by Heather T. | Apr 28, 2025 | Business, Marketing, Observations, Operations, Social Media
A common complaint I get from clients, both personal, and business mentoring clients, is that they rarely have enough time to take lots of photos for marketing use. Here is an easy solution if you are running into that problem.
You can break most photos into at least three or four separate photos, and often many more, depending on the number of elements and objects. With the excellent photo capability of many of today’s cell phone cameras, clear auto-focused high resolution photos are very easy to get.
This is a simple thing you can do using your cell phone (or other source) photos and Canva.com. If you don’t have a Canva account yet, just start with the free version and many times for both personal and business use, that may be all you end up needing.
Step One is to create a base size for your image. It could be inches or pixels. It can be square, rectangular, vertical or horizontal. Use the image size and image format to best suit whatever project, whether it be digital marketing or print that you might need it for.
Step Two is to upload your photo (or other image, could be a graphic) to Canva.
Step Three is to insert your photo into your created image size.
Step Four is resize, zoom in, zoom out, move around the screen or flip.
Step Five is to see how many additional images you can create with one photo or graphic.
Here are a couple of examples of using one image and creating multiple images from one. I’m a big believer in keeping it easy peasy and this helps save time and extend any images you might have for marketing while keeping costs down. And these are AI generated purely to use for examples.
by Heather T. | Jan 1, 2025 | Bed and Breakfasts, Business, Food, Lodging, Marketing, Observations, Operations, restaurants
With the new year and possibly some additional challenges to the hospitality industry coming ahead, restaurants and lodging may want to think about some additional alterative ways to generate income.
I look at it this way: Plan for the Best but be Prepared for the Worst. If you are a Monty Python fan, you might recognize “No one plans for the Spanish Inquisition”. If you are not, do a little search on YouTube for the full sketch.
Many businesses don’t expect hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes or other disasters both natural and man-made, no one could have predicted the impact Covid had, no matter what side of the fence you sit on, it had a significant impact on the economy.
Something along those lines or other (aliens could take over the world, we really don’t know what’s out there in the universe, or there could be a solar flare, sadly even more realistic) could happen but the reality is, businesses should prepare, just in case. Again, Plan for the Best but be Prepared for the Worst (as a backup plan).
I advise businesses it doesn’t matter how well your business is doing. Never stop marketing and always be prepared. When you have a power outage for a couple of days, better to have a couple of gallons of water on hand than not. Think of this as having some extra water kicking around (just as a backup) and extra money in your pocket is never a bad thing to have.
For Lodging:
Staycations have been “in” for a while, but how many lodging establishments have actually created packages for them or created a marketing plan for them?
For Rooms: (If you have 6 rooms or more (or even less) but bookings are low:
- If you have extra rooms not regularly booked, consider offering them for monthly, quarterly, or longer-term rentals. Dedicated income is never a bad thing. Medical professionals, visiting doctors and nurses are having an ongoing time finding housing and they are great short term and longer term tenants.
- Office space or Co-working space. Massage therapists always seem to be looking for space rental (also something you can use in your advertising: massage therapist on site). I saw two “asks” in local Facebook forums just in the last couple of days.
- Inventory storage space for another local business and/or climate controlled storage space for rent.
- Studio space for artists (you could tie packages into an artist in residence).
- Counselors or therapist’s rental space.
- Nonprofit office space.
For Your Dining Room/Living Room/Other Space
- Rent out space as needed to photographers/videographers who may need space for photo/video shoots.
- Offer the space for local meetings or events. If the layout and setup is conducive to having a screen and projector setup available for meetings, consider buying a projector and screen. For under $300 you can purchase both for the needs of a smaller room, and if you rent them out to meetings even for $50 or less, you can quickly make your money back. Renting out a projector from a party planning business typically costs twice that. I’d recommend if you go this route and start doing a lot of meetings adding a backup projector to the mix. You can get refurbished older projectors affordably from Ebay and Amazon. Upsell it by offering coffee, tea and other refreshments or box lunches.
- Pop up shops for local crafters or indoor farmers’ market
- Consider the old style boarding house model, room and board for monthly or longer-term renters. Finding housing is at an all time need around the country and there are probably professionals who don’t have the time or desire to cook meals for themselves, plus in need of housing. Check your local zoning laws and state laws, but if your property is already a commercial business, this may just be getting another license for an additional type of food permit. In New Hampshire, a Bed and Breakfast license is $175 per year, a restaurant license for 25-99 seats is $350 a year. You may need some additional inspections or requirements but it might be worth looking into. If you have six rooms and rent two long-term or monthly at $50 a night, that generates about $1500 a month per room, or $36,000 a year for two. Is it worth it to you to cook an extra couple of meals per day and do some extra cleaning? Even with food and some extra time for laundry, something to chew on. Just like renting to a longer term renter, you would want to be selective of who you take in, but probably less trouble than some short-term rental guests who come from an online platform.
