Inside Hospitality

Restaurant Marketing Video Fun – Daily Tip for Tuesday August 31st.

Posted on 31. Aug, 2010 by Guest Blogger in Daily Tip, Inside Hospitality

By Guest Blogger Michael Hartzell

Did you watch the video?  It is only 2 minutes long.  Have you ever created a video?  Has your restaurant consultant told you to do a video?  Does it seem too hard?  Do you want to share your video on YouTube with a title of your restaurant to get found online?  Do you know how to upload the video to many video hosting sites at once?  You can sign up at www.animotomarketing.com to create a free video.

The video that you see was made with the business version which has more options for background, removal of their logo, can be longer than 30 seconds, has speed variables, and most importantly can have a link at the end to make an invitation to click.

Since we last talked about using celebrations as a focus to make the day of those visiting your restaurant, I just couldn’t help myself.  I had to make a video.  This is a true story as I was called and told to be ready this last week and dragged away for lunch.  (It was a pleasant drag,)

I will not tell you that putting a banner up is a marketing plan, but it helps.  I will not tell you that having an extended “new management special” at deep discounts is a marketing plan, but it can make people look twice.  I will not propose having office supply store giant letters for a phone number in the window to be a marketing plan, but there is no missing the number.  The exterior of this little store front is screaming:  “Here I am and I want your business.”

California Monster Sushi is now on my recommended list for all to try.  This restaurant owner reached out and introduced himself with a handshake and asked “What brought you in?” along with a happy birthday candle unique to his business and then trumped it with Panda Bear oranges for the kids.  Not to be outdone, the server wrote a big Happy Birthday note at the end of the hand written check.  This restaurant does not try to be glamorous.  It is a very comfortable, warm, friendly place which could easily be the reverse since it is in a strip mall.  I believe this family business which has been open for only two months will get a reputation quickly both online and offline.  Not because they use social media but because they treat people as if they are “family, friend or royalty.”  I am thinking there are a few others who are having birthdays soon.  I will certainly want to take them to lunch at the California Monster Sushi Restaurant in Kent, WA.

This is NOT a commercial for this restaurant.  I share this as an example to give you a piece of reality.  I will be inviting others to lunch at this restaurant.  Why do people invite others to your restaurant?

Are you thinking about making a video?   www.animotomarketing.com

Are you thinking about uploading the video to ten other video sharing sites at once?  www.tubemogul.com

Whether you want to live in the past and do it the old fashioned way by hand without special software or if you want to speed up your life with the latest and greatest tools, you need to celebrate more.

Next week I want to chat about:  How Much Does it Cost to Blog for Restaurant Marketing?  My Inbound Marketing hat will go on.  Stay tuned.

PS

Google:  “California Monster Sushi Birthday” and see if the video is not already on the first page of Google.  I know it is here . . . But Google is now different from location to location.

Michael Hartzell – Inbound Marketing Certified Professional, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, restaurant marketing coach.   Co-Author of “The Reality of ROI & Social Media Marketing”.   Member of the American Marketing Association.  Read more at www.michaelhartzell.com/restaurant-marketing

All Nightclubs Are Not Created Equal. Introducing @PalaceChicago

Posted on 30. Aug, 2010 by Gary Tripp in Daily Tip, Inside Hospitality

We’re pretty excited to be a part of the most exciting thing to happen to Chicago nightlife scene in a long time.  More information on our involvement will be posted and make public soon.

Join the Palace Nightclub fan page by clicking here!

Follow up on Twitter @PalaceChicago

Restaurant Marketing Celebrations – Daily Tip for Monday August 23rd.

Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by Guest Blogger in Daily Tip

Restaurant Marketing Celebrations

John steps into the lobby of the restaurant. It is very apparent that it is his first visit. You know because of the hesitation in his step and the pause to look at each wall, doorway and counter along the way. Some lobbies are so focused on décor or advertising, they forget to make the flow of entry easy to understand.

Behind John there is his wife and two kids. Each child has a hard grip on their mother’s hands.They are strangers in a strange land with other people coming and going. They all miss their very large family (who you see in the photo.) Next time,
they will invite everyone.

