RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#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  

#42 - Building Your 2020 Marketing Calendar What’s the product? Who’s it for? And how can you reach them?  That’s what all marketing boils down to. The ways in which we reach people will constantly change, but the first two should never change. If you can get clear on those, you’ll have a leg up on your competition. In fact, this is what I spend most of my life doing - helping restaurants and chefs get clear answers to those first two questions. The rest of my time is spent brainstorming ideas, and figuring out the best ways to reach audiences, and the most effective ways to promote our products. The way I do that is by getting organized. Organization requires a long term view… not working a week at a time, not a month, but for the entire year ahead. On this week’s episode I’ll be helping you build your 2020 Marketing Calendar, and sharing a link to download a killer template you can use to do it. CLICK HERE to get your 2020 Marketing Calendar  GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com  

#41 - Marketing Holidays The holiday season means big business for the restaurant industry. People are going out more and celebrating… friends and families get together, there are office parties, plus people are spending more than they normally would… there’s a festive energy in the air and people are more willing to indulge. And still, restaurants can hardly seem to keep up with the demand. For most restaurants it’s an all-out sprint to the end of the year; we hardly have time to look around. This week is a short little episode with a big lesson wrapped up inside. Happy Holidays, everyone! GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com  

#40 - All You Need is 1,000 True Fans Kevin Kelly is an author, editor, public speaker, and technologist who, whether you’re aware of it or not, has been quietly changing the world for the past 40 years. Tech geeks will know him as the founding executive editor of WIRED magazine, but he’s also been a pioneer in the world of virtual reality and AI programming. He got his first shot of real fame in 2010 with the release of a book called “What Technology Wants.” And found further notoriety with the follow-up to that — another brilliant book titled “The Inevitable.” This episode, however, is about a little essay he wrote in 2008 called 1,000 True Fans. The link to the essay is below, along with a workbook I've created specifically for this episode. I hope you get as much out of Kevin Kelly's ideas as I have. Read Kevin Kelly's essay:1,000 True Fans DOWNLOAD THE TRUE FANS WORKBOOK HERE ... or simply visit www.ChipKlose.com/truefans GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com  

#39 - Jon Taffer's Brilliant  Advice for Building Repeat Business There’s a YouTube clip that’s famous at this point in marketing circles. Perhaps you’ve seen it. Gary Vaynerchuk, marketing superstar and head of Vayner Media, hosts a show called Ask Gary Vee. It’s a call-in show, and each episode he has on a different co-host. Back in 2017 on Episode #257, Gary sat with Jon Taffer, the host of a TV show called Bar Rescue on the Paramount Network. Now, a young guy calls in with questions about how to promote his family’s barbecue restaurant, and what followed was four and a half minutes of absolute gold. I’ve linked to it above so if you’ve never watched it, go take the time to watch it now. In this week's episode we’re going to break it down, and talk about what it can mean for your restaurant. Read Kevin Kelly's essay: 1,000 True Fans GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com  

#38 - INTERVIEW: David Stockwell, Owner of Faun Restaurant I met David Stockwell a few years back when I was working on a documentary web series called SMELL TOUCH TASTE. We profiled 4 restaurants in the summer of 2017 and now just two years later, 3 of them are already closed. The only one that’s survived? Faun Restaurant in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, owned and operated by today’s guest, David Stockwell. The thing is, though, his resume is not something you would’ve bet on. All of the other chefs and owners I interviewed for that web series were career hospitality folks, professionals with impressive credits and beautiful restaurants. David though, changed course mid-career, leaving a steady job as an architect to bring his restaurant dreams to life. There's something I really love about how David approaches his work, and I think there’s a lot to be learned in this interview. He has come at this new career in restaurants as a true outsider and so he’s always questioning his decisions, never afraid to say he doesn’t know the answer. It’s a quality I’m trying to bring to my own work these days, and so I was glad to be able to reconnect with him. Enjoy! Read Kevin Kelly's essay: 1,000 True Fans Get Danny Meyer's bestselling book, Setting the Table GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com  

#37 - What I Learned Running the NYC Marathon The NYC Marathon happens every year on the first Sunday in November. It is without a doubt, one of the coolest events of the year -- something the entire city comes out for. It has long been a dream of mine to run it, and this past week that dream was realized. After 17 years of wishing, a year of planning, and 6 months of intense training I ran the New York City Marathon. And it may not be immediately obvious, but I think the Marathon has a lot to do with marketing. Or at least there are lessons that can be applied to what we do marketing our restaurants. Don’t believe me? Listen in for my Top Ten Takeaways from this year’s race.  Then CLICK HERE to download the Marathon Workbook!! CONTINUING EDUCATION: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - (LINK) GET IN TOUCH:  As always, if you have questions or ideas about future episodes, please reach out... chip@chipklose.com