Restaurant Owners: Would You Go To Your Own Restaurant?

This sounds like a ridiculous question. "Of course I would. My restaurant is great!" would be probably your first initial reaction.

But, I want you to think a bit about it. The question is not "Would you rather stay home and cook, or come, and have dinner at to your restaurant."

The question is "Why people should go to your restaurant instead of going to any of your competitors?"

This changes the perspective, doesn't? Now you need to start thinking, and that's good. I guess I should also ask you: "Do you know your competitors?" Have you taken the time to visit their restaurant and have lunch or dinner there as a regular customer? Have you observed their place? Their food? Their service? What's good about it? What could be improved?

By knowing what works well, you can get ideas to improve your food, or service, or operations. By knowing what can be improved (or what you do better than them), can help you focus on the strengths of your restaurant.

Once you are familiar with your competition, ask yourself: What does my restaurant offer to my clients than my competitors don't? In other words, what makes your restaurant special and unique?

This is what is called a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and if you don't have one you better start thinking about it. You see? If people who go to restaurants don't think that you have anything special to offer, then they will go to a restaurant that has. It doesn't have to be anything really fancy. Perhaps you have a special menu item that nobody else offers, or perhaps you have live music and your competitor's don't... you get the idea.

Once you have identified what's unique and special about your place, make sure to let everybody know (and I include here your employees as well). You must live and breath your restaurant USP if you want your customers to believe it and go to your place because of that.

In my Restaurant Marketing Strategies Book I dedicate a whole chapter to explaining and helping you create a powerful USP step by step. I would encourage you to check it out if you don't have a powerful and believable USP.

Happy meals,

Jose L Riesco

©Riesco Consulting Inc.

www.myrestaurantmarketing.com

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