Should your restaurant pass on credit card processing fees to the customer?😬 #restaurantindustry

Don’t find yourself on the wrong side of viral marketing! Recently, I came across a story about a restaurant that decided to pass credit card fees onto its customers. Picture this: in a sea of restaurants where such practices aren’t the norm, standing out might sound appealing, but not when it means drawing attention for the wrong reasons!

Sure, profitability is crucial for any business’s survival—especially in the fiercely competitive restaurant industry. However, could this strategy potentially backfire? 🤔 After all, the ultimate goal isn’t just about making saving a buck; it’s about thriving and serving our communities with exceptional culinary experiences.

Join me as we dig deeper into this thought-provoking topic on episode 534 of the Restaurant Marketing Secrets podcast! Let’s explore whether passing on credit card fees could inadvertently harm your business’s reputation and what it means to get the RIGHT attention. 👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr1tNsemjtE&t=7s

#EntrepreneurLife #BusinessStrategy #shorts

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Day 7 – The Puzzle

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In July 1997 I decided on our trip to Myrtle Beach to propose to my now wife, Christy.  

I had a girlfriend, I had the ring, but now I needed to DELIVER the proposal.

There are two parts to this. The ACTUAL offer, what you’re giving them.  And the “ask”, how you plan on talking to them about said offer.

In my marriage proposal I had exactly that, the ring and asked for her hand in marriage.  But I also had the manner in which I did it on the beach.  

Let’s start with your actual OFFER!

This is really simple, give people an offer they’d feel stupid saying no too.  DON’T give them homework and don’t give them a coupon. 

Your job with this offer is REALLY SIMPLE.  You want to gain their contact information and the best way to do that is make it a no brainer.  This offer is not about making money on visit #1, it’s about gaining their info so you can market to them at a much higher level in the future.  And if you have their information, that’s pretty darn easy.  You are making this ask for visits 2 – 40, not the first visit.

Do not give them a coupon, PERIOD.

Do not give them homework, you know, “buy 2 entrees and a drink and get a half price appetizer.”

Here’s the formula to win the game of gaining customer data.

I like 4 offers on the front end:

Offer #1 = 100% Free item.

Offer #2 = 100% Free offer that drives a visit that might not normally happen.  Imagine you’re a lunch restaurant mainly and this is for dinner.  This is to drive an incremental visit. 

Offer #3 = 100% free item that can be added onto their visit that is going to happen, like a free appetizer or dessert

Offer #4 = Some sort of combo offer

BOGO variant.  I will say for offer #1 a BOGO can work, but here is the down side.  Let’s say you’re Ashley from my team, who’s married with no kids. If you give her a BOGO pizza you lose, she has no use for two pizzas and she never takes you up on the offer.  

As we discussed, your goal is to gain the customers data.  But your secondary goals are to drive sales where they may not exist.  Other day parts, other menu items, etc.  If you’ve ever heard my story about Larososa’s Pizza cookies then you know what I mean. They gave me a free cookie promo years ago and since then I’ve added HUNDREDS of $9 cookies to my order.  

Ok, so to wrap up.

NO OFFERS THAT SUCK!

P.S. This includes birthdays too, no one wants a damn coupon as a gift. 


Day 6 – The Puzzle

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In yesterday’s blog we established where to start the journey of increasing your restaurants sales by starting with your most important customers, the frequent ones, now let’s talk about HOW to gain their information.  

What does it take?

First, it takes a software.

Second, it takes an offer so good they’d feel stupid saying no to it.

Third, it takes a marketing campaign to us that data correctly

And, last but not least it needs TRAFFIC.

Today, let’s talk about the first step, a piece of software capable of housing your customer data and helping you use it.  

My journey into restaurant marketing software started in May 2015.  It was that April when I launched our first marketing campaign on Facebook for National Pretzel Day For Hofbrauhaus.  The idea was simple, prove to my clients that we could drive sales through a Facebook post.  What happened after that was HUGE.  We drove $18,000 in incremental sales in 1 day. 

The client was stoke and their new love for digital marketing was kicked off.  But then it hit me, who the heck used the BOGO pretzel promo.  Yes it drove sales, but by who?  

