Restaurant wants feedback

A HARROGATE restaurant is so keen to find out what members of the local business community likes to eat at lunchtime that it is offering them a free lunch.

In return for feedback via a questionnaire diners can drop into the Oxford Street Brasserie on Tuesday between noon and 2pm and enjoy a free meal.

Chef owner, David Robson said: “Business people often have a limited amount of time to spare but they still want a quality restaurant experience at lunch time.

“We are passionate about our food and service and we want to share this with customers by asking them to have a say in the design of our lunchtime menu.

“We hope they enjoy their free lunch.”

Anyone wanting to take part in the survey and lunch offer should call 01423 505 300 or send an email to osbrasserie@btconnect.com indicating a preferred time of arrival.

The full article contains 158 words and appears in Harrogate Advertiser newspaper.

http://www.harrogateadvertiser.net/business/There-is-such-a-thing.4017159.jp

Customer feedback chosen over mystery shoppers

Carphone is set to axe its mystery shopper firm Gapbuster, and will instead appeal to customers to give feedback on its sales staff’s performance.Carphone bosses feel that mystery shopper feedback is unreliable because store staff have begun to recognise them, store mangers have been told.

The retailer now plans to ask customers for feedback by placing a phone number at the bottom of random receipts, and will offer customers incentives for giving feedback. It is believed the new scheme will be implemented in September.

Carphone staff are currently given a maximum of £300 worth of store vouchers if they are given good reports by Gapbuster’s shoppers. The incentive is considered easy money because staff are often aware when they are being mystery shopped.

One staffer said: ‘At the moment when a new mystery shopper comes
in, it’s always obvious who they are and we’ll email warnings to each other about what they look like.’

 

 

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Special Report: Top 100 Independents

The 100 highest-grossing independent (non-chain) restaurants in the United States had combined 2007 food-and-beverage sales of $1.53 billion, a solid if not spectacular 4.8% increase from the $1.46 billion total for last year’s Top 100 Independents. This year’s total is nearly 31% greater than the Top 100’s $1.17 billion sales in 2000.

What was spectacular was the record $66.6 million in sales for top-ranked Tao Las Vegas Restaurant & Nightclub (above) in Las Vegas. Helped by the addition of its top-floor Tao Beach venue, Tao Las Vegas boosted its sales by $11.3 million (20.5%) from 2006 to 2007.

Coincidentally, $11.3 million was the minimum for inclusion in this year’s ranking. Five years ago, the restaurant that was ranked as No. 100 had sales of $8.3 million.

More than half of this year’s Top 100 restaurants are located in one of two markets: New York City is home to 32 members of this year’s list; Las Vegas is second—but continuing to close the gap—with 24 of the 100 largest. Chicago claims seven of the top restaurants; San Francisco has four.

The average dinner check for this year’s Top 100 was $64.73, a 10% increase from the $58.82 average for last year’s list.

http://www.rimag.com/archives/2008/04b/sr-top100-ranking.asp

collecting comment cards to gauge diners’ feedback

Rialto is also collecting comment cards to gauge diners’ feedback and use it as a point of contact; the staff replies to each comment and the restaurant obtains that person’s information for future mailings.

• Add entertainment. Revenue has already increased at Upstairs on the Square, thanks to the addition of live music last year, said Mary-Catherine Deibel, co-owner of the Cambridge restaurant.

“It makes us busy, later,” she said.

http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/02/11/newscolumn3.html

No 1 Complaint – No appetite for noise

MORE THAN BAD FOOD, MORE THAN TIPPING QUANDARIES, more than someone wondering if a free meal should follow a rodent sighting in a dining room, the most frequent concern I get from readers involves loud restaurants. The complaints about noise have crescendoed so high in recent years that I’ve decided to add noise ratings to my dining column in the Magazine, beginning April 20. Henceforth, as I make my restaurant rounds, a discreet sound-level meter will be used to determine the average decibel count. [See this article for how the ratings will work.]

I know readers will welcome the addition of a sound check. When I raised the subject of noise on a recent online food discussion, I got an earful from scores of restaurant mavens. The feedback came from both sexes and a wide range of ages.

“The noise levels don’t make me feel lively or youthful,” wrote one. “They make me shout and keep asking, ‘What?’ I’m 34, but recently I have been seeking out ‘oldster’ restaurants for the noise levels alone. Would much prefer a younger vibe at lower decibels, if such a thing existed!”

“Why do restaurateurs think we want to eat but not to chat with our companions?” another chatter demanded.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/01/AR2008040102210.html?hpid=features1&hpv=local

McDonald’s Begins Mobile Coupon Test

McDonald’s is dialing up mobile coupons for a regional test at 113 locations in Utah, Wyoming and Nevada. Consumers can receive one of the chain’s new iced coffees for free when they use a Cellfire mobile coupon at participating stores between April 7-27.

Customers are asked to go to cellfire.com or text “mcd” to 22888 to receive the Cellfire application. Upon signing up, they receive a unique redemption code that consumers show the McDonald’s cashier. Once registered, they can receive future offers from other Cellfire merchants as well.

“McDonald’s is the type of brand mobile couponing should do well for,” said John Hadl, managing partner at mobile marketing consultancy BrandinHand, Beverly Hills, Calif. “I’m cautiously optimistic that consumers will, beyond downloading it for the free cup of coffee, continue to use it for additional offers. That would be the ultimate win for all manufacturers looking to offer incentives using mobile devices.”

 

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003787180&imw=Y

Is Myspace right for your restaurant .

Online social networking has businesses logging on.

Have you felt it yet? That sinking feeling that you’re finally going to have to figure out what MySpace or Facebook is. Makes you feel old doesn’t it?

Don’t worry, social networking—as these type sites are referred to—is still in its Wild West phase and ripe for experimentation without a big expenditure of cash.

Here’s how they work. Social networks at their most basic are Web sites where people can find and connect with each other. Users build profile pages to share information about themselves, usually pictures, bios and interests. They collect “friends”—other folks in the network that they already know or those who have found them based on similar interests. They can then engage with each other through the site by leaving and sending messages.

Increasingly, restaurants are joining these networks, building their own profile pages and connecting with existing customers and potential ones.

Social networking champs MySpace (myspace.com) and FaceBook (facebook.com) have millions of users. According to a recent report by Internet research firm eMarketer, 37 percent of U.S. adult Internet users and 70 percent of teen users engage in social networking each month. “Social networking is important for everyone, no matter what business you’re in. It gets your name out there and is a great way to communicate with your customers directly,” says Lindsey Jaffe, an emerging-media specialist with WordHampton Public Relations. It’s quickly becoming a situation where restaurants can’t afford to miss out on the opportunities.

It all starts with your restaurant building a profile page. “The best way to start is to just nibble at it bit by bit. Go to MySpace and go to Facebook and start an account. You don’t have to fill out your entire profile in one day,” says Jaffe. If you have limited time, Jaffe recommends checking into Facebook first. All Facebook profiles are built using a similar template, so you’ll save time by not having to pick out colors, backgrounds and other design elements. MySpace can require more design work.

With either one, it’s important to avoid clutter and make sure that the image of your restaurant is reflected in your profile choices. After your profile is launched, it’s time to focus on making the right connections. MySpace can connect up with your Webmail address book to find customers whose information you already have. You can also search for users by location to find local customers that may want to be friends with you. Facebook has stricter rules on businesses contacting users, so it helps to be creative when promoting your Facebook profile. Place a link back to your profile from your main restaurant Web site. Consider adding that Web address to your offline promo material as well. Put it on the bottom of your menu or include it in ads.

By –Amanda C. Kooser

http://www.restaurantbiz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22811