At this point it is a mystery as to why they are visiting this restaurant on this day at this particular time.
Could it be they are part of a “secret shopper program”? There are many who will recruit themselves
into a mystery shopper service company to make extra income. Times are tough and every little bit counts. Could it be she is a blogger who has decided to be a restaurant critic? Anyone can start a business today as a “restaurant critic”, start a blog, and sell advertising or products to add to their income.

It appears on the surface that John, Mary and their two children are simply dining for the evening. Regardless, it is time to turn on the charm and make their experience one to remember.

Creating an experience first starts with: The Birthday. With four people in their party, you might say there is a 1 in four chance that it is a “Birthday Month” for one of them. If you begin to celebrate “Birthday Month” and offer something special for those who have a birthday during the month, you will be going beyond the service of the typical restaurant next door.

Are your ready for how the conversation goes?

“Good evening.”

“It is good to see you.”

Notice, I did not say: “Four?” It is not that important to “cut to the chase with numbers” immediately. It is more important to make them feel like it is THEIR place.

“I would love to know, did anyone have a birthday this month?”
- Smiling, with head nodding is a form of positive re-enforcement to gain an answer. More times than not they will volunteer the right birthday month even if it is not the current month.

You already know where I am headed don’t you? J

- What easy words to say.

- Or a combination of positive words along this line.

“Oh? Last month was Mary’s birthday? I don’t remember seeing you come in to celebrate! Did I miss seeing you?” – Of course more often than not they say: “No, we went somewhere else for Mary’s birthday.”

“Oh? Well, we want to celebrate your birthday too! Let’s do something special for you tonight as a belated gift.”

- When you hear the word gift, do you ever refuse? Maybe at first there is hesitation as disbelief and confusion happen from the unexpected offer. In the end, no one refuses a gift.

Now the rest is easy. You celebrate with them. You treat them the way you would if it was actually their birthday. It is no secret and the team is sure to say within hearing of other guests: “Mary is celebrating her birthday month at table 25.” Candle, cake (make it look amazing) and even a flower in a vase appear. Grab the digital camera. Take a photo of the family together. Take two, digital is cheap. Take three, digital is cheap. Ask for their email address so the link to the photos can be sent immediately and when they get home, the photos will be ready. Include two special invites.

• Make one invite for next month to celebrate: _________. (You choose)

• Make another invite at the same time for Mary’s birthday month where she can get it done again… and she can invite friends and family. *Yes, you will do it again during her birthday month. Every day is a great day to do restaurant marketing.

If you How many times have I “forced” birthday celebrations, don’t know what to do with the anniversary celebrations, graduation celebrations, getting email addresses, here is The Best married celebrations on those who have dined in my Email Management Services restaurants? Too many to remember. Though the many List for Business on the Planet.
who celebrated did not originally come to “celebrate” and many were a little hesitant, there were only smiles and appreciation for the extra effort. It was fun to watch the slight hesitation turn to acceptance and then to enthusiasm. How could they deny gracious enthusiasm, commitment, a gift and energy from the team? Few can. In a way, they were being reminded that the world is a “friendly place” where good things can happen for no apparent reason.

Why? With every celebration, you draw others in. A small bit of enthusiasm is in the air. This can be done with class and sophistication or can be done with downright outrageous behavior. There are a multitude of songs to be played whose theme is Happy Birthday.

I have said it before. I will say it again over and over. Celebrate. This is something you can try to “systemize” but it requires the right leader who has a great team.

Maybe John is a secret shopper with Inside Hospitality. It is possible that Mary (who may have no experience) has a new business to blog and critique restaurants. Make their day. Celebrate. This is more than advice, it is a personal testimonial.

Once you are intent on doing this every day and every week, at the end of a year, you will find guests returning on their birthday month. You will have MANY email addresses. You will have many new friends.

Measures of success:

of positive comments online
of email addresses
of people who requested “me too”
of previous guests returning with friend / family for THEIR celebration
Average ticket of those celebrating vs. those “just visiting”.

Next month they will bring back their friends who are celebrating THEIR birthday month. That person you force a celebration on today will become your ambassador next month. (Trust me, this is what happens.)

