Audience Note: I purposely avoided inserting a gratuitous image to lead this article. Kudos to me.
We’ve just published episode #12 of Table Touch: The Talk Show for Restaurant Leaders, with a fast-moving conversation on Randy’s Neanderthal origins, and the fast-growing breastaurant segment. Unrelated topics, but in that order.
Give it a listen right here at NextRestaurants by clicking play below, but we’d love for you to check out our show notes and special show links over at the Table Touch website. You can also subscribe via iTunes!
Here’s what restaurant purists miss about ‘breastaurants’
Listen, I will admit that I do not personally frequent restaurant locations that would be dubbed “breastaurants.” But from a pure marketing perspective, there is much to learn from them. For example:
1. It’s not just about the food.
If you want to stand out as a brand, you’ve got to think beyond the food. You’ve got to think about the experience.
Beyond what the breastaurant world does to lure guests and make that experience…special, shall we say, in this podcast episode, we also mention two brands during our Best Bites segment that aren’t breastaurants at all — Petiscos in Claremont, California, and Stacked in San Diego — and what they bring to the table to make the guest experience unique.
2. People appreciate ‘eatertainment’
Randy used the term eatertainment in this episode. Think about it. Guests may be visiting your location after a long, hard day at the office or with the kids. Depending on your concept, they may very well be open to a little more than just the food.
Entertainment and dining go hand in hand. Sports bars got started with this notion in mind to begin with. Buffalo Wild Wings has even recently launched its own sports-style show featuring user-generated content, that will air on televisions in their locations. Seriously, you need to watch it:
3. Your servers can be selling machines
Many restaurants that fit the mold of “breastaurants” have a lineup of merchandise to sell. But if this describes you, let me ask you this: Are you hoping guests notice it as they wait for their table, or as they walk out the door? If so, what a missed opportunity.
Of course you don’t want to annoy guests incessantly. Having the right touch is important. But if you’re going to go through the effort to create merchandise that will promote your brand outside your four walls, why not sell it?
Give Table Touch a listen!
Great, honest discussion on the increasingly crowded space of breastaurants. Outside the restaurant industry, they’re even being seen as their own segment. What do you think about them? Completely turned off? Annoyed? Think they bring their own dynamic to the industry that’s welcome?
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the show by calling our listener voicemail line at (888) 279-9918 or catch up with us on Twitter (@TableTouchShow).
