MARKETING: No Sports? No Problem! How to Keep Business Booming on Off-Nights
Every sports bar experiences lulls, slow seasons, and dead nights. When your business model depends on basketball fans packing your bar, naturally your sales will be leaner on basketball-free nights. How do you occupy the building during the slows nights and off-seasons? The answer: TV shows.
There are people out there who take their favorite shows as seriously as sports fans take their games. Take a look at your clientele; odds are you’ll see just as many wearing shirts featuring Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead as you do wearing shirts of their favorite teams. Many of these shows even boasts Nielsen ratings that rival the World Series. And reality TV shows have big personalities and eliminations, just like your guests’ favorite sport. Here’s how to build a base to make the slow nights jumping.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Gordon Ramsay Gets Spicy
Hot Ones by First We Feast features celebrities answering questions while eating increasingly hotter and hotter chicken wings. It’s a niche gimmick to be sure. Anyways, their latest episode has Gordon Ramsay talks about his culinary influences, how to make the perfect scrambled eggs, and more – all while dropping major F-bombs over super hot wings. It’s *chef kiss*.
How Rich is Rich?
76% of respondents consider someone earning $10,000 a year to be poor. People seem to shake off the poor label once they bring in $30,000 a year with half of the population believing someone in this income bracket is neither rich nor poor. Even though people are divided on whether someone earning $90,000 is either rich or poor, a 56% majority of respondents say that a person taking home $100,000 every year is rich.
Starbucks for Prez?
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is teasing the idea of making a US presidential run in 2020. Trump called out Schultz, saying he doesn’t have the “guys” to run. Many Democrats have expressed concern that Schultz running would split the anti-Trump vote. Meanwhile, a heckler at a recent event expressed his displeasure, yelling, “Don’t help elect Trump, you egotistical, billionaire a**hole.” 2020 Election is gonna be a wild ride.
TRASH INTO TREASURE
Why it matters to you: Making your trimmings & waste into a wildly popular menu sure does sound smart.
There is an alarming lovely trend in our industry to turn trash into treasure by utilizing products that would normally have been tossed in the prep process. For example, Washington DC’s Teaism turns their broccoli stems and trimmings into a dish they call Broccoli Tots. Instead of hiding that they are further utilizing the produce you buy, this restaurant actually celebrates it. They add goat cheese and seasonings to the broccoli trimmings then panko bread them and fry them to perfection. The item is super popular and headlines their “Trash to Treasure” menu offerings. By focusing on this waste reduction and sharing their efforts with their guests, Teaism is leveraging their best behavior and practice to both profit and build their brand equity.
The trend follows predecessors Nose to Tail and Root to Stalk as a sustainable and responsible approach to menu development and was chosen as a Hot New Trend of 2019 by the National Restaurant Association. Sure, this is easier in a restaurant that has menu flexibility, but any operator can find opportunity to reduce waste and execute a great menu item. It’s clear that Millennials and Gen Z’ers value it sufficiently that they will choose a restaurant based on their sustainability efforts. Besides, it’s coming. Our resources are dwindling and learning to conserve them will be everyone’s priority before too long.
[Source: National Restaurant Association]
OFF WITH YOUR PREMISE
Why it matters to you: Off-premise is the trend that’s here to stay.
The rise of off-premise dining has been among the most persistent trends of the last few years. Off-premise services come in all shapes and sizes and it’s a very sophisticated segment in our industry. That’s why understanding what tactic you want to employ is the first step in leveraging food with no overhead. This primer from Restaurant Business Online is a perfect place to start. They break down the various elements of off-premise from execution to strategy. A thorough read will help you better understand which of these elements fits your location’s character and demographic.
As it turns out, all this food leaving the building has been good news for growth. According to global CMO Hector Munoz, “well north of 50%” of delivery sales have been incremental.” In a market where every dollar of growth is precious, a demonstrated method for delivering it (pun intended) demands your attention. So, take the 10 minutes, review your own strategy or embrace a new one. One thing you can be sure of, off-premise will continue to grow and now is the time to determine if it’s right for your restaurant.
[Source: Restaurants Business Online]
