This week’s Help this Hound question is from Timothy Nishimoto, owner of Vino Paradiso Wine Bar & Bistro in Portland, Oregon:
“My business is known as a wine bar, but we are trying to transition into more of a restaurant, meaning we have a full dinner menu, bigger than ever.
“But, many people in town still don’t know we even have food. The local media people tell me they need stories about new places, not places like mine that have been around for five years.
“Our chef is new, our happy hour menu is new, our larger menu is new, we now have a cocktail menu—so much is new, and we’ve never gotten a full restaurant review!
“That seems like a lot of new stuff, so what can I say to the media besides just that?”
Judging from what I see at your website, Timothy, your bistro is hip and part of the nightlife scene in Portland. Yet many of the younger clientele that frequent your restaurant don’t read newspapers. But they ARE looking for things to do and reviews online.
So here’s the challenge to my Hounds. Give Timothy some ideas on how can entice the restaurant reviewers or business or lifestyle reporters. But also make suggestions on what he can do online to reach his target audience in Portland. I have several ideas that I’ll share later in the week.
I have quite a few ideas, but I am going to share just one.
Facebook. If you don’t have an online presence on Facebook you are missing the boat. I do see that you are on Twitter.
I recently saw a restaurant’s page on Facebook and I blogged about it as well.
The name of the restaurant is Thyme Cafe and Market and their Facebook page is
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Monica-CA/Thyme-Cafe-and-Market/106287129415090
They have created a separate tab for their menu. I have also seen other restaurants tweet their specials of the day and so on.
Get active on social media.
Timothy, Chris is right on the mark! Do a Google search for “Top 10 Facebook Fan Pages for Restaurants” and see what you find.
Fan pages are a great way to amass a loyal following.
I have been trying new places since they have offered great deals I can’t pass up
on Groupon.com. I forget the name but there is another service like that for the Portland area.
I find that if you can get folks in the first time they will come back if you offer something of value and it does appear you do!!!
Good luck….
There’s a lot of debate in the restaurant industry about whether Groupon is worth it. I’m blogging on this topic later in the week.
I would suggest using Groupon.org.
It seems to be a good way to get people in the first time.
And they will keep coming in after they find out how wonderful you are!
Good luck!
Michelle
I’d love to hear from other restaurant owners and managers who have used Groupo. And from anyone who uses it to draw people to live events like speaking engagements. Does it work for you?
I would suggest a couple of things. I don’t know what the outside of the building looks like, but a lot of resturants put a copy of their menu next to the door so that customers can see it.
On your website I might put a picture of the menu right on the home page so it is easy to see. Also I noticed your menus are actually pdf files, how about making them live pages. It will help with your SEO and people don’t have to download them. I know the menus change but you could always change them or just have a note that the menu is subject to change.
I would change the names of the pages on the site to include what the page is about, currently they are all named the same and include a phone number, which is great, but you can add menu to the menu page and likewise on the other pages.
Check out Joan’s PR book of 89 ideas for writing press releases, it is great and maybe you could adapte some of those ideas for getting the word out.
And last set up a blog with the weekly menu on it or, this weeks latest special, event that are going on at the resturant. It gives you another place and a place that is easy to change. Put a link from your website to it, “check out our latest specials”
bruce
Bruce, thanks for mentioning my free email course, “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.” It’s at http://www.89pressreleasetips.com
Here’s a quick list of what we’re doing in Vegas:
Foursquare
Yelp
All Cravings
LocalWineEvents.com – announce your events here
WineTwits – http://winetwits.com/
Look for happy hour resources in your area as well – lots of listings show up on Google. For example http://happy-hour.com
Facebook – events
Make sure you grab people’s email addresses on your website and send them regular updates – menu changes, live music etc. as well – this is really super important.
Kat, thanks for sharing the links, particularly those that are wine-related.
Yes, asking people for their email addresses is a powerful way to market because you can keep them informed on anything new at your restaurant, without having to rely on local media. See the box that bounces down from the screen at my home page at http://www.PublicityHound. It’s HTML coding that I bought at http://www.marketingtips.com/hover/t/827664 (affiliate link)
If the mainstream media won’t work with you there are other options. Since your establishment is a well regarded wine bar, start there: develop monthly wine pairing dinners, invite Oregon (and Washington) based wine makers to participate and reach out to bloggers who write about food, wine, and regional travel. Roll out your seasonal menu and alert the media: include the usual outlets, but don’t forget the business press, and media focused on the hospitality, wine and food. If you’re a member of the Portland Convention and Visitor’s bureau, see if they have a program for visiting journalists if so, offer to provide hospitality to travel journalists/and programs visiting Portland. Don’t forget to reach out to the concierges at hotels in town: host them for coffee and make sure you keep them up to date with what’s happening at the restaurant: their recommendations to guests are valuable.
