most
oysters as a percentage of total
sales receives a gift certificate for
a night at the same pre-selected
Bed & Breakfast.
2. A
press release to send out to
target publications
3. S pecifics on daily and grand
prizes to be given
4. Set dates and times for Oyster
experts to come in to present to
servers to provide more information.
5. W
inner guidelines for employees
and for guests
ost/ess armed with details for
3. H
“Oyster Festival” for making
reservations, to be mentioned to
guests.
4. A
n oyster bar set up with
shucking station and display
oysters on seaweed
5. S chedule Oyster experts to be on
hand for guests to watch shucking
in action and to generate excitement for the promotion.
Pairing
1. O
ysters and Guinness beer or
Champagne are perfect to pair
with Oyster Festival. Work with
your beverage supplier and offer
your guests a special beer or
sparking wine along with the
Oysters for a perfect pairing.
No Oysters?
1. I f you don’t have Oysters on your
menu, this promotion can work
by promoting shrimp, clams, or
mussels instead of Oysters, or
another signature menu item.
6. O
yster characteristics, details and
pricing
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
49
FOOD & MENU
“
New
“Small” is still the
S
mall is still the new BIG!
Many restaurant brands
across the country have
already introduced smallsized
menu items such as sliders, mini
sandwiches, street-food sized
tacos and pitas, and even Kobe
beef sliders such as restaurant
veteran Scooter Simmons, added
to his successful Wipeout Bar
& Grill menu at Pier 39 in San
Francisco. Consumers have been
gravitating to small plates and
small bites along with smaller
prices and this trend seems to be
continuing this year as well.
Scooter Simmons, restaurant industry
veteran shown here with his recent
menu addition of Kobe Beef Sliders.
Simmons added these new sliders
to his Wipeout Bar & Grill concept
located at San Francisco’s Pier 39.
Simmons, known for his originality
of menu items and guest experience,
was one of the founders of the popular
Chevys Fresh Mex concept.
50
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
“BIG”
« Boudin SF, a fast casual bakery café,
«
created smaller versions of their sandwich
favorites including burgers and chicken
sandwiches for a recent VIP party. Guests
love being able to handle these easily while
mingling with guests at vents and can
taste more than one at this size.
Daphne’s Greek Café recently introduced Street Pitas. The palm sized pita
sandwiches are served as a combo with
two street pitas rice and salad.
»
Togo’s Sandwiches introduced Mini Classics and offer six
of Togo’s best sandwiches on a freshly baked round roll for
$2.50 each. The six featured Mini Classic sandwiches include
Togo’s #3 Turkey & Cheese, #7 Roast Beef, #20 Albacore
Tuna, and the three most popular shown here #9 Hot
Pastrami, #24 Turkey & Avocado, and #29 Chicken Salad.
{
{
Consumers have been gravitating to
small plates and small bites
along with smaller prices and this trend
seems to be continuing this year as well.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
51
PICK OF THE PUB
Pick
of the
pub
Over 100 fans lined up 48 hours prior
to the grand opening and enjoyed food,
drinks, games and fun!
Pick of the Pub
will be an on-going feature
of a restaurant marketing
success story. Have a story?
Please email
[email protected]
52
R E S T A U R A N T M A R K E T I N G M A G A Z I N E ® | October 2010
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
W
hat do you get when you have over 100 people lined up at a
restaurant and waiting for the doors to open for over 48 hours?
You get the biggest Grand Opening for Boudin SF in Roseville, California.
Boudin Bakery, established in 1849 and the creator of the Original San
Francisco Sourdough French Bread, also operates the very popular fast
casual brand, Boudin SF. Serving full breakfasts, lunches and dinners,
Boudin SF also features healthy children’s menus -- all prepared quickly
and using only top-quality ingredients. “Our goal for Boudin SF is to
combine the quality and tradition that Boudin has represented for more
than 150 years with the needs of today’s busy families and on-the-go
professionals,” said Dave Wolfgram, CEO of Forklift Brands and Boudin
Bakery. “We’re particularly proud of our ‘Good Eater’s Club,’ a program
designed exclusively to encourage children to eat sensibly.”
At Boudin SF’s recent opening in Roseville they gave away “Daily Bread”
or 365 loaves of bread to the first 100 guests in line. The event drew TV
media interviewing guests who slept, ate and played games for over 48
hours! Boudin’s head baker, Fernando, created a life-sized alligator out
of their famous bread and guests also enjoyed a bread toss for prizes.
Other grand opening activities included a ribbon cutting, VIP party and
fundraiser for the Roseville Children’s hospital.
“In order to increase awareness and sales for any new restaurant, it
is imperative to become friends with the most important people in
the community,” says Linda Duke. “ Many operators don’t realize how
important having these VIP‘s come in and taste the food and experience
the restaurant is to driving sales. More than 60 percent of the guests
had never been to the restaurant which was open for a couple of months
before the party. The cost to put on a tasting event is minimal compared
to the return of word of mouth that is spread right after
the event.”
