October 23, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

The NRA Marketing Executives Group (MEG) Conference in Las Vegas was a great place to learn, to network and to be inspired. Here is part two of the Top Ten Things I Really Learned in Vegas.

#5   Intuition Trumps Information

Blake Mycoskie's inspiring story of how he created TOMS Shoes to give a pair of shoes to children in need around the world with every pair sold illustrates the entrepreneurial power of intuition. (I think that's one of the reasons it resonated so well with the restaurateurs in the audience.) Other presenters reinforced his belief that, at the end of the day, intuition is often the engine behind big new initiatives, not the research or the rationale. As Albert Einstein so famously noted, "Imagination is more important than knowledge....Read More

October 20, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

I just got back from the NRA Marketing Executives Group (MEG) Conference at The Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas. (For those of you who don't know, the MEG conference is a National Restaurant Association study group where marketers, presidents and CEOs come together to learn the latest in restaurant marketing.) The agenda was action-packed with topics ranging from social media to small-budget tactics to lessons from outside the industry to compelling campaigns.

But here are the Top Ten Things I really Learned in Vegas.

#10  You Can't Fake Authenticity

Vegas is the perfect backdrop for this lesson, for obvious reasons. But the lesson extends beyond the obvious. As conference presenters discussed the use of social media, a recurring theme was the ...Read More

October 14, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

Have you heard of "Udorse," the newly launched endeavor where everyday people can earn sponsor dollars for the brands they feature in their blogs and Facebook pages? (www.udorse.com)

You get the picture: "Click on my bracelet and you'll find out more about the brand of jewelry I'm wearing." (What is it Yakov Smirnoff used to say? "What a Country!") Udorse must be really new because my twentysomething students haven't even heard of it yet. I asked them the other day.

Clearly restaurants might be the target of this promotional "opportunity," as Facebook pictures often depict people in restaurant settings.

In the interest of full disclosure, though, I have to say I am not being paid by anyone to eat at any of the restaurants I talk about. I...Read More

October 9, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (6)

I've been feeling a "Top Ten List" coming on, so, just for fun...here goes.

My Top Ten "Quick Tips" for Restaurateurs

10. The more signage you have...the less advertising you need

9. The more formal the service...the less comfortable the guests

8. The more choices your customers have...the less they'll be able to decide

7. The more complicated something is to do...the less likely your staff will be to do it

6. The more drive-by traffic you have...the less often people will forget about you

5. The more analytical the process...the less responsive the solution

4. The more steps of service...the less intuitive servers need to be

3. The more y...Read More

October 5, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

I had lunch the other day with my friend Marsha, whose teenage daughter got a job this summer as a hostess at a casual theme restaurant. Marsha, having worked her way through college tending bar, knows the business well. I love her story because it's a reality check.

• Marsha's daughter may represent the "pass through" employees in our industry, but they are the people we trust every day to represent our brands on the front lines. A hostess is the initial "moment of truth" for each and every guest we serve and, more importantly, the first impression for every first-time guest.
• I can't tell you how many comment cards I've read over the years where