Marketing Checklist for Bed and Breakfasts

Marketing ChecklistI’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.

Exit Strategies for Bed and Breakfasts

Exit Strategy ImageThe Importance of an Exit Strategy for B&Bs

I had written this up a few years ago. The Midwest Association of Independent Inns contacted me recently, asking for information, articles and other information I might have bookmarked, specifically for Bed and Breakfasts on exit strategies, to include in their newsletter. I found this in my archives and realized I had never shared it before.

While most of this is typical advice you can find in many exit strategy guides, I included some suggestions on how you can let guests and future guests know your inn might be, or is for sale, without being blatant about it which I have not seen in most checklists.

Our blog topic for the next post will be on questions to ask a business broker before engaging them to sell your business.

  • Plan well in advance, ideally years before intended sale. The best time to start preparing for a sale is when you have the energy to start putting together the information for it, even if it is for years down the road.
  • Regularly assess business and lifestyle goals to ensure alignment.
  • Avoid burnout and declining property value, which can significantly affect the sale price. Keeping an eye on the interest rates and the market can give you a heads-up in advance about when it’s time to sell.
  • An exit strategy may change over time, so revisit periodically. An exit strategy is not just about selling, but about preparing for your next phase of life. It allows you to maximize the value of your inn or B&B, and ensures a smooth transition for you, your staff, and your guests.

Establishing Goals

  • Consider plans for the property (keep in the family, sell it outright, etc.) and discuss with family members if applicable.
  • Evaluate personal career/lifestyle goals, including retirement plans or new ventures.
  • Assess if innkeeping still meets your needs; consider if minor changes could reinvigorate your passion. Why did you get into innkeeping in the first place?
  • Think about your ideal timeline for exiting and how flexible you can be. Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Be honest with yourself about what you want and need, as this will guide your entire exit process.

Alternatives to Selling

  • Hire managers or a management company to reduce your day-to-day involvement.
  • Close the business, but keep the property if you have an emotional attachment to the building.
  • Family succession requires careful planning and open communication, start sooner rather than later.
  • Bring in partners to share responsibilities and potentially set up future buyout.
  • Manage-to-own agreements can help transition to new owners over time.
  • Leasing options allow you to retain ownership while stepping back from operations.
  • These alternatives can provide flexibility and may be useful if market conditions aren’t ideal for selling.
  • Each option has its own legal and financial implications, so consult with professionals before deciding.

Preparing to Sell

  • Get financials in order; clean and up to date books are crucial for buyer confidence and accurate valuation.
  • Prepare your property by addressing deferred maintenance and enhancing curb appeal. Even small fixes and improvements can make a huge difference when showing the property.
  • Consider professional inspections to identify and address issues proactively.
  • Prepare yourself mentally for the emotional process of selling and transitioning. For many innkeepers, their property has not just been their business but also their home of many years.
  • Preparation can take months or even years, but it’s crucial for maximizing your inn’s value. Remember, potential buyers will scrutinize every aspect of your business, so attention to detail is key.

Valuing the Inn

  • Use multiple tools like Capitalization Rate, Gross Revenue Multiplier, Price Per Guest Room**
  • Consider hiring an appraiser for an objective valuation, especially for unique properties
  • Understand that emotional value doesn’t always translate to market value
  • Be prepared to justify your asking price with data and comparables. Valuation is both an art and a science. While formulas provide a starting point, factors like location, property condition, and market trends all play a role. Be realistic but don’t undervalue your years of hard work and goodwill.

** https://calculator.academy/cost-per-occupied-room-calculator/, https://www.cloudbeds.com/tools/adr-calculator/, https://www.siteminder.com/calculate-your-occupancy-rate/, there are many more if you browse Google for ADR, ALOS, RevPAR, GOPPAR, CPOR, NOI and more.

Marketing & Advertising

  • Work with an experienced inn broker on a comprehensive marketing plan. (Questions to ask a broker coming next week)
  • Advertise in industry-specific publications and venues where potential buyers look.
  • Carefully consider how open to be about the sale to protect current business.
  • Consider advertising on social media or listing your business on niche groups where a potential buyer could be waiting as well as state and local groups. Some states have robust listserve newsletters that go out to thousands of people every day. In New Hampshire and Vermont for example there are several dozen town and area ones https://lists.vitalcommunities.org/lists/lists as well as regional ones https://vitalcommunities.org/new-uv-lists/.
  • Prepare a detailed prospectus highlighting the inn’s strengths and potential.
  • Effective marketing can significantly impact your sale timeline and price. A well-crafted narrative about your inn’s history, unique features, and growth potential can attract serious, qualified buyers.
  • On your website, consider adding a subtle section that speaks to the future of the business: “Interested in joining our journey? Get in touch to learn more about potential opportunities to be a part of our continued story.” This can draw in people who may want to invest or inquire about ownership, without having an public or overt “for sale” message.
  • Consider you may have guests that might be interested in being innkeepers. While many innkeepers are reluctant to advertise that their B&Bs are for sale because they are afraid guests might be reluctant to book, keep in mind, being open to selling and subtly putting out there you are open to offers if a good one came along has paid off for some business owners.

A few ways an innkeeper could subtly suggest a property for sale to guests.

When speaking with guests, you could emphasize exciting future opportunities for the B&B without directly mentioning a sale. “We’ve built such a strong business here, and we’re excited about the possibilities for the B&B to grow and evolve in the future.” This plants the seed that the business could be taken over by someone who shares your passion for innkeeping, without openly discussing a sale.

