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Social Media and the Independent Restaurant
Featured Author:
Andrew Garrison
Executive Chef and General Manager of Stout’s Island Lodge in Birchwood, WI; he recently graduated from culinary school in December 2008 and has a lot to say about the transition to the work place. In the kitchen, he works primarily with local/seasonal food, prepared using classical French technique, though he occasionally delves into the more mainstream applications of molecular gastronomy (spherification, powders, foams, suspensions) as a means of accenting a dish without overpowering it. When he’s not in the kitchen, he’s out exploring restaurants and dive bars, going to concerts, playing guitar, reading, but mostly sleeping.
He also blogs at Plays with Knives.
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Andrew Garrison
The restaurant industry and social media platforms have always had a tenuous relationship. With the advent of the message board and blog, suddenly the phrase “everyone’s a (restaurant) critic” became excruciatingly true. Next time you’re going to go out to eat, hop on your computer and Google the restaurant you’ve chosen. No matter where you’re going, – a rural truck stop diner or Jean-Georges, I guarantee there will at least be a couple dozen (if not hundreds) reviews.
I’ve heard a number of friends and peers in the industry lament the fact that “any hack with a blog” can smear a restaurant (deservedly or not) and damage its credibility, but fail to acknowledge or fully understand the enormous potential that free web-based platforms offer the restaurant industry – especially the independent operation.
The gleaming boxes of corporate kitsch in your local suburban mega-mall have the budget to pull off equally ostentatious websites (see The Cheesecake Factory’s website), buy endless ad space in popular magazines, and afford the rent in spaces that are prime for a constant flow of diners. Smaller restaurants – from your mom & pop diner, to your farm-to-table fine dining establishment – have to be much more resourceful and reliant on media reviews or word-of-mouth.
For help with the questions I had about independent restaurants (and indie business in general) maximizing their exposure on a minimal budget, I turned to three of my friends – Tyler Hayes, Andy Santamaria, and Jonny Thompson – who also happen to be involved in social media consulting, web design, entrepreneurship, and are just generally good, tech-savvy guys.
1. Twitter is a great way to reach the masses, and a lot of chefs and restaurants are using it, but are there any particular strategies to capitalize on that potential level of exposure?
Tyler: They are? Nice. The fact that they’re using it is probably the best strategy. Those who choose to do something of their own will, rather than because an “expert” told them to, will be more successful. But you did ask a legit question, and it’s a foregone conclusion at this point that the best specific strategy on Twitter is authenticity.
People are unbelievably good bullshit-detectors, so being true to who you actually are – not some alternate version of yourself – will bring you the most success long-term. It may not be sexy, but it’s smart, kind of like saving money by paying your credit card bill on time.
Jonny: Yes, you can do a lot with Twitter but not all the principles and strategies for Twitter would apply to a restaurant. In the restaurant industry reputation can make or break you. As the social web landscape continues to grow, Twitter continues to play a stronger role in “word of mouth” marketing. There’s definitely tactics to focus on and tactics to avoid.
Restaurant Twitter Strategy: Dos and Don’ts of using Twitter
Seek:
Engage:
Listen:
Also, consider using a free service like Bit.ly to shorten URLs when you place them inside of your tweets as well as track how many users are clicking on your links.
Andy: As far as using Twitter to get gain influence with your audience, I have a little experience from my friend who I consulted. Laura Bonicelli. She has a home-cooked delivery meal service. The best thing for her was to answer questions. A lot of people have questions about cooking and it’s amazing how effective it is to say, “what are your cooking questions that I can answer?”
