What are customer profiles — and why should you build them?

By Mark Plumlee Knowing your customers is perhaps the most important part of running a successful small business. Knowing your target audience should inform every decision you make – your overall atmosphere, your menu, your marketing strategies, and beyond. Familiarity with your diners allows your business to provide them with the exact drinking or dining […]

Why you should solicit more online reviews (and how to do it)

By Mark Plumlee If you want to capture the attention of would-be guests on the internet, online reviews are of the utmost importance. According to a study by TripAdvisor, 94 per cent of respondents in the U.S. admitted that online reviews influence their dining decisions. Another study by two economists at the University of California, […]

Chipotle reaps rewards with NBA text drive

Chipotle has long been cited as one of the leaders in customer loyalty, and the brand allowed its loyalty program members to reap rewards with a campaign in June that connected diners by text message during the NBA Finals. During the first four games of the championship series between the Golden State Warriors and the […]

Omni-channel marketing is a cornerstone of restaurants’ future

By Mark Plumlee Consumers are more fractured than ever before. People receive their information from different channels and different devices, and businesses and brands must compete with a thousand other distractions at any given moment. This makes the job of marketing a restaurant much harder, but it also provides interesting opportunities for omni-channel marketing. Advertising […]

Instagram in foodservice: A cross-Canada case study

By Sylvia Tomczak Social media is a big deal for businesses, and foodservice is no exception. After RestoBiz recently took a detailed look into the power of social media in the F&B industry, we wanted to find out how operators across the country have been leveraging the power of Instagram to outstanding effect through various […]

11 social media marketing best practices for restaurants

You’ve pivoted. You’ve survived. Now, it’s time to thrive. By Sabrina Falone All marketing, both traditional and digital, is about sharing your brand’s messaging in a way that creates an emotional response that inspires people to spend money with your company. That’s certainly no different with social media marketing. Social media is a great way […]

The Instagram Effect: How social media impacts foodservice

By Sylvia Tomczak Influencers, inspiration, and innovation — that’s all part of the Instagram effect. The way we consume media has changed drastically in the last decade, pushing further away from print and closer toward digitally-driven media. As generations like Gen Z are raised on technology and computer culture, the world is continuing to undergo […]

Restaurant branding during COVID-19: being memorable

The final chapter of our three-part look at restaurant branding during the pandemic looks at how to build a unique brand identity to stand out in a crowded market. By Doug Radkey Within this series, we’ve learned the importance of a brand guide along with consistent brand messaging, and come to understand the elements of connection […]

Restaurants can learn from sports to drive customer loyalty

By Mo Chaar As sports fans across the country don their team jerseys to cheer loudly with their household from their couch and set the pace for a new normal of household homegating, restaurants should look to major sports franchises for inspiration on driving customer loyalty and rebuilding their customer base. Restaurants have been put […]

Restaurant Branding During COVID-19: Developing your brand guide

In Part I of a new three-part look at restaurant branding during the pandemic, we assess how operators can lay solid marketing foundations By Doug Radkey Hospitality, since the beginning of time, has been about building connections. That right there is not going to change, even with a global pandemic thrown our way. Even though […]