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Tips, resources and fresh ideas for running a successful restaurant

Tips, resources and fresh ideas for running a successful restaurant
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Korsha Wilson  February 10, 2020

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V-Day Prep: How to Train Your Staff on Special Menus

V-Day Prep: How to Train Your Staff on Special Menus

“Anybody who’s going out for Valentine’s Day wants to have a good time and be in love,” Guillaume Magnani, General Manager of Cafe Centro, a brasserie-inspired restaurant in Midtown New York, says with a laugh. “It’s up to us to create that atmosphere.”

It’s a challenge on the busiest dining days of the year, but he and Chef Ted Rozzi have a game plan that spans all touchpoints of the restaurant.

Their plan starts with creating a menu to make the holiday special. All other prep stems from that — including preparing every team member for the occasion. Getting your entire staff to embrace the menu and empowering them with knowledge to sell it can be a challenge, but the effort to get everyone on the same page so your guests have the right information is key to making the evening a success.

[Read more…]

How to take charge of your restaurant’s reputation

Diners today have no shortage of opinions—and no shortage of places to share them.

With a multitude of online destinations that house feedback, from Google to social media, those opinions have influence. In fact, 97% of customers read online reviews before coming into any business, with almost half of those interviewed only trusting businesses with four stars or better, according to a 2019 survey by BrightLocal. Restaurants should see this as an opportunity to stay on top of their own online reputation and take action to improve if necessary. 

So, how can operators with thousands of diners proactively combat the impact of negative ratings and reviews? Plus, when it comes to positive feedback, how can restaurants engage further with those guests and turn them into regulars? 

It starts with listening—to all channels. Whether it’s one of 93 million reviews left on OpenTable, survey feedback, or even a compliment to the chef, diners crave feeling heard. Ultimately, when guests leave reviews and comments, restaurants have an opportunity to improve their business, excel at customer service, and build personal connections. 

We know it’s hard to manage it all, so we’ve put together five actionable tips on using cross-channel reviews to create and maintain the online reputation you want.

Ready to take control of your restaurant’s reputation? Get top tips here. 

Four restaurant rules to live by on Valentine’s Day

Hell’s Kitchen Minneapolis is one of the most-booked restaurants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and the restaurant certainly doesn’t slow down on Valentine’s Day. The American restaurant with an all-day menu (it’s open 7 am to 10 pm daily) takes great care to make Valentine’s Day special for its guests.

As restaurants strive to prepare profitable set menus and milk Valentine’s Day marketing for all that it’s worth, we chatted with Hell’s Kitchen general manager of ten years Kjersti Granberg to hear her advice for how to create a memorable holiday for guests and successful one for the restaurant.  

1. Keep Valentine’s Day inclusive…and extended

Hell’s Kitchen purposely keeps its Valentine’s Day celebration going for multiple days so everyone can get a chance to experience it — especially those who work in the service industry. “We try to keep it as inclusive as possible because it’s hard just to secure a reservation on that night,” Granberg says. “We try to always push a weekend-long one because we have 140 employees who are in the restaurant industry but also still celebrate Valentine’s Day. We try to capture individuals who are in the restaurant industry that have to work Valentine’s Day and bring them in all weekend, treat them, and make them feel special.” 

The holiday falls on a Friday this year, so this tactic is especially smart. Marketing your restaurant as a Galentine’s Day destination and a spot for couples to drop in all weekend long can increase covers. 

2. Don’t bite off more than you can chew

A restaurant open for eighteen years and counting is bound to have some cautionary tales to share. There’s something to be said for taking a risk and trying something new, but unpreparedness can lead to chaos. “One year, we tried to do a menu where Chef actually came out with little carts and made the Caesar salad in front of [guests], and that was a disaster,” Granberg says. 

“That’s not something that we normally do, ” she explains. “We didn’t set the table turns long enough, and it just got to be chaotic. We have a really big restaurant, and we underestimated how many chefs we would need to keep things on schedule. We got through the night, but it was one of those moments where we thought, ‘Let’s just focus on what we do and do it really well.’”

