Monday, November 24, 2008

Chilly spots in your restaurant dining room? ECO-heaters make them disappear.






Here's a terrific new product that will keep your patrons toasty this winter season.  It's the ECO-heater, and it is the perfect addition to your creature-comfort list.

The ECO-heater heats an entire room on the cost of four 100-watt light bulbs.  If it's a bigger room, you can easily add another.  ECO-heaters use convection technology.
  
They are thin-designed, and snuggle up to the wall of your restaurant's dining room.  They can be painted to match your decor, as long as you use a latex-based paint.  Because there's a small gap between the heater and the wall, an upwards draft is created that insures a cycle of 
efficient heating:  cool air is sucked up through the gap, and warmed air rises and spreads and sinks throughout the room.  90% of the heat comes from the back of the panel, while about 10% radiates from the front.

ECO-heaters can be plugged in, or they can be hard-wired by your electrician, so no unsightly wires will show. 








Not only will the ECO-heat augment your current heating system, it will in fact allow you to even turn it down.. saving you a good deal of money over the course of a season in the process.  Or, you may just wish to turn your ECO-heaters on during peak cold spells to remove all trace of a chill from your dining room, and insure that your patrons are cozy and happy.

You can find the ECO-heater by typing in ECO-heater at Google, Yahoo or MSN.  They are currently going for US $119.95, and if you are looking for more than six, you can ask for a lower price from your selected vendor.  It never hurts to try.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Emailing Will Keep Your Restaurant Full


In the good old days, your ambience was sufficient to bring in the crowds, they stayed for the good food and your gracious servers, and they knew where to return to without a reminder.

The good old days don't have to be gone, if you take the time and lend some effort to smart steps to make sure their interest is undeterred by leaner times.  There are a bunch of great ways to maintain and boost traffic, but perhaps none better than a well-managed email campaign.

Email is a most welcome communication if it's a reminder of time well spent.  Not all email is spam or considered intrusive.  If you take care about how you go about it, the perception will be positive, and the results can be substantial.

It's highly unusual for restaurants to maintain email lists of their clientele.  It's too much like merchandising, too much like hawking.  Your patrons would never respond to a pitch in an email.. or would they?

An email is more than a reminder.. it's an invitation, and that's the way all your communiques ought come across.  "Old friend, Tupper's is having a party this Friday night, and our chef is preparing a Scottish Lamb Roast that's never been seen on this side of the Atlantic.  We'd love for you to join us.  Let us know that you are coming, and your first glass of wine is gratis."

There's not a single reason on Earth that your email can't be gracious, short and sweet, classy and dignified.

Ok, it's a thought.. but where do I get the names?  Check through your online reservations, and you'll find hundreds upon hundreds of bona fide names- people who came and would come again but for an invitation to do so.  Begin to gather emails from your diners.  Ask for their email as they are finishing up dessert, and let them know the purpose.  Yes, we absolutely intend to contact you by email a few times a year, but we promise it's just between you and me, and we promise it will always be about something good, new and delicious on our menu, or something special that will be happening.  

Half will decline, but half will say:  Sure!   Why not??  You can place a simple card on their restaurant placemats with a space for a name and an email.  The card can also reiterate that you won't share their email address with anyone.. not for love nor money, and you mean it.  (And you must keep your word!)

Designate an internet savvy person on your staff to manage your list and your campaign, and use a hosted web service that makes list management and bulk emailing simple and very cost-effective.  You can find them easily by Googling "email management."

You may have your reservations about this strategy now, but as you will soon have new reservations by the score that plainly come from your diligence in emailing, your concerns will fly out the window and a convert you will be.  Happy emailing!