How can social media such as Twitter com and Facebook com help your local business? Many restauranteurs suffer from incorrectly assuming that because they are a one location, mom-and-pop, brick and mortar operation, they could not benefit from online social marketing media such as Twitter com and Facebook com.  The truth is they couldn’t be more wrong!

Today more than ever, people turn to the web first for information on new places, hot spots and venues to try. They often value what their friends have to say and want to be up on the latest buzz spots. To be absent in these markets is really missing the boat. Incredibly, this sort of marketing is simple and free!

Does your restaurant have daily specials? If so, what better way to get them out there than a quick Tweet on Twitter com a couple times a day? There are even solutions to help you automate the process! Put a status update on Facebook com with your specials, happy hours and events. It takes virtually no time at all and will cost you nothing. You simply can’t get a better review than a follower “liking” your post for all their friends to see or re-tweeting your special to all of their followers!

Setting up a “like” page on Facebook or a Twitter com page is very easy and painless. You will see that there is ample instruction and can be done in just a few minutes. Companies that fail to embrace the current social communication trends are unnecessarily making themselves non-competitive and putting themselves in danger of becoming irrelevant. Businesses on Twitter com and Facebook com simply appear to be on the cutting edge and therefore more relevant.

Recommended strategies include:

• Daily Tweets of specials and/or upcoming events
• Facebook status updates of available reservation times
• Customizing your Twitter com profile page to closely match your current website or brand.
• Advertising your Facebook and Twitter com pages in your print marketing, menus, website and signage.

It is also important to advertise that you can be found on Twitter com and facebook com. People will keep track of places they like and when it comes to a Friday night and there is a decision to be made where to go, it could be your business that was the most recent place they heard from, simply because you put the bug in their ear!

You can find Tip20! on Twitter com and Facebook com too, please look us up!

Restaurants across the country are using the website Yelp to help draw in customers. Although any small business can post an advertisement on Yelp, the majority of users go to the site for restaurant and entertainments advice—and the “majority” is a lot. According to Yelp’s internal Google Analytics, the site “drew an audience of more than 50 million monthly unique users, and they have a total of 17 million reviews for venues around the world.” The CEO of the site says that the service is seeing both a growth in businesses listed on the site as well as users writing reviews.
For those who are unfamiliar, Yelp is just one of several online directories that help consumers make buying decisions. As I noted before, the site is advertised as a great place to compare restaurants (not so much other industry companies). Therefore, if your restaurant is not factoring this site into its marketing efforts, you are likely missing out on big opportunities. While most businesses work hard to rank on Google pages or other local search engines, restaurants are focusing on ranking well on Yelp. In other words, Yelp is quickly becoming the Google of restaurants.

Why Yelp Is Taking Over the Restaurant Search Volume

Yelp is quickly taking over the restaurant search volume, and for good reason. Aside from the sheer number of users, consider a few of the reasons this site is so popular:

• Smartphones—When people are looking for somewhere to eat, they are often driving around in their cars; therefore using their smartphones. The website can be set up as an application on a smartphone, making it easy to use. This site works extremely well in these types of situations.
• Customer Driven—Customers write post reviews about the restaurant onto the website, which then helps give other reassurance (or saves them the trip). Customers like to see reviews go in a general direction; thus making this site very popular.
• Local—When a user uses Yelp, they know they are going to get results based on their current location. When searching for a restaurant, location is more important than when searching for a product that can be shipped. For this reason, people only turn to sites that produce local results, and Yelp passes the test.
• Informative—Yelp is an extremely informative site. It will list the restaurants hours, prices, and even dress code for every restaurant. I know my friends and I pull up Yelp and look for restaurants with only one “$,” meaning inexpensive. It’s quick, easy, and clear.

Most restaurants who use Yelp swear by the results. Yelp works best for smaller, local restaurants, but even big chains will benefit from the exposure. However, it is in the restaurants hands to make sure that exposure is beneficial as opposed to damaging. If you make one mistake at your restaurant, you had better believe that this comment is going on Yelp. Fortunately, if you have one or two bad reviews mixed in which a lot of positive reviews, your restaurant should be safe. Users generally look at the majority of reviews in order to make a decision, not just one or two.

