In The Weeds

It's never too early to start the marketing process for your restaurant. I literally mean to start the process the day you sign the lease. The day you have the keys to the building. The day you can hang up a banner in the window or on the fence or building. Start building a database and the following.

Is it vodka, is it Bourbon? How about rum or cognac? What's the next big trend in the bar industry? Staying ahead and industry trends is the key to a successful restaurant. I don't mean changing the theme of your restaurant. Just being a bit flexible and understanding the direction of the industry can make or break you. In this episode I will talk about what the next big thing is at the bar.

What is the real problem facing restaurants? Is it food, labor, or something else? Is it multiple items? Well, I have my answer and I'll share it in this episode. It might not be what you think it is!

Restaurant offers can be highly beneficial to drive business into a restaurant. And restaurant offers can also be a detriment to the restaurant business. And a lot of restaurant operators don't want to give anything out for free. Believe me, I don't want to give out free stuff either. In this episode, I'll talk about how to do an offer or promotion the right way in the wrong way. I'll break it down to the acquisition cost and ROI on a promotion.

Meet Tory Nelson. Tory is tearing up the craft beer scene in Colorado. Learn the ins and outs of owning the most draft lines in Colorado!

Today I have a guest Michel Falcone. We're gonna talk about building your dream team. Well, most companies are complaining that they are short-staffed let's talk about what you can do about it. Michel Falcone owns restaurants in Canada and is expanding very quickly. He is expanding and building amazing teams at each location. He is going to drop some amazing knowledge on team building. Enjoy

Are freebies killing your business? Is it training your guests to only shop with when you have coupon? There are many operators that are dead set against offers. Most operators don't want to discount a single thing. I'll jump into when you shouldn't and when you should in this episode.

You can't rebrand your restaurant unless you know how to run a restaurant to begin with. Well my guest in this episode, Kristjan Kristjansson, knows how to do both very well! Kristjan is up north in Canada and took his family's decades-old restaurant and totally re-built it. For those of you afraid of change you really need to listen to Kristjan's story. We went a bit longer than normal, but it was so worth it.

Today's guest is Bart Hubbuch. Bart has a great success story. This is Bart's first go-around in the restaurant industry. Let's find out how he's doing four years in. Bart is the owner of Memphis Seoul in Brooklyn. His fusion concept merges Korean and southern cooking. Bart has some great advice for even seasoned Restaurant owners.

This is a very common mistake that's lots of business owners make, especially restaurant owners. I don't blame them, we are taught to watch expenses. The restaurant industry is a tough industry to make money in. There's always a knee-jerk reaction when it comes to where money is going. However many restaurant operators have it wrong. They are treating an investment as an expense. And when you cut this expense you hurt the guest and future sales. What's the saying, “Pennywise dollar foolish”. Check out my latest episode of In The Weeds it might change your mindset.

I seem to get flack for this technique I use to control labor. It's a very untraditional way of cutting labor in the restaurant industry. But once restaurant operators try it they come back and thank me.  

Let's talk marketing in this episode. Again everything you do is marketing. In the short episode, I'll talk about something that's super important. You probably already know it. But you have to hear it again.  

Imagine a group of thirsty runners are standing outside of your brewery and not one single one wants to have a beer with you. And it's not because you have terrible beer. It's because you have terrible community involvement.

I swear some businesses still use smoke signals for marketing. From no website, unclaimed business listings to no social media. But most of us know the importance of these and we are doing some of them. And yes it's tough to keep up. That's why you really should listen to this episode. There is one online business listing that most of you are not on. I'll reveal all in this short 11-minute episode.

Are you marketing your business? Or how are you marketing your business? And are you marketing your business the proper way? And of course we all think marketing is placing a print ad, putting an ad on Facebook, sending out an email, placing a Google ad, etc... And most of that cost money. And a lot of us are watching what we're spending. So in a sense, we don't really consider ourselves to be marketing or business if we cut these expenses out. In this episode I will talk about how you are marketing your business already without knowing it.

I come in contact with a lot of salespeople. And lately, I've been hearing of this technology advancement for sales professionals. And I personally think it's stupid. If I did this with my salespeople, also known as waitstaff, I would upset a lot of guests.

