Thursday, January 12, 2017
Today's Specials:
MARKETING: Three Tips for Restaurant Paid Advertising Beyond Facebook
Facebook isn't the begin and end of paid advertising for restaurants. Here are three things to keep in mind when you're looking to boost your reach with paid advertising.
GUESTS: Six Steps to Creating Buyer Personas for Your Restaurant
Customer personas aren't a marketing buzzword or management gimmick, they're a real tool that can help you set yourself apart from the competition. Don't let your competitors leave you in the dust. Distinguish yourself by understanding and using these six tips.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Eat Sh*t
The Doughnut Parlor in California will have you eating poop… kinda. They’re created a poop emoji donut, which is a chocolate cake donut covered in dark chocolate icing with a spiral of chocolate buttercream to act as the poop. And yes, it has edible eyeballs. Check it out here!
Bars: Good for Your Guests’ Health
Being a regular is good for your health, according to the Adaptive Human Behavior and Psychology journal. The reason? Regulars have bigger social networks, are more engaged with their community and satisfied with life. This backs up a study published last year that said the same thing. This is a great story to share with your guests on social media. Click the share links below to let them know that your bar is good for their health!
Unleashing the Fried-Chicken Taco Shell
Taco Bell just doesn’t know when to stop. They’re unveiling their fried-chicken taco shells – which is exactly what you think they are. It’s flat fried chicken folded in half like a taco shell and then stuffed with your preferred ingredients. And it costs just $2.99.
Who Brings a Knife to a Ladle Fight? [VIDEO]
Two restaurant employees fought back when they were attacked by a masked-man wielding a knife. Their weapons of choice? A ladle. Watch the video here.
LEADING WITHOUT PASSIVE AGGRESSION
Why it matters to you: Getting your employees to go above and beyond begins with communicating those expectations.
MRM covers a number of topics relevant to restaurant managers, but we found this article outlining how to get your employees to meet your expectations really stood out. Not all staff are created equal. There are those that always seem to go the extra mile and others that just do the minimum possible. How do you get everyone on the same page so that you’re creating a seamless customer service experience no matter which staff is serving a guest?
It starts with communication. Author Bruce Tulgan discusses a manager’s frustration with staff not acting out of their own initiative. You can’t change someone’s initiative, but you can communicate expectations and make going above and beyond a part of what’s normally expected of a staff member’s duty.
BDAY PERKS
Why it matters to you: do you offer free food to your guests on their birthday?
People love free food! Luckily for us, MSN featured a gallery of the top 24 restaurant chains where you can score free food on your birthday. On the list you’ll find Panera, IHOP, and Olive Garden just to name a few; some of which will serve a free dessert, app or drink. Guests tend to feel more connected to an establishment when the restaurant goes out of their way to please/celebrate them.
There are multiple ways that restaurants can increase guest retention and serving free food for birthdays is on the top of the list. The cost of the free dessert often pays for itself with the rise of your guest return rate. As an added tip, if you see a guest’s social media photo was tagged at your restaurant, wish them a HBD from the restaurant’s account. It’s just an added touch that makes the guest feel good and that’s what we’re here to do.
STOP WISHING, START LEADING
Why it matters to you: You can’t wish your staff to exceed expectations, you have to lead them to it.
Great leadership doesn’t care about someone’s work ethic, motivation or commitment. Successful leaders focus on how to communicate their expectations clearly and coherently to their staff to ensure they are met. If you want to get your staff to “go the extra mile” then you need to define what the extra mile looks like and share it with your team. Just like in sport, you manage the team you’ve got and the best way to do that is by giving clear direction.
Why not ‘negotiate’ what going beyond expectations looks like for each staff person on your team. Then you can incentivize that behavior. You will be shocked how your team responds and even competes to be recognized for doing more. This is a dynamic leadership approach and will need constant adjustment, but the outcome will be a staff that knows their job and is excited to achieve their best performance.
In today’s restaurant news: how to leverage social media influencer marketing, the restaurant industry collapses under COVID-19, how Congress has failed the restaurant industry, and more.