Awesome Restaurant Marketing Ideas!

Take “Panes” With Your Marketing

Tim Eunice — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 01:57:26 GMT

Consider the story of “Ted,” a restauranteur with a great menu at his cozy little café in an upscale strip-center in the Denver area.

If it’s a slow mid-afternoon lunch shift, Chef Ted might pop out into the dining room, wiping his hands with a clean white towel, and visit with you a bit while you enjoy your succulent chicken coq au vin.

“How’s business?” you might ask.

After all, you’re one of only a couple of customers enjoying this fabulous dining experience, and you might fret a little over whether Ted is going to hang in there much longer.

And you’d kind of like to keep him in the neighborhood!

Ted’s answer to your simple question – and the ensuing conversation – might spark an idea. Especially if you happen to be one of the city’s leading large-format printing and signage experts.

Ted might be able to use his beautiful picture windows to help him generate more business!

Beautiful Representatives of Your Business… And 24-Hour Silent Salespeople

“Well,” Ted says, a heavy sigh in his voice, “look around. You can see for yourself. It’s slow today, but truth to tell, it’s pretty slow most days.”

You do take another look around.

“I don’t know why more people don’t come in here,” you might say. “The food’s great, the service is great… even the view of the mountains through those spectacular windows up-front is… is… well, it’s spectacular!”

Ted heaves another sigh.

Man Puts 21 Live Scorpions in His Mouth for World Record (video)

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:57:13 GMT

What type of restaurant marketing will it take to get you on the map? How about putting 21 live scorpions in his mouth for a world record? Think of all the free marketing you will get should you be number one!

The Benefits of Being a Restaurant Franchisee (Not)

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 19:14:00 GMT

Originally this was a response to an article about franchising on another website. Unfortunately, time has passed and the original website is defunct. The points made about the benefits of being a restaurant franchisee, or not, still matter.

How Restaurants Can Use Mobile Payment Technology to Increase Profits

Tony Rose — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 18:10:00 GMT

Mobile payments have impacted every type of merchant over the past few years – and restaurants are no exception. Mobile payments are popular among consumers of all ages – though younger demographic groups have been quicker to adopt mobile wallet use and related payment technology.

In 2015, 38.1% of mobile payments users in the United States were aged 30-44 and 30.1% were aged 18-29 (Source: Statista).
In 2015, Millennials controlled 30% of the gross income in proportion to all other generations and their purchasing power is valued at $200 billion.

It’s important that your dining establishment is ready to serve these younger age groups that eat out frequently and have an increasing amount of expendable income. Getting on board with mobile wallets and related payment technologies in your restaurant is a great way to attract new diners and keep your current clientele happy.

"Can I have the holidays off?" (Employees & Managers Ask)

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 19:34:09 GMT

The best and worst time of the year for restaurant owners and managers might be the holidays. Restaurant leaders and managers who are eager to please, who make decisions based on fear and wish to be liked more than respected will respond with "Sure, you can have the holidays off".

A simple "yes" can be a shortcut to disaster and will doom a restaurant for months

Halloween Trunk-or-Treat Opportunity

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 02:59:15 GMT

What is trunk-or-treat, why does it matter and how does it relate to restaurant marketing?

Trunk-or-treat events bring Halloween to parking lots where kids go from car to car and get candy. They're popular at schools, churches, in rural areas where homes are far apart, and in places where trick-or-treating isn't safe."

It is a perfect opportunity to connect with the community by hosting a special event. It can include decorations, lighting, free coupons, treats, celebrations, games and even a costume contest,

Special events like trunk-or-treat are shared word of mouth (in the new world of media, they are shared via Twitter, Facebook, NextDoor.com, etc)

Munchery is Taking Over with Better Restaurant Marketing

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 03:34:38 GMT

The email subject line from Munchery today said "Misoyaki Glazed Salmon". That gets my attention immediately. Take a peek at the bait Munchery used to get an order:
- says Mike

The origins of this dish can be traced back to island culinary mastermind Roy Yamaguchi from the legendary Roy's Asian Fusion Cuisine. A fillet of salmon is glazed with a sweet and savory misoyaki sauce, then it's topped with a traditional Hawaiian tomato vinaigrette for acidity. Quite simply, this fish is melt-in-your-mouth-good. Rice seasoned with furikake flakes and steamed baby bok choy round out this elegant meal.

Munchery has to work a little differently since there is no experience inside a restaurant. To keep you extra confident about your experience, they offer a guarantee right up front. - says Mike

Online Ordering Systems to Rock Your Restaurant Marketing

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 05:40:49 GMT

Today we will review online ordering service options and a strategy to improve your potential for business by using the latest technology available.

Free Online Magazine Subscriptions for Restaurant Professionals

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Mon, 16 May 2016 17:03:00 GMT

Restaurant Marketing Idea #432 is: Listen by using "search" on free magazine subscriptions for restaurant professionals and restaurant owners.

Reading online magazines can keep the juices flowing. Put them in a bookmark on Delicious (or your browser) and once a week 'sharpen your saw' by choosing one of the resources below.

Then input every free restaurant magazine into the search tool. You could subscribe, but remember that your time is short and isn't your inbox already full? Be selective. An alternative is to subscribe via an RSS feed. I use Feedly to keep up with specific websites.

Restaurant Marketing Idea: Serve Addictive Foods

ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell) — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 18:14:00 GMT

In the article on TLC: Top 5 Most Addictive Foods by Debra Ronca you will read about how humans have an 'addiction' to certain kinds of foods. After reading the article, restaurant marketing ideas immediately come to mind.