RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#86 - Goals-Oriented vs. Systems-Oriented Losing 10 pounds is a GOAL, but without a plan you have no hope of getting there. In order to succeed at anything in life, you need a SYSTEM. Changing your eating habits, scheduling time to workout, drinking enough water, getting more sleep. Those are the routines you put into place to make sure you achieve your goal.  Goals are great, but without a system they are empty things.  On today's show I talk all about the relationship between systems and goals, and share a few ideas for implementing things into your own business.    IMPORTANT LINKS: PURCHASE Atomic Habits by James Clear PURCHASE How to Fail at Almost Everything... by Scott Adams READ "Secret of Success: Failure" by Scott Adams (WSJ)     ***** Happy listening,Chip Klose (Host of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast) P.S. - CLICK HERE to download the ONLY Restaurant Budget Template You'll Ever Need

#85 - Q & A Session: Round 2 A few weeks back I did a Q&A episode and it's been one of my most popular to date. Not only have there been a ton of downloads, but a bunch of you have reached out with follow-up questions... and new questions... and ideas about the future. I love it. So I decided to do another one. Today we're tackling six burning questions from listeners like you:  #1) What exactly is a ghost kitchen and how would I set one up?  #2) In-house delivery versus third-party delivery services? What are the pros and cons of both?  #3) I can't envision getting rid of wiaters entirely, but I realize that technology can help me out. What are some steps I can take?  #4) My patrons seem to be nervous about indoor dining? What can I do to make people feel more comfortable?  #5) I'd like to open my own restaurant. Is it better to come up with a concept and then find the right space? Or find a good location and then build a concept to fit that space?  #6) Restaurants turning to retail... is this a trend that will continue? What about the other way around?    IMPORTANT LINKS: Craver App - https://craverapp.com ChowNow - https://get.chownow.com Bento Box - https://getbento.com Talulah’s Table - http://talulastable.com/tt/ Check out the Famous Toastery website   ***** Happy listening,Chip Klose (Host of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast) P.S. - CLICK HERE to download the ONLY Restaurant Budget Template You'll Ever Need

#84 - INTERVIEW: Robert Maynard, Co-Founder of Famous Toastery In this week's episode I chat with Robert Maynard CEO & Co-Founder of Famous Toastery, a chain of successful breakfast spots based out of North Carolina. Passionate, energized, opinionated... and extremely knowledgable. I hope you get a lot from this wide-ranging conversation.  Connect with Robert on LinkedIn Check out the Famous Toastery website Learn more about the franchises   ***** Happy listening,Chip Klose (Host of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast) P.S. - CLICK HERE to download the ONLY Restaurant Budget Template You'll Ever Need

#83 - Preparing for the Second Wave Last week the Governor of New York identified 20 hot spots where virus infection rates were spiking. He and his team took rapid action to curb the spread and shut down a bunch of zip codes across the state. 9 of them were here in NYC, including where I live here in Brooklyn. So I can tell you first hand what it looks like and feels like to see non-essential businesses forced closed once again. The second wave is coming, and I believe it's our responsibility to be ready for another round of shutdowns. I certainly hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not there are things you can do to prepare yourself.  #1)  Identify all of the potential ways you can can make money if your dining room gets shut down to in-person customers.  #2)  Put an action plan into place for each of your revenue streams. #3)  Make a budget! #4)  Exhaust all resources like grants and loans.  #5)  Make sure your staff is prepared for another shutdown.  #6)  Gather e-mail addresses now so you can keep in touch with patrons throughout the shutdown.  #7)  Open a dialogue with your landlord and vendors.  #8)  Lay out a communications strategy that goes beyond posting on social media.   ***** Happy listening,Chip Klose (Host of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast) P.S. - CLICK HERE to download the ONLY Restaurant Budget Template You'll Ever Need

#82 - Q & A Session: Your Questions Answered! I get questions all the time from clients, listeners, colleagues, friends, and people I went to high school with. And there's been a spike these past few months, so I'm sharing some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy this one!  #1)  I understand now that I need to diversify my revenue streams. How do I get started with rolling out retail products?  #2)  I want to get started with video, but it seems like a lot of work. Is it really that important when it comes to marketing my restaurant, and what’s the easiest way to get started?  #3)  How do I know how to position myself in the market? What if I make the wrong decision?  #4)  Do you really see iPads replacing waiters in the near future?  #5)  What’s the biggest danger facing restaurants in the next 2 years? #6)  What’s the biggest opportunity you see in the next 12-24 months? #7)  Will ghost kitchens help or hurt the delivery apps like Grub Hub and Seamless?  #8)  Is Tock really the future?  #9)  I want to open a restaurant after all this. What do you think is an opportunity worth exploring?  ***** Happy listening,Chip Klose (Host of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast) P.S. - CLICK HERE to download the ONLY Restaurant Budget Template You'll Ever Need

