PGI Restaurant Management Consultant Group Insight 03/29/2011

Stories we follow in our restaurant management consultant group covered lawsuits and brands and while Taco Bell recovered from beef issues in its advertising, there was economic growth amidst several upcoming foodservice chains. There is also a good article talking about how Twitter is fast replacing e-mail as the instant marketing vehicle. Here are those summaries and our take on it: Restaurant Management ServicesAccording to the write-up In Nation’s Restaurant News, Taco Bell continues to gain favor among the public, improve its brand image and recover from a false advertising lawsuit about its beef. The single biggest take-away in this article is where it talks about using Facebook to promote Taco Bell products after the lawsuit and the importance of incorporating a social media campaign in your restaurant bar business plan. On a separate story, Technomic reported that Five Guys Burgers and Fries was the fastest growing restaurant chain with a sales increase of 38% in 2010. It was also reported that fast casual and quick-service sandwich chains continue among the fastest growing in the USA. However, what is more interesting in the study is that Buffalo Wild Wings is in the Top Ten with estimated overall sales of $1,712,000 and only second behind Chipolte at $1,832,000 for last year. If you are considering buying or opening a new restaurant, the buffalo chicken wings concept should be a consideration from a restaurant management consultant perspective. If online marketing is on your mind, especially if your firm provides restaurant management services for multiple locations, Twitter is quickly replacing e-mail blasts as the best way to reach your customers quickly and instantly according to these Restaurant Guerrilla Marketing 10 Tips! Have you as a restaurant, bar or nightclub owner encountered problems with customers alleging false advertising on your menus, web site or within the operation? If so, what were the circumstances and what was the final outcome?? Or, if you are working with a restaurant management consultant to turnaround a failing foodservice business, how open are you to diverting a large portion of your advertising dollars to social media programs like Facebook and Twitter???