Consider a few of the ways restaurants can make sure they get positive exposure on Yelp:

How to Use Yelp to Help Build Your Restaurant’s Reputation

1. Fill out All Information—As discussed above, Yelp offers a lot of information about a restaurant. It is the job of the restaurant owner (or marketing department) to fill out all of this information completely and keep it up to date. Although it is a bit lengthy, it will certainly pay off in the long run. To get started creating your page, click here.
2. Respond to Reviews—Recently, Yelp made it possible for businesses to respond to reviews. If your business gets a negative review, you must respond in a respectful way. This will not only give you the chance to regain that customer, but other customers will see that you are involved and learning from your mistakes.
3. Advertise—This site allows businesses to advertise offers and discounts to potential customers. Your offer will be placed on the ‘Announcements and Offers’ tab for all to see. If your restaurant seems dead on a cold Tuesday night, just put out a discount on the site! It only takes about two minutes to create.
4. Social Networking—The site also works as a social networking site for customers. Work to build your “friends” by seeing who is reviewing your business and interacting via comments (even the good ones). You can also sync up your Yelp profile with your other social networks for extra exposure.
5. Badges—Badges is a great way to let your customers know you’re on Yelp if they are visiting your website. All you have to do is embed a code Yelp will provide onto your website, and then people will be able to see how many positive reviews your restaurant has under its belt.

Photo Credit: vol1brooklyn.com

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from restaurant management to starting a small business. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including credit card processing to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.

Found on the web at StarTribune.com

Have you ever been annoyed by a smudged water glass at a restaurant? Fingerprints on your plate? An overly attentive (or inattentive) waiter?

The four-star La Bernardin restaurant in New York City makes sure that does not happen on its premises by giving its employees a set of very specific rules, 129 of them, in fact. They are listed in a chapter of “On the Line,” written by La Bernardin chef Eric Ripert with Christine Muhlke (Artisan, $35). His book is a testament to Ripert’s pursuit of excellence and the restaurant’s 20-plus years of being among the nation’s best.

We’re printing these “sins” here because we think that a lot more restaurants should consider this advice. (The exclamations are on the original list from La Bernardin.)

These missteps from the best are a good reminder that excellence in dining is all in the details.

