Talkin' Shop

By Kyle Osher

Word of mouth has and always will be the most important factor in how restaurants and hotels become popular.  It’s why public relations firms exist: to generate and influence opinions and to get people talking! Deloitte just released their Digital Democracy Survey which found that 70.3% of millennials (14 to 32 year olds) thought a positive opinion among their personal network on sites like Facebook and Twitter ultimately influenced what they bought.  So how can you make sure they are talking about your hotel or restaurant?  A few easy tips:

Take Crave-worthy Photos: Spend 5 minutes browsing through Instagram and you’ll know that beautiful food imagery dominates the landscape.  Investing in food photography not only puts your best foot forward, but increases the occurrence of sharing amongst your guests and their network alike.

Geo Targeting: Generally, any restaurant’s bread & butter is going to be that local crowd of regulars and neighbors.  Increase the value of your purchased ads by geo-targeting your guests.  Most online services, from Facebook, Google AdWords or Twitter, offer the ability to choose your targeted demographic based on a number of factors, location being key.  Try geo- targeting in your next digital ad spend and help ensure that your message gets in front of the right guest.

Time Your Tweets: Twitter can be a valuable asset for any restaurant if used correctly.  Be sure to time your tweets to garner the effect you want and gain traction among your audience.  Regular and scheduled posts can be a great way notify your guests of daily specials or happy hours establish a pattern of engagement.

Leverage Instagram as a Brand Tool: Instagram is a remarkable communication platform.  Say as little or as much as you want, or let a photo do most of the talking.  When you combine dozens and hundreds of posts over time, a larger picture starts to come into view.  Leverage Instagram’s ability to refine and amplify your brand’s message, start sharing today.

The rise of coffee shops is old news, but restaurants across the country are stepping up their game when it comes to coffee and tea programs.  As we predicted in our 2016 Trend Report guests everywhere are saying “I wanna a new buzz.”  Nitro-coffee continues to be popular.  Cameron Mitchell Restaurants is having much success with cold brew coffee and nitro coffee on tap in Schokko Art Café in the Columbus Museum of Art.  The creamy texture is stout-like and Beverage Director Ryan Valentine predicts that “Over time, these are going to move beyond coffee shops and become a lot more prevalent in restaurants.”

Tea is also stepping up its game and Match continues to be a standout in the tea world.  While you still may have to go to McDonald’s in Japan to try the newest version of the Matcha McFlurry, we think you’ll continue to see more MAtcha and other teas holding strong in light of the continued perceived health benefits of plant based diets. Offering a selection of origins is important as guests develop more familiarity with black, green and oolong teas.  For hotels in particular, offering local coffee and tea products is an easy way to give guests that oh-so-coveted “local” vibe.

Check out Ramping Up Coffee and Tea Menus on Nations Restaurant News for more insights.

Make Haste to not Waste  – by Andrew Freeman

With higher food and labor costs continuing to impact restaurants, maintaining profitability is at the top of most restaurateurs minds.  At the same time, highly educated restaurant guests require new and interesting items to drive trial.  A recent article in Nation’s Restaurant News  offered some practical advice for how to maintain the balance between fresh and profitable menus.  Yours truly was cited as a source, so of course I’m a bit biased as to the quality of advice!  Sometimes restaurateurs find themselves being pulled in multiple directions when the trend requires more expensive ingredients that don’t translate into higher sales.  However, as we predicted in this our 2016 Trend Report, many chefs are finding the balance by turning typically discarded items (think carrot greens or other vegetable “waste”) into truly delicious creations.  Americans used to consider products made from lesser known cuts of meat or vegetable parts to be unappealing or lower quality.  Thankfully that’s changing and opening up a whole new path for chefs to explore.