Brilliant ideas…just what I would suggest. I would only add if that if special ingredients are used, for example if only available in XX season, that’s an extra hook. Righto, now I’m hungry and thirsty and off to eat!
Michael, I love your idea about talking with hotel concierges. Fabulous!
I’ve seen restaurants in my area post menu specials on Twitter. Some offer a discount to anyone who re-tweets the message. It is an easy way to reach more potential customers in Portland.
And don’t forget about posting menu items on Facebook Fan Pages, too.
I didn’t notice anything about your happy hours on your website, so you might want to add that to the front page. I also think you are missing a huge potential clientele in boomers, singles and couples. So, if you combine the two and designate a night as boomer night, you’d be surprised at how quickly you would get covered by media! There are local clubs here in the Atlanta area that offer a live band or singer and dancing geared to boomers on specific nights and they are always packed. Some offer happy hours with free hors d’oeuvres that meld into late nights and dinners!
Your idea for special nights for boomers, singles and couples is a great way to build word-of-mouth buzz among these three groups.
1) Change your name to Vino Paradiso Bistro & Wine Bar, if the price of a name change wouldn’t absolutely kill you. That moves the priorities so that people see the bistro first.
2) Write a press release which is a good-natured spoof of a grand opening announcement.
That’s in chronological order, by the way. Even if it only means to blow off the first suggestion and use the second. 🙂
Michael, I love your solution! There’s a work-around for every PR problem, it seems.
Do a Wine and Dine paring dinner by special invitation only first, then another open to the general public. Be sure to invite the “movers and shakers” and the media to the first one. Invite people who draw publicity to the first one and let the press know who’s coming. Look for celebraties in your area. And invite the restaurant revieweres. This one would require an early RSVP so you know who to expect. Those who have been coming for your wine, will be attracted to try a blending of food and drink for the second one… especially if the publicity works for the first one!
Great idea, Linda. Here’s another along the same theme. A dessert and wine pairing. They’re popping up everywhere.
I am this week’s Help This Hound subject, the owner of Vino Paradiso. I think there is some great advice in every one of these comments. Thank everyone very much.
I will say that Groupon kind of scares me, however. When I see the numbers of how many buy in–I, too, am a groupon buyer–it freaks me out to think that if Vino Paradiso did it, we could potentially sell hundreds and hundreds of groupons to people that may only visit again if there is a discount to do so. The reason I say that is because I often buy groupons for places that are kind of out of my way (VP is in a downtown location, which for some is a good thing, some bad), my reasoning being that “well, it’s a deal.”
Because I am fixated on getting a full restaurant review (we’ve gotten great press, just not a review), I think the most brilliant idea in these comments is the one about a press release spoof on a Grand Opening. Thanks, M. LaRocca!!
And, thank you everyone else!
Timothy, stay tuned for my post in the next few days on Groupon.
If you’ve never partnered with a charity group, now might be a good time to sponsor some sort of event. The sky is the limit as far as what you can do. Along with promoting it on all the venues people have already listed, you will hopefully be spotlighted in the charity’s newsletters and get their members passing the word. Make it really unusual and you might get some press coverage or have a big visual or activity component and you might entice a TV visit.
Partnering with charities, particularly those that can do most of the PR, is a great way to get your name out there. Thanks, Cheryl.
A restaurant in my area is hosting an Iron Chef (from Food Network) for a cooking duel among local chefs. This sure got my attention and I can’t imagine the local media not covering an event like this.
I have actually tried many of the ideas mentioned above, in one way or another, but it’s great to see different hooks. I’ve also spoken to all the major movers in local print media about the changes, etc., and they all say the same thing; their editors want reviews and news on new places. All the while, I’m still seeing reviews on restaurants that have already been reviewed, and have been here longer than I have, just because they got a new chef and a new attitude. I want to shake them, and ask them, “Why not my place?
Marcia, if I remember correctly, you live in a really small town in New England, right?
This is a fabulous idea! The Food Network has a variety of shows that could feature Timothy’s restaurant. (But not Diners, Drive-ins & Dives :-))
Joan,
Yes, Iron Chef Michael Symon is doing a “battle” with three local chefs in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, population 1,868, not that far from where I live (population 920).
Likewise, Garrison Keillor is doing an event at or for the Emily Dickinson homestead in Amherst, Mass., also not a major metro area. That’s sold out.
It just shows that with imagination, you can create tie-ins with major media outside big cities.
Marcia
I love Michael Symon but still haven’t gotten to see his new show yet on the Food Network. He’s from Cleveland, my hometown.
Thanks for sharing two great ideas, Marcia.