LEE SVITAK DEAN, TASTE EDITOR

1. Not acknowledging guests with eye contact and a smile within 30 seconds. First impressions count!

2. Not thanking the guests as they leave. Last impression!

3. Not remembering the guests’ likes and dislikes!

4. Not opening the front door for guests.

5. Silverware set askew on the tables.

6. Tabletop that isn’t picture perfect.

7. Forks with bent tines.

8. Unevenly folded napkins.

9. Chipped glassware.

10. Tables not completely set when guests are being seated.

11. Dead or wilted flowers on the tables.

12. Tables that are not leveled.

13. Salt and pepper shakers that are half empty.

14. Salt or sugar crusted inside the shakers.

15. Carelessly placed items on the tables.

16. Table linen with small holes, rips or burns.

17. Clutter or junk. Watch the trays, gueridons [small tables], etc.

18. Pictures on walls not leveled.

19. Tables not properly cleared.

20. Burned-out lightbulbs.

21. Clattering dishes. Be quiet!

22. Dropping china, silverware or glassware.

23. Murky or smelly water in flower vases.

24. Wobbly tables or chairs.

25. Broken chairs.

26. Needing to be center of attention. Give the ego a break!

27. An “I’m doing you a favor” attitude.

28. Socializing with certain guests while ignoring others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

29. Being too familiar or excessively chatty.

30. Having a visible reaction to the amount of the tip.

31. Ignoring obvious attempts to get attention.

32. Making light of a guest’s complaint.

33. No sense of humor.

34. Orders that arrive incomplete.

35. Not acknowledging guests as soon as they’re seated.

36. Not providing service to tables in order of their arrival.

37. Wrong pacing: meal service too fast or too slow.

38. Not providing a place for meal debris — e.g., shells!

39. Food sitting visible on gueridon [small table].

40. Necessary condiments that don’t arrive with food.

41. Lack of eye contact.

42. Talking to the order pad.

43. Not repeating each item as the guest orders.

44. Not naming each item as you serve.

45. Addressing the woman as “the lady.” (Times are changing!)

46. Thumbs on the plate during service.

47. Stacking or scraping dishes in front of guests.

48. Approaching a table with another table’s dirty dishes.

49. Entering the guests’ conversation without invitation.

50. Interrupting or asking questions while a guest’s mouth is full.

51. Handling silverware by the eating surfaces.

52. Holding glasses by the bowl or rim.

53. Language that is too formal or casual.

54. Asking men for their orders before asking women.

55. Not having total focus when at the table.

56. Giving guests the feeling of being “processed.”

57. Not really listening when spoken to.

58. Being too hurried to be attentive.

59. Not establishing rapport with the guests.

60. Appearing stressed or out of control.

61. Not bringing something the guest requests.

62. Providing inconsistent service. (Dig down, you can do it.)

63. Not bringing a replacement (sugar, butter, etc.) before taking the empty one away.

64. Not removing extra place settings.

65. Inability to answer basic menu questions.

66. Not knowing what brands are carried at the bar.

67. Placing a cocktail napkin askew or upside down.

68. Not warning about hot plates or beverages.

69. Dropping plates instead of presenting them.

70. Not bringing all the serviceware needed for the menu item.

71. Serving with an elbow in the guest’s face.

72. Inconsistent service methods.

73. Not refilling water or coffee.

74. Not moving with the “speed of the room.”

75. Not checking back within a few minutes of serving the course.

76. Not visually checking on each table regularly.

77. Not clearing one course completely before serving the next (e.g., toast, finger bowls).

78. Removing plates before all guests are finished.

79. Clearing plates without permission.

80. Not clearing plates promptly.

81. Vanishing waiters.

82. Not continuing to service the table once you have presented the check.

83. Watching while the guest completes the credit card slip.

84. Dribbling wine on the table while pouring.

85. Resting the wine bottle on the rim of the glass.

86. Spilling food or beverage.

87. Wet, stained, or incorrectly added checks.

88. Poor personal sanitation practices (touching, scratching, etc.).

89. Standing around doing nothing.

90. Using poor grammar when addressing a guest.

91. Pointing in the dining room.

92. Rattling pocket change.

93. Walking past items dropped on the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

94. Answering a question with a question.

95. Soiled or ill-fitting uniforms.

96. Filthy footwear.

97. Slouching or poor posture.

98. Distracting accessories.

99. Obvious hangovers.

100. Bandages on hand.

101. Smelling like cigarettes.

102. Excuses for anything — anytime.

103. Personal conversations loud enough for guests to hear.

104. Whining or complaining.

105. Arguments or displayed anger.

106. Flirting with guests.

107. Speaking in incomplete sentences.

108. Not serving hot food hot.

109. Cold bread or rolls stale around the edges.

110. Incomplete orders.

111. Improperly chilled wine or beer.

112. Drinks without a stirrer or straw.

113. Improper glassware.

114. Dried-out or slimy fruit garnish.

115. Lukewarm coffee.

116. Overly strong or weak iced tea.

117. No fresh glass with a fresh drink.

118. Water, iced tea or coffee not promptly refilled.

119. Coffee in the saucer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

120. Pouring anything from a stained container.

121. Awkward, improper or inept wine service.

122. Popping a champagne cork.

123. Pouring regular coffee into a cup instead of decaf.

124. Not getting the order right the first time.

125. Serving the wrong drink.

126. Not serving wine promptly.

127. Dirty or spotted flatware.

128. Crumbs on chairs.

129. To be continued …

Excerpted from “On the Line,” Eric Ripert (Artisan Books). Copyright 2008.

A Future With Fewer Reservations

Found Online at the Wall Street Journal By KATY MCLAUGHLIN
New York restaurateur Danny Meyer sees more eateries closing, less foie gras; tasting menus under siege

New York restaurateur Danny Meyer is witnessing a turning point in his industry, amid the deepest and most persistent downturn in fine dining in his 24-year career. In recent months, Mr. Meyer, who owns Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe, has seen the closing of once high-rolling competitors including Atria, Town, Kobe Club, and Docks Oyster Bar on the West Side. Mr. Meyer says his margins in his casual restaurants are holding steady—that’s partly the result of lower wholesale costs of a variety of goods—but margins are “down slightly” in his fine-dining restaurants, primarily because fewer people are springing for a pre-theater meal these days, he says.

In a talk with Mr. Meyer about the recession, he told us why downturns have an upside and which trends are sure to die (hint: kiss the seven-course mandatory tasting menu goodbye).

The Wall Street Journal: The high-end dining industry has been aggressively discounting for the past six months. What is the long-term impact of this strategy?

Restaurateur Danny Meyer is witnessing a recession-fed transformation in his industry.

Mr. Meyer: There is an enormous amount of discounting going on, which is highly unusual in our end of the business. I understand the rationale for discounting now because there is 20% to 25% less demand for restaurant seats than there was a year to a year and a half ago. Restaurants don’t want to lay people off, and there’s an opportunity to discount now, because the cost of raw goods has decreased by about 10% compared to six months ago.

But I don’t think it’s a sustainable business model. The bottom line is that there are too many restaurant seats relative to the number of people able to dine out. We’re seeing a shedding of restaurants. This has to happen. There will come a point when there are the right number of seats.

Luxury retailers fear it will take years to regain pricing power, even when the economy recovers, because consumers have learned to expect a discount. You’ve been doing some discounting, too. Are you afraid of never being able to bounce back?

