Restaurant Marketing School

By Josh KopelBusiness Marketing

Restaurant Marketing School episodes

September 16, 2021Pro Tips for an Amazing Patio Season
HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM

PHOTO BACKDROP: When people go out whether it be for a special occasion, or just for a fun dinner with friends, they want to be able to commemorate it. Usually with a fun photo. Providing a fun photo background allows them to do that, and an opportunity for the restaurant to receive more traction when those pictures are posted. Make the backdrop fun, it could be just green shrubbery with neon light. Or fit it to the theme of your restaurant, if you have a Caribbean restaurant, have a beach theme. Make sure to include fun props that the diners can take photos with! Lastly, add the restaurant’s name or Instagram on either the backdrop of some of the props so that when the photo is posted other people can find the restaurant!

OUTDOOR BARTENDER WITH A SPECIALS DRINK MENU: Having a bartender outdoors can draw a ton more customers to a restaurant. Not only having an outdoor bartender but also having a special drink menu to go with it. Make the drinks fun, presentable, and one of a kind to your restaurant. Pair them with what you are serving as well, for example, if you are serving salmon with a blackberry sauce, maybe make a blackberry margarita to go with it. Having an outdoor bartender would only amplify the summery feeling that a patio already brings.

GAMES: When sitting outdoors, maybe with your kids, or with your friend while waiting for your food there isn’t much to do. So adding different life-sized games like Jenga and Connect 4 would add not only a fun aspect to the patio area but also something to occupy guests. I’m positive that life-size games will be as big of a hit with adults, as they will with kids.

CASUAL SEATING AROUND A FIREPIT

GREAT PATIO FURNITURE AND UMBRELLAS

MUSIC, COMEDY, OR TRIVIA NIGHTS :Entertainment can draw customers to the restaurant that it may have otherwise not have had. Whether it be a comedy night once a week, or a different live music event, entertaining customers is more important than ever. If it is a Trivia night you can even do prizes, like a free round of drinks for the table or a free dessert. Either way, it is a draw and one that every restaurant should have.

SPECIAL PATIO MENU: People enjoy feeling special, it is just human nature. So how does one bring that into the restaurant world, other than providing them with amazing service? Give them a special menu. If sat on the patio, provide a special menu, it does not have to be every day, maybe just once or twice a week. Provide it enough though that it gives people a reason to want to go and sit out on the patio. And don’t keep in the same specials menu every time, switch it up, make in a surprise, it’ll draw the crowd in.

GREAT LANDSCAPING, LIGHTING, WATER FEATURES, AND FLOWERS

HANDHELD POS
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
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We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
9 min
September 15, 2021Big Tech, Small Biz, Huge Advantage
Amazing technology is available to everyone in all shapes and sizes these days
Difference making tech:
Digital Signage – Example

Reservation System – Best Of List

POS System – Best of List

Card Processing – Best Of List

Accounting Software- Best of List

Payroll Management – Reviews

Employee Screening/Background Checks – Example

Scheduling Software – Reviews

Virtual File Cabinet – Best Of List

Digital Supplier Platforms – Example
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
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Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
10 min
September 14, 2021Menu Engineering: What do you want to be known for?
Menu engineering is the process of designing your menu to ensure maximum profitability.
Data doesn’t lie. Gut shots are great, but they are rooted in assumptions, hopes and dreams.
It takes the emotion out!
Menu engineering doesn’t come easy if you haven’t taken the time to really understand your menu’s performance by way of sales mix and theoretical costing
Never forget, your menu is the single most important marketing and sales mechanism you have!
Technical aspect: plotting your menu items based on contribution margin and popularity, then analyzing to remove poor performers or tweaking decent performers to become amazing contributors
4 Quadrants: Dog, Puzzle, Plow Horse, Star
Psychological aspect: strategically designing your physical menu layout to prompt guests to order those dishes that perform best based on the technical analysis
Highlights

