RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#52 - INTERVIEW: Saleem Khatri, CEO of Lavu Inc. I'm fascinated with how technology and hospitality are intersecting, and baffled at how slow our industry is to adopt new ways of doing things. I put out a call to listeners, asking for anyone who wanted to discuss the subject on the show. Well, I'm thrilled to say that Saleem Khatri answered that call. He is the CEO of Lavu, which as many of you know, was the original iPad POS software. In just 10 years they've captured huge market share and have expanded their offerings to include a bunch of new services: credit card processing, in-store kiosks, and more.  Saleem gets to peak behind the curtains of thousands of restaurants, and so he brings a unique perspective to this conversation. He has ideas for how restaurant owners can make their businesses more profitable, predictions about the future, and most importantly... the data to back it all up.  This week's episode is a bit of a departure from our normal interview format, but I think there's a lot of great insights to take away.  CLICK HERE to visit Lavu's website Contact Saleem through his assistant: makella.matier@lavu.com Finally a reminder about our two online workshops launching this summer!  ~ CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ~

#51 - Eleven Ways to Capture E-Mail Addresses As many of you know, I'm offering a pre-sale special for 2 summer workshops. The first is called KILLER CONTENT, all about capturing great food photography. But the second is E-MAIL STRATEGY FOR RESTAURANTS. Think of this week's episode as an "on ramp" of sorts, where I'm teasing out the kind of information you'll get by enrolling in one of the courses.  E-Mail Marketing is perhaps the best, most efficient way to keep in touch with your fans and it's amazing to me just how few restaurants use it (or use it properly). One of the biggest objections I hear from chefs and restaurant owners is that they just don't know how to get started... meaning, how to even capture e-mail addresses in the first place.  If you've said something like that in the past, then this episode is for you. I share 11 different ways you can start capturing addresses TODAY!  Areas covered on today's episode:  1 - Capture during reservations process2 - Comment Card3 - POS4 - WiFi5 - Website6 - Content Upgrades7 - Social Media 8 - E-Mail Signature9 - In store Signage10 - Loyalty Apps11 - Community Events I hope you'll join us this summer for the E-MAIL STRATEGY Workshop.  ~ CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ~

#50 - The REALLY BIG Recap Episode Fifty episodes feels like a milestone worth celebrating and so that's what we're doing this week. A bunch of listeners have been with us since the very beginning, but the majority of the Restaurant Strategy audience has found us just recently over the past few months... and so I want to recap everything we've discussed so far to provide a strong base of knowledge as we move forward.  Topics covered:  Defining "marketing"... what is it? Just three questions?  Why is "marketing" important, and how can it transform your business?  I walk you through my 5 Pillars of Marketing to make sure you understand how to articulate what it is you do and who your product is for. We talk about market research -- how to identify your competitors, and discover new ways to stand out from the crowd.   We talk about the tools, tactics, and strategies that are working for restaurants and set us up for future episodes.  Important Links: CLICK HERE to get the Marketing Calendar Template CLICK HERE to get the Marketing Pillars Workbook Finally, a reminder that I'm launching two online workshops this summer. Regularly priced at $197, I'm offering spots at 50% OFF until the end of March. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

#49 - INTERVIEW: Bob and Kate Carpenter, Sunny Side Kitchen On this week's episode I had the pleasure of chatting with two Restaurant Stragey listeners, Bob and Kate Carpenter, who run a charming little cafe in Escondido, CA called Sunny Side Kitchen. The restuaurant is listed on Yelp's Top 100 in the United States (yes, the entire country) and is gearing up for their 5th Anniversary Celebration.  All of this from a couple of people who, until they opened Sunny Side, had no experience in hospitality. As it turns out though, they've discovered the secret to their success and are sharing it on this week's episode. Topics covered:  How a lifetime in journalism helped prepare them for restaurant life Their strategy for handling Yelp reviews The best way for keeping a low overhead How the lessons from Restaurant Strategy helped solidify their plans for future growth How a trip to London inspired them to make changes at Sunny Side Advice for people looking to open their first restaurant Important Links: Sunny Side Kitchen Website Sunny Side Kitchen on Yelp Facebook Page Instagram Feed Finally, a reminder that I'm launching two online workshops this summer. Regularly priced at $197, I'm offering spots at 50% OFF until the end of March. Plus... PLUS... the first 25 people who reserve a spot will get a FREE Restaurant Strategy Tote Bag. (We've got just a few left.) CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

