MarketingProfs' Members Register for B2B Forum 2010 for just $695! (good until 11/30) »

Ask your question ... sign up today! It's FREE!
Advertising/PR     
 
This question has been closed, and points have been awarded.
How To Get Customers Into A New Restaurant
Posted By: bs44sunshine on 4/22/2005 12:52 PM (CST) 250 Points
It is a Spanish restaurant and I am trying to get the company's name out. What are some ways in which I may be able to boost sales and our customer base as well?

Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
4/22/2005 12:59 PM (CST)
More info needed.
Where are you located? City, State...type of area...competitors in area...what have you done?
 
Posted by: bs44sunshine Author Response
4/22/2005 1:06 PM (CST)
I am located around in a commerical area, that is surrounded by businesses in Boca Raton, Florida. there are no other spanish restaurants in the area. I just got the job today, and I am looking for ways to boost sales.
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Accepted Answer
4/22/2005 1:14 PM (CST)
In situations such as this, I've found that a strong direct-mail-couponing type of program works. It must be long-term, not a one or two time test of the market. You are asking people to change their habits. This may take a while.

As you probably know, many people go into business with the "if you build it they will come" attitude. Yes, they have good products and service (you hope). So, why won't people come?

You must change habits. They must have incentives. I am in a maket where hundreds of restaurants open and fold every couple of years. Why do they fail? They do not enter the market with enough money to sustain. Their products are not differentiated. Due to this, they can not hire a great staff, they cut back on product quality, they stop advertising....good bye.

Your group must NEVER stop marketing by direct-mail. Even if it is in delivering menus all over the area every other month. If they deliver...tell people.

Once they come in...give them a reason to come back.
A free flan or something. And, the marketing material must look successful...it must be bright and colorful.

People want to be pleasantly surprised when they visit for the first time. If the food/service is exceptional, they will return.

Set up some type of CRM...recognize the customers who have been there. If they use credit cards, take down their name...do a neighborhood white pages check. Keep them on mailing list of new specials...etc.

To survive in this venue is NOT going to be easy. Advertise...always....Marketing...ALWAYS. .. Internal and External.

Good Luck
Randall
WMMA

If we can help....ask.
 
Posted by: psimone Accepted Answer
4/22/2005 1:22 PM (CST)
Lacking specifics, there are some general "musts" to make a splash and bring customers streaming into a new restaurant....

A. Take out large, professionally designed** newspaper ads (not one or two, but over the min. course of 13 weeks) in the top two papers covering the geogrpahic region you'll pull customers from. ** by a bona fide graphic designer, not by a friend or your Uncle Harvey

B. Take a dominant ad in the Yellow Pages - several books if need be - to completely cover your market

C. Advertise on the top local and regional radio stations. Again leave the production and voice talent to the professionals, cause there's nothing that'll change a channel faster than a poorly done, home-made sounding radio spot

D. Have a promotion every week (that's advertised in the papers and radio spots) Give away tee shirts emblazoned with the restaurant logo, gift certificates good for another restaurant visit, first 50 people every Friiday night get a free wine cooler, or 10% off their tab, etc.

E. Get a professionally written Press Release out to the papers - with a photo of the outside and inside of the restaurant. Copy should include background story about the owners, their training, expertise, family history of being restauranteurs, whatever is most compelling.

If this is an upscale restaurant - add in a direct mail piece every 2 weeks, for six weeks to your core demographic patrons.

Again the ads, the radio spots - all forms of marketing outreach needs to offer an equation of info -

We're Open + Delectible Descriptions of your cuisine + promotion (or call to action) with a limited time offer (like, "this Friday, from 6-10:00 pm the first 50 customers get ....)
Hope that helps,
psimone
 
Posted by: ejenkins* Accepted Answer
4/22/2005 4:09 PM (CST)
Partner with a well known charity in your area and invite them to host an event in your restaurant. You'd be amazed at how many people will attend events for a good cause. Naturally you'll be expected to give x% of your proceeds to the charity. Have an admission price of $40 for example (Adjust accordingly for how upscale your restaurant is).