And it hit me.  What if I knew who those customers were and could control their marketing journey.  Easy enough, onto the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.  There were 4,500 booths, surely a marketing firm existed that had exactly what I needed.

WRONG!

There wasn’t a single company with a solution that would do what I wanted, so I created it.

From 2015 until 2017 I worked on what I called the ROI Engine, a solution to help me with gathering customer data and taking them on a journey to spending more at the restaurant.  By 2023 we’d done it in a big way, but that we knew there was MUCH more to do.  

And that’s when we acquired a powerhouse int he restaurant marketing software business,  Repeat Returns.  In was November 2023 and the vision now much bigger.  It w was to build an industry first restaurant ONLY marketing platform that assisted in this and more.  

So back to the topic at hand, you need a product like Repeat Returns, one that allows you to collect customer information at a level deeper than just an email.  

For the past 7 years we’ve used a custom template we built in ManyChat, a tool that integrates with Facebook and Instagram Messenger.  Many of you will use your restaurants Point Of Sale system, and that way work.  But whatever you use, below are the questions you want to answer about your customers.

You must get their:

Name

Visit Frequency

Phone Number

Email

Birthday

Tomorrow we talk about your ASK!

 

Day 5 – The Puzzle

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So, where does driving sales start?

What’s the first step in your journey to driving massive sales to your restaurant?  

It starts with customer data, aka a customer list.  But more importantly, it starts with building a list of your best customers, “your frequent ones.”  A database is one thing, but a database of your best customers is another. 

There are three ways to grow your sales and the first is by driving your best customers in more often or getting them to spend more money on their regular visits.  And in order to that you need to know exactly who they are.  Worst case scenario you need their email address.  But ideally you’d have your restaurant’s best customers: name, email, cell phone number and birthday.  Then and only then can you really build a meaningful relationship with them and drive on demand sales from the easiest set of customers.

So that means you need to create a plan to get this information from your customers.  There are three logical places to start.  First is inside your restaurant, with your team and point of sale, or a marketing database software.  Second is from your website and online ordering.  And the third place is your restaurant’s social media pages.  

Now you know where to get them, tomorrow we talk about HOW to get them.

P.S. My drawing of puzzle pieces each day hasn’t gotten any better, go figure, it’s only been a few days 🙂


Day 4 – The Puzzle

Drive Sales...Then Build Brand

Well shit, I was wrong.

In fact, I’ve been wrong for way too many years.  

I’m been spouting off at the mouth about the importance of building your brand through your marketing.  I’ve been passionate about the opportunity that exists today with social media and digital marketing as a whole.  We are in the greatest time ever to market and I get excited.

Then recently I was asked by one of our employees “why has one particular client done SO WELL with what we’re preaching.  What is it about him, that has him bought in 100%?”

That was a thought provoking question, and knew the answer.  

That client had freed himself from being occupied by daily nuances most restaurant owners have, operational challenges and financial needs.  When you couple that with a drive to do more, you get what I consider to be our #1 client ever.  

It was literally the first time I’d ever thought of it at that level.  It was the first time I went deep into the WHY he was able or willing to do what he did to grow his restaurant by millions. 

So that got me thinking.  If it took that perfect storm of the right person, the crazy drive and finely tuned operations, then why in the hell do I think others will follow me?

But more than that, am I creating ideas and strategies that apply to the 1% and if so WHY?  

Our company’s mission is simple, “to help restaurants double their sales by finding more frequent customers.”  

And I know it’s 100% possible, but what if I’m teaching at too high of a level.  What if my expectations of what an owner should do NOW are too focused on a result that will come in 2-3 years.   They might not be here then.

And that’s when it hit me…I WAS WRONG!  

I was wrong to overlook the main thing everyone needs help with NOW.  

So with that we tweaked our messaging and a renewed focus is being placed on ONE big initiative.

DRIVE SALES

I realize it’s my duty to help restaurants DRIVE SALES and then build brand.  

Yes I still 100% believe you should aim to build a brand that sells itself, but if you never get there, then who gives a shit.  

YOU NEED SALES, and you need them now!  

And I get that.  

