[Eateria webinar] cool off in 30 minutes
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Want to increase your restaurant's sales and grow customer loyalty this summer? Our 30 minute webinar discusses some tips and tricks that will boost your ROI and guest loyalty. What marketing superpowers you will gain from the webinar: - 5 tricks to get guests through the door and increase sales - Popular menu and drink items to serve for the 2015 summer season - Budgeting tips for the busiest time of year - Stress-free employee management skills - How to create alliances within the neighborhood
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[Eateria webinar] cool off in 30 minutes
- 1. Cool Off in 30 Minutes Learn how to increase your sales this summer with these awesome marketing techniques, tips & tricks. Lindsey Ninmer Lead Success Specialist @lindseyn314 Maya Fernandez Marketing Specialist @mayalouh @myeateria #eateriawebinar
- 2. Today’s Menu • 5 tricks to get guests through your door • Popular menu and drink items to serve for summer 2015 • Budgeting tips • Seasonal employee management • Creating neighborhood alliances • Q & A @myeateria #eateriawebinar
- 6. @myeateria #eateriawebinar SIGN UP FOR A FESTIVAL #3 Tip
- 8. @myeateria #eateriawebinar #5 Tip HOST AN EVENT
- 9. @myeateria #eateriawebinar • Highlight the flavors of summer! • Fresh, local, healthy • Options for everyone • Barbeque, not just for meat • Tacos, everywhere! • Nontraditional Condiments: Hummus, Tzatziki, Greek Yogurt • Breakfast for dinner • Savory waffles and pancakes • Frittata • Ferment & Pickle • Seasonal Ice Cream Must-Use Menu Ideas
- 13. @myeateria #eateriawebinar Drink Ideas • CUSTOMIZE! • Specialty coffee – Cold brew anyone? • Craft beer • Shareable! • Batched cocktails • Punch bowls • Pitchers • Local, sustainable, healthy, interesting
- 14. @myeateria #eateriawebinar Upgrade your water
- 16. @myeateria #eateriawebinar Budgeting Tips • Anticipate your costs • Check your fridge, NOW! • More tables = More $ • Monitor your menu item sales report
- 18. @myeateria #eateriawebinar Seasonal Employees • Invest, Train, Monitor, Repeat • Ask your favorites for referrals • Advertise, not in your window! • Open communication & positive reinforcement
- 19. @myeateria #eateriawebinar • Non-competing business alliances • Progressive dinners • Neighborhood food festival / block party Befriend Your Neighbors
- 20. Questions? Lindsey Ninmer Lead Success Specialist @lindseyn314 Maya Fernandez Marketing Specialist @mayalouh @myeateria #eateriawebinar
- 21. Interested in learning more about eateria’s all-in-one digital marketing platform? www.myeateria.com Want some more awesome and free resources? www.blog.myeateria.com
Editor's Notes
- - Do 1 minute introduction each discussing experience, interests and goal for the webinar
- Post webinar special we are hosting
- If you are able, find a space that could be used outdoors, even if it's on the sidewalk in front of your business or a back or side area that could house a few patio tables, chairs and umbrellas. ** Double check with your city or town and liquor control board to determine if your restaurant is or can be licensed for outdoors or what requirements there are for you to provide outdoor dining. Take advantage of your outdoor space! $50 a ticket, extra 6 tables outside = extra $300 per hour More tables = more money Maintain outdoor furniture and match it to the interior aesthetic Picnic benches speak to fast casual dining such as pizzas, burritos and sandwiches, while wicker chairs with padded seats are more appropriate for a full sit-down meal. Train your staff on what to do with outdoor furniture at night to prevent damage or theft. Mister fans and overheard awnings If you have an outdoor dining area, upgrade it with new plants, flowers, vases, cheerful umbrellas and décor If you don’t have an outdoor dining area, a summer tune-up to your restaurant’s look is important. Do what works for your budget. Maybe it’s ordering some colorful tablecloths, perhaps it’s a new tabletop drink sign with your new summer beverages. Even a vase with a new flower arrangement each week for your ordering counter can bring some much needed summer cheer to your establishment.
