This people must be stupid, giving away their food like that. Don't they know they'll cannibalize sales? Don't they know they'll addict their customers to discounts?
Or, maybe, they have propped up a weaker evening. Maybe butts in seats is worth it to them on this day. After all, you can't take a percentage to the bank.
Only Ben & Jerry's knows, but it does seem like they are promoting a higher ticket item (sundaes, instead of cones) which introduces customers to more menu items (and creates more reasons for going).
It also looks like they are incentivizing customers to bring friends (read: introduce them to the product).
Ben & Jerry's has done similar promotions in the past. Most notably free ice cream day, scheduled just before the weather breaks in the Spring, which serves to jump start their season and create new habits.
Maybe we can learn a little something from them.
Saturday
Thursday
Rewarding Neighborhood Heroes
Corporate America and chains have taken over what used to be the purview of mom and pops, namely community involvement.
Starbuck's, Ben & Jerry's, and now, Citgo? Yes, Citgo. The gas station. Nominate yourself as a community hero and win a free gas card worth $2500.
So why wouldn't you, as a local restaurant owner, do something similar? It doesn't have to be grand, because you still have a leg up on corporate America: you can put a face with the gesture.
- Have your target audience (principals, HR directors, charity directors) nominate their employees and volunteers.
- Recognize a different person each week (in-store); their co-workers come with them to celebrate
- Recognize them in a wider forum in your email distribution (Bob G. of Smyrna was last week's Hero - raising over $15,000 for Children's Hospital, for example)
- At the end of the year, donate $1,000 (or more) to the charity of one of the year's 52 winners
Total cost: 52 x lunch (@ food cost) + $1,000 (about $100 per month)
Benefits: an easy conversation with community leaders (fire chief, principals, pta, volunteer coordinators), a strengthened relationship with their organizations, increased frequency of message and (hopefully) email sign up.
If you're the mayor of your village, you can steal these ideas, make them your own, and do them way better than the corporate monoliths. (BTW, corporate monoliths do these things for a reason.)
Starbuck's, Ben & Jerry's, and now, Citgo? Yes, Citgo. The gas station. Nominate yourself as a community hero and win a free gas card worth $2500.
So why wouldn't you, as a local restaurant owner, do something similar? It doesn't have to be grand, because you still have a leg up on corporate America: you can put a face with the gesture.
- Have your target audience (principals, HR directors, charity directors) nominate their employees and volunteers.
- Recognize a different person each week (in-store); their co-workers come with them to celebrate
- Recognize them in a wider forum in your email distribution (Bob G. of Smyrna was last week's Hero - raising over $15,000 for Children's Hospital, for example)
- At the end of the year, donate $1,000 (or more) to the charity of one of the year's 52 winners
Total cost: 52 x lunch (@ food cost) + $1,000 (about $100 per month)
Benefits: an easy conversation with community leaders (fire chief, principals, pta, volunteer coordinators), a strengthened relationship with their organizations, increased frequency of message and (hopefully) email sign up.
If you're the mayor of your village, you can steal these ideas, make them your own, and do them way better than the corporate monoliths. (BTW, corporate monoliths do these things for a reason.)
Tuesday
Regions Bank = Poor Customer Service
Went to change a $100 bill at a Region's Bank in Georgia today - since that's all I had and most small businesses can't change $100 without at least a little difficulty.
Cashier asked if I had an account, I said no (it was the nearest bank). He informed me that he couldn't help me because he wouldn't be able to reach me "in case he needed to afterward."
Nevermind that this is complete BS, I can understand that certain privileges are reserved for customers and used as an incentive to become one. But shouldn't certain courtesies be extended to entice others?
I was floored. I really couldn't believe this was the policy. . .I stared. . .for nearly 20 seconds.
Happy ending: the customer at the next bay, in disbelief himself, gave me change for my $100 bill.
Note: Regions has a PR firm that, no doubt, trolls the web looking for positive and negative statements about their company.
Here's a blog post for them to find. I'm going to log out so I can tweet a similar message, since I've already told at least 4 people (all in under an hour).
Cashier asked if I had an account, I said no (it was the nearest bank). He informed me that he couldn't help me because he wouldn't be able to reach me "in case he needed to afterward."
Nevermind that this is complete BS, I can understand that certain privileges are reserved for customers and used as an incentive to become one. But shouldn't certain courtesies be extended to entice others?
I was floored. I really couldn't believe this was the policy. . .I stared. . .for nearly 20 seconds.
Happy ending: the customer at the next bay, in disbelief himself, gave me change for my $100 bill.
Note: Regions has a PR firm that, no doubt, trolls the web looking for positive and negative statements about their company.
Here's a blog post for them to find. I'm going to log out so I can tweet a similar message, since I've already told at least 4 people (all in under an hour).
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