Tag: restaurant marketing

After several years of running a dining guide in Madison, Wis., and performing PR/marketing consulting for restaurants and bars, I’ve seen a common set of mistakes that bar managers make.

1. Not having happy hour and/or drink specials. The increase in customers (who may actually order food, too) will easily make up for the minor discount you offer on drinks.
2. Constantly changing drink specials. Stick with your specials! You are conditioning customers to expect a certain special–that’s one of the ways you build your base of regulars. One way to make it easier: instead of naming a price ($3.50 rails), just name a discount ($1 off rails). That way you don’t have to keep changing the specials when you inevitably raise your prices. (On another note, don’t call “everyday specials” as “specials,” because if a particular drink is that price every day, then that is the regular price!)
3. Not accepting credit cards. People buy way more drinks when they start a tab. If you’re worried about people buying one drink with a credit card, set a minimum amount. (I also know some bar managers who prefer a cash-only system to avoid paying taxes. Have fun in jail.)
4. Not having any web presence. Are you kidding? At least start a Facebook page!
5. Allowing bartenders too much leeway (only serving regulars, drinking too much, etc.). This has many repercussions, including making the bar unwelcoming to new customers. In other words, this is very bad for business and gives your bar a poor reputation.
6. Not being aware of area events. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a bar that was understaffed (meaning, unprepared) for people coming in from a nearby event. Similarly, I’ve been to bars that didn’t know a major sporting event was on TV, and again, was understaffed.

What a restaurant owner says “the food will speak for itself” or “we rely on word-of-mouth,” it’s their death sentence. On top of having good operations (pricing, staffing, quality, etc.), you have to do marketing. I know from my experience in restaurant consulting that a very, very small percentage of restaurants can survive on word-of-mouth alone.

Have you ever noticed that the most trendy or successful restaurants in any city still do a ton of marketing and advertising? And that the least successful restaurants continue to do nothing?

Anyone who works or has worked in the restaurant industry knows that it’s tough and that you need to be proactive on the marketing front to have a chance at success. As the New York Times reported recently, quick-service restaurants (QSR) like Popeye’s and Dairy Queen have new campaigns that may help to stem sales losses caused by an increase in gasoline prices.

If anything, I would think that this is time for this category of restaurant to shine. When the economy made a turn for the worse a few years ago, upscale restaurants saw the biggest decline, and as a result they had to make modifications, such as adding prix-fixe menus. Thus, QSRs need to continue trumpeting value …

… and health.  Yep, that’s right. As reported by AdAge, QSRs are using buzzwords such as “fresh” and “natural” to appeal to the (more-)health-conscious diners. I agree with the article that trying to market to everybody could be a detriment to the restaurant chain’s core offerings. That’s why finding the right balance–though difficult–will be key.