Restaurant Grand Openings

by Michael L. Atkinson Chairman Fohboh.com
I’ve been to a few restaurant openings over the years. Some of them were for my own restaurants. While openings are an interesting tradition, I wonder if they are valuable. Who really benefits? Who is the party for? The customers? Your friends? Your ego?

I just attended a gala event at the new chic Urban Tavern at the San Francisco Hilton. The new restaurant seats about 200, but there were more than 600 movers and shakers, foodies, critics and future customers all drinking, dancing and promising to return. It was a party, to be sure. However, ten reservations were made, and the new restaurant served 92 dinners opening night following the party. Are these future Yelp reviewers ready-to-dine? Is there a ROI for all this effort? Or, is launching a restaurant just synonymous with having a party?

In this case, it just may have worked. There are already reviews on Yelp and CitySearch. Google “Urban Tavern San Francisco” and amazingly, there are many, many things already to read about the place. Interview requests are coming in by the dozens and reservations are piling up. Maybe it’s because of Chef Laurent Manrique’s reputation as an award-wining two star Michelin Chef. Maybe it’s because the restaurant is located in the Hilton in downtown San Francisco. Or maybe it’s because 600 foodies showed up, had a grand time and are already socializing the event online. Maybe it’s happening so fast because of the Internet and crowd-sharing. This is a brave new Internet world and social media is the mover and shaker.

5 Ways to Execute More Effective Foodservice Marketing Programs

by Wilma L. Simons – Owner, Silver Link, Inc.

1.   a. Stop Talking to Yourself (Part 1)- Step outside familiar territory to look at what other companies or restaurants are doing.   Then venture beyond your space and look for ideas in other industries.   How is the bookstore down the street using WiFi to draw more traffic, and then sell to Internet users once they cross the door sill?

1.  b. Stop Talking to Yourself ( Part 2 ) – Admit that you don’t know everything and  delegate what’s not in your area of expertise.  

2. Have documented processes – Are the execution steps all in someone’s   head?   Do you make the same mistakes everytime you do a program?  It’s time to document  procedures for executing a program.  Don’t have time to do all this?   Consider hiring external resources or making this a  project for your summer intern.

3.  Take Your Time – If you try to cram a 6-8 week schedule into 4 weeks, don’t be shocked if there are  missteps, sometimes costing a lot of money along the way.

4.   Set Goals – Metrics – what’s the purpose of your   program?  What results do you hope to achieve?   Sell x units of the new pizza combomeal?  Increase profit at dinner sales by y%?

5.   Figure Out What Really Happened – Before dashing off to the next program, schedule time to analyze what worked and what didn’t. Summarize the details of the program or promotion and discover key learnings with all who were involved. Be sure to incorporate these learnings in your documented processes.