stuff4restaurants

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How do you add value to the serving of a spirit?

Or even turn it into something your customers will remember and tell their friends and families about.

After all, you pour the stuff in a glass chuck in some sugary flavored goop and… well how about adding a Titanic ice cube… I love it.

Opening your 400th store is a major landmark in any companies growth

So, to celebrate this enviable milestonePollo Loco enlisted the expertise of Robust Promotions to devise a competition that would encourage their existing and potential market tovisit more frequently and experience a broader range of their products.

Beginning July 7 through August 3, every person who makes a purchase at El Pollo Loco will receive a “Chicken Scratch” game card. Every card is a winner. Some prizes embrace the “400″ theme in celebration of the chicken chain’s journey across the country, such as a FREE 4-piece chicken meal and a $400 El Pollo Loco gift card. Other prizes include a FREE small drink, FREE 2-piece meal, FREE crunchy taco and a FREE Churro.

In 2004, the company announced expansion east of the Mississippi as part of a nationwide plan to increase its units by more than 70 percent over the next several years. Since that time, national brand recognition for El Pollo Loco is becoming a reality. El Pollo Loco has entered several new markets, including Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Portland, and most recently, Utah and Virginia. Throughout 2008, El Pollo Loco is continuing expansion into other markets around the country. Locations are set to open over the next year in California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, New Jersey, and New England.

El Pollo Loco, a leading franchise of 400+ fast casual restaurants, is famous on the West Coast for its signature citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken served with warm tortillas, assortment of delicious sides and fresh salsas, along with a wide variety of fresh, contemporary Mexican-influenced entrees.

Founded in Guasave, Mexico in 1975, El Pollo Loco, pronounced “L Po-yo Lo-co” and Spanish for “The Crazy Chicken,” opened its first U.S. restaurant in 1980 and is famous for the unique preparation of its award-winning “pollo”- fresh chicken marinated in a special recipe of herbs, spices and citrus juices passed down from the founding family. The marinated chicken is then flame-grilled, hand cut and served hot off the grill with warm tortillas, freshly prepared salsas, and a wide assortment of side dishes. Rounding out the menu are fresh flavorful entrées inspired by the kitchens of Mexico, including signature, grilled burritos, Pollo Bowl® entrees, Pollo Salads, tacos, quesadillas, Chicken Tortilla Soup, and more.

About El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco® currently operates 406 restaurants (242 franchised locations and 164 company-owned restaurants) located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, El Pollo Loco, Inc. is a privately held company owned by Trimaran Pollo Partners, LLC and management. The principal investors in Trimaran Pollo Partners are funds affiliated with Trimaran Capital, LLC and Freeman Spogli & Co. For more information about El Pollo Loco, visit the company’s website at www.elpolloloco.com.

What have you done recently to promote the frequency of purchase of your customers? maybe your should give Robust Promotions a call right now and get started. Who knows, it could be the shot of adrenalin you need to get your 400th opening on target.

How many times have tasted a great wine and fully intended to order it again some time in the future, but forgotten it’s name?

Well these very clever marketers have done something about it, and the result is brilliant.

This is exactly the sort of concept that is essential to drive “word of mouth” Advertising.

That is to say, every business owner should constantly be looking for ways to make it easy for a customer to re-order and recommend their product or service to their friends and family members. It is THE most effective and low cost method to increase sales.

Full and further Details HERE

This great packaging idea (apparently from Germany) will suit any cafe that services the office market.

It makes it very easy for someone to carry several cups of God’s own nectar for their friends and co workers and is a great way to add value to multiple sales at very low cost.

How come the Japanese keep coming up with all this bizarre stuff?

Is it the water they drink? or some form of new, questionably legal, stuff they put in their cigarettes?

Personally, I just don’t see myself sitting in my local restaurant nibbling on a breast pudding, in spite of my rampaging hormones and repressed inner desires.

How would you order it from the waitress? Excuse me miss, for sweets I’ll have a very large serving of your breasts!

Mind you it would make a great take home gift (No! we won’t mention doggy bags)

In fact it/they would probably sell like hot potatoes as a gimmick for the office worker market.

During a recent stay in a hotel I discovered a “Pillow Menu” in my room.

As a long time neck sufferer (My wife terms me as a pain in the neck) It was a very welcome value added service.

A quick Google proved it is a service offered by many service oriented hotels, but it got me thinking how easy it would be for most businesses to offer similar “value added services” at their point of delivery.

Things like, choice of chairs, cutlery, binding of documents, packaging etc. etc. The point is, the simple act of offering such a choice is a clear indication to your customers that you care and regard them as individuals with unique wants and needs.

Now that we are well into the festive season this promotion has a very timely message…

Copy: Prison food doesn’t taste this good. Don’t drink and drive this Easter.
Created by Saatchi and Saatchi, Sydney.

It’s a great way to tell your guests you care, after all, who needs to lose good customers.

There is a great idea here for a local taxi company to pick up and sponsor, or the opportunity for the restaurant to provide a “Take home” service to their guests.

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Subway in Australia is currently running a “Grab a Bike”competition where anyone who buys four meals can buy a bike for $50.oo (well $60.00 actually, when you add the post and handling).

It’s astounding value, you can get your kids, or indeed your self, a Bike with a recommended retail price of $170.00 for just $60.00.

When you consider how close we are to Christmas this is a pretty smart promotion to be running. Parents and Grandparents all over the country are making subway their fast food choice.

But just think for a moment, how really smart this promotion is…

The cost of buying a few container loads of bikes direct from the manufacturer (who is getting great brand exposure) would probably be covered by the $50.00. So, they have got themselves a cost free promotion which offers their customers a very high perceived value bonus.