As I was having this conversation I  began to internalize it.  “I asked myself, Matt, why aren’t you obsessed with everything we do for restaurants having a systematic trackable system to drive sales?”  

And the answer was pretty simple and the same as you.  I am obsessed right now with our company’s cash flow and operational challenges.  I have no choice, I have to make sure we MAKE it to the other side.  That’s one of the big reasons I’ve not been as focused as I could be on our core goal, driving sales.  

And I think the reason this was an easy thing for me to see when the question arose was due to the fact that I’m in the same place so many of our restaurant customers are.  Yes, I’m in a unique position where I’ve carved out a large chunk of our weekly cashflow to help us build a massive brand with America’s Best Restaurants and Repeat Returns, but me taking that risk has forced me to focus on 3-5 items vs 1.

That 1 item should be without a doubt an industry best platform that is one dimensional, it predictably drives sales for restaurants.  But because I’m in the trenches with certain day to day items, it’s hard to have the level of focus or OBSESSION you need on that 1 time.  

So with that simple question about one of our clients comes my renewed focus.  

And it also brings a deeper level of symphony for our clients.

SCREW branding and everything that gets you there. 

Let’s focus right now on DRIVING MASSIVE SALES!   

Let’s focus on helping you increase your weekly sales so that you have breathing room.  So that you have the ability to start thinking about other items that will make your restaurant a legacy brand, a local institution.  


Well shit, I was wrong.

In fact, I’ve been wrong for way too many years.  

I’m been spouting off at the mouth about the importance of building your brand through your marketing.  I’ve been passionate about the opportunity that exists today with social media and digital marketing as a whole.  We are in the greatest time ever to market and I get excited.

Then recently I was asked by one of our employees “why has one particular client done SO WELL with what we’re preaching.  What is it about him, that has him bought in 100%?”

That was a thought provoking question, and knew the answer.  

That client had freed himself from being occupied by daily nuances most restaurant owners have, operational challenges and financial needs.  When you couple that with a drive to do more, you get what I consider to be our #1 client ever.  

It was literally the first time I’d ever thought of it at that level.  It was the first time I went deep into the WHY he was able or willing to do what he did to grow his restaurant by millions. 

So that got me thinking.  If it took that perfect storm of the right person, the crazy drive and finely tuned operations, then why in the hell do I think others will follow me?

But more than that, am I creating ideas and strategies that apply to the 1% and if so WHY?  

Our company’s mission is simple, “to help restaurants double their sales by finding more frequent customers.”  

And I know it’s 100% possible, but what if I’m teaching at too high of a level.  What if my expectations of what an owner should do NOW are too focused on a result that will come in 2-3 years.   They might not be here then.

And that’s when it hit me…I WAS WRONG!  

I was wrong to overlook the main thing everyone needs help with NOW.  

So with that we tweaked our messaging and a renewed focus is being placed on ONE big initiative.

DRIVE SALES

I realize it’s my duty to help restaurants DRIVE SALES and then build brand.  

Yes I still 100% believe you should aim to build a brand that sells itself, but if you never get there, then who gives a shit.  

YOU NEED SALES, and you need them now!  

And I get that.  

As I was having this conversation I  began to internalize it.  “I asked myself, Matt, why aren’t you obsessed with everything we do for restaurants having a systematic trackable system to drive sales?”  

And the answer was pretty simple and the same as you.  I am obsessed right now with our company’s cash flow and operational challenges.  I have no choice, I have to make sure we MAKE it to the other side.  That’s one of the big reasons I’ve not been as focused as I could be on our core goal, driving sales.  

And I think the reason this was an easy thing for me to see when the question arose was due to the fact that I’m in the same place so many of our restaurant customers are.  Yes, I’m in a unique position where I’ve carved out a large chunk of our weekly cashflow to help us build a massive brand with America’s Best Restaurants and Repeat Returns, but me taking that risk has forced me to focus on 3-5 items vs 1.

That 1 item should be without a doubt an industry best platform that is one dimensional, it predictably drives sales for restaurants.  But because I’m in the trenches with certain day to day items, it’s hard to have the level of focus or OBSESSION you need on that 1 time.  

