Marketing Restaurant Online

Every day we hear about the bad economy in the news. People are cutting back on their spending. Sure enough it is having effect on restaurant businesses. At this difficult time when the restaurant seats seem to be empty there is a sense of panic and temptation to lower the price of the menu items to attract the customers. I personally feel that is not the right strategy to have price war with the chain restaurants. There is no way small restaurants can win the price war with the big chains like McDonald or Burger king. Therefore the small restaurants should focus on selling their product based on memorable experience. As a small restaurant you have a power to sell that intangible asset which cannot be touched but only felt. I believe that is more powerful than just trying to sell your food as a common commodity which a customer can buy from any restaurant.

So many small restaurants make a mistake of being in the restaurant business who think that they are there to sell the best food in the town. Truth of the matter is that they are actually in the people business where the focus should be selling the most memorable experience that they could cherish may be for the rest of their life. It should be a place where a couple can come back in their nineties and still remember their first date in that restaurant. This is an intangible asset that your restaurant should be selling. The food is a tangible asset that they might enjoy and remember only for a certain time.

Today to be successful in any business your focus should be customer centric which is very well displayed by the online retailer Amazon. Jeff Bezos, the founder of the company says that they are neither books retailer nor music cd retailer rather they are in the business of people. They want to provide the best customer experience online. No wonder amazon.com has done very well beyond pundit’s expectation. That’s why I strongly feel that restaurant should be not in the business of food rather in the business of people.

Chain restaurant have all the money and fancy buildings and multi million dollar decorations. There is no way that small restaurants can compete them with the money. One thing that you can set yourself apart is  by providing the best service possible and unforgettabe dining experience. This is where the plains are leveled. You have a chance in many cases to beat even the chain restaurants because you have a passion for your community and since you are there for a long haul you have an interest to do good for the community. Why don’t you get involved in the community to raise awareness to feed poor hungry kids , or represent a green revolution? You can do the simple things like avoiding non recyclable styrofoam and replacing with recyclable paper products to start off. These are just examples. You can be creative to do so many other things for your community and show really what you and your restaurant represent. Once you the community understand you and what your restaurant stands for, I don’t think you have to sell. I believe people will come to you and buy. That is the most powerful influncial effect that you and your restaurant can have over your customers than any flashy fake television advertisement.

Watch the video and see how powerful that message of hope and change is. It literally moves you from deep inside. It feels like it is calling upon you for hope and change. Can you and your restaurant capture that hope and change within your community.Can your deeds touch the hearts and minds of the people in your community? Capture the moments of hope and aspiration on the video and share them with the world. This can be much powerful than the flashy TV ad that the chain restaurant spent millions on.