For years I've been fighting this productivity technique. I always thought it wasn't for me. Like most of us my day can turn chaotic instantly. I've seen all of my friends do this technique and I've always thought I couldn't do it. Well I'm here to report what's happening since I've succumbed to this productivity technique.

Open table can be a fantastic reservation tool for restaurants. But I can also cost you money at the same time. If you're currently using Open table now then you don't have much to worry about. But if you wants had Open table connected to your reservations then you're definitely going to want to Listen to this short episode. I guarantee you will get more reservations.

Why do some managers perform and others fizzle? In this episode I will talk about the top 10 key factors for every great restaurant manager.

Common hospitality business practice is that the guest is always right. Seems like we're drilled us in from a very early stage in our training. And then we always hear about chefs that kick people out of their restaurants. In the back of the mind we kind of admire them. But what if you are one of them. Is it right, is it wrong? Is the guest always right?

Aroma Thyme Bistro presents Wine Thyme Live hosted by the Hudson Valley's premier green-certified entrepreneurs Marcus and Jamie Guiliano. So grab a glass of your favorite vino, sit back, relax, and travel with them sharing their passion discovering unique vineyards, outstanding wines, delicious food, and a great adventure.

Most of us restaurant owners deal with lots of different types of sales people in many different industries from Food to liquor to electric. But have we ever stopped and really analyzed the successful versus the unsuccessful sales people that we deal with? And the most important question is what is the take away. Can we actually learn and model from the best sales people that we deal with. And how can we adapt that to the way we market and sell to our guests?

After a year-long unintentional break from recording this podcast, I'm back. I'm going to talk about the pitfalls of inconsistency. Yes, the same inconsistency that I was the last year on recording this podcast and sharing valuable information. I'll also be talking about my new book of the lessons that I've learned during Covid in the restaurant world. I'm super excited to be back.

Law School to Restaurant Owner

Conversations with Jeffrey Bancroft. We talked about Mastering A Rotating Menu.

Conversations with Bill Tobin, Co-Owner of Tiki's Grill & Bar. We talked about Mastering Working on Your Business.

Meet Donna Massaro from The Freight House Cafe on Mahopac NY. Donna talks to us about picking the right location, farm to table and taking chances.

In The Weeds with Josh Sapienza. Josh managed all types of restaurants for 20 plus years. Now he helps them become profitable with his consulting business. But what's really exciting is his new food app. It profiles your personal flavors in food and makes smart recommendations for patrons. You must listen to find out more...

The ins and outs of opening a restaurant with a niche cuisine. Miguel Trinidad opened a Filipino Restaurant after backpacking for months in the Philippines.

Conversations with J. Troy Hooper, Founder and CEO of Kiwi Hospitality Partners. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Pam Goodwin is an expert on real estate and restaurants. Dive into build-outs, location searching, guest expectations and standing out in a crowded restaurant scene. www.PamGoodwin.com

Loop Hole in the New Jersey BYO LawDebbie and Gus run a seasonal restaurant on the Jersey Shore. Learn how they get around the BYO laws in NJ. Plus their social media success along with Debbie's extensive wine background. Find them at https://kitchen330.com. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with the owner of Muscle Maker Grill Ehab Abuhamoud. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with CEO and Founder, Prof. Johanna Sophia at Johanna's Raw Foods PBC. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with Ana Santos-Vitelo, Restaurant General Manager at Brazil Express Grill, Schaumburg, Illinois. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with Mikial Roig. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with JR Jacobson, Owner of The Noble Dog Bham, LA. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with Stjepan Jozipović, Restaurant Business Consultant from Croatia.Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with Chief Executive Officer, Francis Perdue at Perdue Inc.Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

Conversations with Paul Patiño, Hotel Manager at The Saguaro Palm Springs. Palm Desert, CaliforniaHosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.

From small brewpub to the top 10 craft brewers in the US. Let's chat with Gary from Deschutes Brewery. He talks about his very first wholesale account to taking his beer across America.

Conversations with Chief Executive Officer, Ali A. Gonzalez at New School of Cooking. Ali A. Gonzalez is an Executive Culinary Leader with 25+ Years of Experience in Restaurant, Education, & Catering Settings. Hosted by Chef Marcus Guiliano, International Business Speaker, Author, Forbes Business Council & Restaurant Owner.