Keeping track of the latest trends in eating, drinking, management, money, staff and trends in the restaurant, cafe, hotel and club industry. Is that enough?
Great discussion by Jeff Jarvis today on his new MediaTalk USA podcast. They've set this up so you can listen to the talk session through iTunes, find out the names and links mentioned on the MediaUSA website, follow the Twitter updates, and discuss or comment on their Facebook group.
Maybe this is the model for restaurants/hotels/bars to use for integration of the 'big 3' on everyone's mind right now: facts and detailed information on a good website, quick news and updates flowing through Twitter, with discussion and interaction available on a Facebook page (or group).
Now, where does that leave blogs and email news?!...
Last week I saw a set of witty, original wine labels (on bottles)...and wanted to buy a case for gifts and drinking. Found the website, thinking that would lead me to a supplier. Big mistake - it was one of the most frustrating and over-designed sites I've ever experienced. Moved to rage (time on my hands?) I let fly when I finally found their email address (even that was a chore). Below are some excerpts from our correspondence over several days:
Me: Love your labels but gotta say the website is a royal pain in the arse - you sure it doesn't actually prevent sales?
Them (in reply): thanks for the note. You know, you're not alone, other people also dislike the website, others the artwork which adorn our wines and there are some that dislike the wine itself...What in particular was the monarchical travesty you refer to with regard to the website?
Me: I wasn't just sniping, but want to help you SELL MORE WINE. A website should make it EASY for me to find out about the wine, ask questions, and BUY. Even getting through the home page [a flash page] at the beginning was maddening - I persisted because I'm stubborn, but my guess is most would not. That means fewer sales, and fewer holidays in Europe. On one level, the site matches the uber-cool labels, but I also believe it's a 'sales prevention' tool, not sales enhancement - your web dudes really need to be taken in hand, or replaced. Seriously.
Them: We see where you're coming from, however we share a different point of view. There is a plethora of rhetoric I could supply outlining these choices, but at the end of the day, we love making booze and love the implementation of design be it label or website... just kicking it the way we see fit.
And the winner is? I'm guessing the smug web designers...no money has left my hands.
The imaginative campaigners at SugarStacks have illustrated the amount of sugar in popular beverages, breakfast foods, snacks and desserts. Here is a popular staff drink, using 4 gm sugar cubes as a measurement. Diabetes anyone?
Retailers often analyse the typical customer 'basket' size and composition. Did they buy just one sweater, or add accessories and a t-shirt? How many grocery or hardware items did they choose?
The restaurateur or bar manager would be asking: how many items do lunch customers buy? What else do morning coffee drinkers order, or red-wine drinkers (mineral water if the servers are awake)? What beverages were ordered with tapas, or pasta?
Per-head spend is the most common view of purchasing behaviour, but 'basket' analysis repays attention. A recent dissection with a client showed how many diners ordered only 2 items (most ordered nothing after the main course) and how many lunch customers did not order a beverage. Grab a pile of dockets from a typical day, and look for ordering patterns. The results may surprise you...
Good response from Gary V. about the Dominos snotty pizza fiasco - this is not a reason for large companies to avoid participating in video and other social media. And a request to have webcams in kitchens and back of house so consumers can see how clean they really are!
Just enjoyed a great concert with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. A few words in the printed programme leapt off the page....not Mozart and Bartok, but 'blog', 'download' and web addresses.
The orchestra promotes its cool/contemporary image, and their website is right up to date: a blog with recent reviews and comments, online feedback, biographies and photos of all the players and a Facebook page. You can download a pdf of the programme notes before the concert, watch video documentaries or buy a gift certificate - tons of content to build enthusiasm and interest.
By comparison, the mainstream Sydney Symphony website is safe and restrained, with just the 'need to know' facts. Like the tight and inhibited websites of most restaurants, cafes and hotels...
Jeff Jarvis in his new book What Would Google Do? promotes the importance of releasing a product in an 'almost finished' or beta stage [see the short video below].
Google are masters of the process, with many of their popular products still technically 'under development'. They actively and enthusiastically seek comments and suggestions for how to make it just right, rather than deciding in advance that they know best - take it or leave it. The term 'beta' also blunts the picky critics.
Menu development is usually hard work; balancing price, ingredients, texture, flavour, seasons, market segment, competition, available skills and equipment...on and on it goes, with hopefully customers somewhere in the mix! What if the menu was released as 'almost done' with a Beta stamp, and an invitation for guests to 'help us get it just right'!
No need to incorporate all the suggestions (Google certainly don't), but there will be excellent ideas that weren't thought of or forgotten. All it needs is an easy feedback process (SMS will do), a word processing and a printer. Hey, we have all that, and now we also have real customer engagement! Please watch the video and give me your thoughts...
Great short video made by my brother and a buddy in Phoenix, with night and day shots of his favourite local restaurant Palatte. We have a mutual challenge to each create 25 videos in 25 days (and I am waaaay behind).
This is quick, easy video production: the right music tells so much of the 'atmosphere' story - no words needed! You have customers who could do this on their ear for the cost of a few meals...just ask - barter is back in fashion!
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