http://www.whyamirich.com/ Articles at Free Website Content from Whyamirich.com en-us http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/e-mail-marketing-for-restaurants-is-a-valuable-resource.html http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/e-mail-marketing-for-restaurants-is-a-valuable-resource.html Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:15:53 -0700
You don't have to be involved in running an Internet only operation to be involved in marketing e-mails. Rather, you just need to look outside of the box when it comes to your conventional marketing. Remember that when e-mail marketing for restaurants, you are trying to attract visitors to your bricks and mortar operation and not trying to get them to come back to your website, necessarily.

It is a moment of celebration when somebody walks into the door to a restaurant and time for you to act. First order of business is to make sure they enjoyed their experience, eat well and leave with a great impression. Of equal or maybe even greater importance, you have to get them to come back in the future. As such, work out a way to get their e-mail address so that they can be put into a business database as soon as possible.

If you get the e-mail of a visitor to your eatery, you can engage with them in a subtle, yet persuasive nature online. E-mail marketing for restaurants allows you to communicate on a regular, but not intrusive basis. If this is done right, it is one of the most powerful ways of persuading people to return to your restaurant.

Always remember that your you are communicating with people who have a good impression of your business initially and as such, if you send them great information, food and drink news, home cooking ideas or fabulous recipes, then you'll also be able to throw in a special offer and a coupon of some kind from time to time.

E-mail marketing for restaurants can represent a great return on investment. This is not labor intensive as automated systems called auto responders have been developed to work in a very personal and highly effective manner.

Innovative e-mail marketing for restaurants has been proven time and time again. Of course, one of your biggest challenges is to get that e-mail address to start off with. This should be achieved when the client is particularly happy with services received and if you give them a coupon of some kind, you will undoubtedly get their information.

People like to open e-mail from addresses that they know and trust and your first objective must be to make sure that they recognize where the mail is coming from. Have an enticing subject line, so that they open and read to start with. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/wine-bar-marketing-enhances-a-growing-trend.html http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/wine-bar-marketing-enhances-a-growing-trend.html Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:35:36 -0700
We are told by the Wine Market Council that 57% of adults enjoy drinking a glass of wine occasionally and this has increased from 43%, 10 years ago. It's a good increase which reflects the efficiency of wine bar marketing in general. Any established restaurateur should consider creating a bar of this kind within the facility as they try to broaden the total appeal of the business.

Wine is socially accepted in certain ways that other alcoholic beverages are not. Indeed, the Wine Market Council tells us that the average person can drink up to 3 gallons of wine in every year. The wine industry is very established in the United States and worldwide there are a large variety of brands and types available for the connoisseur. Here, Napa Valley is a leader of the industry, with established production facilities and a great following. It follows therefore that the trend will likely increase and there be more need for wine bar marketing.

The younger demographic is becoming more interested in wine, due to its style, its sense of "adventure," and a certain mystique. It's fun to experiment and to discover various brands, flavors and tastes and this kind of approach is not taken when it comes to liquor or beer. Wine bar marketing experts should seize on this trendy association and capitalize on this demographic.

A special kind of environment can be created within wine bars and unique conversations developed around a theme. The wine bar cannot really be compared to the regular bar or a typical pub and there is even a sense of upscale association. As such, sales in these locations are not as price-sensitive as they may be in other alternatives.

As there is some rich history and depth to the business, wine bar marketing can be focused on education for best effect. Each brand has a distinct story and many wineries are steeped in history. A particular batch is usually unique and marketers can develop a lot of interest from fans and those who are outside looking in by capitalizing on this process of education.

Wine bar marketing initiatives often favor big business and corporate outings. It's possible to develop associations with companies seeking to expose a clientele to special events and with customer relationship marketing in mind, wine tastings can be particularly popular.

Social media marketing can certainly help the wine bar marketing director. An active blog should be maintained with cross references to all the major social media platforms. By developing two-way conversations and feedback, clients can be brought into the loop even more and encouraged to become regular patrons. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/how-are-your-restaurant-skills.html http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/how-are-your-restaurant-skills.html Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:23:45 -0700
Take a deep breath and focus on your restaurant skills before you go too far. If you have limited experience there are many resources available to help you, reference books, courses, online sites and advisers. It can be done, but will require a strong effort.

Staffing is at the top of your list of challenges and this will certainly test your restaurant skills as you juggle all the issues associated with the management of people. However, if you go out of your way to choose the right folks from the start, you will be ahead of the game. Personality is very important for the front of house, while experience and ability are important for everyone. Once you are sure you have the right people, don't micromanage them.

How you present your facility is a very important part of making the visitor's experience sizzle. A great menu is only part of the issue, but don't go too overboard with decor as remember that you have to present great working conditions to motivate your staff appropriately.

People management is often only as good as the training methods you have in place. Communicate with them as well and ensure that they are on the same page as you would with regard to the progress and future of the business. People training is a requisite restaurant skill, without a doubt.