- During the day when the space is not being used, rent it out for yoga or mediation classes (again this could be a good advertising addon for your own business)
For Both Lodging and Restaurants:
- Rent out the kitchen for commissary kitchen space (when you are not using it). There are a lot of small food producers who are looking for commercial kitchen space to use. Connect with your local SCORE chapter, SBDC, or CWE offices and let them know, so they can let clients know you have space available. In New Hampshire for example, there are less than 5 commissary kitchen spaces for use by food producers, food trucks, small chef and catering companies and other food base companies like people who make dog biscuits, but have too much volume for a home kitchen. Cottage food laws may allow a dog biscuit business to bake at home in New Hampshire, but a personal chef making meal kits must use a commercially inspected commissary kitchen or other state inspected facility. In every state, there seems to be a lot less commissary kitchen space available than what the needs of small food businesses are looking for. I run into this frequently when working with food trucks and other small food independent food providers.
- Consider co-op buying with other local food type businesses. Many decades ago, when I was a chef on Cape Cod, we did this with some other local restaurants during the slow time of year. On Cape Cod in the busy seasons, we would do several hundred covers (dinners) per night on a weekend night, during the winter sometimes we would be lucky to do a dozen covers. The choice between shopping at a grocery store to keep the restaurant going was not an option because prices are higher than wholesale, so we banded together so we could make a broadliner’s (for those new or starting in the industry, a broadliner is a larger wholesale foodservice vendor) minimum order requirements which could be $400 per minimum order. B&Bs, hotels, bakeries, restaurants, cafes and caterers, as well as smaller food service businesses (like those mentioned above) could all take advantage of co-op buying to buy in bulk and keep costs down.
For restaurants:
For restaurants I wish I had a magic wand above and beyond renting out kitchen space for additional income to deal with high food costs and the ongoing employee shortage, but here are some ideas that you could try to bring in some extra revenue and try some things that are a little different to incentivize customers to patronize your establishment.
- This differs from just renting out kitchen space, more along the lines of renting out the full restaurant during any days you are not normally open. Consider the Restaurant-as-a-Service (RaaS) for other small businesses. Rent out your full facility out to chefs or starting entrepreneurs (suggested they have business insurance and ServSafe at a minimum) to test out limited time menus or food concepts. There is no lack of people who want to start a food truck and want to test out their menus in advance, or private chefs who may want to advertise their services more. You could use this as an additional marketing tool to create buzz for your business, and tie into additional cross promotions with any small business you might partner with.
- Offer Tasting Tuesdays (or any day of the week). Beer or Wine Tastings (on your closed days) with snacks or small plate meals. Coordinate with your beverage reps to help with promotions and products.
- Beer and wine flights have been a “thing” for awhile, but what about tea or coffee flights paired with desserts or other complimentary foods, like a tea flight paired with tea smoked fish and tea smoked vegetables and/or cheeses.
- Partner with food banks or pantries to donate excess or close to code food, reinforcing your community involvement. Helping your local community and being realistic here, it’s a good advertising hook, and if donating to a 501c3, a potential tax write off. You have 2 days left on 4 gallons of milk and business is slow and you will never use it all up in time…..
- Host cultural learning dining nights, a theme might be the food of India and have some education around the menu and the ingredients, history of the dishes, and more. A server can give an overview when guests are seated, and you can provide printed handouts or QR codes on menus or tabletop stands linking to more information about each dish, its ingredients, and preparation.
A few additional things I’ve seen getting traction in bigger urban areas and a few additional ideas as well.
Incentives for bring your own takeout containers to reduce your takeout container costs (plus it’s more eco friendly and good advertising hook.
Organize some interactive dining experiences, Dining in the Dark, for instance. Many years ago, my husband and I attended a benefit dinner where you ate a 4-course meal while blindfolded. The dinner benefited a New England Guide Dog organization; the organization covered all staff and food costs, and the restaurant kept income from drinks ordered before, during, and after the dinner. Prior to the dinner there was a cash bar and light hors d’oeuvres. The event was packed with a waiting list and I have to be honest, as an attendee, it was one of the most fun dinners I’ve ever had.
