Mobile Food For Thought

Starting a restaurant is a dream shared by many. In those dreams it’s a successful restaurant, something that is much, much harder to achieve in reality. And with the dream comes a lot of research, planning and managing to get the best location, the right menu, competent and enthusiastic staff, have a grand opening and get the registers ringing. Last week I met with a business owner with a lot of moxie. He didn’t take months to get his restaurant open, but a mere three weeks.

The 150 Grill is a breakfast and lunch eatery located on a well-travelled and commuted section of state highway 150 near Mooresville, North Carolina. Its neighbor is a huge steam plant and its staff are food industry veterans. On-street signage lets drivers know the new restaurant is open. With these benefits on his side, and as part of getting the restaurant open quickly, the owner made an executive decision – no traditional marketing.

Okay, you’re thinking, “They won’t be in business very long with no marketing!” Well, the key word here is “traditional.” 150 Grill is marketing itself but in a non-traditional way – only with mobile.

The reasoning behind the owner’s unconventional marketing decision is that he sees his customer base as highly mobile, and as mobile device users. Mobile users who text.

With a grand opening being a prime time to build a subscriber list, we set up a text messaging campaign where text only specials are the only specials available.

When you visit the restaurant you can’t help but notice the texting program – a stand-up sign for it is right at the entryway near the register, calling out to those standing there to sign up for exclusive coupons. There’s also a QR code on the sign, and a URL listed beneath it for those that don’t want to scan a barcode. Both take customers to the restaurant website – which is mobile.

Rather than spend months and lots of energy on a full blown desktop website design project, the owner chose a mobile site because not only is it the most convenient for mobile users but it also works on desktop browsers. Plus, Google indexes it just as it would a much bigger, fancier version.

On every table are two sided displays – table tents – giving instructions about the text coupon program. All signage regarding the program has the mandatory disclaimer about how many messages a subscriber will receive each month and that message and data rates may apply. The signs explicitly state what the program is and what a subscriber will get in return. A must for any text campaign.

Upon receiving a text coupon (that will go out weekly and as needed during slower times), the recipient is requested to send the text message on to a friend. The ability to pass savings on is a benefit of text marketing. Consumers are used to regular paper coupons being just for their use only; recipients of 150 Grill’s texts are instructed to share the specials and, therefore, spread the word.

I’ll keep you updated on 150 Grill’s experience in a future blog post. The restaurant has a lot going for it, like unique placement on a busy road. However, the onus is on the staff to make sure they communicate with customers about their texting program, and aid those wishing to sign up for it who may not be sure how to. The importance can’t be emphasized enough.

For small businesses to succeed in these tougher economic times, they need fantastic customer service (just ask Peter Shankman and Gary Vaynerchuk who’ve written insightful books about the topic). They also need their marketing to stand out.

Mobile marketing makes your business stand out.

 

 

 

Françoise Rose Jeanes is founder of Mobile Marketing Max, a Charlotte, NC based mobile marketing company, specializing in mobile campaigns for small businesses and Non-Profits. With over fourteen years experience in Internet marketing, Fran now concentrates on implementing, educating and consulting on mobile apps, mobile web development, proximity advertising and text message marketing.

 

 

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