Awesome Restaurant Marketing Ideas!

Michael Hartzell

Recent Posts by Michael Hartzell:

Franchising Your Restaurant – Are You Ready?

If you want to franchise your restaurant, will you turn to the advertising pro Groupon? Groupon offers a 520 word article to guide you to becoming a franchisor. Once you have whet your appetite, you will likely look for the ‘server’ to ask for more. Since Groupon is an advertiser and not advisors, we move to Forbes.

Forbes gives a few more tips (Eight tips), to franchise your business. Each one of the tips lead to more questions.

Tip #6:

Find a mentor ... Or two or three. There will always be people who are willing to give you advice -- you just need to seek them out.”

Where? Who do you trust? Who has both the character, expertise AND the right fit for your particular personality, style and mission? There is a tip (and a story) down the page that will help answer this question.

Any Type of Restaurant:

Mark Siebert offers sound advice on Entrepreneur.com:

Almost any type of restaurant can be franchised, provided it meets three basic criteria: salability, ‘clone-ability,’ and ROI.”

This should prompt you to rethink your operation. Your restaurant may be complicated, unattractive and unable to make a consistent profit. Though the article is from 2004, it is still offers good advice.

Man Puts 21 Live Scorpions in His Mouth for World Record (video)

Man-Puts-21-Live-Scorpions-in-His-Mouth-for-World-Record-video.png

What type of restaurant marketing will it take to get you on the map?  How about putting 21 live scorpions in his mouth for a world record?  Think of all the free marketing you will get should you be number one!

Topics: Guerrilla Marketing Restaurant Marketing Restaurant Marketing Ideas

The Benefits of Being a Restaurant Franchisee (Not)

Originally this was a response to an article about franchising on another website. Unfortunately, time has passed and the original website is defunct. The points made about the benefits of being a restaurant franchisee, or not, still matter. 

Topics: Start a Business Restaurant Business Restaurant Consultant Restaurant Franchisee

"Can I have the holidays off?" (Employees & Managers Ask)

The best and worst time of the year for restaurant owners and managers might be the holidays. Restaurant leaders and managers who are eager to please, who make decisions based on fear and wish to be liked more than respected will respond with  "Sure, you can have the holidays off".

A simple "yes" can be a shortcut to disaster and will doom a restaurant for months 

Topics: Holiday Marketing Restaurant Staffing Restaurant Planning

Halloween Trunk-or-Treat Opportunity

What is trunk-or-treat, why does it matter and how does it relate to restaurant marketing?

Trunk-or-treat events bring Halloween to parking lots where kids go from car to car and get candy. They're popular at schools, churches, in rural areas where homes are far apart, and in places where trick-or-treating isn't safe."

It is a perfect opportunity to connect with the community by hosting a special event. It can include decorations, lighting, free coupons, treats, celebrations, games and even a costume contest,  

Special events like trunk-or-treat are shared word of mouth (in the new world of media, they are shared via Twitter, Facebook, NextDoor.com, etc)

Topics: Restaurant Marketing Holidays

Munchery is Taking Over with Better Restaurant Marketing

The email subject line from Munchery today said "Misoyaki Glazed Salmon". That gets my attention immediately. Take a peek at the bait Munchery used to get an order:
- says Mike

The origins of this dish can be traced back to island culinary mastermind Roy Yamaguchi from the legendary Roy's Asian Fusion Cuisine. A fillet of salmon is glazed with a sweet and savory misoyaki sauce, then it's topped with a traditional Hawaiian tomato vinaigrette for acidity. Quite simply, this fish is melt-in-your-mouth-good. Rice seasoned with furikake flakes and steamed baby bok choy round out this elegant meal.



Munchery has to work a little differently since there is no experience inside a restaurant. To keep you extra confident about your experience, they offer a guarantee right up front. - says Mike

Topics: Restaurant Marketing Email Marketing Competition

Online Ordering Systems to Rock Your Restaurant Marketing

Today we will review online ordering service options and a strategy to improve your potential for business by using the latest technology available.

Topics: Online Ordering Restaurant Marketing Ideas Restaurant Software

Free Online Magazine Subscriptions for Restaurant Professionals

Restaurant Marketing Idea #432 is:  Listen by using "search" on free magazine subscriptions for restaurant professionals and restaurant owners.

Reading online magazines can keep the juices flowing.  Put them in a bookmark on Delicious (or your browser) and once a week 'sharpen your saw' by choosing one of the resources below.

Then input every free restaurant magazine into the search tool.  You could subscribe, but remember that your time is short and isn't your inbox already full? Be selective.  An alternative is to subscribe via an RSS feed. I use Feedly to keep up with specific websites.

Topics: Restaurant Business Restaurant Marketing Free Food Trends Restaurant News

Restaurant Marketing Idea: Serve Addictive Foods

In the article on TLC:  Top 5 Most Addictive Foods  by Debra Ronca you will read about how humans have an 'addiction' to certain kinds of foods.  After reading the article, restaurant marketing ideas immediately come to mind.

Topics: Food Trends Restaurant Marketing Ideas Menu

Restaurant Marketing with Fundraising Cards and Peel Cards

Restaurant marketing gurus this information about fundraising programs is for you. How can your restaurant take advantage of this traditional marketing method while also serving the community:

Topics: Fundraising Guerrilla Marketing Restaurant Marketing

20 Strangest Restaurants Around the World

Have you ever been to a strange restaurant where you are so perplexed that even bad service would not keep you from sticking around to see more?

Topics: Guerrilla Marketing Restaurant Marketing Branding Menu Word of Mouth Marketing

International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is celebrated the first Saturday in February and originated in Rochester, NY and created out of sheer winter boredom 50 years ago in the 1960s.  Florence Rappaport, a mom in Rochester, NY. decided it was time to give her kids sometihing to look forward to, other than another day of gray skies and snowfall. So, she created this day with her two young boys. The exact year of the first ICFBD is unrecorded, but it is speculated to be 1966, when a huge blizzard hit Rochester in late January, dumping several feet of snow on Rochester and shutting down schools.  When the siblings grew up, they held parties and introduced the tradition to friends while in college, and the tradition began to spread.

Topics: Restaurant Marketing Celebration Restaurant Marketing Ideas