I am sitting in the lobby of your restaurant. I see John, Mary and their two kids just walking into your door. Get the candles, cake, balloon, flower, camera and team. It is time to celebrate. (Don’t forget to email
them the photos and invitations!)

At your service,

Mike

P.S.

Think of the celebration as a way to show off a bit. When a guest gets wind of how another is getting a celebration and they are not, they will speak up with “What about me?” You then have opportunity to celebrate with another and get their email address, take and send photos along with invitations for future celebrations. This is more than an idea. It is history and works.

The real barrier is not ideas. Leadership and your team must have the skill and will to consistently
execute day after day. This is not easy but it is FUN!

If you have multiple locations and hope to execute at this level, there is no doubt that having a system to confirm is necessary. Hopefully you will have feedback online. Otherwise, you will hire a company to know that celebrations happen daily. Question: How many restaurant celebrations are happening?

Michael Hartzell – Inbound Marketing Certified Professional, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, restaurant marketing coach. Co-Author of “The Reality of ROI & Social Media Marketing”. Member of the American Marketing Association. Read more at www.michaelhartzell.com/restaurant-marketing

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

The 10 Best New Restaurants in America

Posted on 19. Aug, 2010 by Gary Tripp in Industry News

Once again, we ate our way across the country in search of the best new restaurants. These 10 fantastic spots–from casual places with communal tables to high-end, white-tablecloth affairs–prove that the American restaurant scene is alive and well, and more delicious than ever.

Check out the top 10 by clicking here!

Branding & Design That Doesn’t Suck. Meet Our New Partner- Crawler Promotions.

Posted on 18. Aug, 2010 by Gary Tripp in Inside Hospitality, Marketing

Inside Hospitality, LLC. is excited to officially announce a formal partnership with Chicago based Crawler Promotions. These guys do an incredible job and really understand the market, we look forward to partnering with them on many upcoming projects.

Crawler Promotions is an online and mobile strategist company that enhances a companies brand online while creating an expertise in your field.  We handle all online marketing and mobile promotions for companies and organizations, especially in the bar, club and restaurant industry.  We specialize in both design and development of social sites, mobile applications development and print promotional work.

We Handle:

• Social Media Profile Design and Development
• Mobile Application Design and Development
• Website Development that includes strategic SEO and social profile integration
• Promotional Design Work: Business Cards, Menus, Promo Cards, Event Flyers, & Posters

Visit Crawler Promotions by clicking here!

The Invisible Restaurant Manager – Daily Tip for Monday August 16th.

Posted on 16. Aug, 2010 by Guest Blogger in Daily Tip, Marketing

Post by guest blogger Michael Hartzell

The Invisible Restaurant Manager.

To understand the restaurant business and the success or failure of an operation, we must first look at the invisible restaurant manager.  Without doing so, the eye of an owner, investor or supervisor may not fully see the true restaurant success.

Restaurant owner:  Do you evaluate your manager(s) based on their personal effort?  Or do you instead look to the results?  Do you hear from your leader(s)?  :  “I am the hardest working manager!”

If you see a manager at 120% working every position, working extra hours and skipping breaks; is this a good sign?

If you were able to filter the restaurant manager from your field of vision and consider them invisible, what would you see?

You would then see:

• The staff
• The cleanliness and sanitation
• The safety
• The appearance of products
• The morale
• Guests smiling (or not)
• Guests waiting (or not)
• … And many more details in the operation.

If you evaluate your leadership by how involved they are with the details BEFORE looking at the overall results then you may have a GREAT employee in charge but not necessarily a leader or manager.

Focus on just the staff for just a moment.  Watch how they perform their responsibilities.  Is there waste?  (Remember, the restaurant manager is invisible to you now.)  If there are 20 staff persons on duty, is it possible they are doing their jobs “the hard way”?  What is the chance of each one of them increasing their performance by just 10%?

Here are reasons performance might improve by 10%:

• Equipment working better
• Training
• Aces in their places
• Team work
• Systems improved
• Communication
• Scheduling
• Preparation
• Planning
• Coaching (Direct supervision)
• Eliminate the bottom producers
• Removing misc. barriers holding people back.

Now that you are able to see the opportunities to help the individuals improve and know more precisely where the waste is, now look to your restaurant manager.  Are they working hard?  Or are they a catalyst to improving performance by 10%?