- Not only seasonal, but branded, less is more. Make a smaller menu for summer – don’t bog your cooks down with a 70+ item menu, keep it short and sweet A shorter menu also leads to lower costs, lower prices and higher profits. When a restaurant offers a shorter menu, they can cut costs while making sure their most popular menu items consistently taste great. Lightening up the menu for summer can go a long way, especially in areas with heavy foot traffic and tourists. Many people don’t want to be weighed down by their lunch or dinner when traveling. Creative salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, and entrees with fresh, seasonal vegetables can be very appealing during the summer months. Try summer salads, summer grilling, barbeque, fruit, light fare and stay within your menu theme Be inclusive! Often times, if someone in a party has dietary restrictions, the whole party eats at a place that offers something for everyone Offer vegetarian/vegan option Have 1 or more gluten free beverage and menu item We will definitely be hosting a webinar about creating an allergen-friendly menu and restaurant. It is easier than you think with the right knowledge and training!!! Revamp your Take-Out Menus with your summer specials. Replenish Take-Out menus at local hotels, chamber of commerce, and any other places that they can be picked up by vacationers. With school out for the summer, look at ways to improve your kids menus and offer kid-friendly specials. We are also going to touch on menu/drinks later in the webinar!
- Sign up for at least one outdoor festival in your area Check out your local chamber of commerce or downtown business group and find out what's happening that you could be included in. Some ideas include: rib cook-off, chili cook-off, wine festival, cherry festival, downtown summer party, block party, bike night, ice cream festival, beach festival, etc. These outdoor events are widely attended in most cities and if your restaurant is not well known yet, these are a great way to meet the community, share your menu, give you business card, provide food tastings and make money. Take Part in Local Markets, Events and Fairs – What better way to win new business? Sponsor concerts and festivals Dominate the brand wars by sponsoring popular events, such as festivals and concerts. Print posters, flyers, banners and other materials to help promote your brand. Give away “Free Apptz or BOGO Free Cards” to different community events to draw attention and customers to your restaurant
- Arguably the very best way to promote your restaurant online is with high-quality, drool-inducing photos. Visual content is in high demand online these days, and having delicious looking photos on your website and across various social media outlets is essential for drawing hungry eyes. Update your website with summer dishes As you add fresh new menu items, be sure you update your website with photos frequently. Websites that are updated regularly get more traffic and longer viewing times than those that remain the same. Is your website ‘static’? Does it include your basic information but rarely changes from month to month or season to season? If you don’t have an easy way to add seasonal items and specials to your website, you are missing a big opportunity to attract new customers. YELP: The most important thing to understand about Yelp is that people can and will review you, even if you don’t set up an account. For that reason, as a restaurant owner you should absolutely be proactive and dress up your Yelp account so it works for you, rather than against you. This means adding as many details as possible, such as: Photos, and lots of ‘em Store hours Location Menu Price Range Wi-Fi/Outdoor Seating/Parking/etc GOOGLE +: Setting up your restaurant’s Google+ account is as important (heck, maybe even more important) as setting up your Yelp account. When you search a business within Google, Google’s Knowledge Graph provides the business’s details in the sidebar. Google’s Knowledge Graph gathers a large chunk of its info from Google+, so having your business set up on Google+ is a huge bonus, as having your restaurant appear via Google’s Knowledge Graph allows for more prime search real estate (for free)! User-generated content is a great way to develop personal and intimate engagement with users. Host a photo contest by asking customers to share their favorite meal at your establishment, and share the entries on a dedicated content page (and/or share submissions across your various social networks). Consider awarding some random lucky contestants with a free appetizer or other prize! Hosting and promoting user-generated content shows customers that you appreciate them, turning occasional visitors into die-hard devotees. Twitter can be a true treasure for restaurants, and timing your tweets can have a big influence on hungry stomachs. Try crafting and scheduling tweets at different times of the day to specifically target the breakfast, lunch, or dinner crowds (depending on your offerings). Social media ticket sweepstakes Host a social media ticket giveaway sweepstakes in which people can enter by following your liking you and by encouraging others to do so as well. It’s a great way to get more followers for future promotions. Theme parks, water parks, baseball games, concerts and other events are perfect ticket giveaways. From your website to your email newsletter, look for ways to incorporate summer themes and information that are relevant to your customers. Send out newsletters that showcase your summer specials, but mix it up with good content—summer fashion tips, recipes, or pet care in the heat. If you haven’t already, pre-order low-cost summer promotional items now. Branded goods such as Frisbees, beach balls and drink coolers will ensure your logo is in front of customers all summer long.