So with that simple question about one of our clients comes my renewed focus.  

And it also brings a deeper level of symphony for our clients.

SCREW branding and everything that gets you there. 

Let’s focus right now on DRIVING MASSIVE SALES!  

Let’s focus on helping you increase your weekly sales so that you have breathing room.  So that you have the ability to start thinking about other items that will make your restaurant a legacy brand, a local institution.  

 

 

At Pizza Expo, one 16-year-old’s interview will leave you speechless | no, it’s not about the pizza!

I spoke with over 100 pizza shop owners, and while many had great insights, his stood out. He shared how his family’s legacy, starting with his grandfather and now carried on with his help and his siblings’, gives their shop its unique charm.

Your story is what makes your independent restaurant stand out against the big-box competition!

Check out episode #548 of the Restaurant Marketing Secrets to hear more takeaways from the interviews I did at Pizza Expo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j316LDQqhUQ&t=82s

#PizzaExpo #RestaurantOwners #shorts

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Day 3 – The Puzzle

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Day 3 – Friday April 5th, 2024

L.M.S

Lead, Market, Sell

That’s my mantra as the LEADER of my companies.  

I have to LEAD my team.

I have to MARKET by brand.

I have to SELL my vision.

This is what I aim to do every day, let’s break it down piece by piece.

LEAD 

Leader =  someone who others will follow. 

Think about that statement and then think about your daily life.  Do you want your team to follow you?  Are you healthy in your mind, body and spirit?  Are you a person they should follow?  I had this exact question with myself December 25th 2023 as I looked in the mirror.  I was 20-25 pounds overweight.  Yes, to my team I was “in shape”, but I was not in shape to me.  And I certainly wasn’t leading.  A leader would be absolutely YOKED!  RIPPED.  IN OBVIOUS SHAPE!  Not, kind of in shape.  Or at least working their ass off to get there.

I always reasoned with myself that I was far enough ahead of most people as my reasoning for living my version of a “healthier” lifestyle.  On that day as I looked in the mirror and looked into my soul I told myself enough was enough.  I needed to start LEADING in a big way.  If soft drinks are bad for you, then why am I an occasional drinker of them vs never?  If donuts are bad for you, then why am I walking around with one?  

 

So on that day I decided I need to start LEADING when it comes to fitness and nutrition.  It’s been 3 months and 1 week.  I’ve not had a cookie, donut, cake, soft drink, etc.  I’ve cleaned up my eating.  One month into this change I cut out all energy drinks.  I want my team, my friends, my family to see that I am willing to make uncomfortable changes.  If I can’t and I continue to do what WE shouldn’t be doing, then how can I expect them to stop? 

 

On top of that, there are other areas I’m working on.  

 

Being a kind leader, a compassionate leader, being a leader that listens and isn’t afraid to be wrong.

 

Every day I’m asking myself, is the person I’m putting in front of myself someone I’d follow?  

 

MARKET

 

You’re not a restaurant owner.  

 

You’re a restaurant marketer! 

 

At the end of the day if NO ONE walks through your doors and hands you money, you’re out of business.   It doesn’t matter if you have the best food, service and location.  

 

If you don’t SELL FOOD, then you go out of business.

 

So that means you need to get off your ass and MARKET every waking minute you’re awake. 

 

The owner 100% must be marketing all day every day.  When I see you at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago you should be rocking your gear.  When I see you pull up to a pee wee football game you should be in a wrapped vehicle and rocking your gear.  

 

There’s not much more to say here.  Your job should revolve around marketing your restaurant every chance you get.

 

SELL

 

Every day sell your vision to your family, friends, employees, potentional employees, bankers, vendors and customers.  

 

GET THE PICTURE?  Every ONE!

 

You should be SELLING your vision every day.  Why can’t most restaurants find staff?  Because no one wants to work for just another restaurant.  Heck, growing up we were told “if you keep doing that you’ll end up flipping burgers.”  

 

If you want employees to be knocking down your door every day, build something special and they SELL YOUR VISION to them! 

 

 Scream from the mountain tops who you are, what you’re doing and WHY!