#48 - Marketing Resources and Tools I LOVE Valentine's Day is here and since love is in the air, I'm sharing the tools, courses, websites, and resources that I LOVE... the things that help me market restaurants! My camera, the Nikon D750: As I say over and over... it's crucial these days to be able to show off what it is you do best. We are a visual culture these days and so the best way to attract new customers is to SHOW them what it is you're offering.  Photoshop & Lightroom: These are two powerful programs by Adobe that allow me to edit and catalogue my work, and create stunning graphics at the drop of a hat.  Canva: This is an easy-to-use site and app that helps beginners create eye-catching visuals.  Sprout Social: Social Media Management software that's relatively affordable and extremely user-friendly. Save time and energy by scheduling out your social content.  My Marketing Calendar...If you haven't done it yet, CLICK HERE to download my template. Dropbox: a cloud-based powerful file-sharing program Squarespace: Drag-and-drop website builder with tons of stylish design templates Mailchimp: Intuitive and easy-to-use e-mail service provider Seth Godin's Akimbo Workshops and his Akimbo Podcast Do-it-yourself merchandising: UPrinting / Vistaprint / Zazzle Finally this week on Episode #48, I announced a Pre-Sale Special for two online workshops I'm launching this summer. Regularly priced at $197, I'm offering 50% OFF until the end of March. Plus... PLUS... the first 25 people who reserve a spot will get a FREE Restaurant Strategy Tote Bag.  CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

#47 - Crafting Your Elevator Pitch CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ELEVATOR PITCH CHEATSHEET There are two things that are absolutly crucial to creating a profitable business... understanding WHAT your product is, and identifying WHO it's for. The tricky part, however is articulating those things successfully.  In this week's episode we're talking all about building a short, medium, and long elevator pitch for your business. You'll use these for press releases and whenever you find yourself talking to potential investors. More than that, these pitches will become the base for your marketing efforts moving forward.  There are three things that are essential for a great elevator pitch:  Clarity Efficiency Passion I've put together a freebie for you this week to help you with the assignment. The Elevator Pitch Cheatsheet will show you short, medium, and long pitches for 4 successful restaurant brands, plus it'll walk you through the 4 steps to building a pitch of your own. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ELEVATOR PITCH CHEATSHEET Your assignment then is to write 3 different elevator pitches for your own restaurant.

#46 - But What Are We Really Selling? CLICK HERE to Download the Marketing Pillars Workbook! And as a refresher go back and listen to Episodes #2-6, where we talk all about the 5 Pillars Marketing. CLICK HERE to list to the first of those 5 episodes. ***** When pondering the question "What do we sell," it's all too easy to respond with the "food and beverage." It's easy, and it's lazy. And it's also wrong. As we've discussed in past episodes, as restaurant operates we're doing so much more than just feeding people. We're providing a comfortable environment for them to collect. We provide a table and a choice of items. We prepare the food, serve the food, then clear and clean all of the dishes, all while giving them the chance to focus in on the people they're dining with. At the very least we are selling an experience, and I believe much more. We are selling a feeling. We are filling a NEED. And all great marketing comes down to that. In this week's episode we're going to talk about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and I'll explain how it can help you better serve your audience. That means more covers and more revenue, but you have to get clear on the underlying issues that plague your customers. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Much of the work we do in modern marketing is influenced by Maslow's work, first published almost 80 years ago. And his work will provide deep insight to what your customers really want. Which is good news because if our patrons were just looking to "eat" they could go elsewhere to get food quicker and for less money. After all, a can of beans only costs about 80 cents and will fill you up pretty good. So even if you just run a fast food joint, a burger, fries, and a drink will cost 5 or 6 or 7 times that much. So we have to assume that our customers are looking for more than just "food." What exactly do they need? That's what this episode is all about! This episode will stack right on top of the work we did at the very beginning of this show... go back and listen to episodes #2-6 for a refresher on the 5 Pillars of Marketing and follow along with the workbook... CLICK HERE to Download the Marketing Pillars Workbook! ***** GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com