In addition, to obtain the bonus offer, all the customer has to do is switch their buying habit, so they (Subway) are taking business away from their opposition. It’s a very clever promotion that you can learn from.

What bonus offer could you make your customers, at cost, which requires them to purchase from you more frequently?.

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It’s getting close to the time of year when bar owners are looking for gifts for some of their loyal customers.

I was sent this link which I thought had some good ideas for a low cost gifts. This site has 35 bottle openers that will thrill your customers by being a bit different.

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For the past two days I have been publishing lists of ideas on: How to increase your number of : NEW CUSTOMERS, AVERAGE DOLLAR SALE, FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE and (still to come) PROFIT MARGINS.

I have been merrily typing away and publishing these lists on both my sites (The other is stuff4business.com ) because I believe they are vitally important to all business owners.

Well, John Cricket of Business Opportunities and Ideas has just emailed me and informed me that, if I publish the same material on more than one site, Google’s search engine thingy, may penalize my search rankings, thinking that I am trying to set up “Spammer Ghost Sites”. “EEEEK!!!”

Thanks for the tip John, I really appreciate you taking the time to warn me.

So, I have now removed the articles from this site and they are now on stuff4business.com

HERE ARE THE LINKS TO EACH:

Part one: Introduction, The Only Four Ways You Can Grow a Business and Make More Profit.

Part two: 15 Proven Ways to Increase the Frequency of Purchase of Your Customers

Part three: 21 Proven Ways to Increase Your Average Dollar Sales to Your Customers

Part four: 46 Proven Ways to Attract New Customers

Part five: 18 Proven Ways to Increase Your PROFIT MARGINS

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Please forgive me Google! I am merely a mortal little human being. (on a good day)

How often do you take the message inside your fortune cookie seriously? If you’re anything like me, you read them for a quick giggle and then leave them crumpled on the table.

Occasionally I’ll keep one if it seems particularly applicable to something I’m going to through, but that’s fairly rare.

But what if you got a fortune that predicted bad times ahead? Or one that suggested that “Perhaps you’ve been focusing too much on yourself.” Or even possibly “Your luck is just not there. Attend to practical matters today.” These are just a few of the fortunes that consumers have been discovering lately in the cookies produced and distributed by Wonton Food, the country’s largest fortune cookie manufacturer.

Apparently, they decided to spice things up and so hired some new freelance writers to create new fortunes.

This is an idea just waiting to be developed further into a full blown promotional device.

Found on the New York Times site

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It may just be a simple piece of cardboard, and it certainly isn’t anything new, but LOYALTY CARDS are MARKETING DYNAMITE.

In fact, whilst working with one major fast food franchise, I discovered, we could directly attribute an individual locations marketing results to their consumption of loyalty cards. That is to say, the more loyalty cards they consumed, the MORE NEW CUSTOMERS they were generating.

The statistics were absolute proof that this simple device, plus the strategic distribution (explained below) was “THE MOST EFFECTIVE” promotional tool in their marketing tool kit, and far more economical than all the “BIG PICTURE” Advertising stuff.
DISTRIBUTION

1. Give them to every single customer, not just one, give them half a dozen or more, go crazy with this, and make sure the first bonus offer, is received on the second or third visit. (Be generous… You are investing in the purchase of the LIFE TIME VALUE OF A NEW CUSTOMER)
2. Give multiple copies to every member of your staff, to give out to their friends and families.
3. Create a generous reward for customers and staff who distribute the cards to their contacts.
4. Give multiple copies to suppliers and delivery people.

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I ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE THIS STUFF WORKS !!!!
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Thanks John, I was reminded of this whilst reading John Cricket’s recent article at businessopportunitiesandideas,
about using business cards…

What a fun surprise when you open your pizza box…

This is a great promotion idea, and could easily be done many different ways and be used to include “bounce back” offers and other incentives.

Once again, I don’t know the company or agency involved…

If you do, please let me know, and I will instantly add it here, they deserve full credit for such a great idea.

When was the last time you looked at your bathroom, I mean REALLY looked… What is it saying about your health standards?

Michael Bauer food blogger at sfgate.com wrote about his experience in one restaurant. His article, and the comments from his readers make absolutely essential reading for every restaurant owner.

In his article he observes “When a restaurant minds the bathroom, it makes me believe the staff has been trained to have an equally serious and healthy attitude about food safety. ”

It is so easy in the rush of everyday business to miss things this obvious…

For those of you who may think this is trivial, I would remind you of the research that shows how many patrons choose to stop at McDonald’s, simply because they know the bathrooms are always clean.

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So why all this toilet talk on a site about marketing? It costs an awful lot of money, time and effort to get new customers through your door, then we have to provide great food and service, it seems a pity to lose their repeat business, simply because we don’t make the bathroom someones responsibility to regulary check

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Read the full article and his readers comments here .

I see hundreds of coupon ideas every month, Most are little more than bland, ineffectual, and badly targeted discounts that destroy both your pricing and margins.

But at last I’ve found a coupon system that has a proven track record and most importantly is flexible enough to be tailored to suit the specific sectors of your business that YOU want to grow…

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PLUS… the graphics looks good, and will be exciting for your customers and team…

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PLUS… If used correctly, it will supercharge the “WORD OF MOUTH” growth of your business.

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PLUS… It provides “Instant Gratification” as prizes are discovered instantly at the point of prime decision making.

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This concept is simple, stylish and powerful. It is an ABSOLUTE MUST DO for any owner who wants to quickly, efficiently and (I’m assured) cost effectively, grow their customer base and get existing customers to come back more frequently.

Here’s the link for more information

Where you will find some very powerful proof of what other owners have achieved with this thoroughly comprehensive “instant win” coupon process

And NO, I’m not getting a commission or any form of payment for making this strong recommendation!!!!! I genuinely believe they have got the best coupon process I have seen.