This will provide you an audience of people that is ready to try your best menu options and check out the environment of your restaurant, while supporting their favorite charity.

Send out a save the date card using your mailing list and the charity mailing list. Put a link for your restaurant and/or menu on their website.

I've seen this done with great results! Just remember that this will get them in the door. A pleasant experience after that is of utmost importance. Make sure everyone is made to feel like "your best customer".

Good luck!
 
Posted by: darcy.moen Accepted Answer
4/23/2005 9:04 AM (CST)
Our local school just held a fund raiser at a local restaurant. We brought in 400 customers for one night to a local pub.

We designed a nice kit that we will use again and again. We created brochure about the fundraiser in MS Word, to tell more about the special night and the food offered. We also created tickets (also in MS Word), so we could print our own tickets to sell for the event. We made signas in MS Word to advertize the even on bulliten boards around the town. All in all, this is a nice little package that we will be able to use gain and again, simply by changing the templates we've created. I think I should sell this package to other fund raisering groups and restaurants so they can use it too .

Now, the restaurant where we held this event was full. Our group made a 1500 for one night's fun. At was a great night.

The restaurant made a big mistake. Of those 400 customers, how many did he collect contact information from? NONE! Duh! How is he going to get these folks back again? He should have been collecting names and email addresses for his own database, so he could build a contact list for email marketing. When the restaurant owner wants to get busy, he sends his client list and e-mail message, and packs the house again.

Oh well, thats another tool for you to use, down the road. The charity idea works well, just get a process in place so you can capture and build a client list.

Darcy Moen
Customer Loyalty Network
 
Posted by: koen.h.pauwels Member Response
4/23/2005 4:15 PM (CST)
Given you are the only Spanish restaurant in a commercial area, you may want to first target business people for an alternative lunch place (while Americans typically do not like European-style heavy lunches, Spanish food is known for its tapas, believed to be light and scalable, so you have perception on your side). Next, make sure those customers come back with spouses and friends at night. This is how Benihana did it: a friend told me that their original clientele was exactly 25% female in a male-dominated business area: they got businessmen for lunch and to impress their business partners, and those satisfied customers would return sometime for dinner with spouses and friends.
 
Posted by: Corpcommer Accepted Answer
4/24/2005 1:55 AM (CST)
Here's more food for thought.

I agree that charity events are good, and darcy made a valid point that getting names for future contact is a goal.

Besides charities, you can also host a special lunch or dinner event -- perhaps have
a Spanish Tapas Luncheon
or a
Spanish Wine Tasting Dinner.

The lunch idea would be that you'd offer special tapas or food delicacies that your restaurant doesn't usually have on the menu.

For the wine dinner you would offer, of course, special wines from Spain -- maybe have 3 or 4 varieties that patrons can choose from. If you have a grand-scale restaurant, you'll probably want to offer a bigger "special" wine list. The menu for this evening can include your regular dinner entrees plus some special or unusual ones prepared just for the event. The foods can be all from the same region of Spain -- perhaps Basque or Andalusian.

For either event play Flamenco music (CDs are fine or have a couple of live musicians if your budget allows) or a regional Spanish folk music that's lively.

Have the wait staff wear the same color. In some way they should dress differently than they ordinarily do during the restaurant's regular business day -- maybe they can add a pin, bow or tie? You get the picture.

You could announce the events by press release and take out local ads.

Additionally, I strongly suggest you send invitations to specific businesses in your area - perhaps offer "dessert on the house" to the invitees and any guests they bring with them to the event.

Send invitations to people who might bring in customers from their work life (besides the possibility of returning with family and friends) -- invite people who are likely to handle office parties or take out clients or business associates -- such as office managers, administators, sales professionals/account reps and press relations professionals.

Make sure your invitations have a phone number for invitees to make reservations. Alert callers to bring their business cards for an event raffle.

