Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Restaurant Ideas/ads/online Mktg Ideas

Posted by cadi on 5/6/2009 at 2:23 AM ET 250 Points
Dear all,
a client of mine has a new posh and trendy restaurants in Europe and wants to promote it actively.
Beside traditional advertising, which he is not really found of, he requested me to create a list of events for the next 6 months.
The main theme that he/we discussed need to have a common concept of food-fun-emotion.
Some of the ideas, which need to change on a monthly basis, are
- “placing” the latest Ferrari in the garden and “eating” beside the “most advanced” racing machine…
- having promotional girls offering Sparkling wine flutes to people passing in front of the restaurant
- etc..

Some more infos.
Location: small-medium financial town in Europe
Target: medium-to high spenders
The restaurant has some high style design items in the restaurant

I suggested also some online marketing activities such as FB groups (become a fan and receive a glass champagne for free..etc..).

I really need to come up with some ideas how you would implement them within 2 days for:
- ideas for events/monthly basis news
- additional online marketing activities (also on FB)
- traditional marketing activities

Thank you all in advance for any help, ideas and hints that you can suggest.
Best regards
Cadi
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 5/6/2009 at 3:21 AM Member
    Hi
    I guess a very important event can be

    - "Happy Hour" where you specify a certain hour on the day and people can enjoy free meals or beverages or some items from the menu are offered for free during this hour. It can be done on weekly basis or something

    - Maybe the 50% Occasion, again maybe you choose a certain day of the week where appetizers are offered with 50% discount.

    - Online marketing can be "Trivia Questions" about the restaurant and the best answer wins an invitation for 2 for dinner or lunch this will also create more awareness about the restaurants since the questions are about the restaurants. Maybe the winner can be picked up by the ferrari and taken to dinner and then sent back to home by the ferrari. something of that sort.



  • Posted by rakesh_sethia80 on 5/6/2009 at 3:28 AM Member
    Hi,
    As the restaurant is a top-end one,why dont you try with the months events as food carnival where various cuisine can be served in various theme such as italian cuisine in famous italian crockery,mexican cuisine with "Salma Hayek" Posters all around, etc..with all cuisines having different look and speciality. These various cuisines with different themes would attract people to try out various cuisine number of times. This would definetly improve on the foot falls of the customers.
    For online marketing you can come up with contests and quiz based on the restaurants and can offer special offers to the winners like free lunch for two,free welcome drink,discounts on bill,etc..
    online marketing can also be done on various famous social networking sites operating locally,where more number of people visit.
    Traditional marketing activity may involve a road show about the restaurant,brouchers,ads in papers,special offers and discounts,etc..


    Thanks
    Rakesh
  • Posted by cadi on 5/6/2009 at 7:19 AM Author
    Hi Rakesh and Ahmed,
    thank for your first input, really appreciated some hints although Happy hours and discounts are not really “good” for the image. Free and discounted sounds as if the place is struggling to survive, which is not.
    Theme cuisine or food festivals are something pretty common and therefore this would not be really something sensational in order to attract customers…
    Anyway, thanks a lot for the time being…hoping for some more, appreciated, inputs.
    Thanks
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 5/6/2009 at 8:24 AM Accepted
    Fusion narket with a clothing store and do fashion shows with each new season.

    Host a bridal fair

    Work with local artists and feature them with an art show, complete with opening reception

    Tap your liquor reps. They have very deep pockets -- host winemaker dinners, single malt dinners, cigar events.

    Celebrate lesser known events such as La Bastille Day, with of course the new Beaujolie.

    Hiire a harpist for dinner.

    Bring local school children in during the holidays to sing Christmas carols.

    Do a mom's lunch, celebrating the first day of school (my gal pals and I made this an annual champagne event)

    Really what is fun about restaurants is you can make a celebration out of anything!

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 5/6/2009 at 9:39 AM Member
    In addition to Carol's great ideas, focus on local clubs, organizations, and businesses in the community. The restaurant could be great for board meetings, fund raiser dinners, executive meeting retreats, or wine connoisseur dinners. Special meals that bring wine makers to the dinner and have chef create meal around the wine offerings. Or, an extremely low-level lighting meal to focus people around the taste/smell of the food.
  • Posted by matthewmnex on 5/7/2009 at 9:06 PM Accepted
    For a high end business like this, there is really only one way to build the grand.

    Powerful PR.

    You need to build the name/image of the owner or chef.

    get as many press releases out to magazines, news papers, TV and Radio as you can every single wek.

    Talk about celebrities who have visited.

    Get you owner / Chef onto the TV as often as possible. He should be 80% of his time out n the repss world and only 20% in the kitchen.

    Get as many reviews into the press as you possibly can, invite the reviewers regularly to try new dishes etc. and to interview your celebrity chef.

    The more his/her celebrity grows, the more celebrities will visit your establishment. The more celebrities that visit, the more your business will grow.

    Don't waste any time and or money on gimmicks and half baked marketing campaigns. Put 100% focus on the press and media and 100% of your marketing budget there.

    Don't expect overnight results but 6 months to one year you will be cooking up a storm.

    Once you are featured on CNN International, then you will be opening more branches.

    :))

    Good luck.

    Matthew
  • Posted by matthewmnex on 5/7/2009 at 9:07 PM Member
    PS, Sorry for the typos :) I was typing fast. Of course you are building the brand - not the grand :)
  • Posted on 5/11/2009 at 1:27 AM Member
    The most important will be promotion or FREE/ discount. You can actually give your customers to become a member (provide them a member card).

    For those who are a member with more than a year will get a free/ half price for selected foods.

    Beside that, you can ask them to join as a member in order to get a 10% discount on selected purchase.

    Hope this might help.

    Luis
  • Posted on 5/11/2009 at 1:30 AM Member
    Additional, birthday promotion for those who come during their birthday (3 days earlier or 3 days after) might also include in your membership card.

    Make sure you put all the terms, else there might be misunderstanding in future.
  • Posted on 5/20/2009 at 1:45 PM Member
    LOVE the idea of "Food - Fun - Emotion". You can have weekly or monthly nights were the menu is based on an emotion. For example, "LUST" could feature foods that are considered aphrodisiacs. "CONTENT" could feature rich, down-home, "soul" food. "EXCITEMENT" could feature exotic foods, and so on and so forth. You could create signature cocktails to go with each theme, and make sure the music and decor complement the event.
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