Boxes

Pricing placement

Item placement (depends on style of menu) matters
Almost every restaurant has that “If you go there, you have to try” dish that inevitably becomes part of your identity – run with it!
But first, make sure it is not only popular, but profitable and make it as visible as possible!
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
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Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
10 min
September 13, 2021 Specials vs. Features and other ways to make Money
The restaurant business is a simple business where you make money selling food and drink. However, this process of making money can be done randomly or can be done strategically.
Category Menu Questionnaire - Start with sections of your menu and answer the questions. This will give you a great way to assess where your current menu is and what you need to do to improve and make more money. Questions by menu category
Weekly Specials vs. Weekend features - Specials are typically designed to drive traffic while Features should make MORE money. Knowing your average GP per plate in category will allow you to design items that will always be higher profit moving your bottom-line numbers UP!
Options on Weekly Specials (Not everyone wants the special)
Wing night example – See attached
- Offering boneless wings
- Offering naked tenders (sinless)
- Offering breaded shrimp
- Offering Deep fried Pierogis in Wing sauces
Working with the attached worksheet will allow you to look at other offerings on your specials to drive profits.
Couple other Money-Making Pro Tips
95 v. 99 on menu:
Moving your menu prices away from .95 cents doesn’t seem like a big deal, but if you take a week worth of sales by item and multiple it by .04 and then by 52 weeks, you will see this small move could make BIG Money.
Drinks – Don’t list soft drink prices on your menu:
- Anthony has two great real-life examples in the episode about how he created BIG TIME increases to operators’ menus by changing coffee prices and the Soft Drink pricing.
- Benchmark your current pricing versus your competition. You may be surprised how behind you are in this pricing. Offering unique beverage offerings that your customer can not find elsewhere can also be a great way to gain profits.
- It is also recommended to spot check how many tickets don’t have beverages ran in. This could be common with your wait staff as they may not be ringing in all beverages because they are either lazy or are trying to “Help” the customer in order to gain larger tips.
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
________________________________
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter
Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
11 min
September 10, 2021How to Use LinkedIn to Market your Restaurant
Reasons to get serious about LinkedIn.
Anyone who wants to deal with you will check here first.

One of the best places to build “Your brand.”

Trust and reputation.

Nurture and generate leads.

Reach beyond your regular network. Allows you to reach beyond our normal circle of influence and network.

Allows you to be intellectually curious. A wealth of content and knowledge.

Stay up to date on what is happening in your network.

Groups that are hyper-focused on your interest/support.
LinkedIn Do’s and Don’t
Do
Be consistent and always be publishing good content. You can never over post great content. 10X books

You can do this in the pool.

Be interesting

Be an educator

Motivator/story teller

Make an insightful comment on other’s content

Have patience. You are not going to be Gary Vee in two weeks. (Probably never but you can still be very successful on the platform).

Use Hashtags #akronohio #eventplanning #event #akronsfinest #eatlocalOhio #supportlocalbusiness #resturant #networking #togetherwearestronger

Tag people and companies. @EatLocalOhio

Be positive and lift people up.

Write a positive review for your contacts.

Tell your friends and family to follow you on social media.

Engage with posts and comments.

Try mentioning someone in the comments to get the conversation going
Do not
Try to be funny (you are not funny. Yes everyone thinks they are funny. Again, you are probably not funny). If you still think you are funny, check out TikTok.

Do not be negative.

Do not expect anything in return.
How to connect
Like the post

Comment on the post

DM them

Call them Set up a time to learn more about them.

Ask them what their biggest pain point is. What problem do they have that you can help solve.

Ask them if you can help them. Servant mentality.
This is how you post great content.
Do not spam people with “wine down Wednesday” and “today’s happy hour special.” Here are some sample ideas to get you started:

show gratitude to your staff and send dinner to their house

What makes a great lunch meeting

How to get lunch for the office.

5 things to look for when picking a corporate caterer

How to find a good venue for your holiday party.

How to get pizza for the office (hint: it is not all vegie)

The gift of local independent restaurant gift cards

Did you know: We do catering, We host events, etc.

