Even the biggest multinational restaurant chains need to reach consumers located near specific locations. This has given rise to hyperlocal marketing. These franchises need to discover ways to target customers in hundreds or thousands of discreet locations. Houlihan’s, a national chain with 85 locations, has developed a cohesive program to manage customer reviews for all of their locations. This helps them manage their reputation as a parent company while providing greater visibility for their franchisees. The company uses a platform known as ReviewPush to stay on top of customer reviews posted on websites such as UrbanSpoon, Yelp and Foursquare. A national representative can quickly respond to an issue that upset a guest. The company also focuses on giving franchisees suggestions for pleasing customers and managing negative feedback. [Street Fight]
Restaurants have been staying on top of technological upgrades lately, with many independent establishments and chains implementing new devices to streamline the entire food preparation and dining process. Many of these upgrades are lowering food costs by reducing waste or relieving your workers so they can focus on providing better service. Computer and mobile phone reservations have been one of the most widely adopted examples. Fine dining establishments take reservations weeks in advance through services like OpenTable, while numerous fast food chains also allow you to place and order before arriving at the restaurant. Tablets and digital menus allow managers to adjust the offerings as supplies change on an hourly basis. Point of sale systems have also drastically improved. Many link through tablets or other small wireless devices to send orders directly into the kitchen, reducing the amount of walking for wait staff and speeding up the cooking process. Customers enjoy getting better service, while the wait staff have more time to spend with each guest to ensure their visit is satisfactory. [Business 2 Community]
Wendy’s Flatbread Sandwiches Challenge Panera, Cosi In Tough Economy [Huffington Post]
Why Fast Food Fails At Breakfast [Business Insider]
Restaurant publicly shames no-shows on Twitter [Today Food]
