The Food and Beverage Magazine Guide to Restaurant Success

8Getting the Word Out that You're Open for Business

You have now been open for business for at least two or three weeks since your soft opening, you have stopped panicking and are able to breathe. Money should be coming in and, hopefully, you're almost breaking even on a daily basis by this point. You're not going to be able to start paying back the opening expenses yet, and you may still have slow days, so be prepared, and don't freak out. The operation of the restaurant should certainly be going more smoothly. You will now collect data on your customers, and you are keeping to-do lists for the restaurant. Once you feel comfortable, you can plan for the grand opening and really put your marketing into action.

Every person you meet can become one of the 3,000 people you need in your database to make your business succeed. These are customers, not just people who know your restaurant exists. You need 3,000 people who have walked in and spent a dollar or more in your place. Marketing, public relations, and advertising dollars will keep those numbers moving upward, and that's what this chapter is all about.

The Big Reveal: Who Should You Invite to Your Restaurant?

The short answer is to invite everyone you know to your grand opening, along with their friends and friends of friends.

The long answer is the same, but you should have compiled a list with data about your customers, and now you will need to make that list even longer with potential customers.

As you know, I love ...