STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Karina · Chanel

Need help...

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

my first guess would be to advertise. and also make sure the restaurant looks nice/has nice ambience. when i'm at a restaurant i'm sold on the atmosphere as much as i am the food/price. that's about all i can think of for now. good luck!

theotherjess · Chanel

Is there any way he could get a food critic to come from the local newspaper? I don't know if you can ask them to come, but it's worth a shot. Also maybe he could throw some sort of publicity event? A little neighborhood deli down the street from me has wine tasting events and sometimes they get a band to come and play.

honey · Gucci

is the restaurant in nyc or in nj? maybe he could try and have an event there. or maybe have one of the local stations come by. i know fox 5 always does clips in rest one the morning show. maybe he could invite them -- like say it's his anniversary.

Renee · Kenneth Cole

OK, I will preface this by saying that everything you do with the restaurant needs to be advertised. Getting a local newspaper to review would be nice. If you have a nice sidewalk put a board with the menu of the day outside.

Redecorate - nothing major, but paint the walls a nice color, put candles on tables in the evening, maybe some live plants?

Offer a happy hour (say between 5-6) with a nice selection of cocktails and snack menu (where you would have a chance to sample some dishes).

After you introduce some change to the vibe, advertise an event. Possible events to consider:

* live music event? This can be a little expensive but it draws people.

* Wine tasting night (with fixed price menu)?

* singles night

One more thing to do is to do a little research on the neighborhood. Did it change (become less prestigious)? How are other businesses on the same street doing?

One other possibility is to redecorate seriously, put white tablecloths on the tables, some nice artwork on the walls, and significantly raise prices. Advertise the restaurant as high-end.

HTH!

Karina · Chanel

there is no money available to advertise really.. he is just getting more and more into debt, and i would love to do something to try and help before its too late.. :(

Renee · Kenneth Cole

You need to identify where to invest now so that you will be able to get returns later. If your dad's restaurant does not have a stable clientele, advertisement is the way to go. It needs not be expensive, just creative. E.g. one way is to make connections with the artistic crowd and have upcoming artists exhibit/sell art on walls, have a reception or two for them. This is mutually beneficial - struggling artists get to sell their art, and your dad's place gets an extra hip factor. Another thing is to offer more of a lunch menu in the daytime with a coffeeshop vibe. Offer free wireless access during the daytime hours and the place will be packed (if the location is right). You need to do a little research. Walk around in your city, go to successful restaurants in your city that are comparable with your dad's in terms of service/food/price points, note what they are doing differently to attract the crowd. You can also interview the owners (dont tell them its for your dad - you can say you're thinking of opening your own restaurant).

My hubby worked for 4 years with various upcoming restaurants so I know a lot about different business models (but not nearly as much as he does)... My hubby says most restaurants fail because owners are usually people who love to cook, not business people.. he didn't open his own business in the end because he is the opposite - great business skills, but only a passable cook. One day he will hopefully find a partner!

Karina · Chanel

My father's and other restaurants in the area are oriented more towards older Italian families who have been going to the place for years... it's in a small Italian town, so things like wireless access wouldn't really appeal to anyone... what I was thinking is if we offered wine tastings or something "trendy", it would appeal to younger diners... Renee, you're totally right about the restaurant owners being cooks, and not business people - that is exactly who my father is.

FashionPrincess · Hermes

It sounds like a sweet little restaurant, if I lived there I'd totally go eat there and take my friends. Maybe the girls from NY/NJ could eat there and take there friends to help spread the word about this cool, little undiscovered restaurant with lots of charm??? Help to create a buzz

Maybe your dad could even offer them a little discount as incentive.

Dizzy · Marc Jacobs

Is there some angle that could get a mention in your town's newspaper? 20 years as a family owned business is something - although you may need a little bit more depending on how big your town is - and maybe he needs to join some sort of restaurateur's association, too. when I was a food writer, these were the two things that worked best for the restaurants I worked with. One mention int he newspaper could make a place swamped with business almost instantly. Good luck!

Dizzy · Marc Jacobs

PS - Teh type of area and other businesses in your neighborhood are interesting and might make a good story. Maybe your dad could get a few of them to approach the paper, or a food magazine, together. I see stories similar to this pretty often, because these kinds of communities are rare today (everything's a chain).

theotherjess · Chanel

Something else to think about: If he's tired of the restaurant business in general, maybe he could do catering instead?

-- Edited by theotherjess at 21:12, 2005-09-24

Deuce · Dooney & Bourke

theotherjess wrote:

Something else to think about: If he's tired of the restaurant business in general, maybe he could do catering instead? -- Edited by theotherjess at 21:12, 2005-09-24

I was going to metion catering. He can get his menu to an event planner or wedding planner in and around your town. Have him set up a tasting at wedding event.

Also getting a critic in there won't cost anything but will be great advertising.

Good luck. and here I am complaining I cannot find good authentic Italian food.

JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

Karina - Do you have a Clipper magazine in your area? Or an Entertainment book?

We do and if we are looking for someplace new to eat.. we will always check those books first to look for coupons. I think it would be worth your while to advertise in these books.. Coupons will always get people to come in and try something new.

Seashells · Dooney & Bourke

I do PR in a small town and my boss and I are queens of free publicity!

You need to have events- for example, a food tasting event, donations to local shelters, donations to local events, booths in fairs (I know it costs money, but you can recoup it), bands, wine tasting, etc. Even if you cater a 14 year old's birthday party, its news!!! Then you do a press release on it. It doesn't have to be fancy and newspapers are always looking for info.

To do a press release, I suggest looking up a college website that a professor has put together. Then you email or fax the press release to all of your local news media. Its easy and free!

Just remember though, you have to spend money to make money and when you spend that money- make sure its a good investment!

Good luck!

BargainQueen · Marc Jacobs

What about offering a fundraising night for local schools or colleges? Anyone that mentions the organization name has a certain % earned for the school. The members would pass out flyers they made to the students and the parents would eat dinner from there.

The local pizza places around here have family night, when kids eat free or half off. Same w/couples, buy one entree get the 2nd half off.

What about lunch time specials? 1/2 off regular price to draw in mid-day crowds or a frequent shoppers card, like "the 10th hole-punch earns you a free sub"

Oh! I also agree w/bringing in a band, a lot of young *new* bands play for free to get publicity, they can just put out a tips jar.

-- Edited by BargainQueen at 14:23, 2005-09-26

Metric · Gucci

Getting a review was one of the best things that ever happend to our business. We needed to generate a little buzz that advertising just wasn't getting across. Having an outside source saying "hey this place is great" is much better than having your own ad saying "hey we're great".

Catering is difficult and time consuming. I wouldn't recommend it.

But I think they Entertainment book idea is really good, I love our Entertainment book and always look in it for new places.