Top Marketing Trends

By Lisa Jennings, West Coast Bureau Chief for Nation’s Restaurant News

With the battle for market share expected to get even tougher next year, restaurant operators will have to be smarter in how they target “influencers” — people others turn to for restaurant advice — to drive traffic.
So says Carin Galletta Oliver, president of the San Francisco-based world-of-mouth marketing agency Ink Foundry, who predicts six restaurant marketing trends for 2012 — plus one trend she contends restaurant operators should rethink in the new year. Ink Foundry has worked with restaurant brands such as Bonefish Grill, Fogo de Chao, California Pizza Kitchen, Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill and Carl’s Jr.

Consumers are growing ever more selective about restaurant choices as they cut back on dining out occasions, Oliver said.

“They’re going to want to feel they’re making a safe choice,” she said. “And that puts more pressure on restaurant operators to make a connection.”

Oliver predicts five key tactics restaurant operators will use next year:

Data. The number of tools that allow restaurant operators to collect information about social media, public relations, e-mail marketing and advertising is growing. Savvy restaurant operators are also collecting data on their customers in various ways.

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Food Trucks: Cravings

Food Trucks are a new trend in food service that is really catching on! Now and then FRL Magazine will highlight a successful food truck. We are starting this new feature with Cravings. Cravings serves delicious and fast food to go in downtown Tallahassee. FR&L Magazine visited with Johnathon Sellers (the co-owner) and the folks from Cravings to get their perspective on this hot trend.

What is the Story Behind Cravings?
We like to eat. We are also often on the go because like most students we are either: A. Running late for class or an appointment after hitting the snooze button five times instead of once or B. Well, let’s just refer to Point A. Motivated by the downturn of the 2009 recession, we bought a 1985 Chevy step van (Lazarus) in June 2010 with the hope of recreating the food truck culture that had taken America by storm. More than anything we wanted to capture the American dream so many before us had claimed.

Describe your menu.
Someone once described our menu as Southern Eclectic. I suppose because even though we serve shrimp and grits, we also serve chicken and waffles with our special twist on it.

Who are your customers?
Our customers/Cravers are awesome. The majority of them represent the student and young professional population of Tallahassee but we’re expanding to families by partnering with organizations like Pop Warner (youth football).

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Cool Web Pages: Jaxson's Ice Crea Parlor

Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant has a cool web page!  From great photos of ice cream creations and snazzy menu items, to videos, photos and ratings by travel authorities such as Zagat, this web page has it all!  Check it out for a little fun at www.jaxsonsicecream.com.

Cool Apps: Urbanspoon

Urbanspoon is a highly-rated app available for iPhone, iTouch or iPad.  It provides users with local restaurant information and covers the US, Canada and urban areas of the UK and Australia.  Using GPS, it locates eateries in user’s area.  Users can read and write reviews, look at pricing, network with friends, and make reservations.  This ultra-popular app will drive traffic to you!  Check it out:  www.urbanspoon.com

National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Top 20 Menu Trends*

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Healthful kids’ meals
4. Hyper-local items
5. Sustainability as a culinary theme
6. Children’s nutrition as a culinary theme
7. Gluten-free/food allergy-conscious items
8. Locally produced wine and beer
9. Sustainable seafood
10. Whole grain items in kids’ meals
11. Newly fabricated cuts of meat
12. Farm/estate-branded items
13. Food trucks/street food
14. Artisan spirits
15. House-made/artisan ice cream
16. Health/nutrition as a culinary theme
17. Non-traditional fish
18. Fruit/vegetable kids’ side items
19. Children’s mini-meals (i.e. smaller versions of adult menu items)
20. Culinary cocktails

*Results from the National Restaurant Association’s “What’s in 2012” survey of nearly 1,800 professional chefs.  To see results of the entire survey visit: www.restaurant.org/foodtrends.

The Food Network's South Beach Wine and Food Festival

The Food Network’s South Beach Wine and Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE will be held February 23-26, 2012.  SOBEWFF will be hosted by Southern Wine and Spirits of Florida and Florida International University and will benefit FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.  In 2011, attendance at the Festival grew to 55,000.  With 35 to 40 events, the Festival touches all of the bases of the food and drink industries.  There is no doubt that your favorite chef, sommelier, culinary professional or mixologist will be attending!  For more information about the Festival visit 2012.sobefest.com.

LivingSocial/FRLA Relationship To Promote Online Marketing Efforts

LivingSocial has announced a new relationship with The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association  to further educate Florida restaurant operators about the benefits of online marketing. As part of the sponsorship, LivingSocial will have a presence at FRLA chapter and statewide events and become one of the go-to marketing industry resources for the association.

LivingSocial provides restaurateurs with an effective, measurable marketing platform to attract and retain new customers. From Instant to Daily Deals to high-end Gourmet experiences, LivingSocial offers a full suite of services to help food service merchants expand their reach and interact with new customers in ways they can customize for their needs.

“We look forward to our partnering with LivingSocial to provide additional guidance to our members about the various marketing options available to improve their bottom line,” said Carol Dover, President/CEO of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. “We see this relationship as an opportunity to assist our members in taking full advantage of the many benefits social media marketing has to offer.”

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Staymonkey.com

New Site to Educate Consumers on Differences Between Resorts and Rentals from Individuals

by Michelle F. Lacewell, APR

It’s hot and you’re sandy. You’ve walked back from the beach in the warm summer sun and you’re ready to get back into the air conditioning and relax before dinner. But, you have just realized you forgot your room key. You’re locked out. You call the front desk of the resort for assistance only to be told they cannot help you. Without their help, what are your options?

After trying to pry the door open you notice a tree which reaches your balcony. You decide to climb the tree to get back into your condo. Trying not to draw attention to yourself as you climb, you think, minus your dignity what else have you sacrificed by renting your vacation condo from an individual and not the resort where you are staying?

Though it may sound farfetched, it’s not. During the summer of 2010 at a resort on Panama City Beach, Florida a vacationer did exactly that because she did not rent her condo through the resort. She rented her vacation condo from an individual owner through a website similar to VRBO.

With the lodging industry becoming greatly influenced by owners renting their units directly to consumers, advocacy for professional hotel, lodging and rental management companies is needed. With the story above in mind, and the complex nature of this issue, Staymonkey.com was born.

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Cool Web Pages

What is foursquare™?

With 10 million users and availability in 6 different languages, foursquare™ is a social networking site that allows users, who must be registered with the network and using a mobile phone, to “check in” and get points or “badges” for checking in.  In addition, users can “connect” with friends.

As a business owner, encouraging your patrons to join foursquare™ and check in at your business may drive traffic to you. Visit www.foursquare.com for more information!

Top Trends

Ethnic Cuisines and Flavors
1)    Regional ethnic cuisine
2)    Ethnic fusion cuisine
3)    Southeast Asian cuisine (e.g. Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, Malaysian)
4)    Peruvian cuisine
5)    Latin American/Nuevo Latino cuisine

In Appetizers
1)    Ethnic/street food-inspired appetizers (e.g. tempura, taquitos, kabobs, hummus)
2)    Amuse bouches/bite-size hors d’oeuvres
3)    Warm appetizer salads
4)    Appetizer combos/platters
5)    Dumplings/dim sum