Infographic: Moving up...and over

The restaurant industry prides itself on being an industry of opportunity. New research from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation shows exactly how much opportunity is available within the industry: transferable work skills, upward mobility and long-term careers are all around. 

4 ways Facebook advertising can help increase your restaurant sales

If you have a Facebook page, you may know that the social media giant has made changes to how it displays posts in the Newsfeed, reducing the number of people who see posts from business Pages, even those they have previously Liked. While still an effective way to communicate with your guests, the changes to Facebook’s formula mean that your posts may be reaching fewer people than in the past. 

Consequently, it’s time for restaurant marketers to look more closely at Facebook ads. Fishbowl’s SM3 team has been managing Facebook ads for clients for some time and they know they work.  

Here are some ways to use Facebook ads to make every dollar count:

Acquire new Facebook Fans living near your restaurant. Because Facebook can geo-target its advertising, you won’t have to worry about your California restaurant spending ad dollars to reach Florida or Ohio. It’s cost effective: You can generally acquire targeted Likes for under $1 each.

Broaden your Reach. Because of the Facebook changes, not all of your Fans will see offers or promotions you add to your page. But with Facebook ads, not only will you reach more of your current Fans – you can also reach new guests. Typically, spending $5 or $10 to promote a post ensures that thousands of people see it.

Increase online reservations. A Facebook ad doesn’t just have to drive fans to your website; you can have them make reservations right from Facebook. It’s a big benefit when your goal is driving more reservations.

Drive traffic to your website for catering, private parties, or takeout. If you have higher ticket offerings, like catering or private parties, you might want to spend your ad dollars pushing guests to these specific areas of your website.

Despite the changes in how Facebook displays your posts, the platform remains important for your social media marketing. We know from experience how effective Facebook ads can be for restaurant marketers. Just make sure you know and follow Fishbowl’s best practices.

For more information about Fishbowl’s suite of restaurant services to help you increase your sales, call Amy Plumley at (703) 836-3421.

Cross-contamination subject of #FoodSafetyMonth week 2

September is National Food Safety Month and the Louisiana Restaurant Association is covering an aspect each week of the best food safety and sanitation tips from past two decades. This year’s theme, “20-Year Anniversary: Top 20 Tips,” highlights the best of the best, or the most important aspects of serving food safely to America’s public.

The Week 2—Cross Contamination

In 2012, National Food Safety Month was focused on avoiding cross contamination with the theme, “Be Safe, Don’t Cross Contaminate.” Here is an activity that you can do with your staff. The answer key can be found in the activity section of www.foodsafetymonth.com. 

The LRA is your state approved trusted resource for all food safety and sanitation, alcohol server, food handler and allergens training courses. ServSafe Manager, the eight-hour course is required by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. ServSafe Alcohol Training Online is required by the Louisiana Alcohol Tobacco Control. As a member of the LRA, you receive a significant discount on all ServSafe products.

You're invited to attend the Restaurant Innovation Summit 2014

Register now to attend the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) Restaurant Innovation Summit, October 28-29 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta. This year's Summit pulls together the brightest minds in marketing, technology and innovation.

Join your fellow restaurant professionals for an inspiring and collaborative exchange of ideas that will help shape the way that restaurants use emerging technology.  Based on the success and excitement from last year, the NRA brings you another Restaurant Innovation Summit in 2014. This year they’re focused on data alchemy - the amazing innovations that can be created with data stewardship and insights. 

The agenda will include energetic sessions with subject matter experts focused on industry relevant topics, including: mobile commerce, data stewardship, privacy, behavioral science, and inventive social media uses. A variety of exclusive sponsorship packages are available that include participation and attendance to multiple events.

Last year’s attendees included Chief Executive, Marketing, and Financial Officers from a variety of companies, including: Brinker International, Caribou Coffee Company, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, McDonald’s Corporation, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, the Wendy’s Company, and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

The cost to attend is $395 for active National Restaurant Association members and $895 for non-members.

For details, please contact Amanda Rieter at arieter@restaurant.org or (202) 331-5908 or Anna Tauzin at atauzin@restaurant.org or (202) 973-3950.

Harness the power of a great online review

Stay on top of your reviews quickly & easily: just by checking your email

As a restaurateur, you know the power a good online review can have on your business.  Unfortunately you also probably know the power a bad review can have.  But who has time to check each site daily, looking for reviews and responding to customers when it counts the most? With Reputation Management from Fishbowl, you just have to read your email.

No more wondering what people say about you online! Reputation Management automatically sends an email notification to your inbox whenever a new review is written about your restaurant.  Keep an eye on your social buzz across several social networks, and view up to 3 competitors to see how your reviews stack up to theirs. You’ll also be able to monitor your online visibility, ensuring your address and phone information are correct across hundreds of local directories. 

Stay on Top of your Reviews

We watch hundreds of review sites, including Yelp, Trip Advisor, OpenTable, Google Plus, Google Maps, Bing Local, Yahoo Local, Kudzu, and more, and email you when a review is written about your restaurant.

When you log in, your Reputation Management dashboard displays all your online reviews from hundreds of web sites.  Stay on top of where your customers are talking about you, and what they’re saying.  Sort your reviews by source, viewing only those from Yelp, OpenTable or Trip Advisor. Or sort by ratings, viewing only 1 or 2 star reviews. Quickly learn how customers feel about your business, based on the sentiments in their reviews. Search for reviews that contain a certain keyword, such as “bad service” or “great food.”

Receive a good review? Share it on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks with a single click.

