Soul Food Restaurants Diners Vegan and Buffets

Wow! What a challenging business world we now live in. Just for a moment, think about the economy nosedive and dramatic changes in the landscape of the restaurant industry as a result of the economic crisis. No where is this economic turmoil more readily apparent than with the restaurant business and especially the soul food business. These restaurants are really hurting for sales as customers cut back on dining out. Please be mindful that the American people sophistication level toward good and healthy food has not changed; it is just in a pause state. As a restaurant owner, it is your responsibility to undo that pause state and attract more customers to your business.

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relations in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.” From experiences, I am convinced that marketing and customer relationships within the restaurant industry are two of the major lifelines to retaining and increasing long-term profitability through customer loyalty, customer purchases, and customer referral of other patrons.

Many large-scale restaurants are increasingly turning to marketing research and information technology to build long-term customer relationships. Customer relationship management (CRM) focuses on using information about customers to create marketing strategies that translates into more sales.

There are many CRM software out there; however, I am not recommending or suggesting that you go out and purchase any. The basic content of most CRM software are Contact Management, Campaigns, Sales Pipeline, Calendar, Project Manager, Documents and ERP modules such as Inventory. The primary objective of a CRM software as it relates to most restaurants is to address the functional areas of sales, marketing, and customer service.

The reality is that one does not have to have large-scale restaurants budget to compete for customers. When times are lean, businesses often cut their marketing and research budgets. When the economy is bad as it is,  reducing marketing or research budget and every other services make a lot of business sense.

So the question is, how do you manage your restaurant’s customer relationships without having to purchase an expensive CRM software?

There are Six basic steps restaurants can take toward improving their customer relationships:

1. Get to know your customer.

   1. Yes, get to know them by their name.

   2. What kind of business are they in? Can you knowledgeable have a discussion with them about their business or interest?

   3. What are your customer birthdays? Can you create a simple database and at least mail out a card once a year?

   4. Can you offer a birthday discount? Can you offer a free meal on a customer's birthday or at least offer a half price of.

2. Identify your customers patterns of buying behavior

3. Be sensitive to customer’s requirements

4. Be sensitive to your customer’s desires

5. Does your restaurant have a Blog? If not get one! There are lots of FREE blogs out there – Install the SMS Text Message plugin. This plugin allow your blog readers to submit their phone number through a sidebar widget. You can periodically send alerts, updates, etc via text messaging (SMS) to your customers that  had previously  sign up on your website.

6. Establish communication to build your customer’ trust and loyalty

In a nutshell, in times like this, it is very important to move beyond the “My restaurant sales are down because of the economy” mindset and start thinking about creative ways to solve your restaurant financial problems. Although CRM software deals with the many interactions a restaurant or a company will have with their customers, the central goal here to improve your customer relationship with out using an expensive software. The primary goal here is to improve the relationship that your restaurant has with its customers, and the end result of doing this is to increase profits and become more competitive.

About the Author:

Charles S. Mombo, is an Adjunct Professor teaching college Computer Science and Business classes. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer, a Master of Science degree in Management Information Systems (MSMIS), and a Master degree in Business Administration (MBA. He is also a regular contributor to Worldwide Click and ChocolateCity.cc

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