A few more:
Murder Mystery Dinners, Interactive Dessert Stations (if you have never seen anyone make ice cream with liquid nitrogen, it’s a blast to watch), escape room dining (diners have to solve puzzles to get access to drinks or courses), team building dinners, roll your own California/Nori rolls (with a demonstration and people to assist if needed). Themed dinners like time travel night (food from another era) or international cuisine night. Go whole hog and do a Star Trek themed night with foods that mimic foods found in Star Trek episodes (Gagh for example is made of serpent worms (in the show), it wouldn’t be hard to make pasta with a soy-based sauce that mimics the look (but not flavor 😊) of this traditional Klingon delicacy.) If you do a little search in Google or ChatGPT for food and drinks inspired by tv shows and movies, you came up with some fun ideas you could build whole themed nights around things like Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (Hitchhiker’s Guide) – Gin, lemonade, and a touch of absinthe or licorice liqueur, Twin Peaks Cherry Pie – A classic diner-style cherry pie with a flaky crust and Red Rum Cake (The Shining) – A rich red velvet cake with dark chocolate icing and many more.
In the coming months, I’ll try to suggest some additional revenue streams and ideas for restaurants to experiment with as well.
Happy New Year!
A Toast to the Hospitality World filled with dedicated, hardworking people who love food and the industry. May the coming year be filled with happy customers and guests, good reviews, and fresh opportunities to make a profit.
by Heather T. | Nov 19, 2024 | Bed and Breakfasts, Lodging, Marketing, Operations, Starting a Business
I’m looking forward to being at the Midwest Inns Association Innkeeping Conference the first week of December.
In advance of that I did a new version of my marketing checklist geared specifically towards Bed and Breakfasts that I hope some people might find helpful.
This list can be a guide for aspiring innkeepers OR for innkeepers that want to up their marketing game a little and maybe explore some things they haven’t thought of or tried prior.
This is meant to be a working document for innkeepers, so you can download this list in Excel, go the file menu and then to “download”. If you use Google docs/drive, you can also make your own copy to edit it by going to the file menu and then “make a copy”.
I know I promised to do “A questions to ask a Inn Broker“, and that’s coming next. In putting together questions, I thought it would be helpful to give some more explanation behind each question and it’s been turning from a short form blog post into a bit of a novel.
by Heather T. | Aug 30, 2024 | Business, Marketing, Observations, Operations, Reputation Management
Back in February of 2020, I wrote a post about a crisis management plan for social media (A Social Media Strategic Plan for Crisis. An Outline for Bed and Breakfasts and Other Businesses) I had written it a few years back for a business client and yesterday did a workshop on Reputation Management and was going to share the checklist I had made up.
In reviewing it, a LOT has changed in just four years (Yikes!), so I updated it with some new information, and wanted to put the new version out there so if it’s useful to anyone, I hope it is of help.
My feeling is that with all the shoot first and ask questions later (i.e. “your business did this” and it’s a hot button for people, but that may not be actually the real story) that goes on in social media and online reviews and discussion, it’s better to be prepared in case something does happen, with the hope it never does, then try to scramble to regroup after the fact.
Please keep in mind the reference links to Facebook and other social links change every few years, but they are up to date as of now. In the future, if a link has moved, it’s best to go into every platform’s help section and search for the topic and you will typically find an updated link.
The Chess Piece
The horse chess piece image speaks to me about this topic because the piece is probably, in my opinion, one of the strongest and can be used the most strategically, and it moves the most unconventionally compared to the other pieces. Many chess players consider it as a key piece in winning a game, but can also be one of the weakest. Because knights are bound by a fixed number of movements, they are particularly vulnerable to traps.
When dealing with an online social media crisis, a business can be the knight that saves itself or it can fall into the trap of handling things not the right way, making things worse OR getting complacent and thinking a crisis has passed and stops monitoring, or stops being prepared to deal with if is not “done”.
You can download the plan in (PDF) Social Media Strategic Plan for Crisis or MSWord Social Media Strategic Plan for Crisis or Google Docs (make a copy or download) Social Media Strategic Plan for Crisis. This is an outline and checklist to be changed, or tweaked as needed, and to customize it to your own business.
by Heather T. | Feb 12, 2024 | Business, Food, Marketing, Observations, Operations, restaurants
Recently there was an article on Eater. “Why not bring takeout containers to restaurants?” and I thought, wow this is such a great idea (not rocket science obviously) but I should start doing this. What a great way to save the environment and, by the way, save our favorite restaurants a few bucks in the bargain.