#45 - 8 Ways to Maximize Revenue on Valentine's Day Valentine's Day is the first big holiday of 2020 and offers a great opportunity to #1 boost Q1 sales figures, and #2 to make an impression on a bunch of first time diners. In this week's episode I'm walking you through eight different ways to help maximize profits on this, the most romantic day of the year OFFER A PRIX FIXE - The limited menu will not only help the kitchen keep up with the additional covers, but it’ll also ensure swift turn times throughout the night. Up the price point to maximize profitability, and consider selling a “premium” menu alongside the regular one.  ADJUST THE FLOORPLAN - Get rid of all your 4-tops and large party tables; replace them with rented deuces. If you have a PDR, see if you can convert the space to accommodate additional covers. Maximize every inch of real estate for a more profitable night. OFFER ADD-ONS DURING THE BOOKING PROCESS - Consider using a service like Tock so you can sell signed cookbooks or chocolates during the checkout process. At the very least make sure your reservationists are offering some add-on when they call to confirm reservations. A $30 box of chocolate might not sound like much, but when you sell 50 of them it turns into a significant number. ADJUST YOUR HOURS - Consider opening 30 minutes earlier to accommodate additional tables, or extend the book an hour later than normal. The extra time will ensure you get that crucial third turn! ALL WEEKEND LONG - Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, which means people will be celebrating all weekend long. Consider offering your menu and promotions on Saturday and Sunday as well. You may even want to adjust your hours on those nights as well. PACKAGES - Work with partners in town to offer a Getaway Package: 2 nights at a nearby hotel, 2 tickets to a museum, breakfast each morning at the cafe around the corner, and Valentine’s dinner at your restaurant. It takes a great deal of planning, but will be well worth the effort. GO AGAINST THE GRAIN - Perhaps your restaurant doesn’t scream romance. Great! Remember that there are just as many people who don’t celebrate the day. So put together a promotion for them. PLAY THE LONG GAME - Come February 14th your restaurant will be filled with first time diners. Use it as an opportunity to build repeat business. Perhaps that means a bounce-back promotion, or something more subtle. Whatever it is, don’t miss your chance to turn a great first impression into a successful long term relationship. And as promised, there's also a freebie that goes along with this episode... a checklist that highlights all 8 of these along with 3 additional ideas. Follow the link below to get the download: *** CLICK HERE to get the Valentine's Day Checklist *** LINKS FROM THE SHOW: Tim Ferriss interviews Nick Kokonas - LISTEN HERE GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com  

#44 - Insights from my First Visit to Paris!!! At the end of 2018 my wife and I sat down and said that travel was going to be a priority moving forward. We did very little of it growing up, and we wanted it to be a big part of our son's life. So we looked at the calendar, picked some dates, and booked our trip. Obviously food is a big part of my life, and so dining would be a big part of the trip. But still I was blown away by the experience. And so on this week's episode I'm sharing eight Insights from my 8-day vacation in Paris! The merchants in the small specialty shops and the waiters who take care of us in restaurants were eager to engage with each and every customer. Everyone in those shops were so knowledgable and passionate, eager to share that passion with us. A Michelin Star carries much more weight over there than it does here in the United States. Most of the high-end restaurants survive on 1 seating a night, compared to her in America where we need 2 or more. Word of mouth was a key way that we chose restaurants. Very few restaurants had bars. All of the reservation systems were glitchy and confusing The wait staff at each and every restaurant went above and beyond to make our 4-year-old comfortable. ASSIGNMENT:  Part 1 - Dine at a brand new restaurant sometime this week -- even just a sandwich shop -- and take stock of everything. Check the website before you go and see what you learn from it. Call them ahead of time and ask some questions. Scout out the neighborhood, the block, the front door and see if you would go in as a tourist. Grade the meal, and think about whether you would recommend it to a friend or a co-worker. What would you say about it? Then Part 2 - Do this same exercise with your own restaurant and try to be as honest as possible. Our Paris recommendations:  Cafe Constant - 139 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, FR Les Cocottes - 135 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, FR Le Violon d'Ingres - 135 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, FR Le George - Four Seasons George V, 31 Avenue George V, 75008 Paris, FR Restaurant Pirouette - 5 rue Mondétour, 75001 Paris, FR Jacques Genin - 133 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris, FR Poilâne Bakery - 38 Rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris, FR Cave Vino Sapiens - 145 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, FR Lastre Sans Apostrophe - 188 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, FR Les Petits Domaines - 208, rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, FR GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com  

#43 - The 10 Biggest Dining Trends of the Last Decade The best way to predict where we’re going is to take a look at where we’ve been. So I think it’s worth taking this opportunity to look back at the decade that just passed. This week we're going to talk about the 10 biggest trends in dining from the past decade, and use that to make some predictions about the decade ahead. This one is filled with all kinds of great insights. Do not skip!!! American Catch by Paul Greenberg - CLICK HERE Marketing Rebellion by Mark W. Schaefer - CLICK HERE GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com