Summer is just around the corner; those long, hot days when you can almost smell the sunscreen wafting from your flip flop-clad guests. They’re obviously on vacation – meaning they just as obviously won’t become regulars – so why give them any extra attention or effort? Here’s why restaurant marketing to summer tourists is worth it.   People on Vacation Spend More It really is that simple. Vacationers drink more, order more appetizers, go for the bigger items on the menu and splurge on dessert. Then, when they find a place that has great food and an even better time, they keep coming ..read more

Filling out your restaurant marketing calendar can be tough, whether you’re trying to plan your social media content, lunch specials, or your events. A great way to handle one, or even all, of these problems is to embrace some yearly events! Anniversaries and birthdays are a great way to have a recurring event that can help bring in customers, gain attention, and ultimately drive some extra profit.  Get People in the Door  Consider these four restaurant marketing ideas the next time you’re looking for a boost in traffic and sales:  1. Celebrate the anniversary of your opening ..read more

Your restaurant employees have a lot to remember and sometimes, no matter how well you train them, it seems they’re still lacking in confidence or knowledge retention. Role-playing, when utilized as part of a blended-learning strategy, can help fill these knowledge gaps.  To see why role-playing is so effective in training, think back to how you learned to drive a car.  Did you watch a quick video and then jump behind the wheel? Probably not. Someone showed you the proper techniques, then you went through the motions in a parked car until you felt confident enough to go solo around ..read more

Minimize waste. Prevent accidents. Control costs. Produce the best quality product. Oh, and make it quick. No wonder the atmosphere in the kitchen feels like the hot seat. But your kitchen employees can take the heat — or can they?  Training Your Kitchen Employees Need  Training is key to ensuring your kitchen employees can handle the pressure that comes with working in a restaurant. Kitchen employee training must cover a wide variety of topics. Some basic topics are obvious, such as the following:  Safety and skills training: The majority of restaurant accidents happen in the ..read more

The person who can have the greatest impact on your productivity is the person who just clocked in at four o’clock. Don’t look at her as the server. Look at her as a salesperson who is either maximizing the leads you’ve generated for her (customers who walk in the door) or letting good prospects get away. Sales don’t happen all by themselves. The path to increased sales starts with you, and your waitstaff training program. Here’s a way to see which type of server works in your operation: meet Sam and Susan. Sam arrives at work on time, ready to work his assigned shifts. He serves the customer ..read more

Wine has surged in popularity lately, and with that renewed interest comes a more watchful eye on wine etiquette. Make sure your servers not only know the steps to properly opening and serving wine, but have plenty of opportunities to practice these skills before they’re in front of guests. Servers won’t sell what they’re afraid to serve. Make sure they have the confidence to both suggest the best wines for each guest, and deliver, open, and pour that wine expertly. The Basics of Serving Wine Present the bottle, label out, to the person who ordered it (the host) and repeat the wine’s name. W ..read more

Is reducing turnover in your restaurant on your list of New Year’s Resolutions this year? You’re not alone. Even if you still have more applicants than ever applying for jobs, turnover is still a problem in restaurants. Having more applicants to choose from makes the job of hiring the right people – people who will stay – more challenging than ever. Savvy operators already realize that turnover has a profoundly negative effect on the service their guests receive. Customers hate turnover. Why? Service becomes inconsistent or shuts down completely. Managers and staff are cranky from working dou ..read more

More and more, the signs are out there. Literally — “Help Wanted,” “Now Hiring,” “Inquire Within.” Yet, turnover in the hospitality industry seems to always be an issue, forcing many operations into a perpetual state of advertising. Some restaurant managers sit back and wait for ideal employees to waltz through the front door. The best prospects, however, don’t always show up when they should. In fact, they may be working in some other service-related industry, never having even considered a job in the restaurant business. In that case, you’ll have to go looking for them. Restaurant Hiring: H ..read more

There are a few cold hard truths in the restaurant business. The main one may be that you will work as hard for five bucks as you do for fifty. The man who walks into a restaurant, takes up prime booth space, orders water, a small salad and the cheapest meal will take as much time as the couple who has drinks, appetizers, dinner and dessert. So let’s talk about how to boost productivity in your team by showing your servers how to work smarter, instead of just harder. The first obstacle may be convincing your team members that they are in the sales business and that soft selling is one of the ..read more

Bar patrons everywhere look forward to sipping a cold one in a lively atmosphere as a wrap-up to their hectic work day. Everyone loves a good happy hour — except, usually, the bar or restaurant operator. Competition has gotten fierce in the industry as operators have been forced to compete for those happy hour patrons, continually trying to offer a better deal than the operator next door. Of course you want your place to be “the place to be” after work. But as you lower prices to offer unbeatable deals, you have to wonder if the extra traffic makes up for the low margins. Don’t worry. Your ha ..read more