If a manager can create an environment and lead the team in such a way to improve the performance of 20 people by 10%, the math says that is twice what the manager could do personally.  (20×10%=200% improvement)  There is little chance that a restaurant manager can add to the restaurant operation simply by working harder or longer.

Once each person on the team has improved by 10%, there will be a dramatic improvement in the morale and guest experience as well.  Then the old conversation such as:  “I don’t have much time to do restaurant marketing, I am working very hard and there just doesn’t seem to be time.”  Or “I can’t seem to find the time to follow up with guests after their visit.” will become a thing of the past.

Evaluate the restaurant manager by making them invisible as you review the restaurant operation.

Sure, you can do this with any supervisor.

No, you must not think this means the restaurant manager should make themselves be invisible.  They must ensure each on the team is successful.  It does mean HOW they work side by side with their team will change.

Yes the principle works with a smaller staff but the managers are more involved and integrated in the operations with lower sales.  (I expect this would be a motivation to do more restaurant marketing and improve sales.)

Now you know the secret to improving the results of your restaurant manager by 200%.

It is time to apply the same principles to you, the restaurant owner don’t you think?

Michael Hartzell – Inbound Marketing Certified Professional, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, restaurant marketing coach.   Co-Author of “The Reality of ROI & Social Media Marketing”.   Member of the American Marketing Association.  Read more at www.michaelhartzell.com/restaurant-marketing

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

What is a Social Media expert ?

Posted on 15. Aug, 2010 by Gary Tripp in Social Media

How @ihospitality & @37Signals help restaurants deliver a great guest experience.

Posted on 12. Aug, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip, Marketing

Below: Q&A with Gary Tripp, President of Inside Hospitality, about how his team uses Highrise.

What does your company/business do?
Inside Hospitality works with restaurant & hospitality organizations in all 50 states and in 30+ countries helping them deliver a better guest experience through focused mystery shopping, online reputation management, coaching, and other experience measurement solutions.

Why do you need Highrise?
At Inside Hospitality we talk to a lot of restaurant, hotels and bars on a daily basis and have been on a mission (obsession actually) of sorts for the last few years to find the perfect CRM. Every business needs to keep track of contacts, leads, deals, and who said what to whom. The problem is most CRM programs just don’t work. Well, they don’t work in the way we need them to. We have used everything on the market from Salesforce to Goldmine and other fly by night CRM solutions that have popped up on our radar over the years.

Most are over bloated with features that may be useful for Boeing or some other Fortune 500 company, but they are totally over kill for us.

What happened when we used the before mentioned solutions? They simply weren’t used. Complicated applications don’t get used. Simple solutions that just “work” will always be our choice and are embraced by everyone within our company.

We have employees in 6 states and 4 countries. We need something that just “works” the way we need it to. No more, no less.

We found Highrise about 6 months ago and never looked back. Finally, a CRM that just works the way we do and totally fits our needs. It’s like 37Signals tailor designed this application for us. What luck!

How do you use Highrise and why do you like it?
Highrise is our daily life line and keeps everyone in the company on the same page. It lets everyone know instantly what was said last, to whom and what needs to happen next.

We also love how all the company’s information as well as all contacts are all on the same page. Seriously, how could things be easier?

Read entire post on the 37 Signals website by clicking here!

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

What’s A Guest Worth? Really. – Daily Tip for Tuesday August 10th.

Posted on 10. Aug, 2010 by Gary Tripp in Daily Tip, Marketing

Today’s Tip: What’s A Guest Worth?

Let’s talk for a second about the value of a happy guest and to outline our discussion I have created the matrix below that shows the effects of positive word-of-mouth as well as how strong your marketing ROI can be when you “get it right”.

What the discussion boils down to is both the value of a happy guest and the value of an unhappy guest because both have equally important values.

Let’s assume you have a $20 per-person-average (PPA) and that for every happy guest they will tell five people within a month of their great experience.  Those five people then visit your restaurant and have a great experience and each of them tell five m0re people and so on. It will look something like this:

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

Restaurant Management Talk about Cutting Costs vs. Increasing Sales- Daily Tip for Monday Aug. 8th.

