Rolling Stone is making its red carpet premiere this summer at the Hollywood & Highland Center with the opening of its first restaurant and lounge, but it won’t be the only rock star on that mall’s stage. That’s because Rolling Stone is set to open its doors just as Hard Rock Café is scheduled to launch a restaurant and live event venue in the same center – in a first-ever competition between the two iconic names.
Before you’ve even opened, all these odds are stacked against you. The name is not enough. The brand name brings in the customer for the first time; the quality of the product keeps them coming back.
Casual dining mom-and-pops haven’t been hurt as much by the recession, mainly because people feel a strong connection to the businesses. Becoming a local leader and integral part of the community, versus a faceless chain, can go a long way to developing customer loyalty.
As restaurant consultants we are required to explain to clients o a daily basis what we mean when we say that ‘a customer does all the work’ in a restaurant, not the operator. Whilst the concept is initially indigestible for an operator, it is nevertheless true. The customer does all the work.
Marketing to gay and lesbian tourists makes sense. This gives us a competitive advantage against our neighbors in L.A. Not only that, but the campaign offers gay and lesbian tourists a destination where they can feel welcome. Why wouldn’t they come to see what it is like to be in a city of equal opportunity?
OnSite Consulting references those restaurants offering ‘unbeatable offers’, we have for some time been expressing concerns that dropping prices or offering ‘unbeatable deals’ is not the quick fix that venues need. These offers rarely bring in the level of new business expected, the restaurant often carries the loss associated with such loss leading discounts for a long period of time and returning to a price point which does make sense for the business can be deeply unpopular.