Which, of course, led to the inevitable 2 AM neurodivergent thought, OH!, how can a restaurant leverage this? There must be restaurants doing this already, and of course, there were and there are. Restaurants give discounts to diners who bring their own dishes (2019) and many more. One thing that I noticed though about the restaurants and other food service operations that offered this is there didn’t seem to be a ton of thought into “targeted” getting people back in the door. Some offered discounts off of a future meal, some off of a current meal, some free refills (for beverages) but not much real upselling.
From a customer funnel point of view, if you want to think about getting repeat customers back in the door, what’s the incentive to get them back in PLUS the incentive to spend more money?
I’d love to see a restaurant out there (and maybe there is, let me know!) who would offer the incentive “BYOC (Bring Your Own Container)” and get a voucher/coupon for a free coffee or tea and our signature dessert.
Why that? Coffee or tea doesn’t cost most to provide and if you created the incentive wisely a signature dessert could cost a few dollars or less to make. Tiramisu is cheap to make, so is a scoop of homemade (or a good prepared) mousse with some flavored whipped cream to zip it up. Dessert has a much higher profit margin on it typically than an entrée or appetizer.
If you just give them a discount or small incentive, it doesn’t do much for repeats, it can help, but what’s the upsell part of it?
If you get them to come in and get drinks, maybe an appetizer and a couple of entrees (make the must order an entrée as part of the small print on the coupon), it’s an incentive to get people in the door and spent money first.
Even if it’s a couple who come in regularly and they bring two takeout containers, give them two vouchers. If you look at it from the perspective of how is any different from giving them a $10 off coupon their next meal, it is different because your incentive is to give them something for free but they have to spend money first. Even without a couple ordering appetizers, if a couple’s tab is a couple of entrees (mid-priced restaurant average) 17.99 X 2, plus a couple of soft drinks (up the take if it’s beer or wine) 2.50 X 2, and the regular check average is $50.00 and you just “gave away” $3.50 in product, when it boils down to it that’s pretty inexpensive marketing. If your price points for your menu items are higher, the ratios are even better.
You actually get three birds with this: promoting eco-friendly practices, saving money on your own to go containers and getting people in the door for repeat dining. Even if you encourage regulars to give them to others, that’s not a bad thing, it increases brand awareness and you get the same result; you get more people in the door and they order the big-ticket items like entrees (and if your waitstaff is good at the in-person upsell, high profitably drinks).
If you are going to try any incentives like this, make sure they contribute to your bottom line.
I’ve seen too many restaurant coupons that just give a discount with no stipulations on use or no incentive to get people to buy more.
So if you create an initiative to bring in customers, track through what you get out of it. Is it a onetime sale, something that will get people to come in many times or something that will make people spend more money because of the incentive itself?
There were a couple of good articles I came across in searching for restaurants that did have to go container incentives that I think would be worth a read.
How can restaurants take advantage of sustainable packaging?
What Are Reusable Food Container Programs?
By the way, my first book just got released on Amazon this weekend in Paperback and on Kindle! Check it out! Finding a Location for your Restaurant: How to Scout the Perfect Location for your Dream of Opening a Restaurant or other Hospitality Business.
by Heather T. | Nov 8, 2023 | Food, Marketing, Observations, Operations, restaurants
A recent inquiry from an individual interested in gaining insights into my approach during restaurant audits inspired this post. While I can’t disclose specific client information due to confidentiality, I can give some examples of things I typically assess when evaluating a restaurant or other hospitality establishment.
It’s important to clarify that this pertains to my private business clients, not those from SCORE mentoring.
Whenever my husband and I dine out or when I’m out with friends or business associates, I tend to analyze various elements of the dining experience, including visuals, menu offerings and design, food quality, food presentation and service. It’s hard for me to turn off the evaluation gerbil wheel in my brain. But at least I’m easy to get along with while dining out because the food has to be really, really bad for me to complain.
I gave some examples of a recent dining experience my husband and I had, highlighting aspects I would typically take note of during a restaurant audit and thought I’d put them into print.
Please note that this covers only the front-of-house visual aspects and doesn’t come close to a comprehensive audit, which includes over 200 touchpoints or the examination of kitchen operations and food quality.
I always encourage owners and managers to “be” a customer and evaluate the space as often as possible. Sit at an empty table for a little while during service or at the end of the bar and just observe.
If you’re paying attention, you can always find room for improvement.