Posted on 09. Aug, 2010 by Gary Tripp in Daily Tip

Post by good friend to Inside Hospitality & guest blogger Michael Hartzell

“When all is said and done, more is usually said.”  Many rely on a street sign for advertising and hope for the best.  These comments came from restaurateurs during the last 25 years:

• I can’t think of anything right now; let’s do what we have usually done.
• What is the restaurant up the street advertising?  We will copy them.
• Our advertising isn’t working very well so we need to spend more.
• I just got a call from Advertising salesman pete with a special that ends next week so we have to do it.
• I just thought of a marketing idea while I was washing my hands in the bathroom.
• The economy is down and people are spending less so we need to cut the advertising budget.
• Since business is down, we need to cut labor and get the managers and staff to be more productive.
• Let’s cut all the services that make the restaurant look great to every other month to save costs.
• We can open later and close earlier since no one is coming in.
• Oh?  There are fewer transactions?  Then we need to raise the prices.
• Don’t worry; the slower sales trend is only temporary.  We can dig in and wait it out.
• The boss just cut our hours and is working more herself to save money while business is slow.
• If we cut out  ______, we can save 2 cents per transaction.

Tendency to play it safe:

There is a tendency to make decisions about what we know can be controlled.  It is a sure thing to cut costs, work more hours, reduce portions, or raise prices.  The impact is immediate and can be measured easily.

Where is the Bottom?  When focusing on what I call “defense”, there is a bottom.  Do you know where yours is?  I hope you are first inclined to put on your to-do list those activities that impact sales.

The simple formula to conduct your breakeven analysis is to take your fixed costs, divided by your price, minus your variable costs.  As an equation, this is defined as:

Breakeven Point = Fixed Costs/(Unit Selling Price – Variable Costs)

If you are surviving each month but in reality making no profit, the first action anyone is inclined to do is:  Go on defense and focus on keeping the cash.

Feeling is NOT Reality:

Any good game plan also includes a more aggressive offense when behind.  Defensive strategies give a FEELING of accomplishment but there is a good chance that the new focus is taking MORE energy and time.  Therefore, there is not much time, energy nor resources left to invest into offense.

A year down the road a management team might say:  “Look!  Sales are flat!  We are making progress!”  In one respect this is true.  After all, if costs are in line with goals (based on percentages) it might appear the managers and owner are “in control” of the business.

This is often a conflict between the less experienced, hard working leadership within the restaurant vs. the seasoned veteran leadership who know that defense is only half the game.

It’s been a year:

It has been more than a year since the “economy went bad”.  You have cut every cost possible and continue to look at the P&L when the best thing you could do is to make more introductions and invitations.

In reality this is may not be exciting and the repetition of marketing may soon wear you to the point of monotone mundane script reciting over and over.  When do the lines and judgment begin to blur?  After the 1000^th handshake?  After the one millionth advertising piece sent?  You have cut costs, streamlined, sweated over your P&L statements and also have to be innovative and interesting.  You may not feel so interesting and in fact may feel tired.

Reminder that it’s work:

People are searching for you because they want to have a great experience.  Marketing is not quite as exciting as some make it out to be.  It is hard work and takes personal discipline.

• Mail
• Telephone
• Mobile Text Messaging
• Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare.
• Newspapers
• TV
• Radio
• Magazines
• Doorhangers
• Walking Around Marketing
• Many more

In fact I have a whole list here:  Restaurant Marketing Planning Spreadsheet

This is a special link just for you at Inside Hospitality that bypasses the opt-in form.  It is free.

“When it’s all said and done, make sure that more is done.” Michael Hartzell

About Michael

Michael Hartzell – Entrepreneur, writer, coach and Inbound Marketing Certified Professional.  As a self proclaimed Professor of Magic Marketing, author of “10 Magic Marketing Tips” and over 30 years experience as a restaurateur, Michael helps business owners “Boost Sales & Build Teams” on the foundation of Knowledge Empowers so Learn & Teach ™.  Read more from Michael at Restaurant Marketing Ideas Blog or contact him at ask@michaelhartzell.com.  Member of the American Marketing Association and Guerrilla Marketing Association.

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.