It’s really exciting to see what’s going on in the restaurant industry right now.
I spent some time on the phone with the marketing manager of a Midwest-based chain that has over 200 locations, and she’s extremely excited as well. More to come on that conversation very soon.
What plans have you made to grow your restaurant in 2015?
I’m really curious what independent, single-location restaurant concepts and small chains have in store for this upcoming year.
How creative are you prepared to get?
Will you transform your menu? Are you finalizing a new target customer profile? Will you launch a loyalty program for your restaurant? Are you secretly committed to a whole new manner of customer engagement that you’re just about to ready to unleash upon the world? Taking your staff training to a whole new level?
Are you ready to go on-camera to attract customers via YouTube? Kicking off a new mobile app for your restaurant? Redesigning your restaurant’s interior? Exterior? Getting a new logo? Rethinking your social media approach? Going to allow people to pre-pay for the dining experience?
Embracing technology? Or maybe you’re dialing things down and simplifying?
If you don’t work from a plan, and invest some time in strategy, you will be tossed about like the waves on the ocean. You really have to figure out what your primary mission is this year, while obviously allowing for a certain degree of flexibility.
Restaurants can get creative like no other time in history to attract and engage customers.
What’s most exciting is that this is possibly your greatest time ever for creativity as a restaurant marketer.
I can’t embed it and it’s not available on YouTube, so run over to Vimeo and check out this talk by John Cleese of Monty Python on that very subject — no, not the subject of restaurants, the subject of creativity ;).
“Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.” — John Cleese
There’s also a full transcript of Cleese’s speech on creativity here.
I wade through so much restaurant marketing that is similar, it’s unfortunate. You can swap one restaurant brand’s logo for another’s and no one notice. But we’re living in a time when you can be so unique, engaging, and even entertaining. Yes, entertaining.
Happy New Year to our restaurant owners, operators, marketers, and followers! We’re grateful to have you reading and listening and, soon, watching some of our content and participating with us via Twitter. We’re looking forward to some supremely creative initiatives ourselves this coming year.
Can’t wait to unveil what’s coming in 2015. How about you?
