Everybody loves a good story. In foodservice today, shaping and sharing your brand story is critical to success, helping differentiate your restaurant in a crowded marketplace. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe most critical job of the restaurant brand story is to humanize the brand, particularly with younger consumers like millennials and Generation Z,\u201d says Maeve Webster of Burlington, Vermont-based Menu Matters, a consultancy for manufacturers and operators. <\/p>\n
Those younger generations are demanding transparency and authenticity, Webster says. They\u2019re looking for connections and shared experiences, and they view dining experiences as a form of self-expression. Restaurants need to explore their origin, theme, or passion, she maintains.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour story, if it\u2019s compelling and an honest representation, can generate buzz and create loyalty,\u201d says Webster, who spearheaded major industry studies during her 15-plus years at Datassential. <\/p>\n
Before you can promote your brand, craft your story. \u201cWhy are you here? Why did you open? Very often, the reason independents open is a very personal, engaging story. Share that,\u201d Webster says.<\/p>\n
Are you using recipes given to you by your grandmother? Did you come from a farming family background? Is all your food homemade? The goal is to build an emotional bridge to your consumers. \u201cIf everything on your menu is sustainable, that needs to be the story,\u201d she says. \u201cKeep it focused, honest and engaging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve articulated your brand story, take it to market: menu language, signage, training, marketing materials, public relations, media relations, investor relations. She suggests maximizing marketing dollars by tying your efforts to your story. \u201cIf your story is farm-to-table, then do community events that support local farms. Have a presence at farmers\u2019 markets. With everything around your story, ask yourself: What is the guest getting out of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Schuler\u2019s Restaurant & Pub is a four-generation, family-owned restaurant in Marshall, Michigan, that has served customers since 1909. Nestled in small-town culture, the restaurant has a good story and knows how to tell it. \u201cWe have a strong heritage of hospitality,\u201d says Hans Schuler, CEO and third-generation member of the Schuler family to work at the restaurant. That value shouldn\u2019t be such a point of difference, but today it is. \u201cWe say, \u2018Welcome to Schuler\u2019s,\u2019 and we mean it,\u201d he says. It\u2019s that old-fashioned cordial warmth that has helped keep the restaurant successful for 107 years and counting. <\/p>\n
Another key to the restaurant\u2019s success is conveying that brand story of family, heritage, tradition, and nostalgia. \u201cSchuler\u2019s logo, from its graphic design to its color scheme, evokes feelings of history, value, and trust,\u201d Schuler says. \u201cIncorporating the founding year of 1909 into the logo shows pride while identifying the restaurant as a centennial property.\u201d <\/p>\n
To reach younger consumers, Schuler\u2019s leverages social media to tell its story and promote new offerings. The restaurant incorporates \u201c1909\u201d into its Twitter handle. And a recent Throwback Thursday on Schuler\u2019s Facebook page shared a black-and white-photo of Win Schuler interacting with guests more than 50 years ago. In this one post, the brand succeeds in personalizing its story for consumers, sharing its narrative of nostalgia, longevity, and hospitality via a modern medium that speaks the same language as millennials and Gen Z. <\/p>\n
Menu mainstays like Schuler\u2019s Classic Roast Prime Rib of Beef and Schuler\u2019s Barbeque Meatballs bring guests back time and again, delivering delicious food and a hearty serving of tradition. Those classics help anchor the story in the past, reinforcing the brand\u2019s story of heritage. <\/p>\n
But as strong as its story of tradition is, staffers know this famous institution needs to evolve to attract younger diners like the hugely important millennials. \u201cWe keep the best, and we marry it with today,\u201d Schuler says. Newer menu items reflect changing flavor preferences, keeping the brand story relevant in today\u2019s marketplace while staying true to its menu focus. And storytelling plays a role, too, as entr\u00e9e staples such as Schuler\u2019s Fish and Chips evolve\u2014a menu callout notes the dish is now prepared with \u201chometown Dark Horse beer-battered Atlantic cod.\u201d <\/p>\n
Make it relevant.<\/strong> It\u2019s your story, but you\u2019re telling it to illustrate how you serve a consumer need. Wrap up the story by explaining how it leads to a superior dining experience for guests. <\/p>\n Make it personal. <\/strong>Engage with customers on an emotional level. Use informal, but still professional language\u2014\u201cwe,\u201d \u201cour,\u201d \u201cus.\u201d<\/p>\n Make it brief.<\/strong> Aim for no more than three paragraphs of three sentences or less.<\/p>\n Make it clear.<\/strong> Delineate no more than two specific points of differentiation that will engage your customers on an emotional level. These can include anything from food quality to service attitude to signature dish to location. <\/p>\n Make it last.<\/strong> Make sure you can live with\u2014and live up to\u2014this story for a long time to come. Consumers value stability and consistency of a story over time.<\/p>\n Make it true.<\/strong> Authenticity and transparency are paramount for today\u2019s consumer. Don\u2019t make promises you can\u2019t keep.<\/p>\n I was in a corner cafe in Los Angeles not long ago, where the owner and executive chef came out to our table to help us better understand the menu and her restaurant concept, a build-your-own grain-based bowl eatery. She spoke languidly and with care as she described her upbringing and the role she played in making and serving the family meals. Due to a scarcity of ingredients and a love of comfort food, she would create homemade bowls of steaming rice or porridge filled with vegetables she had hand-picked from the family garden. Her hands held out in the shape of a bowl, she went on to tell us about how she would ultimately open a restaurant based on this concept, because she wanted to surround herself with that taste of home and comfort, and nourish others the way she had done for her family. And that\u2019s the story she tells her customers, with ease and authenticity.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Your story, if it\u2019s compelling and honest, can generate buzz and create loyalty<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[111,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStorytelling in action<\/h3>\n