Not every plan works out the way you expect. In this episode of The Heroes of Hospitality, Matt Plapp reflects on the challenges of merging customer acquisition with loyalty marketing. The goal was simple—tie Restaurant Marketing That Works into Repeat Returns—but the reality proved otherwise. The lesson? Messaging matters. Loyalty isn’t the first step for a new customer, and forcing the connection too soon taught us how DRYVER must evolve. Now, it’s three distinct solutions—Acquisition, Loyalty, and Coaching—meeting restaurants where they are instead of where we think they should be. Next up: Season 2 is coming! Matt and restaurant expert David Scott Peters visit Avery from Little Italy, a true unicorn in the industry. Avery took a 30-year-old restaurant from $500K to $5M+ by mastering delegation, execution, and the right marketing systems. We’ll break down exactly how he did it—and how you can, too. Subscribe at www.theheroesofhospitality.com and follow the journey! #restaurantmarketing #restaurantoperations #restaurantowner