That wasn’t the only misfire they’ve had over the years. “One year, we tried to do a tomahawk steak that was meant to be shared by two,” says Granberg. “We underestimated the amount of time that it took to cook those steaks, and everybody coming in wanted them. We ended up having to apologize publicly and giving away more than we probably took in that night.”  

Once again, that experience reminded Granberg and her team to stick to their strengths.  [Read more…]

How to drive more bookings with photos

A picture is worth more than a thousand words for restaurants—a great photo can lead to more bookings. It’s no secret that images play a part in how restaurants tell their story and how diners perceive them, but there is a certain art to getting the strategy right. Having photos on as many platforms as possible (such as Instagram, Yelp, and OpenTable) is key to retaining diners’ attention and marketing your restaurant as an attractive one to book. 

Photos make a restaurant’s OpenTable profile more complete because they give guests valuable information as they’re browsing on the platform for places to eat. With the new addition of Gallery Photos in GuestCenter, it’s easier than ever to customize your profile and upload photos with a few clicks. Whether you’re an OpenTable partner or not, learn more about why photos are important and what kinds of things to look for as you bulk up your restaurant’s visual libraries.

Why adding photos is important for restaurants

Beyond being an appealing visual for potential diners, photos can lead to a higher conversion rate. For example, if someone searches “Italian” in New York City, restaurants with photo-packed profiles might be more desirable to the user and could increase the chance of booking. 

Factors that play a part in organic search results include menus, tags, and descriptions. In fact, our search algorithm takes into account over 170 factors about the restaurant and the diner to match the right restaurants to the right diners. Great OpenTable profiles both increase conversion rates of diners once they land on the restaurant profile and help the restaurant get included in more collections and specialized landing pages (e.g., “Great for Brunch”). The more information, the merrier.

What kinds of photos to add

Photos give guests a more complete idea of what to expect before deciding to visit the place in person. Clear, well-lit images that capture a restaurant’s interior, exterior, and food are the most enticing. Switch up what you show off. For example, if you’re known for dinner but also serve weekend brunch and have an extensive wine list, share that so people know everything you have to offer.  [Read more…]

Eight marketing ideas for making the most out of Valentine’s Day

9 Marketing Ideas for Making the Most Out of Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a big deal for restaurants, bringing 25 percent of all Americans out to eat, according to the National Restaurant Association. Even more so than other special evenings, Valentine’s Day is about getting all the little details right — from the food to the playlist — and going the extra mile to make guests feel special. Learn how to best capitalize on this busy holiday, from the weeks before to the night of.

1. Offer other add-ons for early bookings. The earlier someone books a reservation, the better prepared your restaurant managers will be. Encourage diners to book at least two weeks out by offering specials such as a free glass of wine or dessert on the house if you make your reservation by a certain date.

2. Give departing guests a special treat. Valentine’s Day is a big gifting holiday, so leave guests with a lasting impression by sending them home with a thoughtful token of appreciation. Whether it’s homemade chocolate truffles, granola for breakfast the next morning, or you get more creative, make sure it’s a memento that exemplifies your restaurant to a T.

3. Partner with other local businesses to cross-promote your offerings. Get to know the neighborhood florists, jewelers, and musicians, and come up with ways that you can each advertise for one another. For example, give out roses from the neighborhood florist to all outgoing guests; in exchange, the florist could include a special discount card for your restaurant in each flower order in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Both parties benefit, and you won’t have to spend a cent.

4. Set the mood. Creating the right atmosphere is vital. And we’re not just talking about dim lighting. Make sure that every aspect of your restaurant — from the flowers on the table to the music playing and the attire of your servers — captures your desired tone. Go the extra mile in making a custom playlist or add special tablecloths to guarantee guests pick up on the best possible vibes when they come in for dinner.

[Read more…]

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