A Mouthful

Hello Everyone,
I have a couple of questions to ask you. It will only take a minute.

Do you want to grow your business?
Are you satisfied with your earnings?

I am sure that everyone wants to make more money. In order to do so, we must all constantly be looking at our existing business model trying to find ways to add more to the bottom line. I want to talk a little about an oldie but goodie - word of mouth referrals.

I got to thinking about this because today I read in Chicago Magazine about one of the restaurants I serve - Blue Max Coffee in Forest Park, IL. There was a small blurb about them in the section naming the new great places to eat in and around Chicago. What a great endorsement. I know that just from being mentioned they Will increase their business exponentially. In all likelihood it didn't cost them a dime. They didn't pay Chicago Magazine to get mentioned. Instead they put together a great idea, a great room, a great products and great service day in and day out, and voila - they have enough people saying great things about their place and they land a word of mouth referral in a publication that is widely respected! Congrats Liz and Lou!!!

Advertising is great. Word of mouth referrals are better. A satisfied customer who is willing to tell someone else about it is an invaluable asset. Think about all the goods and services that we purchase based on the strenght of a referral from a friend. Insurance, cars, painters, decorators, brokers, lawn maintenance...list is endless. Your business is no different than any of those other things. The impact of high praise from a satisfied customer is almost indefinable.

I have a number of friends that get stuck in "restaurant ruts," they will call me for referrals, and they will always say, "I hate going someplace new and blowing $50 on a bad meal - HELP ME!" I ask them to describe to me what constitutes a "good meal" or what makes it a "bad meal." They will almost always answer with some variation of the following answer, "I want a good tasting meal, with good service at a fair price. I want value." They want a good dining experience. It isn't just about the meal anymore, whether it is take out, delivery, fast casual, a family restaurant or a white tablecloth place - it is always about the whole dining experience. They want the whole enchilada - great food for the price, a great atmosphere and even better service. With that in mind I am always able to steer them iinthe right direction (one of your restaurants of course!). It is amazing to hear their responses about their dining experiences. I will frequently hear "That was awesome, I told Steve and Jeannie about it and they are going to check it out this week. Thanks, I can't wait to go back." That is the best kind of advertising.

I have even had some friends go to a restaurant (at my suggestion) and have a bad experience - YIKES!!! An amazing thing happened. They had a complaint, shared it with their server and had things straightened out immediately and properly. The rresaurant didn't stop there, they even comped them a free dessert. You would think that after trying a restaurant for the first time and the order getting messed up, that they would not go back. Well, wrong again! Not only have they added this restaurant to their repertoire of eateries, they told all their friends about how great of service they received at the place. Again, another priceless endorsementhandedoutut to a number of potential new diners. restauranteurur on their toes can turn almost any negative into a positive that their customer will never forget.

At the risk of overstating the obvious - remember, consumers want value. Not just the cheapest. Not just the biggest. Just the best food and dining experience for their dollar value. When they get it - they are likely to do the best advertising money can buy for you - praise your restaurant to all of their friends and neighbors.