Awesome Restaurant Marketing Ideas!

Perplexities begin when a restaurant marketing planning session begins.  This is because too many restaurant owners and managers have forgotten to pause and watch people eat their bacon.

Is the bacon too crisp?  Too greasy?  Too floppy?  Too fatty?

The restaurant team will work hard and focus on the tasks but not the results.  When the time comes to create more success, the lack of awareness leads to repeating the old messages.  The alternative is to copycat the competition which may or not be beneficial to "keep up with the restaurant Jones's".

How does the guest like the bacon cooked?  Is the coffee too strong?  Too weak?  Is the definition of "medium rare" for your restaurant in sync with the guests? 

"Sweet", "hot enough", "tastes great", "thick", "fresh" and "rich" are terms which can mean many things.  With luck, a guest might be willing to be 100% honest and spill the beans about their real experience.  Most will nod and say: "Fine, it is fine" even when it is not fine.  It is true; guests will lie. 

If only you had one of those "super ears" you can by now at the local Walgreen or on Amazon.  You know, one of those hearing amplifiers to hear conversations from across the room.

There is always the option to listen to conversations online.  They call it social media and restaurant review websites.  "The bacon is too crispy" will be comment left on a review site or shared on a Twitter feed but when the guest was asked "How is everything?", the response was the usual "Fine".

How to gain new insights - read body language

A restaurant manager can gain new insights when they watch faces and body language of the guests.  When noticing a guest with body language that screams "ugh", they would then approach and ask the question:  "Would you accept another free order of bacon?  How would you like it cooked?"

Here is a video tutorial on reading body language:

The Cure:  (This is a play on words related to bacon)

With better awareness in the dining area, better questions, more patience and a more personal connection along with fancy tech tools for hearing across the dining room and online reputation management services; honest feedback can be had and better decisons can be made. 

You already know it's not just about bacon.  Substitute bacon for milkshakes if you like or spicy soup, tough steaks, baked potatoes, etc.

Restaurant marketing is about making unique personal invitations.  Restaurant marketing is also about listening first. Make the right choices to listen well.