Everybody loves a good story. In foodservice today, shaping and sharing your brand story is critical to success, helping differentiate your restaurant in a crowded marketplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s never been more important to create a personal and emotional connection with your customer,\u201d says Maeve Webster of Menu Matters, a consultancy for manufacturers and operators. \u201cThe most critical job of the restaurant brand story is to humanize the brand, particularly with younger consumers like millennials and Generation Z.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those younger generations are looking for shared experiences. Restaurants need to explore their origin, theme or passion, she maintains. Younger consumers like sharing stories that make them feel connected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour story, if it\u2019s compelling and an honest representation, can generate buzz and create loyalty,\u201d Webster says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before you can promote your brand, craft your story. Remember, details matter. \u201cWhy are you here? Why did you open? Are you using recipes given to you by your grandmother? Is all your food homemade?\u201d Webster asks. \u201cVery often, the reason independents open is a very personal, engaging story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve articulated your brand story, take it to market: menu language, signage, training, marketing materials, public relations, media relations, investor relations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTV and radio aren\u2019t what they used to be, and they are not typically cost-effective,\u201d Webster says. She suggests maximizing marketing dollars by tying your efforts to your story. \u201cIf your story is farm-to-table, then do community events that support local farms. Have a presence at farmers\u2019 markets. With everything around your story, ask yourself: What is the guest getting out of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Well-established restaurants\u2014especially family-owned operations\u2014can reinvigorate their brand and capture the attention and loyalty of consumers with something they already have: a longstanding brand story. A heritage of hospitality can be an important competitive differentiator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tell the story of your restaurant\u2019s success. Include details that help guests get to know and feel connected to the family, heritage and tradition behind it\u2014all elements that create nostalgia about a dining place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Convey your brand story graphically. Use a colour scheme that\u2019s compatible with your story. Some colours symbolize value and trust, others represent cutting-edge, contemporary vision. You might also create a sense of history by incorporating the date your restaurant was founded in the logo.<\/p>\n
Leverage social media to tell your story. Cite important dates and details in Tweets. Post throwback photos and stories on Facebook.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Make use of your menu. It\u2019s food that brings guests back, so tell enticing stories about menu creations and\/or signature ingredients. Those classics help anchor the story, whether it\u2019s a link to the past, or to a community or even a given farm.<\/p>\n
Train staff to tell your story. Make sure servers know the details of your story and can share it with customers.<\/p>\n
Help your story evolve. Stories need to evolve to attract younger diners like the hugely important millennials. Emphasizing how newer menu items reflect changing flavour preferences can keep the brand story relevant. For example, tell how a dish is now prepared with with a local brew because that\u2019s part of your connection to the community.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
Make it relevant.<\/strong> It\u2019s your story, but you\u2019re telling it to illustrate how you serve a consumer need. Wrap up the story by explaining how it leads to a superior dining experience for guests.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make it personal.<\/strong> Engage with customers on an emotional level. Use informal, but still professional language\u2014\u201cwe,\u201d \u201cour,\u201d \u201cus.\u201d<\/p>\n Make it brief.<\/strong> Aim for no more than three paragraphs of three sentences or less.<\/p>\n Make it clear.<\/strong> Delineate no more than two specific points of differentiation that will engage your customers on an emotional level. These can include anything from food quality to service attitude to signature dish to location.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make it last.<\/strong> Make sure you can live with\u2014and live up to\u2014this story for a long time to come. Consumers value the stability and consistency of a story.<\/p>\n Make it true.<\/strong> Authenticity and transparency are paramount for today\u2019s consumer. Don\u2019t make promises you can\u2019t keep.\u00a0<\/p>\n Different values resonate with different diner demographics, and the most effective way to convey those values is through menu language. Depending on your market, rely on the power of words to help deliver your story.<\/p>\n Baby-boomer buzzwords:<\/strong> Millennial buzzwords:<\/strong> Generation Z buzzwords:<\/strong> Your story, if it\u2019s compelling and honest, can generate buzz and create loyalty Everybody loves a good story. In foodservice today, shaping and sharing your brand story is critical to success, helping differentiate your restaurant in a crowded marketplace.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s never been more important to create a personal and emotional connection with your customer,\u201d says […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMenu Language Magic<\/h3>\n
\n\u201clow-calorie\u201d and \u201clow-sodium\u201d
\n\u201ccitrus-infused\u201d
\n\u201cherb-encrusted\u201d
\n\u201cwood-grilled\u201d\u00a0
\n\u201coak-charred\u201d
\n\u201cbites\u201d\u00a0
\n\u201chalf portions\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cpure\u201d\u00a0
\n\u201call-natural\u201d
\n\u201cheirloom\u201d
\n\u201cbold\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201corganic\u201d\u00a0
\n\u201c100% grass-fed\u201d\u00a0
\n\u201call-natural\u201d
\n\u201cfair trade\u201d
\n\u201ccider-glazed\u201d
\n\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"