Talk about the chef and the owner.
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
________________________________
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter
Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
10 min
September 09, 2021 Traditional Restaurant Marketing Methods: Oldies but Goodies
Make sure people know that you are OPEN
Send a Thank You Card
Golf Ball Promotion
Be Part of Your Community
Join Your Chamber of Commerce
Business Card Giveaways
Digital Signage
Phone System
Loyalty Rewards Programs: Check out this article in the Harvard Business Review about “Do Rewards Really Create Loyalty?” https://hbr.org/1995/05/do-rewards-really-create-loyalty
Customer List
Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude: Continue the message of gratitude with your to-do items. Put a thank you business card in the to-go bag. It can be something as simple as “We sincerely appreciate your business. Thank you for your purchase. We are honored to have a customer like you.” A great operator over at iRiE Jamaican Kitchen put a thank you card in each to-go bag with a chance to win a $50.00 gift card if you give them your email and follow on Facebook or Instagram.
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
________________________________
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter
Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
9 min
September 08, 2021Marketing a new restaurant location
Content tilt. What is the subject matter of our content?
Great Vibe

Healthy

Delicious Food

Unique Experience
Who is our customer marketing persona? ... Essentially, a persona, whether you call it a buyer persona or marketing persona, is a proxy for your target audience – a valuable shorthand for someone who has the same interests, priorities, and concerns as your buyers.
Location – Where do people from this persona live?

Interests – What are the interests of people in this persona?

Education Level – What is the education level of this persona?

Income Level – What is the income range of this buyer persona?

Buying Motivation – What is this personas reasons for visiting or ordering from your restaurant?

Buying Concerns – What is this personas concerns when visiting or ordering from your restaurant?
Source: https://limetray.com/blog/customer-personas-for-your-restaurants-success/
Customer Personas
Lunch Regular

Dinner Individual

Dinner Family

Business Catering

Family Catering
Where are they?
Publications

Schools and Universities

Local Government

Nearby Businesses and Organizations

Churches

Apartments

Radio and Podcasts

Top Bloggers

Top Ten Social Media Influencers

Favorite Websites – Why type of websites do people in this persona frequent?

Social Media – Where are they on Social Media
Content Ideas
25 Social Media Campaigns for Restaurants. https://restauranttopia.com/tools-ebooks/
What are the channels for disseminating content
Blog

Social media

LinkedIn

TikTok

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Email, Text, etc.)
Who is going to push the content?
Personal

Company

Employees

Influencers
What is the call to action?
What are we collecting?
Name

Address

Emails

Phone Numbers

Retarget
Review - Peter Drucker was right when he wrote: “What gets measured gets managed.”
Measure

Report

Analyze

Optimize
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
________________________________
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter
Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
11 min
September 07, 2021The Advantages of Marketing Yourself as a Local Independent
A major advantage of the independent restaurant is the personal connection, leverage it to ENGAGEMENT
When marketing your brand, it’s important to showcase what you can do from an F&B standpoint, but hospitality is all about the interpersonal relationship
Tell them who you are and what you are about

Tell them why you wanted to get here

Tell them how you got here

Pull back the curtain on your daily ops

Give them sneak peaks

Brag a little

Introduce your staff to them

Make it personal!

You’re a living, breathing human being that they can relate to.

Everyone LOVES saying, “I know the owner…”
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
________________________________
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter
Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
7 min
September 06, 2021 Tell your Restaurant’s story: How and Why?
Meet this season's co-hosts: The team from Restauranttopia:
Restauranttopia focuses on all things related to restaurant management and operations from hosts David Ross, Brian Seitz, and chef Anthony Hamilton. They feature interviews and restaurant success stories, along with insights on cost control, marketing, management and personnel issues.
In today's episode we tackle one of the hardest parts of restaurant marketing...talking about ourselves.
To learn more about Restauranttopia, check out the show notes at https://restauranttopia.com/category/podcast-episodes/
________________________________
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter
Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
8 min
August 27, 2021 How to effectively market when you're doing well already
Does every restaurant need a marketing strategy? What if you're happy with where sales are currently? Today, Matt Plapp shares his thoughts on what you can do when you're already doing well.
________________________________
Sign Up for Our Weekly Newsletter
Book time on Josh's personal calendar
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out the FULL COMP media universe by visiting:
FULL COMP
The Happy Mouth Morning Show
Restaurant Marketing School
The Playbook
4 min

About Restaurant Marketing School

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Created in partnership with Yelp for Restaurants, Restaurant Marketing School provides daily marketing tips, tricks and tools, giving restaurateurs the tools they need to communicate with their existing customers and reach an entirely new customer base.

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