Chapter 44 is your restaurant meeting its potential. If you have a restaurant and are only catering to your property guests, then you're leaving money on the table. You might believe you have a very good restaurant. In fact, you might believe you have a great restaurant, but without good local patronage. How would you know for sure, hospitality property restaurants normally are not on the radar of potential customers when they are looking for a place to eat? Traditionally, hospitality property restaurants have a difficult time attracting locals.

What can you do to improve your chances? I'm going to share some ideas that have worked with many hospitality property restaurants. Consider trying a new name, identity and theme for your restaurant and promote it to the local markets separately from your property. Use social media and the local press to market your restaurant. You can contact journalists from local publications and invite them for a meal on the house in return for reading You set up a competition with the local press and online with the prize of a meal for four with one. The contest will cost very little, and if done right can be very effective.

Offer a choice of menus for families and vegetarian options. highlight what makes you stand apart from your competitors. Other restaurants is a better service, bar and lounge areas to relax before and after a meal. space for kids to run around. Easy parking a rural getaway. Create a separate website for your restaurant.

Be sure your restaurant is listed in the local tourist and travel guides. A great way to keep both your staff and customers excited is to offer menus that are seasonal and that are changed regularly. Use local suppliers and declare this in detail on your menu on your website and any marketing you do. local suppliers will support you by advertising your property verbally. You're all local hotels have your menus and it would also be very useful to invite the head concierge or front desk receptionist for a free meal. We talked about cross promoting earlier, and know they'll be more likely to recommend your restaurant to your hospitality property guests if they can talk from a firsthand experience.

Get your local businesses involved, contact and invite the local business association for a familiarization dinner, offer a time limit discount to two or three of the largest nearby employers. This could be a 20% discount to their employees, which they could promote in house. And by putting a time limit on the discount. you encourage people to use it sooner rather than later. You could offer theme nights, music events, wine weekends, and private special events. Make sure each guest receives a warm welcome and that you and your employees go the extra mile to make it a great experience.

Ask for your customers opinions, talk with them and make feedback cards have a Make sure to incorporate a method to gather all new customer data information such as email addresses, and add them to your newsletter list. newsletters could be monthly news recipes and events letter. Market your restaurant as a destination and attract foodies who are looking for a weekend getaway and offer reduced room rates for diners who stay over. Offer gift certificates to local charities, school and social events. They can work well for your branding. Make your restaurant easy to find.

Good, well illuminated signage and easy to find parking is important if you don't want your potential guests get lost or frustrated and find one of your competitors. instead. Make sure you have an organizational strategy in place and that everyone knows exactly what their duties are. You have to live up to your promise. There is no sense in trying any of these strategies that I've mentioned. If the quality or the service is going to be subpar.

I've mentioned before that a restaurant inspector I know told me that the first two things he looks for is whether the toilet is clean and the lettuce is fresh. Last word of advice. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Find out what you're great at and do it to the best of your ability. Whether I see a hospitality restaurant or a dining area, and here it is empty most of the day, I see revenue floating out the window.