Here are a few things that we noted while dining that could use some TLC to enhance better guest/customer satisfaction, check averages, and tip averages.
Enhanced Specials Promotion:
As we entered the restaurant, we noticed a low-standing sandwich board with the day’s specials. Unfortunately, it wasn’t eye-catching for walk-in customers, and while we visually saw it on entering, we didn’t stop to read it, assuming that the specials would be repeated in some way when we sat down.
Our server and the server who came to take a neighboring tables order didn’t mention the specials without us specifically asking. The specials weren’t visibly posted inside or available in printed form. When we inquired, our server directed us to the board outside. In this scenario, the restaurant missed an opportunity to effectively promote its specials, and the server missed a chance to increase her tip by just verbalizing the specials instead of asking us to get up and walk halfway through the restaurant and around the corner to view them.
Seating Comfort Assessment:
An uncomfortably cold draft from a floor vent under our chair caught our attention. This is why I recommend that owners and managers sit in every seat within the restaurant in all seasons. They should evaluate whether the air conditioning or heating causes discomfort, whether drafts exist, and whether the music volume is excessive in certain areas. Adequate lighting for reading menus is also a key consideration.
Convenience in Restrooms:
Restrooms should have hooks and/or a small table in all-gender bathrooms for patrons to hang their bags or coats. Placing personal items on the floor is often considered unhygienic; in this instance, there was no space on the toilet tank or the narrow sink.
During colder months, having a place to hang coats is particularly appreciated. People may be entering the restrooms while waiting for a table and before they sit down (and may still have their coats on) or after paying the check and preparing to leave.
Safety Concerns in the Kitchen:
It’s important not to have glass drinking glasses in the kitchen on the line. Several times, we observed servers passing glasses of soda directly to line cooks through the pass-through window, and we could see them placed on the line right above the stove area. This practice can lead to accidents, such as glass breaking and falling into food. Proper safety protocols are essential, i.e., using plastic vs glass.
Discreet Refilling:
Refilling ketchup bottles from a #10 can in the dining area can be unappetizing to customers. Although ketchup has a long shelf life, it’s best not to expose the refilling process to patrons. Moreover, maintaining cleanliness and sanitization is crucial for the condiment containers. While many restaurants do this and ketchup has a very long shelf life, A. I don’t want to see it as a customer; I noticed because I notice these things, but most customers do notice and it sticks in their subconscious as an “ewwww” factor. B. I’d question when the last time these refilled bottles were cleaned out totally and sanitized. Our bottle was about ½ full, and my husband’s ketchup and my ketchup from the same bottle were two different colors of red.
Effective Upselling:
Our server missed opportunities for upselling both drinks and desserts. No ask to see if we would like coffee or dessert, just an ask if we wanted the check. Encouraging customers to explore the bar menu or offering dessert options at the end of the meal can significantly increase overall sales and enhance the dining experience.
Adequate Space Between Tables and Chairs:
While maximizing seating capacity is important for revenue, it’s equally crucial to ensure customer comfort and ease of movement. Waitstaff should have ample space to take orders, serve food and drinks, and clear tables without inconveniencing customers.
(If you were wondering about the above photo, this is a perfect example from the restaurant in question; how much room would there be if someone was sitting in the other seat? There is already not enough room to walk between chairs without bumping into the bag).
When laying out a dining room and estimating space, chairs should not pushed into the table but should be pulled out enough as if someone was sitting in each seat, plus some extra space for handbags or backpacks and coats to hang in the winter (especially if there is no coat rack, as in this case).
There is nothing worse for a customer than having to ask people not to just move their “stuff” but to actually have to get up so someone could get out to use the restrooms or to leave.
It’s even worse if you have waitstaff juggling hot food or a tray of drinks. If your dining room layout reminds you at all of a full flight in an airplane with tiny seats, cramped space, etc., you really need to rethink your layout. What you may sacrifice in a seat or two, you will make up in spades from happy waitstaff and repeat customers.
As an owner or manager of a restaurant, most improvements can be gleaned just by taking the time to observe and to ask your staff for suggestions and improvements.
A consult I did a few years ago where we asked the staff for suggestions (and this had never been done before there) resulted in many ideas that saved the owner money, and made the working environment easier to use through flow suggestions and more productive for staff because suggestions were implemented, and staff appreciated the fact that they were listened to.
These observations are not meant to be critical but rather constructive to pinpoint areas where improvement can enhance the return on investment (ROI) and the return on the total investment (ROTI). ROTI can also be Return on Time Investment, which also applies in this case.
