Restaurant Marketing | Auto Repair Shop Marketing Blog by Dean Killingbeck

I was in Europe for 2 weeks recently for vacation and visited Paris and Switzerland. Obviously ate almost every day out at restaurants. Here is what I saw

So this Michigan Hooter girl gains 10 pounds and gets a warning – lose weight or else. Can you guess what happened next?

More crazy big government stuff out of California that would make food nazis so proud

My wife and I are frequent restaurant patrons, (3 times a week at least) and I am always amazed at the difference in philosophy between family restaurants and upscale restaurants. I’ve always wondered why family restaurants don’t follow the marketing examples set by the fine dining places.

Here’s what I’m talking about. Go into any upscale restaurant and their specials are always posted prominently on a board and almost certainly are more expensive than the usual menu. The specials are usually dishes that are blended with something that’s only offered for a limited time…that evening or that week at the most and often they are only offered until the menu item is sold out.

Last week we were at Moe’s Steakhouse in Traverse City, Michigan. One special was a 6 ounce filet mignon steak served with half a slab of ribs. The other special was an 8 ounce New York Strip steak served with a lobster tail. Both specials were priced more than usual items on the menu and looking around I noticed that approximately 30% of the guests were ordering the specials!

Hmmmm…people will spend more when given a good reason and a good value or sufficient emotional motivation to do so. Both of those plates added good value but both had the emotional motivation for me; I wanted both ribs and a small steak.

Okay, let’s get back to family restaurants. Many of them don’t follow the example that the upscale places set. They aren’t increasing prices on daily specials but are instead decreasing the prices.

My favorite lunch place here in town makes awesome soups…once in a while they offer my favorite Italian Wedding Soup. Maybe every 2 or 3 months. Now, instead of bundling a bowl of soup with their to-die-for sliders and getting a premium, they discount their soup with the purchase of any sandwiches or sometimes sell the soup at a discount.

Come on folks! Wake up! Charge more for premium food. Charge more for specials. Include something of value!

I guarantee that if the owner, Mark, of Mark’s Restaurant…Original name, bundled sliders, soup and a piece of his homemade pie and charged a higher price, his guests would buy! That’s the special.

Question: How can you get your guests emotionally involved in wanting more?