Okay, I admit that after I wrote that title I realized that might be interpreted in the wrong way.
So let me explain.
I've been reading and thinking lately about the world we find ourselves in today. The economy is tight for everyone. I'm sure you don't need to see the latest news headline to tell you that things are difficult for a lot of people.
As a restaurant owner or manager of a restaurant you know on a greater level just how this economy is affecting your business and your customers.
And it hurts, doesn't it?
The natural reaction for many in such a time is to pull back from the pain and get into a ball and avoid that which hurts.
Now in your business, the reaction could translate into you curled up in a corner on your restaurant floor.
Okay. You're right, that seems unlikely. You're an entrepreneur after all, and you like people. So what you need to guard against is avoiding or being distant from, even grumpy with, your customers.
This reminds me of this blog post I read some time ago:
How Every Touch Counts
It gives a real world example of how, in this web enabled world, making a bad impression on a customer can go a long way towards making business especially hard for a business owner.
Some of you may read that and see the negative in all this connectedness but there is a positive as well. And that is what I want you to focus upon. You see, all this connectedness also means the good stuff gets out for all to see.
First and foremost when a customer walks into your restaurant search for the good in them knowing that there is good there. In fact you should work at see everyone in this way, start with your staff if you're not already. Then impart this attitude to your staff.
People are worth knowing. Come on, say it with me. People are worth knowing.
Practice that each day with the people that choose your restaurant as a stopping place for their daily routine.
Take time to touch them on a personal level.
Sunday, is a great example. I ate at a favorite restaurant of mine, Zeko's Mediterranean Grill. - Great food if your in the area. - While there with my friends and family I learned something about the business that I didn't know. The restaurant was named after the son of the owner. And get this, the son was taking the time to go around and chat with all the patrons, trying to see if they needed anything, helping remove used dishes, and just shooting the breeze.
What was most interesting to me was that I would have to peg this son's age in the range of twelve to fourteen. He is an uncommon young man in that he wasn't shy about helping out or engaging the patrons in chit-chat. And that is a lesson I think we can all learn. Step out and engage. That human touch is one of the things that endears Zeko's to me. That and the wonderfully seasoned beef, and the fried vegetables, and... oh snap, I just made myself hungry.
Anyway, the point is don't hold back finding ways to touch the lives of your customers. It doesn't have to be in some big way either. Not only will you encourage them but they will encourage you.
The result will be customers who share their experience with their friends on Twitter and the other unique social areas of the Internet.
They will be your champions. You're business will win out for it.
I'm Harold for Sell More Meals [dot] com.
And remember, we can help you tap into and reward those loyal customers, helping you multiply them and discover new customers for your restaurant.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
One big key to restaurant success.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is BIGGEST key to a successful restaurant.
My thinking was mostly spurred to blog about this key by this news article I read this morning:
First of all, Kudos to those three restaurants for rising to the top in Greensboror, NC.
There was a great quote from the #1 restaurant that bears repeating and thinking carefully about if you are in the restaurant business. And I suspect it is key to why Tripps is number one for the third year in a row and scored a 100 on the inspection.
"It's really amazing. It's really a tribute to my staff, my team, my culinary team here. They work so hard, they work well together, everybody helps each other out. An the most important goal here is to take care of the guests fulfill all their needs. Make friends, that's what we do here at Tripps," says the managing partner.
I've emphasized the key that stuck out to me. It's service. Tripps, I've never eaten there but given the chance I would love to visit when next in the area, I dare say goes beyond the practice of just selling some food to a customer for some money.
They recognize that coming into their restaurant is an experience the customer wants to have with them and they go into a "be of service to you" mindset. This attitude translates into the business cleanliness, food quality, and staff relations, I do not doubt.
It's this attitude that other restaurants need to develop in order to survive the current economy and come out on top.
And just for yet another example of this service mindest, check out this article in CityPulse:
"Good is not enough for me," he said. While the food might get new customers in the door, Rawal knows it’s the service that will keep them coming back. That's why he commutes to his pride and joy every day from Farmington Hills, working from sunrise to well after sunset. "I am only as good as the last meal I serve," Rawal said, in earnest. "That's what keeps me going."
Until next time,
Harold
Cost effective marketing for your restaurant will increase your business 15-20% and double your referrals.
We can help you foster those great relationships with your loyal customers and add to them.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Marketing in the Internet Age.
It's mandatory.
More 75% of the North America population is on the Internet. If you have a business and need to reach, well, customers (and what restaurant business doesn't?) then you need to be on the Internet too.
That's where we at Sell More Meals can come in and give you a hand. We've designed a marketing program that you can easily use to connect with people in your area over the Internet. It helps you to identify your loyal customers and reward them for their business and that can double your referrals. It's been shown to lead to a 15-20% increase in business.
That said did you see KFC's recent marketing mistake with the free grilled chicken give-away?
Such mistakes aren't uncommon in trying to generate business and KFC's reaction was to use the Internet to try to mitigate the impact of the failure of planning on their part.
But such a failure isn't new. Check out this list from Grub Street:
Yesterday’s Oprah-KFC disaster will likely appear as a case study in an upcoming marketing textbook, but it’s not like this hasn’t happened before. Unhappy customers, ousted executives, and PR nightmares are strewn throughout the history of fast-food promotions like so many Sunday inserts. Most references we found were recent, so it’s easy to blame Internet ubiquity. Combine that with the power of Oprah, and KFC never stood a chance.
We can learn from such mistakes so study them.
Something else worth studying which will improve your business is this article:
Also, in building your Internet presence, click over and read:
Facebook has become one of the most integral part of our social communication medium. Without it it must be hard to live as a social human beings where we like to communicate with each other whether it is with our friends or loved ones. My self would be a great example who use Facebook more than email or even phone call if I want to communicate with my friends whether in States or other countries.
Until next time.
Monday, May 4, 2009
It's all about the customer.
Look, I know it, you know, and they know it. This economy is tough on everyone right now. But that doesn't mean we just throw up our hands and walk away. It means we actively get to work making it better for our neighbors and thus ourselves.
Communities thrive when the "community" is part of the equation. Good businesses owners recognize this and they take proactive steps to cultivate relationships with their customers which results in loyal active customers.
Why? Because they are a restaurants life blood. Not only do they mean that someone will be putting some money into the business you love but they mean bringing more customers to you.
Here are a couple of articles that prove my point.
Regular customers continue to patronize family eateries despite hard economic times
Vasilakos knows he will have business, even in a rough economy, because he knows the Jacks and Jills who visit. He and his family — father Peter, mother Christina, brother Teddy and sister Zoe — have invited some regulars to their home for holiday gatherings. And they have been invited to friends’ family affairs in return.
Is there a resolve? Is there a solution? Are there answers? YES—you provide it. YES—you create it. YES—you make them happen.
First, start with your resolve:
Click the link above to see the list of things to do that the "Economic Storm" offers.
But also check out how our marketing business at Sell More Meals can help you utilize the customers you all ready have and reward them by bringing them into a closer relationship with you. We can provide you with a cost effective program that will help you gain more referrals from your customers and retain those people growing them into your best customers.
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