- Host an event A barbecue cookout, business challenge, 5K or other event can help get the word out for your business. Host a Cookout – Invite your customers (past and present) to join your business for a celebration of summer. Use your parking lot or public park and plan on catering yourself (a grill, hot dogs, hamburgers, salad, and cold drinks are fine). Look for ways to make this a worthwhile event for folks to want to join – hire a magician, moon bounce, or give away prizes. Don’t forget to offer incentives (demos or special offers) to those who attend so that they have a good reason to keep frequenting your business over the summer. Offer fundraising services with your favorite and local charity. This is a win-win situation for you and the charity as both can obtain more recognition and funds to keep going. IN RESTAURANT EVENTS/SPECIALS Are Tuesday nights typically quiet at your restaurant? How about no corkage or half-priced bottles of wine? No one coming to the bar on Monday night? Why not host Bingo or Trivia with food and drink specials to attract new patrons? Own a family-friendly restaurant started? Offer strolling valet. offering stroller valet. Not only could you enjoy a great meal there, but you could also bring your kids without worrying about inconveniencing other diners when deciding where to park the bulky stroller. This tactic is especially helpful in busy downtown locations or shopping areas. Promote Tuesday (or another night) nights in the summer as “family night”. What was once a slow night for your kitchen now encourages local customers with children to come in and feel right at home. A preset kids’ menu and a few decibels noisier, now it’s the most popular place in town for the family crowd.
- Use dishes that highlight summer vegetables such as corn, tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as seasonal fruits such as peaches, berries and watermelon can be an easy way to offer consumers the season’s fresh, juicy flavors. Ingredients of the summer: Watermelon, Cucumber, Summer Squash, Watercress, Mint, Orange, Celery/Fennel, Berries, Beets, Sunflower Seeds, Rabbit Ice cream a la mode, sandwiched between fresh cookies, on a stick. So many ways to serve it. Include sorbet for your dairy-free guests. Try new flavors that complement your restaurant’s style. Use ice cream in floats and milkshakes – with or without booze. Summertime is also barbecue time, and the smoky notes found in BBQ and grilled meats are gaining traction with operators. Think barbeque is just for meat? Think again! Use your grill for veggies, flatbreads and more. Other ideas: Large format dishes – sharing is caring! Think crawfish, corn, potatoes. Ramen is the hottest trend to look out for, consider adding to your menu to attract millennials Sliders with fillings other than beef
- Add fresh fruits throughout your menu. This is the right season for them! Think of interesting combinations, include fresh fruit in salads, drinks, ice cubes, and even main courses.
- Additionally, using seasonal herbs like chives, basil and rosemary in main dishes and side items—or even in cocktails—can elevate both new and existing menu items by giving them a seasonal spin.
- Give your guests the option to create their own drinks – Offer a list of ingredients and let them play with the selections. Give options for alcohol-free drinks too – make them just as fun as the alcohol versions What are the three key ingredients for irresistible summer sippers? Fruit, ice and color. Kids’ drinks are fun and easy – check out some simple recipes online and you can make your restaurant a frequented family-favorite! Try tea cocktails. Customers will appreciate the healthy benefits of green, white and black teas as part of a refreshing cocktail. Add ice cubes infused with fresh herbs, peppers or other ingredients to differentiate your drinks. Try housemade syrups and shrubs to boost flavor and keep pour levels in check. Offering pitchers is always a nice touch and it pushes your product in bulk. Restaurant owners can use beverage options to get people in the door. Consumers are demanding beverage customizations as well as healthy, natural and local options. All of this works to the restaurant owner’s advantage. Concentrate on drink development, and you’ll please your customers and in turn, increase profits. According to Daily Finance, drinks are ripe for industry up selling because customers don’t usually pay as much attention to beverage prices as they do main dish prices. Sangria by the pitcher, margarita pitchers, so many options! People still drink coffee in the summer, but they want it cold! Have you tried cold brew? It enhances the flavor and saves you a ton of ice (watered-down hot coffee is not so tasty). Little tricks like this can make you known for your java. Beer is king. Customers want interesting varieties Try creating a beer sampler with 3-5 different artisan beers, in small glasses (4-6oz). Find local breweries and partner up – get something your local crowd will want to drink every night of the week.
