Restaurateurs: 3 Ways to Make Social Media Work for You

As a restaurateur, understanding how to use social media and appeal to influencers can greatly increase your restaurant’s success and prominence in the over-saturated food market. As a food Instagram influencer with more than 25,000 followers, I found two articles on the foodie influencer scene that can help you navigate the digital space. 

The first piece, “Instagram has completely changed the way we eat and that's not a good thing” comes from INSIDER’s Food vertical. In it, Joanna Fantozzi details the ways in which Instagram has changed what, and where, we eat. Fantozzi cites recent trends like rainbow bagels, over-the-top milkshakes, unicorn themed food and excessively cheesy burgers. In the Instagram age, aesthetically-pleasing food has become somewhat of a status symbol (waiting in a two-hour line for a bagel), as well as a huge factor consumers consider when deciding where to get their next meal. Though these “Instagram dishes” often don’t taste as good as they look, the aesthetic of food is now a serious consideration for many chefs who hope to go viral and drive foot traffic. 

Source: Hinterhaus Productions / Getty Images

In the second article, “Restaurants rise to fame over Instagramable food,” Kaya Yurieff of CNN Business expands on the importance of Instagram in restaurants’ success. Yurieff writes, “The restaurant business isn't just about how good the food tastes – atmosphere and service are important, too. But increasingly, social media is taking on a bigger role and influencing food options offered, restaurant design and marketing.” The best way to stand out, according to this piece, is to serve outrageous, out of the ordinary dishes that actually taste good. To continually stay relevant, restaurants must keep innovating and creating new stand-out, trendy foods – as well as have strong branding and design. If done right, “a strong social media presence can help restaurants and other businesses engage with a much wider audience and attract new customers they may not have had access to before.” 

Based on these articles and my experience as a food influencer, I’ve developed three action items you should consider when trying to optimize your restaurant for social media. 

Be Original – By now, foodies have seen a million crazy milkshakes on their feed; instead of following in the footsteps of past trends, create an innovative dish that hasn’t been done before.

Make It Tasty –  Obviously, the food has to look good, but that doesn’t mean taste doesn’t matter; beautiful food will bring customers in, but delicious food will keep them coming back.

Don’t Skimp Elsewhere – Just as important as the pretty food is the décor and ambiance of your restaurant; add a cool mural, make the bathroom eye-catching or use unique table clothes for even more social coverage.

The next time you’re thinking about leveraging Instagram for your restaurant, remember the above tips to creating a lasting social impact.   

Lucy Dwyer is a senior at Northwestern University studying Journalism, Integrated Marketing Communications and Sociology. You can find her on Twitter and LinkedIn, or follow her food adventures on Instagram as @thefoodiefriend.  

Fast Food Marketers: Can Your Restaurants Afford to Stomach Another Bad Year?

If you're in the fast food industry, you are probably seeing a gradual decline in market share as more fast casual competitors enter the market.

As an Integrated Marketing Communications student in Northwestern’s Masters Degree program at Medill, informed on the latest marketing trends, I have identified two articles that can help you compete against these fast casual establishments.

As the economy changes, most fast food chains are not giving enough attention to potential high-value consumers, as Leslie Patton says in her article Have We Reached Peak Burger? These consumers are more health-conscious, have higher incomes, and are part of the generation of millennials who will soon become the drivers of the economy. Fast casual restaurants, like Chipotle and Protein Bar, on the other hand, are capitalizing on opportunities to appeal to these markets by providing customizable menu items, fresher ingredients, and healthier options. 

Similarly, in her article 4 Reasons Chipotle Is Destroying Fast Food, Ashley Lutz says that millennials are connecting with fast casual restaurants that give customers the ability to customize their meals. Quick service restaurants are also losing market share as health conscious consumers prefer to eat at fast casual restaurants, which they feel offer higher-quality ingredients rather than throwing new items on the menu, which can be distracting and cause longer wait times. 