Timothy, here’s my idea:
Instead of worrying about local restaurant reviewers, ask your customers to review you at sites like Yelp, YahooLocal.com and CitySearch.com.
Remember that many people, particularly younger customers, consult these websites frequently if they’re looking for something interesting to do, or a good place to eat or drink. Others use these sites to read online reviews.
Several Publicity Hounds offered ideas for special events at your bistro. Be sure to create a MeetUp at MeetUp.com. You’ll get a lot more exposure. See “50+ Places Online to Promote Your Live & Virtual Events to Reach Your Target Market and Pull Sell-out Crowds” at http://www.PublicityHound.com/events.htm
Also, Foursquare is perfect for your restaurant!
Timothy, I just found this great blog post on how to pamper customers who check in at your business, using geo-location services like Foursquare:
http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2010/10/28/geolocation-for-businesses-how-to-handle-your-checked-in-customers/
Here’s what I would do – host a blogger’s event. Find someone who has hosted successful ones in your area who reaches the type of people you want to reach. It may be that there’s a good mix of design bloggers, food bloggers and mom bloggers.
Hire them to consult and invite. Bloggers get a tasting menu, bring cameras and blog about the experience. Bloggers like getting together to network. You can also invite bloggers from the media to attend. Decide on who (people with a solid local following) and use eventbrite to manage. We also gave the bloggers $25 gift certificates to give away on their blog. The chef/owners talked about the food as we got it and the background of the restaurant including their web site, blog and social sites. Then we followed up with everyone with a link to a Flickr group for all the photos (ours and theirs) and sent home a fact sheet about the restaurant.
Then whenever you have new menu items or reason, keep engaging with those bloggers (and their friends). Follow each other on FB and Twitter, engage. For example: offer to let them use space (if you have it) for meetings or events they might have (like a social media club meeting or host an awards ceremony or Tweetup). I’ve seen a local hotel do this to good effect after we had a small blogger’s event there.
Best
Janet
Janet, you’ve hit it out of the park!
If Timothy takes this idea and just two or three others suggested here, he doesn’t have genuflect at the altar of the local restaurant reviewers. He’ll have so many people flocking to his restaurant that he won’t have room for the reviewers.
I like Janet’s ideas, but my favorite is to host a “Tweetup”. You invite followers on twitter, bloggers, media, people on social media that live in your area – and host them for a 1-2 event. Obviously you offer some of your food (free or discounted price) so they understand you have food now (!) and you become the “good guy” for providing the venue for people to get together, meet each other and network. And most of them will Tweet/post to FB during the event, and possible write a blog after – even more bang for your buck!
Here’s a couple posts I’ve written about the process – have fun!
http://onesmartcookiemarketing.com/2010/01/the-value-of-a-tweetup-for-restaurants/
http://onesmartcookiemarketing.com/2010/01/twitter-promotions-are-easy/
Karen, this is a marvelous idea. My Hounds will especially appreciate the two links to other information you’ve provided.
Both Facebook and Linked In provide ad space at reasonable rates that allow you to post an ad with a link. You are able to sort the ad to show only on pages for Portlanders of a specific age, interest, business position, etc. You can link the ad to your blog where you offer a two for one Tuesday special or an event like the many mentioned above that would be really fun to attend.
Dianne Crampton, Founder
TIGERS Success Series
http://www.teambuildingsuccessnow.com
If you would still like the old-media (paper) reviewers to visit, I’d humbly suggest that you just call and/or email the editors of those publications and mention the recent changes and request that they put you in consideration for an upcoming review.
I have had this kind of request before and if it was a menu or chef change that had previously escaped my notice, it was a good reminder to (re)visit the restaurant and consider a new review.
Andrea Lin
(Albuquerque Journal)
It’s also worth mentioning, Andrea, that with all the layoffs in newsrooms nationwide, there’s often a rapid turnover of staff. The food reviewer who works there today might be gone tomorrow.
im tired of going into restaurants that i encourage and find waitresses with long pony tails and long unkempt hair flying all over my foof im also puked out when i see a server with long dirty fingernails; dangling earrings that look like goanchors should be out of bound how about braceletsfull of danglers that sometimes touch the food yuk yuk watches are put also send me a waitress that is plain jane and wholesome looking. and a nice smile and beautiful pearly whites
Let’s not forget where the relationships begin? In the dining room. If you not engaging in the dining room, its not going to help on various social media platforms. Go back to basics. Are you creating a WOW experience, great customer service, making emotional connections, and building value. If you do these things, your “loyal patrons” will do the talking. By the way, can you identify them? There call your VIP’s. There also your brand ambassadors on social media. Don’t get caught up on Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Yelp, if the engaging is NOT happening in your dining room. Social media are simply tools that can be effective when utilize probably. These tools are effective to continue the conversation once made in the DINING ROOM…….