Successful marketing comes second to people management when it comes to your business success. Assuming you have a great-looking presentation and a top class menu, you have to be able to communicate to the outside world or you will be sunk. The good news is that social media and marketing are becoming very strong methods available to you and you don't need to rely on those expensive direct advertising methods as much.

As in any industry, you grow as you learn and your restaurant skills can simply be honed. It won't be necessary for you to be 100% complacent with every element before you open the door, but the fundamentals absolutely must be in place.

Understand how dynamic a restaurant must be to succeed and keep up with developments in your industry. If you are committed and have a very strong inner core you have a great chance of succeeding. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/murder-mystery-dinner-eating-out-redefined.html http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/murder-mystery-dinner-eating-out-redefined.html Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:15:00 -0700
Murder mystery theatre has been in action for years. Combined with dinner theater, these shows are interactive and often held at smaller venues. People enjoy the food as well as the chase. They can eat their steak and like Sherlock Holmes engage their minds once the game is afoot. A variety of types of mysteries exist. Sometimes the audience merely watches and talks to actors, but doesn't solve the case. Another is a game in which the diners have to discover clues to solve the murder. These can become very complex.

There are mystery parties and even mystery weekends. They've even been explored in popular media. One example has been done a few times in television and movies. People invited to a party die one by one. Murder by Death is a funny comedy based on that premise. Sometimes a staged mystery becomes a real crime in these shows. Adrian Monk, a TV detective, on his show was banned from a mystery weekend for solving the case in under five minutes.

Spooky places often host these mystery dinners. Some murder mystery theater groups say that real murders have happened in their facility. It adds to the general fun even when not true. People may not believe it, but they play along for the duration.

A murder mystery dinner can be fun. There are even versions specially made for children, and the whole family can participate. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/eat-dinner-and-watch-a-show-at-chanhassen-dinner-theater.html http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/eat-dinner-and-watch-a-show-at-chanhassen-dinner-theater.html Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:12:09 -0700
There are multiple spaces in the theater. There are many dining and show spaces throughout the 90,000 sq. ft. complex. The largest room is the Main Dinner Theater. The capacity is 541 people. Meals are served to these people while they enjoy the show. Other theaters include the Fireside Theater where guests watch a play after dining in a separate room, and the Playhouse Theater which is the smallest theater in the facility. There is also a Director's Room which overlooks the Main Dinner Theater in what is this facility's version of a sports stadium sky box. People can enjoy private meals while watching the play. On site are also facilities for weddings, as well as both a pub and a lounge.

There's a unique history to the Playhouse Theater too. 'I Do! I Do!' began showing there in 1971. The run lasted all the way to 1993. The original cast put on the show for every performance during those 22 years. That play became Chanhassen's claim to fame as over 700,000 people attended about 125 at a time.

Chanhassen presented some of the most popular plays over the years. Sound of Music has played there a number of times, the last time from May 30, 2003 through early June in 2004. Camelot has been there, as have Annie Get Your Gun and The Music Man. They all showed in the main theater. Some of the other rooms have their share of well known titles like The Sunshine Boys and On Golden Pond. As the titles show, everything from big productions to smaller pieces show at Chanhassen. It's one of the highlights of the Twin Cities because there's a play for everyone.

The Chanhassen Dinner Theater is a fun place to visit whether you happen to be in town, or even as a destination in itself. There are a number of excellent hotels and bead and breakfasts in the area to accommodate the traveler. You can find out more information about this historic dinner theater at the Chanhassen's website. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/difficulties-of-dining-out.html http://www.whyamirich.com/food/dining-out/difficulties-of-dining-out.html Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:43:31 -0600
I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it is not by design but a result of their success and lack of alternatives. What else are they going to do about it?

At last we have a solution to the long lines and restaurant waiting areas. DotLogik Inc. has developed software to save us from this weekend killing nightmare. Hallelujah!

SMS has been around for several years now, but it hasn't been until recently that we have seen real progress made in the SMS market. There are now a host of applications that SMS utilizes. I have to say that one of the best, is DotLogik's SmartHost Paging. It is a fantastic application that restaurants use to contact its customers when their table is ready. In the past they have used large round or square pagers that light up or buzz when your table is ready. SmartHost eliminates the need for those old style pagers.

They way it works is, a customer gives the restaurant their mobile number. The restaurant gives the customer an estimated wait time based on historical data that the system collects. Once they have that they know approximately how long they have and then they only thing they have to do is decide how they want to spend their time. When the table is ready SmartHost will page the person on their mobile phone, with either a voice message or a simple text. When the customer returns they are seated.

I am excited to give this a try. I would much rather be doing what I want to do during that hour or more of waiting, rather than be forced to do what the restaurant want me to do...stand around a waiting room. Those days are over now that DotLogik's SmartHost Paging has set us free!

Freedom through texting...I would have never guessed it! ]]>