PUBLISHING
A division of Duke Marketing, LLC
4040 Civic Center Drive, Suite 200
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 492-4534
© Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
All photos and logos used with permission.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
www.dukemarketing.com
www.marketing-cookbook.com
Linda Duke
ASSOCIATE EDITOR | Laura McKee
CREATIVE DIRECTOR & DESIGN | Janet Berge
SALES & OPERATIONS | Michael Fagen
ONLINE MARKETING | Lisa Latour and Julia McKee
EDITOR |
SUBSCRIPTIONS
www.marketing-cookbook.com/order
$36 annually
Over the past twenty years, Linda Duke, the editor’s firm,
Duke Marketing, has developed marketing programs for
some of the top restaurant brands in the United States.
Her specialty is consulting and teaching restaurant owners,
Chef’s and operators how to apply marketing tactics to help
accelerate restaurant sales, frequency and awareness. She
has provided on-site coordination for over 200 restaurant
openings and even more on-location events across the
United States using her own marketing recipes.
“We’ve learned how to create and implement turn-key
programs that drive sales for just about any restaurant
concept, and have put these programs into an easy to
follow recipe format,” Duke says about her recently
published book, Four Star Restaurant Marketing Cookbook—
Recipes for Restaurateurs. This marketing cookbook aimed at
restaurant operators, provides dozens of marketing tactics
written in a recipe format and the author’s real restaurant
case studies which are used to illustrate concepts and
results, and assists readers in understanding how their own
sales building programs can be easily executed.
Restaurant Marketing Magazine is an ancillary resource to
Duke’s cookbook and provides more in-depth information
about individual marketing strategies.
www.restaurantmarketingmag.com
24
DRIVE SALES with Easy to Execute
MARKETING PROGRAMS
FOUR STAR RESTAURANT MARKETING COOKBOOK
www.marketing-cookbook.com
Recently published, Four Star Restaurant Marketing Cookbook — Recipes for
RestaurateursTM, is a 300 page marketing resource for restaurant operators.
Creative marketing programs are written in an easy-to-use recipe format, with
ingredients needed, directions to implement and tips, tools and tactics to drive sales.
Over 250 real restaurant case studies and photos are included. Available to purchase
online at: marketing-cookbook.com
See what operators are saying:
Recipes for Restaurateurs is a practical ‘how to guide’ written in an easy to
follow format with case studies and proven sales building programs. Our
franchisees will truly benefit from implementing and following
many of its recipes and instructions.”
“Recipes for Restaurateurs is a comprehensive, easy to follow book of effective
marketing strategies and is a great tool we purchased for each of our general
managers. Ms. Duke trained 65 managers of our Me-n-Ed’s Pizzerias how to
use the recipes and provided motivation and directions for effectively driving
sales and we are already seeing success.”
“Recipes for Restaurateurs is an incredible resource for not only those
to enter the restaurant business, but for those that have been running
restaurants for years.”
Advertise Here.
Call for rates: (415) 492-4534
A Restaurant opening or event
isn’t complete without Party City!
Serving Restaurant Marketers
for over 75 years!
What every restaurant
marketer needs!
Advertise Here
$300 Marketplace
Food & Menu Menu development, menu promotions and
Restaurant Marketing Magazine is a quarterly digital publication that provides restaurant operators and marketers in-depth
marketing reports and strategies along with success stories four
times a year.
trends.
Limited advertising is available to reach restaurant marketing
decision makers.
social section.
INSIDE EVERY ISSUE:
rant marketing brand leaders.
Bright Ideas Features a unique marketing idea and
Pick of the Pub A “Best of” feature of a best marketing
photo.
Marketing Ingredients Topics include social media,
planning, strategy, marketing trends.
Cartoon Funny restaurant marketing caption.
People & Places Photos of events, people & places and
Behind the Scenes Interviews and photos of top restau-
campaign for a restaurant brand.
Ad
Price
Size
Features marketing tips for chefs and restaurant owners, menus and events, case study or profile.
Spread
$5,000
two full pages
Public Relations Features hot topics, trends, case stud-
Full Page
$2,500
7” x 10”
Attracting Guests Unique promotions and ideas will be
Half Page
$1,250
7” x 4.875” horizontal only
Chef-rateur
TM
ies and how-to’s for today’s restaurant communicators.
featured.
Employees & Training Marketing is only as good as
those that execute the tactics— restaurant crew. Tips, tricks
and tactics.
Frequency & Loyalty Stories, tactics and case studies
of how to attract restaurant customers and keep them returning.
Promotions & Events Ideas, case studies and behind
the scenes at restaurant promotions and events.
Marketplace
$300
3.375” x 4.875”
For ad sales or additional information, call:
OCTOBER 2010
marketing
MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR RESTAURANTS
Michael Fagen »»»
|| Inside
[email protected] || (415) 492-4534
Behind the Scenes
with Kahala Brands
Chef-Rateur
—
w w w. resta
u ra
n tmar k eti n gmag. com
Special Touches
TM
Point of Purchase —
The Silent Sales Force
The Secret Sauce —
Telling your Story
Positive
+Personnel
Congratulations, Linda
with your new
Restaurant Marketing
Magazine!