Barry Chandler's Blog – August 2011 Archive (15)

There are few things as stressful and time consuming as opening a new restaurant or bar. You are essentially balancing the pressure of moving with what is a major change in your business. Free moments are going to be few and far between.



But don’t use that easy excuse to ignore the…

So you’ve finally become familiar with the world of social media. You’re monitoring Foursquare check-ins, interacting with Facebook fans and cell phone-tweeting with speed and accuracy that would make a high school sophomore envious.

Just as important as your technical savvy is…

You can’t have missed it. Marketing has changed forever. Many of you reading this blog post, found me originally through LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. If you hadn’t, you might never have known I existed! Well, I’m glad you found me. In any…

From time to time in this space we will highlight work we are doing with clients as we utilize social media to generate more business. We hope it provides a sense for what can be achieved when tools such as Facebook, Twitter sand Foursquare are in the right hands.

Restaurant and grille Adobe Gilas is a small chain with two locations in Ohio; one in Dayton and another in…

The Big Bar & Grill is located in Columbus on the campus of The Ohio State University. It is a popular watering h*** nestled in prime real estate near the university’s athletic facilities, off-campus student…

New technology can be scary. Not quite “My son brought Snooki Polizzi home for Christmas dinner” scary, but it’s definitely an arena where apprehension occasionally rears its ugly head.



In an effort to assuage those icky feeling with regards to one of social media’s biggest and most…

We’ve got some bad news. The days of potential customers driving down Main Street and deciding where to grab a sandwich or a beer based on brick-and-mortar appearance are pretty much gone. That sweet awning just ain’t what it used to be.



In most cases the modern storefront…

Short of a game-winning sports moment on the big screen or bar brawl, few things get groups of people in a watering h*** more engaged than a trivia competition. Most of us have a healthy competitive streak and the combination of little alcohol and a lot of desire to impress/beat your friends can…

Weighing the cost of complimentary or discounted items against the value they serve marketing your business is a tricky business. The “2-for-1 Maine Lobster on Days Ending in ‘y’” special isn’t going to help your bottom line, but you won’t get much out of “Free Pint Glass Rental With Every…

Everybody loves to read something nice. That goes double when the something nice is about your business. “Had a great time Friday night!” “The new sound system rocks!” “Your toilet paper is the softest!” It’s all good.

But what happens when a customer (gasp!) has a complaint? Be…

Why online of course!

ESPN has teamed up with Samsung and Disney-owned Playdom Online Games to create the Sports Bar and Grill application. The game was launched just over three weeks ago and…

From time to time in this space we will highlight work we are doing with clients as we utilize social media to generate more business. We hope it provides a sense for what can be achieved when tools such as Facebook, Twitter sand Foursquare are in the right…

In the summer of 2009, just months after its release, leading industry website Mashable asked whether the social network Foursquare could be the next Twitter. And while the…

Yeah, okay. We know you make the “Best Margarita in Town.” Your rum punch is soon-too-be famous and your selection of craft beer is more eclectic than college radio. Blah, blah.



But let’s be serious. Does your drink menu have anything that will get a customer (and his or her…

We know there are still restaurant owners and managers out there making the same crotchety back-in-my-day comments about Twitter and “tweeting.” And while those jokes may still be funny in the right setting – a retirement community, for example. (We kid, we kid.) –…