Is Your Restaurant Really Different…or Do You Just THINK It Is?

By Kevin Levi

Can you honestly say that your restaurant stands above the rest (in your area or culinary specialty)? In your heart of hearts you likely believe this is the case, but how can you be sure? I mean, how well do you really know the competition?

The best way to address these questions is to find out…for sure. You need to conduct (or have a consultant do it for you) a detailed analysis of you and your competitive landscape to compare establishments on a number of fronts – menu, style, ambiance, awards, chef, brand awareness and so on.

What you really need is what I call a “branding audit”. Without such an analysis, it’s hard to know for sure if your restaurant is truly appealing to your customers in terms of the competition. A branding audit will compare you to your top competitors in terms of key messages used on menus, websites, brochures, media coverage, etc. Once this competitive research is complete, you (or your consultant) must derive key insights that can help you better brand and promote your restaurant.

For example: Let’s say your analysis tells you that you are the only restaurant in your area that offers online reservations or frequent diner cards. With this information, wouldn’t you want to start really playing this up in your promotions, on your website, etc.? Sure you would! But would you really have taken the time to find this important information out on your own? Probably not. A branding audit will ferret all of these types of differentiators for you so you can better position your restaurant for increased and continued success.

Why is a branding audit so important?

1. Your marketplace is constantly evolving

2. Players come and go

3. Acquisitions and mergers occur

4. Competitors reposition or rebrand themselves in a different light

5. New leadership and chefs come aboard

6. Negative financial earnings news is released

7. Positive or negative industry coverage comes out

8. Industry awards are given

9. Positive and/or negative restaurant reviews are released

10. Your competition is consciously trying to make you fail (believe it!)

Just remember, in the end, it is far greater to know what’s going on around you than to merely think you do.

For more on How To Differentiate Your Business, click here.

To find out more about what a Brand Audit can do for you, call us 877-535-2324 for a free consultation.

To review a sample Brand Audit click here!

To get started on your own Brand Audit so that you have a more strategic view of the competition and what it means to your long term success, go here.

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