Marketing Restaurant Online

Few days back I was going through my twitter updates and saw an update from Brian Clark at @copyblogger about restaurant P.F. Chang’s. The update was a link to a video that explains how the restaurant was able to connect with it’s customer via Twitter and had a chance to be awesome. I watched the video and liked it for the fact that it is a true twitter success story about a restaurant. I thought it would be cool to share with you as it acts as a case study of how restaurants like P.F. Chang’s across the country are using Twitter to connect with their customers in a deeper level and be a remarkable.

Kelly from P.F Chang’s explains in the video that despite the coastal distance apart how they were able to connect with their customer only because of Twitter. Twitter has made it possible to have an access to their customer’s mind on a real time basis. As this customer a young woman was making an update talking highly about the Chicken lettuce Wrap, the other young lady at Scottsdale, Arizona P. F Chang’s’ headquarter was able to see it on a real time. Thrilled with the compliment about P.F. Chang’s and it’s Chicken Lettuce Wrap, she called the franchise restaurant which was on the other side of the coast. Now after knowing about this greatest fan of the restaurant, the franchisee went ahead and served her favorite Chicken Lettuce Wrap and the dessert on the house. Obviously it was a BIG surprise as she never expected it and never knew that some one from P.F. Chang’s was following her particular update on a real time while she was in the same restaurant. Now this is going beyond the average level of service. I call it being awesome. In their own restaurant term they call it “Trigger with the Guest”.

To be successful first of all your restaurant has to be remarkable and do awesome thing like P.F. Chang’s to your customers. You have to use twitter as a tool to achieve it. You have to WOW your customer and blow their mind with exceptional service that their eyes are not accustomed to and that their mind has never imagined of. Twitter has made it possible. All you have to do is use it to it’s full potential.Literally it has empowered restaurant owners to go into the mind of their customers and see what they are thinking about on a real time. It could be that they are thinking about their favorite salad or dessert like she did it while at restaurant P.F. Chang’s. It could be that some customers from a different state or even different country is updating on Twitter and looking for Italian restaurant in San Francisco lets say for example. When you have that kind of real time information you could directly connect with that particular customer and help him or her with the information and possibly persuade to dine in your restaurant. You have a huge advantage to get the customers right away. The only trick is that you have to be ready to get updated on Twitter and respond to any queries that might pop up on Twitter and gain your customers on the fly.

The affect of being remarkable and providing awesome service to your customers is the BUZZ that spreads so fast on Twitter. It is a viral marketing. It can spread so far and wide in a matter of few clicks on computers or few touches on  mobile phones. The fact that this story was so awesome I am writing about it. No body forced me but I just felt it was cool and felt like sharing with everyone. It is voluntary. See this is the power of being awesome. It spreads itself without having to force someone to do it. Unlike advertising on tv, radio or newspaper doesn’t work because most of them are boring and not at all awesome.It feels as if you are forced to listen or watch or read. No wonder people flip the channel on the tv or radio as soon as there is some kind of forced advertising. It doesn’t work any more. Did you notice how Kelly herself was so excited about the news that she herself came on to the video to tell about it to the whole world. She even told to her dad. In turn the CEO talked about the P.F Chang’s Twitter Success story in his business meeting with about 200 people. I also retweeted it. There were others who  retweeted the same awesome updates. Can you imagine now  how much buzz it might have created among his dad’s business circle and also in twitter universe.

So the key for your restaurant to be successful using Twitter is to be awesome first of all. Then using Twitter to it’s full potential and spreading the word about your restaurant and the products. So if you try to learn at least something from P.F. Chang’s’  twitter success story and implement the strategies, your restaurant would be far ahead than so many that are still trying to figure out how to use Twitter.