Seven Magic Questions about Restaurants
By Paul G. W. Fetscher CCIM CRX CLS; President, Great American Brokerage
customer. But how successful is any ad in building an expectation, making a promise, and bringing about gratification? dvertising attempts to tell us about a restaurant and get us to become a A We would like to believe that advertising is the single most effective way of putting people into seats. That’s nice. But when we look at what really brings people into an establishment we find additional factors. Word of mouth is important. Friends you trust may be the single most trustworthy influence. Today, social media plays an increasingly important role. But let’s look at the decision process. A consumer driving down the road spies a restaurant. Of course the first things they see are the logo, the design and the architecture. Either consciously or unconsciously they will ask How long will it take? How much will it cost? How formal or informal is it? How much whimsy is involved? And last but not least – Will I profit from this transaction? Answering those questions will define a concept. The question is, are they congruent? Does everything from the name to the logo to the architecture to the color palate to the selection of materials click? Do all of those elements send the same message? And is the message they send the same as you are attempting to convey? A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to guide a bus tour of restaurant chain professionals form throughout the nation. The sponsor of the conference had given me the tour title of: themselves seven questions: What is this place all about? What kind of food do they serve?
Paul G. W. Fetscher
The attendees were sophisticated. Each of them already had anywhere from six restaurants to literally hundreds. The presentation couldn’t be a matter of speaking about “Site Selection 101.” So instead I formed the tour based on the yardsticks of the Seven Magic Questions. As the bus pulled up in front of a restaurant, we would poll the riders to answer those questions. How well could we answer those questions simply by looking from the outside? After all, potential diners will make that lasting first impression as they drive by. The better the restaurant is in congruently answering those questions, the better they will be in winning that guest. “Savvy Site Selection and Creative Curb Appeal” The architecture clearly exudes a level elegance. Burgundy is a quiet and sophisticated color. We know that this dining experience will be a bit more expensive and last longer than a casual dining experience. We would expect find white tablecloths and service staff wearing ties. Our spend will be about $80 and the experience, including a fine selection of wines, will take over two hours. All of these assumptions can be inferred just from looking at the façade of the restaurant. The first stop was Morton's of Chicago - The Steakhouse.
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