 

CLICK HERE and buy the book Vivid Vision.  It’s a short read and I can promise you, you won’t regret it.  

 

As the OWNER you need to paint a picture of your future that’s SO BIG it scares people.

 

It scares them because it’s so big and awesome.   The Starbucks we know today started with a VISION for 50 stores.  This was at a time where coffee shops that we know today did not exist, it wasn’t a market.  So 50 was, HOLY SHIT land.  Today they have over 38,000 worldwide.

 

Do you think their early investors and employees would have been stoke to work at a regular coffee shop?

 

You need to build a vision and sell it to everyone who will listen.  They need to know you’re not just another burger joint.  That you’re doing something special.  

 

Something they’ll want to be a part of.

 

…see you tomorrow. 

 

P.S. Make sure you read blog #1 in this series to understand the terrible art work and mission 🙂

 

The most influential people for your restaurant are in your community! #restaurantindustry

Consider your local band director: With an average of 125 students in the band, along with their families, friends, and neighbors, you’re reaching a potential audience of 2,500 people. For example, when the band director promotes a dine-and-donate event at XYZ restaurant, these are the individuals likely to participate.

Now, how do you tap into this network? It’s not just about promoting your food, it’s about meaningful connections. Imagine having a podcast where you feature interviews with the band director, the football coach, local charities, and other community figures. Suddenly, everyone connected to or passionate about these topics becomes interested in your restaurant for more than just the food!

Don’t forget to check out the Restaurant Marketing Secrets podcast for daily insights on attracting more frequent customers and doubling your sales! 👇https://www.youtube.com/@restaurantmarketingsecrets3580
–
#RestaurantMarketing #SmallBusinessStrategy #Shorts

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Day 2 – The Puzzle

The 2nd Best Time Is TODAY

There’s a saying we’ve all heard “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today.!

So as we tackle day 2 of The Puzzle, I answer my own question…”Matt, what’s the 1st topic?”

My first piece of advice for you on this journey is exactly what I’m doing, START a daily blog…TODAY!

I already know what you’re going to say “WHY & WHEN!”

First is WHY.  The only way you’ll ever grow your restaurant’s sales is through attention.  The more attention you get on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, email, text messaging and THIS BLOG, the more opportunities you have to sell food.

So the natural place to start is your story. The reality show that you live in daily.  You know, the puzzle that you’re building as we speak.  

Your story every day is one that is amazing.  Your blog is going to be different from mine, but also really similar.  I’ll be talking about my day, my struggles, my highs, my lows and marketing ideas.  You’ll simply substitute marketing ideas with food 🙂

Everyone dreams of being their own boss and owning their own business, but few do.  And even fewer succeed.  This blog is your chance to bring them into your world, get their support and make them a part of your tribe.  

AND it will give you a massive amount of content to use when you do videos and hopefully one day a podcast.  

My advice for you is to write 2 blogs per week for 2 weeks, that way you have a headstart for those times when days don’t allow for you to write. 

WHEN?  

Yeah, yeah, I know “you’re busy.”  BOO HOO, so am I and thousands of other entrepreneurs.  Take 30 minutes per day and read.  And then after that, WRITE.

WHY DAILY? 

And last but not least, why EVERY DAY?  Honestly, because I find when we do something EVERY DAY it becomes a massive part of our life.

Imagine if in 5 years you’re:

Writing every day

Podcasting every day

Creating video content every day

Exercising every day

Helping friends every day

Coaching employees every day

Telling those around you how thankful you are for them EVERY DAY

You’ll be unstoppable, it won’t be fair to your competition.

See you tomorrow. 

 

Boost Your Restaurant’s Engagement: Learn From Red Bull’s Winning Strategy!

Red Bull doesn’t post pictures of their product yet it sells more than 11 BILLION cans a year. Their online fans don’t look to them for pictures of their product- they want to be ENTERTAINED…

Do the fans of your restaurant need to see a picture of your food every time they get on Facebook, Instagram, etc? The answer is NO.

Subscribe to the Restaurant Marketing Secrets podcast to learn more about social media strategy👇

https://www.youtube.com/@restaurantmarketingsecrets3580

#restaurantowner #restaurantmarketing #shorts

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