MARKETING: Pro Food Photography: A Feast for the Eyes & Your Restaurant’s Bottom Line
There are many factors that come into play when it comes to answering why guests choose you over another restaurant. But the root of any business (particularly ones in foodservice industries) begins with the image you portray to your guests. And your image can make or break your business. Let’s discuss the vital importance of how the overall branding of your restaurant actually begins with how you market your dishes to consumers, and why you should always leave it to the professionals.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Who Has the Most On-Screen Deaths of Any Actor?
If you thought Sean Bean, we would’ve been right there with you. We’d also all would be wrong. Danny Trejo, in fact, holds that honor with 65 on-screen deaths. Bean amazingly doesn’t even crack the Top 10. Behind Trejo’s is Sir Christopher Lee (60 deaths) and Lance Henriksen (51 deaths). Kit Harington has the highest chance of dying in a TV/movie with 62.5% deathrate. Here are more Movie Mortality stats to enjoy.
World Radio Day
Friday wasn’t just Valentine’s Day. It was also World Radio Day! According to Nielsen's measurements, far more than 200 million Americans aged 18 and older listen to the radio at least once a week, equaling a reach of 92% of the adult population. Television came in a close second with a weekly reach of 86%, while 80% of U.S. adults now use apps or browse the web on a smartphone in any given week.
The US is the Most Expensive Country for Childbirth
Estimates of the average cost of childbirth in the U.S. vary widely and advocacy group Childbirth Connection claims hospitals charge just over $32,000 for a standard delivery and more than $51,000 for a caesarean section. Even though insurance providers typically cover most of that, new families are usually left with a bill that can add up to thousands of dollars. The International Federation of Health Plans carried out a separate international comparison of childbirth costs and even though their total for the U.S. is significantly lower, it is still far higher than in other countries.
BE THE (CLIMATE) CHANGE YOU WANT TO BE
Why it matters to you: Tying your marketing to your efforts on sustainability is a really good business decision.
Here’s a question for you…what are you doing to reduce your impact on climate change? If you answered nothing, I guess you can stop reading now. But if you answered a little or a lot, then you need to leverage that effort. We have discussed ad nauseam the value of marketing your climate combatting efforts in your marketing, but it really matters these days to consumers. A 2018 National Restaurant Association survey of consumer trends listed 7 of 20 consumer trends that were specifically related to sustainability and combatting climate change. Efforts like composting and locally sourced products are enough to drive guests to spend money at your restaurant.
To this point, we have only suggested you promote your efforts, but we haven’t provided much in the way of guidance. Well, this primer on how to effectively promote your efforts to go green is a perfect place to start when considering how you will market your efforts to achieve sustainability as part of your marketing. The primer describes ways to achieve awareness that you are committed to reducing your impact on the environment. Among the suggested strategies is to apply for awards and certifications. Nothing is more outwardly affirming that an outside authority validating your efforts and provides you with something to crow about. Start by seeing who is recognizing the efforts of the business community as pertains to climate change and determine what you need to affect to get their attention. From there, just be true to your purpose of reducing your restaurants impact and your guests will respond.
[Source: Modern Restaurant Management]
SET YOURSELF (ALCOHOL) FREE
Why it matters to you: The alcohol-free trend isn’t going away anytime soon.
Almost equal to consumer interest in restaurants that combat climate change is the consumer’s focus on healthy consumption. Which is why one of the newest trends in beverage service is the alcohol-free movement. From ideas like Dry January to alcohol-free beverage menus, restaurants are embracing this trend and consumers are responding. You need look no further than the success of Heineken’s 0.0 brew that has seen mid double-digit growth since being launched in Europe in 2017.
A spokesperson for Heineken, Dayna Adelman, recently said, “We expect to see this segment continue to grow and we believe this can be attributed to the continuous rise of wellbeing, mindful drinking, and living a balanced lifestyle amongst consumers.” In fact, Heineken commitment to alcohol-free options includes four distinct brand options: Heineken 0.0, Affligem 0.0, Amstel Radler 0.0, and Cruzcampo 0.0. The 0.0 distinction means alcohol free and under .50% ABV. However, there is also a low-alcohol segment characterized by .51 – 3.4% ABV.
No matter whether you offer a high-quality alcohol free or low-alcohol beer alternative or not, you can certainly take advantage of the trend to reduced alcohol consumption. Take the time to first see what your competitors are doing, then decide what is right for you. From there, create a beverage menu that offers an alternative to consuming alcohol. Since the most expensive aspect of an alcohol beverage is the alcohol, removing it from some beverages, but offering it as an option will also be quite profitable. And it certainly will speak directly to your guests that either won’t drink alcohol because they are with their kids, working or just sober. Either way, it’s inclusive and very good for business.
[Source: Yahoo]
