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 How to Out Market the Big Guys
As an independent restaurant owner, you probably feel like David versus Goliath when it comes to competing with chain restaurants. You're both trying to attract patrons to your establishments, but they seem to spend a lot of money on advertising while you're working on a shoestring budget. However, there are ways to outsmart the big guys by playing to your unique advantages as a local restaurant.
Marketing doesn't have to be hard. You just need to be aware of a few key marketing principles. Once you understand them, you can compete against anyone, big or small.
Think As A Customer. This rule is at the top of the list because it's one of the most fundamental, yet often most neglected principle of all. It is easy to market to your own tastes and preferences, but you have to consider your audience when developing any campaign.
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Customers Loyal to Independents; Chains Offer Value
Independent restaurant operators may face a tough road these days, but they may have one advantage over chain restaurants: many consumers prefer them.
According to a report from market research firm Mintel Group, 43 percent of American consumers who have visited an independent restaurant in the past month said they make a point of seeking them out over chains.
Independents, however, could do a better job of offering promotions and limited-time offers to compete with chains, Mintel said. Meanwhile, chains could borrow a page from independents by offering more unique menu items.
More than half of consumers surveyed - 52 percent - said they visit independent restaurants to support their local community/economy, while 51 percent agree that independent restaurants do a good job of supporting their local communities, according to the report.
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 Breakfast Offers Growth Opportunities
Restaurants could expand business by engaging the 31 million consumers who currently skip breakfast, according to a new report from The NPD Group.
Ten percent of Americans skip breakfast every day, the Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm's "Morning MealScape 2011" report found.
"With 31 million people skipping breakfast each day, there is a significant opportunity for food and beverage marketers to reach these consumers," Dori Hickey, NPD's director of product management and the report's author, said. "Marketing messages emphasizing the importance of having a morning meal should be age- and gender-specific in order to increase their effectiveness."
For instance, Hickey said, an advertising campaign aimed at boosting breakfast sales among teenagers should including marketing materials and commercials aimed at the teens, as well as their parents.
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Channeling your Inner Green Instincts
There are literally dozens of ways that you can improve the environmental impact of your restaurant, many of which involve simple changes or alterations to your daily habits. You don't have to be a tree-hugger, or hippie to channel your inner Green instincts...you simply have to be business savvy and resourceful. Channeling your inner Green will help you save money, resources, and time.
Think about the daily operation of your restaurant. What are some of the key things that happen each day? How can you slightly alter these activities so that they happen more efficiently, or better yet, in a way that helps your restaurant take steps in a Greener direction?
Most restaurants produce waste vegetable oil, and all of these restaurants are required to dispose of it properly. Because there is so much of it, waste vegetable oil has become a valuable bi-product of the restaurant industry. Thanks to modern ingenuity, there are a handful of ways a restaurant can make even better use out of this green-colored gold.
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At Sysco iCare , we've done
our homework, so you don't have to. iCare partners are Sysco approved and
uphold the highest service levels, quality standards and performance guarantees
of anyone in the industry.
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