Posted by Andrew Goldfinch on November 28, 1997 at 06:54:48:
In Reply to: restaurant marketing advice posted by holds on November 28, 1997 at 01:30:22:
:several months ago I took my first cheffing position at a :restaurant that had once been very successful but has since :fallen on hard times.
< Big Snip >
:All the same, the place is dying. I desperately want to turn :this place around, but I don't know how to suggest marketing or :promoting the place in a way that will help overcome its :disadvantages and keep business flowing throughout the year, and :ensure that I wont go down as "the guy that killed a 20 year old :restaurant" (the chef, I figure, is bound to take the rap...) :Any advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
Hi holds,
You are clearly in a very difficult position as you will be tainted to some extent by the failure of this business.
The business as a whole must be thourghly analysed, The problem as described is one of revenue generation, just not enough money coming through the door. If you are satisfied that costs are well under control then you can focus on getting bums on seats. If you are not a fad or style oriented restaurant (and as you described it your not) then you have to decide what it is that your customers want and give it to them. Sounds easy doesn't it? My advice would be to find a hospitality consultantcy firm (one that has a very good industry profile or been reccomended to you) and have an analysis done. It might seem like spending money you don't have but it sounds like you can't afford to not spend it. So many small things can affect your business, and the accumulated weight of them can cause your business to sink and you'll never really know why it happened. Is the area in decline? How do the staff handle the telephone? Is your customer focus right? You say you get very few complaints, well less than 20% of dissatisfied people actually complain, so multiply the complaints by 5 and then re-evaluate what you're doing. Look for patterns in complaints, and remember that a complaint is a customer giving you the chance to get it right next time, so cherish, and even encourage, those complaints. A good training company here in Melbourne Australia where I'm from is Eldred Training & Development they have a web site that I'll link below that you could have a look at to get some ideas. Good luck.
Andy