Every Restaurant Needs A Customer Database - Part 1: Value

Having a database is like having my very own, personal goldmine. Because I’m able to contact the people who enjoy my services, I can build a long-lasting relationship with them. I’m able to announce specials, send news and also create a dialogue that allows me to learn more about them… in a way that helps me serve them better.

The same goes for restaurant owners: by not maintaining a customer database, they’re literally throwing money out the window.

Knowing the names and contact information of customers makes marketing easier, but there is another fact about databases that 99.99% of restaurateurs don’t consider…

Having an up-to-date customer database can easily quadruple the value of your business.

If you’re ever thinking of selling the business or expanding it as a franchise, having the ability to tell the new operator exactly who eats at the restaurant and how they can get in touch with them is invaluable. It just makes running the business easier.

But what if you’re not itching to sell? There are a near infinite number of ways to work with current guests to boost profits. We’ll be talking about those in future articles, so stay tuned.

CouponCuisine: Gainesville Introduction

After a lot of debate and talking with a number of people we’ve decided to make Gainesville, FL the official city for CouponCuisine’s introduction.

CouponCuisine has nearly 2,000 registered members that are hoping to receive coupons from their favorite local restaurants. Over 100 of those members are in Gainesville and surrounding areas.  These members heard about CouponCuisine through a “pre-launch” we did for the general public in May 2007. It put us on the map and established the marketing strategy for the remainder of the year.

Students and families in these areas will especially be excited. Gainesville restaurant coupons will premier on CouponCuisine.com in October.

Restaurants in Gainesville, FL and our other “introductory cities” (Oklahoma City and Philadelphia) will receive exclusive “Charter Membership” discounts and benefits for being a part of CouponCuisine. By getting involved early, restaurateurs will be able to influence the direction of CouponCuisine with feature requests and one-on-one marketing advice.

Restaurateurs across the United States are invited to learn more about CouponCuisine’s restaurant Internet marketing system. Those who register for a free brochure will also receive unique benefits when their city is chosen to participate.

The Restaurant Revolution

It’s no secret that we’re living in “new times”. Exciting trends, technologies and opportunities are being made increasingly available to us… and the arena of restaurant marketing is no different.

The tried and true marketing and promotion methods aren’t going the way of the dinosaur, but restaurateurs are encouraged to keep their eyes peeled on the latest techniques. Internet marketing strategies can especially help build and manage business.

Restaurant Revolution is laying out the growth and expansion of the newest unique restaurant promotion service titled CouponCuisine.

The service is unlike anything currently available. It’s not a traditional “phone book clone” like most other restaurant marketing websites, and it’s also not a gift certificate sales system. Most importantly, it’s not generic ad-space similar to newspaper advertising.

CouponCuisine is a restaurant lead generation strategy.

The developers of CouponCuisine have been doing Internet marketing successfully by drawing customers to businesses in the “offline” world, away from the computer. This is not traditional “affiliate marketing” with banner ads or sending thousands of e-mails. No. Our proprietary technology has proven itself without such desperate measures, and will be used by restaurants across the United States and Canada.

Restaurant Revolution will also be covering and commenting on other items developing within the restaurant industry. Look for more news and updates throughout the coming weeks.