RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#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 che...

#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 m...

#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...

#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...

#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 S...

#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 Ne...

#36 - 8 Ways to Pack the Place on Monday Night A restaurant can't survive on Friday and Saturday nights. We pay rent all seven days of the week, and so it behooves us to fill up those other five days. And yet so often businesses limp along all week and then try to grind it out all weekend long. That approach may work for a while, but it's not a long-term strategy. In time you and your staff will b...

#35 -  Use Content Strategy to Build Trust with your Guests I always like to say that businesses these days need to think of themselves as mini-media companies, putting out consistent, high-quality content on a weekly basis. But what does that mean, content? Stick around because in this week’s episode I’m going to explain what content strategy is… I’m going to show you how it can help your busines...

#34 - Kill 'em with Kindness There’s this thing in our industry… call it tradition or whatever… where the Chef is often portrayed as this tyrant, lording over the kitchen. Slamming pots and pans, screaming at the cooks, and striking fear into the servers that dare to enter that sacred space.   But the longer I spend in the industry, the more I’ve been questioning that behavior. This episode is an...

#33: INTERVIEW - Alexander LaPratt, Master Sommelier This week I'm thrilled to bring you another interview, and trust me it's a good one. I sat down with Alexander LaPratt, Master Sommelier and owner of two neighborhood restaurants here in Brooklyn: Atrium DUMBO and Beasts & Bottles. His journey in the industry has taken him from Detroit where he got his start to Napa where we worked for Thoma...

#32: Y-E-L-P is a Four Letter Word! What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say YELP? If you’re like a lot of other industry professionals you can’t help but use other four letter words to articulate your disdain. But regardless of how we feel about it, the site has become an important piece to a business’ digital presence and so it’s worth taking some time to talk about the Do’s and Don’...

#31: Thriving in the Attention Economy The market is saturated, we’re inundated with images and ads everywhere we look, people spend all day on their phones, and WE have the unenviable task of crafting the kind of experience that can only happen in real life. I’ve said it many times before, but the real currency these days is ATTENTION. So how then do you not only survive, but thrive, in this new...

#30: INTERVIEW - Nathan Mergen, Chef/Owner of 107 State This week is a departure from our regular format, so I hope you'll come along for the ride. I recently had the chance to interview Nathan Mergen, the Chef/Owner of 107 State (Madison, WI), and so I thought it might be helpful to hear about the successes and struggles of such a young restaurant. My hope is to start sharing more of these interv...

#29: The Keys to Management and Marketing This is the third and final episode in a 3-episode arc where we've been talking all about Leadership, Staffing, and Training. Why? Because people run your restaurant; people are responsible for much of what happens on a daily basis in your restaurant. And so it makes sense that we would talk about how to find, train, motivate, and cultivate great employees...

#28: How To Build a Great Staff This is the second in a 3-episode arc where we're talking all about Leadership, Staffing, and Training. Why? Because people run your restaurant; people are responsible for much of what happens during a meal. And so it makes sense that we would talk about the people in your organization. As we talked about last week, it all starts with strong leadership. That means y...

#27: Great Marketing Starts with Great Leadership This is the first in a 3-episode arc all about Leadership, Staffing, and Management -- three areas that I believe have a greater impact on your bottom line than any other promotion and initiative you could put in place. Why? Because your PEOPLE are what brings your business to life. Your PEOPLE are the ones responsible for communicating your vision...

#26: Internal Marketing Usually when we talk about Marketing we're talking about EXTERNAL marketing... SEO, paid advertising, e-mail marketing, social media... often forgetting about the equally valuable INTERNAL marketing. What is internal marketing? Give a listen as I walk you through it! ASSIGNMENT Just take stock, and make sure that everything in your restaurant is an opportunity to build regu...

#25: Social Media Trends 2019 I want to take this opportunity to talk all about the changing trends in Social Media Marketing for 2019. If you're marketing your restaurant online Facebook and Instagram are probably two places where you're putting a lot of energy. But is it the right energy? Are you doing the right things to move the needle? What are some of the best practices? And why does the alg...

#24: Process, Progress, and Secrets to Productivity I am endlessly fascinated by the subject of creativity... and not just what it means to artists, but in business as well. Think of in terms of "problem solving." Marketing problems require creative solutions, and so it's about cultivating a fresh perspective. It's about being able to look at a problem and solve it in a new way. The best invention...

#23: Strategic vs. Tactical Thousands of years ago the ancient Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu, wrote this in  The Art of War :  "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." In this week's episode I want to pause for a second to talk about the difference between strategic thinking and tactical thinking, and show you how they'...

#22: Capturing Great Food Photography This week's episode is all about photography... specifically Food Photography. It's a big part of how I make my living, and an important way to attract customers to your restaurant. It's a longer episode than normal, but we've also packed a ton of information into 42 minutes. There are three main segments to the episode. First, I'm sharing the basic principles...

#21: Learning How to Tell Great Stories I've been telling you week after week that the key to success... the key to your success... is to answer this one question: "What are the stories only you can tell?" You have to figure out what makes you unique, remarkable... and then highlight those differences to separate yourself from the competition. In this week's episode I'm going to tell you my story,...

#20: Use E-Mail Marketing to Drive Revenue This week’s episode is all about the importance of Permission Marketing. Perhaps you're asking: "What is permission marketing?" Seth Godin defines it as “the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal, and relevant messages to people who actually want them.” We are of course talking about building an e-mail strategy, but it goes beyond...

#19: The Do's and Don'ts of Building a Restaurant Website Think of your website as your digital home. At the very least, it should be an extension of the hospitality you provide in the restaurant; at best, it needs to entice diners to come try the experience for themselves. It should reflect the tone and aesthetic of your place, and be the centerpiece to your online presence. Articles, interviews,...

#18: Five Keys to Social Media Success Much of the work I do with my clients is Social Media Marketing, and yet I think a lot of small business owners can feel overwhelmed by it all. Just managing the three main platforms can sometimes feel like a hassle. So this week I'm going to share my five keys to success when it comes to social media. There's a ton of information in this episode so sit back,...