• Review notifications from hundreds of websites, delivered to your inbox
• Search for the reviews you want to respond to or share
• Share good reviews on your own Facebook or Twitter

Monitor your Social Buzz

We monitor several social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram and more, and email you when we find a relevant social mention about your restaurant.

From the Social Buzz tab in the Reputation Management dashboard, track everything that’s being said about your business on social networks. See photos, tweets, and check-ins related to your business, or drill down to see social mentions on one specific network, like Foursquare. Search the social mentions using keywords, such as “fun” or “great.” Easily share social mentions on your own Twitter, Facebook, and other social network accounts. 

• Review social mentions from different networks, delivered to your inbox
• Monitor social networks from one place
• Share good social mentions on your own social networks

Track your Competitors

Monitor the online reputations of up to three competitors: compare their reviews head-to-head with your own. We’ll automatically suggest three competitors to track, or you can choose your own.

See at a glance how popular your competitors are. View how many times a competitor is mentioned on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Get a clear view of how customers feel about your competitor’s business. 

• Track up to three competitors
• Compare competitors’ reviews to your own

See your Online Visibility

Your customers can only find you if they have the right address and phone number.  We review hundreds of online directories such as Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, Bing Local, MapQuest, YellowPages.com, SuperPages, and more, to ensure they have your details right, so your customers never have a moment’s frustration getting to you. 

• Learn where your business is listed online, so you can fill in the gaps
• Quickly find inaccurate listings, and go to fix them in a single click

Want to learn more about Reputation Management by Fishbowl? Contact Amy Plumley at (703) 836-3421.

Press release still #1 source of info for journalist, according to study

By Wendy Waren, VP of Communications, Louisiana Restaurant Association

Do you ever wonder why some restaurants always seem to be in the news? Nine times out of 10, they have a public relations professional on staff or have a contract with a public relations firm that issues press releases in conjunction with a social media strategy.

Grand Opening? Hot new Chef? Evolving your menu with seasonal or unusual ingredients? Supporting a local charity? This news and others may warrant issuing a press release to maximize your exposure. A press release is a written statement that contains the commonly referred to 5 W’s and How, or the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

Business Wire recently released its 2014 Media Survey and found that 62 percent of respondents used a press release in the past 24 hours. Eighty-eight percent said press releases were the most desired content in an online newsroom. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they are most interested in breaking news, followed by 70 percent wanting supporting facts, 66 percent looking for story angles and 52 percent seeking quotable sources.

The following is a sample release to guide you in creating your own.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     CONTACT: NAME

DATE                                                                                                NUMBER, EMAIL

(Headline: Bold, All Caps)

MARTY’S RESTAURANT UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

City, State—Nolan Erickson (WHO) is pleased to announce his purchase of the famed Marty’s Restaurant (WHAT), 1393 Main Street (WHERE), Monday, August 25, 2014 (WHEN) from Marty Direson. Erickson plans to retain its current employees and included in the purchase price was Direson’s award-winning paneed veal dish recipe and other signature recipes.

TIP: Include a quote

“Owning my own establishment has been a long time goal of mine,” said Erickson. “After saving for several years, completing my business plan and doing my research, I learned of Marty Direson’s wish to sell his business and retire (WHY). The location, staff and customer base were exactly what I was looking for and the timing was perfect.” (HOW)

Marty’s opened in 1975 and has become a local institution and draws visitors to experience its authentic Creole Italian cuisine. Erickson has hired Lucy Banta as its executive chef, formerly of Aldo’s Italian Cuisine. Banta will continue to prepare Marty’s recipes, while creatively incorporating more seafood and local produce in the menu and specials.

“I have full faith that Nolan and Lucy will continue to build upon my years of hard work,” said Direson. “They are experienced in the business and most importantly, have a passion for great cuisine and also customer service.”

Marty’s will continue to serve lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Saturday and brunch on Sunday. 

(Either of these marks below signals the end of the release and is centered)

-30- or ###

Distributing your press release

Once you have written your press release, have someone else proofread it for you to ensure it is free of grammatical errors and misspellings. When your release is finalized, now it is time to distribute it to business and restaurant reporters in your city, town or region. Identify which reporters cover your type of news and visit the contact page of the media outlet’s website for their email address. Many times, the byline of an article contains the journalist’s name and a link to their email address.

If you are sending the press release to a group, we recommend putting the recipients email addresses in the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) area and sending the email to you, from you. Also, post your press release, and any coverage you gain as a result of the release, on the news page of your company's website. 

The first modern press release is attributed to Ivy Lee, whose agency represented Pennsylvania Railroad when the 1906 Atlantic City train wreck occurred. To maintain the facts associated with the story, Lee and the company issued a release before other versions of the news spread and then invited the media to the scene as a means of fostering open communication with the media. The New York Times was so impressed and printed the entire statement verbatim.

In the same spirit as Ivy Lee, it is important that good news about your business come from you. It’s a great way to keep the public engaged and keep your restaurant top-of-mind when it comes to dining decisions. Don’t let others tell your story without your input!

If you have any questions, please contact the LRA Communications Department at (504) 454-2277. 

#FoodSafetyMonth: Week 1--Cleaning and sanitizing

Each year since its inception 20 years ago, the Louisiana Restaurant Association has joined forces with the National Restaurant Association to promote food safety and sanitation principles during September, deemed National Food Safety Month. 

Each week during the month, we’ll bring the next lesson, which is based on the techniques and best practices from ServSafe, the gold standard for industry training for foodservice professionals, who serve millions of Americans daily.

Week 1—Cleaning and Sanitizing

Here is an activity that you can do with your staff. The answer key can be found in the activity section of www.foodsafetymonth.com