- Upgrade your water options – Advertise as healthy Herbs Fruits Flavored Ice Cubes Veggies
- Spice is nice! Turns out, adding some heat to your food is an excellent way to cool off in the hot summer months. When you eat spicy foods, your body churns out more sweat and that helps you to cool off. Add spice to cocktails! Other trendy spices? Guajillo chili, cardamom and anise.
- Already know that customers per week increases 5X in the summer? Plan ahead! Order enough food, make smart decisions on the menu and cut costs where you can. Work the extra employee salaries into your budget ahead of time – know how many extra servers you can afford and don’t skimp on hiring great employees Work with food providers to order big ticket items in bulk… think cases of red wine for sangria by the batch vs. bottles Check your fridge NOW! - Few things that can shut down a restaurant faster than a news report about someone getting sick due to improperly refrigerated food. With the heat, don’t let food spoil – use what you have when you have it Adding outdoor seating is a small expense when you think about the potential increase in sales. Monitor your menu item sales report – Useful for planning daily specials and allocation of budget to purchasing these ingredients
- We’ve all eaten at restaurants where the servers look like this. Don’t be that restaurant. Invest in your staff’s success and they will want to invest in your restaurant’s success.
- Don’t think of your new hires as temporary summer help. Invest in them and look at them as your future summer help solutions. If you don’t yet have an on-staff trainer (usually one of your best servers who can communicate) and a training manual chose a staff member and write a brief training manual. Develop a training outline with your trainers. Make sure they sign off on the points in the manual and agree it has the important points of training Policy is king. Make sure you have a policy manual and that all of your new hires read it and sign in to acknowledge they understand it. Make sure you adequately train your new employees, otherwise they will disappoint you and it will be your fault. Bonus tip for training and increasing sales: Try up-selling. Increasing the average check size at your restaurant is one of the smartest ways to improve profits. By teaching servers or cashiers to read the customer and suggest appropriate side dishes, drinks or desserts, you will simultaneously increase your sales and improve the customer experience Advertise for your open positions on local job sites and on newspaper classified sites, and also ask your favorite baristas and servers at other restaurants and cafes if they are interested in picking up some extra hours. They may also know of people looking for jobs. Do not put a “Help Wanted” sign in the window. Ask your best servers if they know of any relatives or friends that are interested in becoming a summer server. Use your email list to let customers know you are looking for summer servers. Many probably have children and relatives returning from college looking for summer jobs. Discuss when they will leave to return to school. If they are not going to work the entire summer hire someone else. It is impossible to hire someone in August. Let your staff know you are not replacing anyone — you are just gearing up for a busier summer, for catering and longer shifts. Make sure you hire a few more people than you need. You will lose some of them. Managers need to be your cheerleaders, recharging staff through positive reinforcement. Be the coach who encourages exhausted players to perform their best all the way to the end. Boost morale with incentives like bonuses for servers who have the best performing sales
- You can partner with non-competing businesses to put together attractive packages that offer customers discounts but ensure you and your partners profit. Dinner, movie, spa hotel package, anyone? Consider partnering with local hotels to give discounts to their guests. You could offer the local hotels/motels in room table tents or bounce back cards with a restaurant discount for dining at your establishment. It’s not just your satisfied customers who can refer you business. Consider asking any business partners, vendors, and friends to help you get the word out. This can be as simple as placing postcards in the shop next door or asking a local hotel concierge to send people your way. Sign up for any progressive dinner parties with other restaurants in your neighborhood. It's always a good idea, if you can, to befriend other restaurants. Progressive dinners are popular among customers and it's a nice way for you to participate with other businesses and meet new restauranteurs and customers. Join in or start your own neighborhood food festival! Done once or twice a year, sure to boost business and get your name out there.