Michael F. Carmichael
July 21, 2011
It seems as though everyone has a personal Facebook page and a corporate fan page and hundreds, if not thousands of Twitter followers. Except restaurants.
According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), repeat customers represent more than 70 percent of the business done by all but “fine dining” establishments – and there it’s 60 percent. “How many times do we have to say this?” asks the Association in its recent annual report to its members. Apparently the answer seems to be “a lot.” Many restaurants – whether they are full service with wait staff; quick service, where you place your order and then eat at a table; and even ‘off-premises’ or carry-out operations – are lagging behind when it comes to connecting with the 70-plus percent of their customers via even the simplest forms of social media.
In a survey conducted in 2010 the NRA found that more than 8 out of 10 of their frequent diners were “social-media savvy” – but they’re not planning on connecting with them anytime soon, however… they’re “likely to incorporate several social media tools within their business in the next year or two.” Given the speed of change in the social media sphere “the next year or two” is akin to saying they’ll trade in their Edsels when the warranty runs out.
One mid-sized Midwest group of restaurants has embraced social media to the point where they have nearly 30,000 Facebook fans and a couple thousand Twitter followers. Olga’s Kitchens has outlets in Ohio, Illinois and Michigan and, in addition to promoting specials and new products, they link to their YouTube videos of their new commercials. They also “give back to the community” by promoting special days for local charities to encourage their members to have a sandwich or Orange Cream Cooler and 25 percent of the net goes directly to the charity. More than $50,000 has been raised this way.