Independent Survival: "Marketing From The Inside Out"

For over 20 years, my group has been awarded the opportunity to work with numerous Independent fine dining establishments, hotel food service operations, clubs, theme-restaurants and entertainment venues. These experiences have included startup operations; continued marketing, operations planning and development for successfully established independent restaurants; and determining new internal and external marketing strategies for struggling restaurants who fear competing with the increasingly familiar restaurant conglomerates.

This work, over and over again, has shown that Independents who remain strong and continue to flourish have a lot in common:

1. They have a vested interest in levels of quality and personalized service and are willing to go to great lengths to satisfy the more judicious diner with offerings beyond the basic menu.

- If the patron wants a customized prefix menu for a party of four at whim, for example, the restaurant staff is prepared with a "can and will" attitude to these kinds of requests.

- If the client wants special table linens, flowers and other extras for a small impromptu celebration, this restaurant will scour the city to make these arrangements immediately. The dining party, of course, pays for these extras and the restaurant charges reasonable fees to provide exactly what the customer wants.

- These owners recognize that the prefix bureaucracy of the multiunit operation rarely has the ability to offer this level of accommodation and personalized service.

2. These Independents hire the best chefs and wait staff they can afford, and pay deserved professional wages and a tiered benefits package to encourage staff retention.

- The staff members are capable of dealing with a variety of personalities as they have been encouraged and developed to so do by their respected GM and executive chef.

- The owners genuinely care about their staff and establish a proactive management style where the GM choreographs the front of the house activities coordinating with the chef, who composes and arranges in the back. The entire staff from the owner and the chef to the wait staff work in concert to remember names, preferred seating of regular guests and continue to pay attention to these details.

-The telephone is answered by astute hostesses, without fail, by the third ring. Good hosts and hostesses are recognized as important and respected members of the staff because their role as very important to the operation. They are, after all, often the first point of contact.

3. All reservations are confirmed daily because each reservation is important and dining at the establishment is a detailed "event".

- All guests of the restaurant are treated like dignitaries and offered unwavering respect. The chef and/or owners find the time and take the time to nod hellos and warmly welcome diners, validating guest appreciation and encouraging return visits.

- Occasionally, owners direct GM's to send complimentary cocktails, newly featured wines or complimentary trial portions of new menu items, paying careful attention to complement specific menu selections ordered by guests, without lengthy self-serving acknowledgments. Simply, "The owner asked me to send this to you with our compliments," period.

4. These Independents watch all costs: food, equipment, labor and marketing--by constructing realistic operations and marketing plans and do not deviate when the going gets tough.

- Owners remain confident and tenacious in their commitment to their restaurant and ride-out unexpected disappointing slow periods without panicking.

- They spend a few hours a month studying NRA (National Restaurant Association) industry research and read responsible industry publications to learn about important new dining issues and trends. They pay particular attention to their region's marketplace conditions -- including periodically dining at new local restaurants.

- They also set-aside necessary funds to continually upgrade their operation including decoration, necessary and adequate supplies of service ware, newer cost-saving kitchen equipment and/or regular repair and maintenance needs.

5. The owners, chef and/or GM establish good media relationships. The restaurant aggressively works to "trade advertising dollars for editorial" (or reviews), whenever possible, and supplies information to their local newspapers and magazines regularly.

- No matter how successful the Independent restaurant becomes, they understand that without continued internal guest relations and carefully selected external advertising including creative solicitations, and ongoing promotions, the success will not last.

- They remain realistic, rather than idealistic, and do not get caught up in their own egos whirlwind of short-term success.

- They continue to adhere to all established protocols determined effective in their operations checklist and marketing plan. They regularly review, evaluate and strive to meet and/or exceed levels of guest satisfaction. And most importantly, they always remember how they achieved their success in the first place.

My hospitality marketing group has successfully employed these basic tactics and have taken restaurants from red to black within a matter of a few months. Excuses, such as, "I can't find good wait staff," is nonexistent in successfully managed operations. An owner who assumes 100% responsibility for their operation and leads by example have prospective applicants clamoring at their door for employment.

It is our philosophy that there is little need for ongoing onsite participation with regard to PR and marketing other than an occasional encouraging phone call, once the restaurant establishes a sufficiently detailed program for success and acquires the necessary skills to conduct these activities through the art of careful delegation to staff members within their own operation.

We lead by example also, working in concert with key personnel, to adequately plan, organize, improve staff skills, infuse confidence and reestablish management strengths.

It is our view that there is no real competition when you market from the inside out. The best restaurant game is a focused inside strategy that your staff members play as a team to win the continued patronage of your dining guests.

Maren L. Hickton is the principal of Maren Incorporated, a Full-Service Hospitality Consulting and Marketing Firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. Maren writes about a variety of business challenges that independent restaurants encounter. Maren can be reached by e-mail at mareninc@aol.com or info@mareninc.com.