Effective Restaurant Marketing Idea #3

"WOW" #3- Special Events -- Make your Customers feel Special. Involve your best Customers in "tastings" and other Market Research programs to get their feedback on Marketing decisions. Pay them for their time, either through gift certificates or cash. Have parties for your best Customers. Plan a Special Event or Open-House where everything is FREE for them OR have a charitable event where they pay and the profits are donated to a charity.

Opportunities to make Special Events Extra Special are yours for the making. The most frequent occasions of Special Events would include Birthdays and/or Anniversaries, Graduations and Retirements are also frequent. A Special Event could be just because a husband is taking his wife out. Once you have the Guests for one Special Event, the Guests should never be given a reason to go anywhere else. What can YOU do to foster this type of relationship with your Guests? "Eatertainment" is a good description. The Guests enjoy the finest food and are entertained as they HAVE FUN celebrating their Special Event.

Every Guest with a Special Event should get EXACTLY what they want, EXACTLY the way they want it. Customers feel special when they are remembered. The ProfitMAX Restaurant Marketing database should have all the details on every Guest. Especially on Special Restaurant Promotions...

Give the Guests "WOW, Exceptional Service!" Do something special ... something random and unexpected ... something that involves the Guests ... something that creates positive, compelling Word-of-Mouth Advertising ... something to make the Guest say, "WOW".

Some things are "standard fare" for a Marketing Promotion i.e. customized balloon(s) for the occasion; taking pictures, some for the Guest and some for your Guest Book of Fame; streamers and personalized decorations as appropriate; Exceptional Service and "WOW" through appropriate restaurant promotions.

Keep in mind that Guest Satisfaction is a highly individual and even emotional matter. The communication between the Restaurant and the Guest should leave nothing to chance.

When it comes to Special Restaurant Marketing Promotions, we need to absolutely ensure that we know what needs to be done to Exceed the Expectations of the Guest. We want to know the depth of their feelings about our Food and Service. We want to make them say, "WOW". The Guests need to be more than satisfied. You need to know what the Guest considers important as opposed to what is just nice. You need to know how to stand out from the competition in the eyes of the Guest and then deliver on that knowledge through appropriate restaurant promotions.

Making Marketing Promotions, Extra Special is more than doing one or two things exceptionally. It is also doing all the little things that surrounds the success of the event. If you have any questions, ask the Guest, they will tell you.

A performance evaluations should be part of every Special Event and must be fill out by the Host/Hostess. They will tell you how you did and what you need to do to improve.

Your Restaurant must be "THE PLACE" to be on all Special Events and parties.

"WOW, Exceptional Service!" can be impromptu. In fact, some of the best "WOW" experiences are. As you are pondering ideas, keep the following process in mind:

• Decide when you can do something special without interrupting sales/service/quality.
• Decide when a "WOW" experience will create the most exposure.
• Decide which Guests will be most responsive.
• Brainstorm ideas with other members of the staff.
• Decide which staff members will participate.

Of course, you can "WOW" anytime. But it's doubtful, and not particularly desirable, that you would want to "WOW" the Guests all the time. Remember, the first characteristic of "WOW, Exceptional Service!" is that it is random and unexpected. No matter how wonderful your service idea may be, it is the element of surprise that makes it special and spectacular.

Begin by looking at your Foodservice operation and deciding when you could have a Special Event so that normal sales, service, or production is not disrupted. Keep in mind that a Special Event could be a single Customer transaction or interaction. It doesn't have to be a major production.

Another Restaurant Promotion that we recommend you have is One Night a Month i.e. First Tuesday or whatever is the slowest night of the month, you have a "Charity Night" and a portion of the proceeds (25%) OR 50 cents for each Guest Check goes to a designated charity. If worked consistently and properly, this night will become the biggest night of the month. Market to the members of the different organizations, email would be preferred. This gives you an opportunity to bring in lots of NEW Guests. Take care of them and your business will grow.