No. The discounts we’ve been doing aren’t 15% off the same veal chop. It’s a different meal, that doesn’t cost me as much, sold at a lower price point. But the water will rise, and there will be a return of the meal that cost me more to sell and costs the diner more to buy.

Human nature doesn’t change. When enough people are comfortable enough financially there is going to be human nature that wants to spend more money on better quality and to some degree status symbols as well.

So in the future we’re going to see fewer high-end restaurants, but those that remain will regain their pricing power. What other trends are we going to see in a couple of years in high-end dining?

Mr. Meyer’s New York barbecue restaurant, Blue Smoke.

I don’t think there’s going to be sustainable demand for restaurants that force you to spend hours there. Long tasting menus will continue to be elected by some but cannot be legislated by the restaurant. We’re going to have more bistros and trattorias. People will have luxury items—caviar, foie gras, truffles—less frequently, having done without them for a year and a half, but they will come to appreciate them more because it won’t be at every bar and grill in the city.

What kinds of new restaurants have a chance of success in the next few years?

People are thinking about how much of their time they have to spend, how much of their stomach they are going to fill and how many of their dollars they will have to part with. Restaurants with small courses that give the customer choices, and that don’t obligate them to spend a fortune, are going to do very well.

About 10 years ago, Web-based services letting consumers book off-peak tables and get a discount emerged but never really took off. Is this recession going to change that?

I don’t see the industry adopting yield-management pricing [discounting based on time of use, as practiced by hotels and airlines], except around the edges. [Online booking service] OpenTable is a great example. On OpenTable, if I want to encourage people to take a specific reservation at a specific period, I can offer 1,000 dining points [worth a $10 discount to the diner]. It only costs me more money if someone takes me up on it, unlike traditional advertising, which can be completely wasted. It allows you to give a discount without appearing to. We do it.

[Mr. Meyer is a board member of OpenTable, which also supplies reservations software to restaurants. The company’s initial public offering Thursday was priced at $20, but traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market Friday at $28.71, surprising some analysts concerned about the recession’s effect on fine dining.]

You tell me that in the fine-dining industry, a 10% margin is considered good, while in casual dining, 15% is the target. So why are you still in the fine-dining business?

Maybe I won’t bother. It makes me wonder what I’ve been doing with the past 24 years of my life. I will not be excited about opening a new fine-dining restaurant every year. On the other hand, we have a big backlog of talent in the company. I don’t want to lose them to somebody else. All the talent that works in the casual-dining business happen to be people who began in the fine-dining restaurants. The leadership of Blue Smoke [Mr. Meyer’s barbecue restaurant, which is also at the new Mets stadium, Citi Field] started at Union Square Cafe [a fine-dining restaurant]. Shake Shack was from the people who worked at Tabla and Union Square Cafe.

You’re not going to get someone out of Cornell [School of Hotel Administration] who will say, “I want to run a French-fry stand.” But you might get someone who comes out of Cornell, works on the fine-dining side and then says, “I’ve done that and learned that, now I’m ready to do something more entrepreneurial.”

What you thought is enough to start a restaurant business could be the same thing that may cause your business downfall in less than a year. You may be an expert entrepreneur or you may have inherited a family business but have no background about restaurant and catering at all – no matter the qualifications you have, some things are better studied first hand than realized later. And later could be too late.
First of all, do yourself a favor by getting to know what are restaurants and their nature. The important and primary things should never be ignored and forgotten. In this case, tell yourself first if you can handle this type of business because in case you didn’t know yet, restaurants are complex type of businesses. It doesn’t involve one thing alone and if you guessed it right, profit is the word.

Restaurants should be handled from food costs, labor, rent (if you don’t own the place), advertising, food quality, customer service, advertising, profit and of course, the attitude to continue with this type of business. However, the basic principles of handling a restaurant go back to how it is operated by you, the owner and the organization style you have in your agenda.

The list doesn’t stop here, restaurants also have categorization and it’s one of your basic foundations before tackling the list mentioned above. You then ask, why? Well, how would you know what type of service you can give to your customers and what type of feedback you should expect if you didn’t know your restaurant’s categorization in the first place?

Okay, so here’s a simple scenario. A customer can most certainly not demand a well prepared, elaborate meal from a counter service type restaurant can he? It just isn’t right. Having said this, we then go back to the basic principle of how to organize a restaurant. If you want to make a signature or style for your own restaurant, you can go ahead with this plan but it will be difficult to preserve and maintain this kind of approach; not to mention, expensive.

For whatever purpose it should serve though, restaurateurs should maintain focus in meeting goals for their restaurant. This also shouldn’t limit them from being open to changes and feedback to be able to meet customers’ preference.

Find out more of what you can do to grow your own restaurant larger than you thought you could.