At the event, collect business cards as soon as people are seated then have a raffle every hour throughout the day. Keep adding cards until raffle time, when one prize is handed out. Have a customer pick the winner.

Remember to ask customers without bus. cards to write their contact info on paper that you will hand them. Prizes must be something Spanish -- wine, olives, oranges, oil, paperback of Don Quixote, etc.

Another nice touch would be having a flyer on each table
that discusses some interesting or little known information about Spain, its people or products. (I'm available if you need help researching/writing the flyer or want assistance with other marketing aspects of the event.)

Good luck to you. Feel free to contact me offboard.
 
Posted by: mgoodman Member Response
4/24/2005 7:29 AM (CST)
Don't underestimate the power of buzz ... that word-of-mouth referral phenomenon that happens when people discover something worth passing on.

Pick up a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point," and read it. (It won't take very long; it's a short book.) Then find a publicity person with a good track record and pay him/her a reasonable fee to help you do this right. For a relatively small up-front investment, you will have people lining up to try the place.

Now the caution: If the initial experience isn't truly noteworthy, all your effort will go down the drain. That's because the "buzz machine" works both ways. If someone had poor service or if they found the food just mediocre, they'll buzz that too, and once that word gets out it can be just as powerful in the opposite direction.

You need to attend to every aspect of the customer experience -- from the person who answers the phone to take reservations, to the person who processes the credit card payments, to the kitchen staff, to training the wait staff, etc., etc. It takes just one bad experience to offset weeks or months of good work. It's not fair, but it's the way the restaurant business works.

Good luck. We'll find you when we're in Boca next.
 
Posted by: alice* Member Response
4/27/2005 10:08 AM (CST)
Some thoughts:

1. Unique uniforms for your crew

2. Live entertainment

3. Free drinks for a certain amount consumed

4. Offer a ladies ' night or men's night where they get free drinks

5. Grand opening where food and drinks will be free

6. Flyers

7. Open your place for special events
 
Posted by: bs44sunshine Author Response
4/30/2005 9:04 AM (CST)
Thanks everyone for responding to my questions. All of your responses were very helpful.

Thanks a million
 


Get more answers ... ReTweet this!

Would you like to post a response?
Welcome to Know-How Exchange!
This is a collaborative community. We welcome everyone's participation.
All you need to do is login. Enter your account info in the box above (top right).
Not a member? Not a problem. Register here (it's FREE and EASY).




Know-How Exchange powered by MarketingProfs


Sponsored Links

Buy a Link Now

Just Released ... Download Today!
Just Released ... Download Today!
Look inside
Included with Premium Membership
User Name:
Password:
Remember Me
Forgot your password?

Top 25 KHE Experts
(Advertising/PR)
Jay Hamilton-Roth (43473)
W.M.M.A. (31505)
mgoodman (25971)
CarolBlaha (19996)
michael (17966)
thinkmor (11658)
PhilGrisolia=Results (11575)
darcy.moen (10787)
stevea (10362)
NuCoPro (9474)
Peter (henna gaijin) (9467)
telemoxie (8723)
mbarber (8199)
Mushfique Manzoor (7932)
Puru Gupta (6790)
SteveByrneBranding (6482)
Gary Bloomer (6295)
SRyan ;] (5966)
shghosh (5797)
Deremiah *CPE (5479)
Pepper Blue (5368)
ASVP/ChrisB (5176)
Tracey (5120)
Mikee (4878)
amandavega (4775)
Recently Posted Marketing Jobs
Director of Marketing and Communications
Demand Generation Manager
Marketing/Advertising Faculty
Director of Marketing
Market Analyst
Sr. Field Marketing Manager - Business Intell.
Associate Vice President of Marketing and Corporat
Marketing Manager
[more jobs]

Join over 355,000 members ... SIGN UP!

My email address is and I'd like my password to be .

Already a member? Sign In!

My email address is , and my password is .


HACKER SAFE certified sites prevent over 99.9% of hacker crime.