Building your Brand

Build Brand Identity and Build Sales

Over the last several years restaurants have called upon me to (1) Build Brand Identity and (2) Build Sales. I’d like to cite several examples below that discuss (a) what I did, (b) how I did it and (c) the results:

1. Happy Hour

Here is a sample of a unique happy hour: We developed a Happy Hour with over 40 food items with a full range of items from the dinner menu. We also have specialty drinks. The hours to serve the happy hour menu is selected carefully. Believe it or not, Happy Hour sales are in excess of 50% of the total sales in a restaurant doing significant sales.

So the ingredients in this program are (1) price, (2) selection, (3) quality, and (4) promotion. For promotional efforts we put a “bug” on the home page of the website that goes right to the menu, we distribute neighborhood flyers monthly, post interior signage and work the social media.

Call me to create your own significant Happy Hour with these ideas.

2. Dinner

The theme of your restaurant exists-let’s just leave it. So, what we did was to create a “theme within a theme.” To promote we use social media, the website and the biggest boon to increasing the sales has been the service staff. They are fully engaged for the obvious reason of enhanced guest check average.

As a result, what we have seen happen is that the level of service has been improving because of giving the staff the vehicle to have more engagement with the guest to discuss higher end products. Notable their dinner sales have increased double digits since inception.

Call me to create your own significant dinner menu with the idea of having a “restaurant within a restaurant.”

3. Brunch

Brunch is already popular. So how do you get separated from other restaurant brunch offerings? Create a situation that is putting you as an expert in a particular category. Here is what happened: What is the most popular brunch item? Eggs Benedict. So let us keep your existing menu but create a section featuring a vast selection of Eggs Benedict (7).

They make a big deal of it by stating how they make their own hollandaise sauce and have country potatoes and have cage free eggs and specialty English muffins. The section of the menu is highlighted right in the middle of the menu. I suggest you highlight this area in a different color so it stands out from everything else.

Once again, the Benedicts are going to (1) enhance sales via raising the guest check average which (2) causes service staff to be more engaged which causes a better/best guest experience. You become known as the “expert in Eggs Benedict” vs just another brunch place. Incidentally, they probably have one of the largest brunches in the city.

Call me to create your own significant brunch menu with the idea of having this being a more memorable section on your menu.

I am advising clients to become more and more specific and unique in their approach to building their business. “Simple” adjustments like previously mentioned can bring you both brand building and financial rewards. It is a competitive market out there and there is no slowdown of new restaurants so one needs to be more engaged in brand building in order to maintain their position in the marketplace.

Call Arnold for us to work with you to enhance your brand at 206-679-1037.


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