Daily Tip for Tuesday July 13th.- HTFCSM Labeling Guarantees Restaurant Marketing Success

Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by Guest Blogger in Daily Tip, Marketing

Post by guest blogger Michael Hartzell

Erase everything about how you analyze your restaurant business for a moment.

Bring it down to its simplest form.

Name all the reasons someone would possibly walk into the door of your restaurant.

Hunger

Thirst

Fitness

Celebration (Party)

Show off to someone

Meeting

Are there others?

Here are the labels: HTFCSM

Every transaction is counted not by what guests eat, not by how many are dining … but by their purpose. Each gets a label. If hunger and thirst are the primary motivators, you can satisfy your guests easily since they are simply visiting for personal maintenance.

Do you know the current ratios? What percentage of your guests come simply for “maintenance” and could eat anywhere? Do you know why your place exists in the mind of those who visit?

If your restaurant primarily exists for what I call “maintenance food” then you will have a tough time getting more money from anyone. (Low check averages and discounts will be your motto.)

If your restaurant is a place to have meetings, celebrations and give someone a chance to show off, then your marketing changes. Your chance that the menu price point is less of an issue improves.

There are some restaurants that should put up a sign that says “Food Maintenance” instead of “restaurant”. “We are here to … fill you up.” What a concept. Just fill them up and move them out. J

Next step in breaking it down to its simplest form:

Who is the boss? Who influences your business the most? Who makes business happen?

Look very closely at your restaurant.

Here is a test question:

Ask the management team: Which person do you learn from the most?

The owner?
Your peers?
The persons on the team?

When I have asked this question over the years, the majority of managers have said: The team.

Who influences the return of those guests whom you have labeled HTFCSM? Is it the manager, the owner or team members? You could reverse the question and ask who influences the guest not to return? (It is no surprise to hear the team or staff since they have 100% contact with the guests.)

If the team members have a great influence on the boss and they are also a primary determining factor in whether guests return, will this change your relationship with those on the team? Or will you continue to view them as simply soldiers following orders?

Here is my verdict: Treat every staff person as if they were the boss. If you look very carefully, they already in many ways determine the course of your business whether you like it or not.

Now add social media tools where texting, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, blogging and review sites can be txt, liked, followed, tweeted and commented on by anyone on the staff.

Anyone who owns a restaurant must know the REAL reason for the guests visiting. HTFCSM
Any restaurant business has an army to blog, tweet, comment and review.
Any restaurant owner better look very carefully at who is truly influencing the business and ensure nothing gets in the way of their success.

Sure, you need a leader but that leader must understand the power which is at their disposal.

Don’t forget HTFCSM labeling. You will be surprised at what you learn.

PS to you the reader:

This is another test for you to follow. It is about branding and being found in the search engines. The unique phrase of “HTFCSM labeling” should come up within a very short time after this blog is posted. You can ensure this by bookmarking this blog post on www.delicious.com, tweeting it on Twitter, sharing it on www.digg.com and sharing on Google Buzz.

Google Caffeine is so fast that it responds in minutes. Do you have a very unique brand, phrase or menu item that you want to impress your community with and have NO competition? Pick something fun and relevant to your community and begin to tweet or blog about it. Create products with the name.

While in the beginning there will be no one looking for your unique name and you will not be found, over time you will dominate the term as you make it a household name in your community.

Here is the alternate plan: Try to rank in Google for a term everyone is trying to be found for. A small business will NOT be found on Google for a popular term. Chances are the term will be only more difficult and you will NEVER be found in Google. Seafood Tampa Bay for small restaurant businesses would be always tough to beat. How about seabayfo?

If you think this is crazy then take another look at the big names today. Squidoo? Google? pipl?

You decide: In 24 months you will dominate your market with a unique name for a product no one else serves. It will be your signature and it will become bigger than the word fish in your community.

This was just an example. Make up your own unique name here: http://www.bustaname.com/

Michael Hartzell –, Inbound Marketing Certified Professional, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, restaurant marketing coach. Member of the American Marketing. Read more at www.michaelhartzell.com/restaurant-marketing