From my examination of these two articles and my studies in the Medill IMC program, I recommend considering the following to grow your fast food business and reconnect with your target consumers.

1. Allow for customization - Millennials love the ability to create their own meal experience, and this also allows for health-conscious diners to build a more nutritious option.

2. Stick with classic menu items - As the old saying goes, quality is better than quantity; rather than overwhelming customers with too many menu options, enhance your existing offering with higher-quality ingredients and excellent service.

3. Improve efficiency - Give your customers the quick turnaround they expect by utilizing new technology and operational means that will improve efficiency and make your customers happier.

By following these steps, fast food giants have a fighting chance against their fast casual competitors to win millennial and other audiences in this day and age of ever-changing consumer tastes. Despite recent struggles with connecting to target markets, your success will largely depend on your response to the changing economy and consumer preferences.

Grace is a part-time IMC student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She currently works in an analytical role at Walgreens corporate office. With a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations from Loyola University Chicago, Grace has a background in marketing for nonprofit as well as B2B organizations. As a millennial herself, she is interested in marketing to this increasingly influential generation and is passionate about all things food. 

Contact Grace through Twitter @gracechen92.

Restaurateurs: When do Smartphones Have a Place at the Dinner Table?

Today, the way we pay our bills continues to evolve as mobile alternatives are increasingly gaining traction in the market and even at the dinner table.  As a marketing professional who works in the payments industry as well as a graduate student in Northwestern University's Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program, I'd recommend two articles to help you learn more about what's developing in this space.

In The Washington Post, Hayley Tsukayama recently wrote about the popular website and mobile app OpenTable's roll out of mobile payments in the article, "Sick of waiting for your check? OpenTable's smartphone app will allow you to pay and leave."  Although it has traditionally been known as a place to easily make reservations, search for restaurants and even read reviews, OpenTable is now expanding its capabilities.  Tsukayama discusses how this new feature will improve the dining experience, as consumers will no longer have to wait for their check.  It also frees up servers' time, as this app alleviates the time consuming responsibility of correctly timing presenting the check to diners.  The service, which started in New York and San Francisco, is now rolling out in the DC area.  Popular restaurants like Top Chef superstar Bryan Voltaggio's Aggio and Family Meal are participating in the program.

EasyPayDirect.com

The article "Restaurants poised to accept Apple Pay," in Nation's Restaurant News, Ron Ruggless discusses additional insight into the evolving payments options for restaurants.  This article emphasizes the quick adaption of Apple Pay at fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Panera.  It also discusses that Apple Pay is already on its way to integrate with OpenTable as an option for independent restauranteurs.  Like other mobile payment systems, Apple Pay is designed to improve the customer experience to expedite the payment process.  In this case, it can be beneficial to both casual and more upscale restaurants.

After reviewing these two articles and based on my professional experience, here are three recommendations to make sure your customers have a positive experience when they pay their check.

1. Talk to your customers.  This might be the most important recommendation.  These are the people that you care about the most and are crucial for your success.  Find out what they're looking 

for and their likes and dislikes when they go to pay their bill.

2. Check out your competitors.  It's always important to stay ahead of the competition.  If you attract a younger demographic, as you know, mobile is becoming increasingly important.  Get ahead of the curve now to see what type of systems you should consider.

3. Do your homework.  No, I am trying to bring up calculus nightmares, but rather encourage you to do research!  If you already use OpenTable for reservations, consider talking to them about their payments platform or see if there are other mobile offerings in the marketplace that might be of interest.  Your customer and competitor research will also help with this.

Although food and ambiance are always important, customers often care about more.  Make the end of the dining experience as impressive as the host's initial greeting.  Get started now and explore new mobile payment options in the marketplace.

Outside of her cubicle job in the payments industry, Lisa Silverman enjoys eating her way around Chicago's neighborhoods.  A Baltimore area native, she's currently pursing a master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications through Northwestern University's Medill School.  Connect with Lisa @las0107.