December 2008 Blog Posts (92)

Customer Loyalty and Customer Satisfaction: are they the same thing?

Loyalty:

1. a feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection.

2. the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action.

Satisfaction:

1. an act of satisfying; fulfillment; gratification.

2. the state of being satisfied; contentment.

How do we build loyal customers?

Customer "loyalty programs" have been growing like wildfire since the 80s. Buy 10… Continue

Added by Margie Tosch on December 3, 2008 at 11:57am — No Comments

Non-Operator THE SIXTH COMPONENT

A restaurant concept consists of five (5) primary components. They are Service, Design, Management, F&B Product and Atmosphere.

The critical component most often given less than desireable attention; is the OPERATING INFRASTRUCTURE. The Operating Infrastructure is the "Sixth Component".

The Operating Infrastructure consists of the systems developed, trained and installed; that going forward maintain constant operating standards & consistant customer… Continue

Added by SCOTT KAMALSKI on December 3, 2008 at 10:00am — No Comments

Set your leaders free.....

Many are facing doubt, fear, downturn, or just overall tough times in their restaurant. It has to be hard to stay focused on pushing through the overall stigma that the sky is falling. Whether it is a hardened reality or only a perception for you and your team you have to face it and deal with it head on. Ignoring it and thinking it will go away will only hurt YOU in the long run because someone in your restaurant be it guest, employees, or… Continue

Added by Andy Swingley on December 2, 2008 at 7:20pm — 10 Comments

A short (kind of) introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Cameron and I just joined this site. A little bit about me: I'm 21, I live in Granger, Indiana, and am currently in the beginning phases of creating a company and website centered around the restaurant industry (which has a little something to do with why I joined this community).

I'll start off by how I came up with our website concept. I just turned 21, and like most of that age, wanted to know where the best places to go out were and who had the best… Continue

Added by Cameron Dull on December 2, 2008 at 4:33pm — No Comments

Non-Operator 80/20 Rule Applied

Most of us are familiar with the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto Effect, as it is most commonly known. The 80/20 rule has been represented in business discussion as 80 percent of production comes from 20 percent of the producers for many years. More broadly the 80/20 rule has been applied to every imaginable situation in business with amazing accuracy. Reading this complex information is fairly heady stuff, not known for light content, however a little struggling makes it more understandable.… Continue

Added by Mark Frank on December 2, 2008 at 1:53pm — 4 Comments

Pure Economics: Cans Lose

Now that it's officially official that we're in a recession, food service companies have even more reason to cut costs as the country collectively tightens its belts for the economic downturn.

One of the easiest ways to save money is to reduce waste. In times like these, you need to maximize yield on every food item in your refrigerator. Of course, that instantly puts aerosol whipped topping at a disadvantage. In… Continue

Added by OnTop(r) on December 2, 2008 at 12:26pm — 1 Comment

Employee Meal Benefits

What does your company offer for Employee Meal Benefits (employees dining as guests, not during / following a shift)? Has your organization cut these benefits in response to the current economic conditions? Thank you!

Added by Kat Hoffman on December 2, 2008 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

IndyDining Expansion: Exciting New Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

I am the President of IndyDining, a web community designed to provide consumers with tools to find new restaurants and help restaurants attract those customers. It began as a service to cater to Indianapolis residents and visitors, while driving traffic to restaurants whose attendance may have been staggering due to the current shape of the economy. Recent press coverage, however, has sparked a substantial amount of interest in expanding all that… Continue

Added by Jeremy Clarke on December 2, 2008 at 10:36am — No Comments

Advertising in an Economic Downturn

Advertising_in_an_Economic_Downturn.ppt

Attached is a powerpoint I used recently at a CO-OP meeting I had with my franchisees and managment team. It helped me shed a little light at the end of the tunnel and that cutting costs on marketing which seems to be a natural defense given the current… Continue

Added by Scott on December 1, 2008 at 10:21pm — 3 Comments

Loyalty & Mobile Marketing

What are restaurants doing to increase sales and drive traffic in this difficult economy? Is anyone using mobile marketing programs (mobile coupons, etc.)? Has anyone had success on the mobile front?

Added by Matt Armstead on December 1, 2008 at 8:57pm — 2 Comments

21st century job seeker tip of the week

Find any business professional’s email address using Social Media and Google.

Are you looking for the contact information of the person who makes or influence the hiring decision but keep getting pushed to a link to fill out an online application?

Here is a tip on how to find the right person and get their email.

First search the Social Media sites you’re on entering in the company’s name as a keyword in the search. Browse through the members to find the person… Continue

Added by Amanda Hite on December 1, 2008 at 7:45pm — 2 Comments

So, you want to open your first restaurant...

It's been your dream for years, and now you plan to make it a reality: your first restaurant. Now what do you do?

Fans of the Food Network may remember David Adjey from his appearance on a 2008 episode of “Iron Chef America” when he competed against Iron Chef Michael Symon, resulting in a rare tie between the two chefs. He is also known in Canada for his appearances in “Restaurant Makeover”.

David Adjey’s Restaurant 101, his newest… Continue

Added by Heidi Burbela on December 1, 2008 at 12:15pm — No Comments