Restaurant business Plan Articles

What is the Financial Impact of Restaurant Review Sites?

Over the past few years, many restaurant owners I have met with have been very skeptical of review sites such as Yelp or TripAdvisor.  They contended that the reviews are false, misleading or competitors just writing bad reviews about them. In some cases they claim that Yelp was misleading in its representation of reviews. Recently […]

Is your Restaurant Leaving Money On The Table?

Restaurant Margins are tight, we all know that. Rising food cost, minimum wage increases, and competitive pressures make a day to day impact. It’s a tough business, every penny counts, but are you getting every penny your restaurant is earning? I’m sure your distributor is passing along all of the allowances that they get from […]

Developing an Effective Restaurant Marketing Plan for 2015.

As we start a new year it is important to take a step back and look at how you did last year.  Was it a good year filled with great things that will lead you into 2015? Was your restaurant marketing plan effective? Many restaurants owners I meet with are just too busy to take […]

2015 Vision for Restaurants. Seven Steps to Meet your Business Goals.

November is upon us and the holiday planning is set in place for most restaurants. Gift card promotions in place and holiday parties are booked. Fortunately gasoline prices are dropping which will free up discretionary spending. The challenge is to drive traffic into your restaurant and away from the big box stores. Promotions on social […]

Are You Spending Too Much on Restaurant Marketing?

Over the past few weeks I have visited with many restaurant owners to discuss what their restaurant marketing programs are and the results they are getting. Some are doing great while others need help in building the business with effective marketing programs. Throughout my conversations, it became apparent that many restaurants are overspending on programs. […]

Does Your Website Make Your Restaurant Money?

When was the last time your restaurant’s website made you money? The majority of restaurant websites that I take a look at are not really helping restaurant owners increase revenue. Yes, a website is designed to create awareness and promote a professional image, but it can also drive new traffic and create new revenue streams for […]

Does your restaurant have a strategy to build customer traffic?

Where has the customer traffic gone? In recent meetings with clients, the focus has really shifted on how do we build customer traffic counts.  The NRA data confirms that customer traffic counts have been declining steadily for several years. Restaurant sales have shown minor increases largely due to price increases. The question still remains the […]

Restaurants Have the Power to Change Lives!

Restaurant’s Changing Lives! That’s a powerful statement. Recently I was in Philadelphia and had lunch at a Maggiano’s Restaurant. When the waiter put down the menu, there was an additional menu in which a percentage of the proceeds were donated to the Make a Wish Foundation. A great program to help those in need. Taking […]

Finding The Time To Do Everything In Your Restaurant

Every week I speak with restaurant owners in many parts of the country. In each conversation, they tell me of their concerns in running their restaurant business. In each of these conversations they all expressed many of the same concerns and they revolve around these five issues: Growing sales and reducing cost. Rising food cost […]

What Does Brand Reputation Mean?

Recently I came across a study that was done by Deloitte consulting on loyalty within the restaurant industry.  It is a very good analysis of loyalty in the industry, but another fact caught my attention. The study looked at driving factors of why consumers go to restaurants. There are many factors that drive our decisions […]

Are Your Restaurant Marketing Programs an Expense or Revenue Generator?

How do restaurant operators look at the cost of marketing? The NRA’s guidelines for restaurant marketing says that restaurants should allocate anywhere between two and four percent on restaurant marketing.  Do restaurant owners follow this model when budgeting for their business?  Like many families, the budget sometimes goes out the window when juggling expenses.  The […]

Are First Time Guest Part of Your Restaurant Marketing Strategy?

Understanding the lifetime value of your customer is important part of restaurant marketing. What is a customer worth to you? 2014 is off to a crazy start. A recent article on Fox Business News cited that the winter weather has impacted small business by as much as 13% in the first two months of the […]

Top 5 Concerns for Your Restaurant Business Plan in 2014

As we go into a new year, restaurant owners should be developing their restaurant business plan for operational efficiency and marketing strategies to increase sales. A recent study of restaurant owners in Columbus Ohio cited the top five concerns to be dealt with in 2014. Outlined below are their thoughts. How will I increase sales and […]

5 Steps to Consider In Your Restaurant Business Plan For 2014

2013 is done! 2014 is here…. Now what will you do? At the beginning of every year it’s always good to take a step back and see what worked and what did not work over the past year in your restaurant. Here are four quick easy categories to help you figure out your restaurant business […]