#81 - Two Years into the Future What will dining look like in September, 2022? How will this pandemic change the way patrons dine out, and the way we run our restaurants? Chef Adam Liaw wrote a terrific article about a vision he has of the future.  You can read it by CLICKING HERE Check out Adam Liaw's KILLER Instagram feed by CLICKING HERE Explore the Tock Reservation Ticketing System by CLICKING HERE   Happy listening,Chip Klose (Host of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast) P.S. - CLICK HERE to download the ONLY Restaurant Budget Template You'll Ever Need

#80 - INTERVIEW: James Whitelock, Host of The Marketing Rules Podcast On this week's epsiode, I'm thrilled to be joined by James Whitelock, Managing Director of Think In Circles, a UK-based Marketing agency, as well as the host of the Marketing Rules Podcast. Less of an interview and more of a conversation about all things marketing - especially how brands can make themselves more appealing to both consumers and employees. Interestingly enough, many of the same things that attract customers also attract passionate workers.  IMPORTANT LINKS: CLICK HERE to learn more about James and the work he does with Think In Circles! CLICK HERE to listen to The Marketing Rules Podcast CLICK HERE to find The Marketing Rules Podcast on Apple Podcast CLICK HERE to connect with James Whitelock on LinkedIn And of course, remember that the E-MAIL STRATEGY WORKSHOP is right around the corner. Join me for a Live Online Session on Sunday October 4th. A handful of spots are still available. For less than a hundred bucks, I promise to show you everything I know that works  in e-mail marketing! Click Here to reserve your spot in the E-Mail Strategy Live Online Workshop (It's 50% OFF right now!!!)

#79 - Admitting You Have a Problem I'm hosting a Live Online Workshop on Sunday, October 4th called E-MAIL STRATEGY. As you might have guessed, it's all about how to build a comprehensive plan for your e-mail communications. That workshop is all about how to build an integrated system that will help drive revenue... But first I want to convince you of WHY it's important. On today's episode I'm going to try to do just that.  Click Here to reserve your spot in the E-Mail Strategy Live Online Workshop (It's 50% OFF right now!!!)

#78 - Positioning and Repositioning Back on Episodes #60, 61, and 62 we talked all about how to position a brand, understanding the importance of differentiating yourself in the market. We review the concept and talk about the best ways to go about that, but then turn our attention to the idea of repositioning. Once the market becomes saturated, the questions becomes: How do you find a new way to differentiate yourself?  The key is to change your focus, meaning what you draw the consumer's attention to.  To illustrate the point, I use Subway Sandwich Shops as an example. They are the #1 fast food restaurant in the world by market share, and they have successfully repositioned themselves twice so far. It's an incredible feat and one we can learn from. Of course, the company is struggling these days... sales have slipped in each of the past 5 years, and it begs the question: How might the successfully reposition themselves again?  I try to answer that question with an idea of my own. It's certainly not the only idea out there, and perhaps not even the best. Just a brainstorm if you will. And I hope it'll give you an idea of how you might do this for your restaurant.  P.S. - Click Here to reserve your spot in the E-Mail Strategy Live Online Workshop (It's 50% OFF right now!!!)

#77 - INTERVIEW: Kelly Cooper, Director of Growth Marketing at Moz Back on Episode #16 we did an SEO Crash Course, a quick bird's eye view of the subject. But it's important enough that I wanted to return to the subject. So I went out and found an expert: Kelly Cooper, Director of Growth Marketing at Moz. Tune in to get answers to the follwing:  What is SEO? Why is it important?  How exactly does SEO work? What are some "low effort, high impact" things I can do to start winning the Google game? IMPORTANT LINKS: Google's Page Speed Insights Google's Mobile Friendly Optimization Moz - Check Your Local Online Presence Tool Moz - Local Moz - Keyword Explorer Moz - Homepage (to see all of the services they offer) I hope this episode helps you get your SEO strategy off the ground. Reach out with any questions. Already Kelly and I are planning a Round Two later this fall.  chip@chipklose.com P.S. - Click Here to get the ONLY Restaurant Budget Template You'll Ever Need