In conversations or marketing materials, frame the business as a “legacy” that could be carried on by someone with fresh ideas. “We’ve loved being a part of this community for years, and we’re excited to see how the next chapter for this B&B unfolds.” This approach communicates that a transition could happen, but focuses on the continuation of the guest experience rather than the sale itself.

You can present the idea of potential partnerships or expansion opportunities without saying it’s for sale. “We’ve been thinking about how someone could bring fresh energy or ideas to take this place even further.” This potentially opens the door for guests or acquaintances to inquire if they’re interested, but doesn’t sound like you’re making a direct sales pitch.

When writing newsletters or posting on social media, highlight positive guest experiences and mention how valuable and rewarding running the B&B has been. Subtly hint that it’s an ideal lifestyle for someone looking to build on what you’ve created: We’ve loved creating memories here for guests, and this B&B has become such a beloved part of the community. We’re excited to see how it continues to bring joy to so many.” This sends the message that it’s an established, well-loved business, which could attract attention from prospective buyers who may follow up privately.

The Sale Process

  • Understand regional differences in the sequence of transactions.
  • Be prepared for a potentially lengthy negotiation process. Many months and some times a year plus long process.
  • Consider tax implications early and consult with a tax professional.
  • Explore various financing options, including potential seller financing.
  • The sale process can be complex and time-consuming. Patience and flexibility are key, as is maintaining the quality of your inn operations throughout the process. Remember, the deal isn’t done until the closing documents are signed.

Transition to New Owners

  • Provide detailed operations manual and hands-on training if agreed upon.
  • Help with staff transition (if applicable) to maintain continuity and preserve institutional knowledge.
  • Help with vendor transition (if applicable) to maintain continuity. You might have guests that love your L’Occitane or Beekman 1802 amenities. Introduce them to your sales rep to make the transition easier if they choose to continue with them.
  • Introduce new owners to key community contacts to support their success.
  • Be prepared for emotional challenges of letting go; consider personal counseling if needed. I’ve talked to so many innkeepers who don’t realize how much of a heartbreak it can be to sell a business (and home) that they have put their hearts into, sometimes for decades.
  • A smooth transition benefits everyone: you, the new owners, your staff, and your guests. While it can be emotionally challenging, a well-managed transition can preserve your inn’s legacy and set the new owners up for success.

Key Professional Help

  • Inn brokers or consultants with specific experience in hospitality properties
  • Accountants familiar with hospitality businesses and related tax issues
  • Lawyers experienced in business and real estate transactions
  • Appraisers with hospitality industry expertise, if needed for valuation or financing. The right team of professionals can make the difference between a stressful, protracted sale and a smooth, profitable transition. Their expertise can help you navigate complex issues, avoid pitfalls, and maximize your inn’s value.

Worth a read for more information about the following links. 8 Business Valuation Calculators from Small Biz Trends.
++2 of the calculators referenced in the original article are no longer online. The article doesn’t give all of the links to the calculators so including them below.

CalcXML
https://www.calcxml.com/calculators/business-valuation

EquityNet
https://www.equitynet.com/crowdfunding-tools/business-valuation-calculator.aspx

ExitAdviser
https://exitadviser.com/mob/value-calculator

BizEx
https://www.bizex.net/business-valuation-tool

Digital Exits
https://digitalexits.com/whats-your-business-worth/

Hadley Capital
https://www.hadleycapital.com/insights/business-valuation-calculator

MassMutual Financial Group
https://www.massmutual.com/financial-wellness/calculators/business-valuation-planner

National Life
https://www.nationallife.com/Financial-Calculators-Value-of-My-Business

An updated Social Media Strategic Plan for Online Crisis for Businesses

Image of blocks and a knight chess piece with the words crisis management on the imageBack 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.

Finding a location tips: Auto Detailing

Auto Detailing ImageFind a Location for Your Brick and Mortar Business was just published and one of the things that I thought might be useful to do was to go into a little more detail about some individual types of brick and mortar businesses, and some specifics on what to look for when doing a location assessment.

For example, scouting a location for a new hair salon has its own variables to consider above and beyond the information in the book, as does starting a auto detailing business and while most things (in the book) are applicable to any business, I wanted to elaborate more and drill down a bit for some additional things that can help any new or relocating brick and mortar business get started when doing a location assessment.

I originally had grand plans to do these as part of the book, but with all of the different types of brick and mortar businesses out there to go over, I probably would have finished it in the next century or so and at that point we might be talking about which planet to start a business on, not which street corner. 🙂

I take requests, so while I’m going to bounce around in between business types, if you are just starting a business and would like some pointers about what to look for when doing your location assessment please reach out. Information and feedback is free but I can’t promise to not make a blog post out of it, I promise to not share any personal/business information unless you are ok with it first though.

Now onto details.

Suppose you want to start an Auto Detailing business?

Here are a few tips in addition to our recent book that might be helpful in looking for a location.

Ensure the site is easily accessible for customers and provides ample parking and parking spaces are wide enough so that people with higher end cars won’t be afraid to park in your lot. Your target market is typically going to people with a bit of disposable income who can afford to have their car detailed and tight parking which can cause door dings and other body damage can be a detractor especially for repeat customers.

Opt for a location that allows you to maintain a clean, professional appearance to attract clients. Your service is cleaning/detailing cars, a brick and mortar location that offers easy clean-up and a facade with bright colors and lots of large clean windows can help appeal from a visual standpoint plus showcase any luxury or antique cars you might have detailed while they are waiting for customers to pick them up. Don’t forget about what the neighboring buildings and businesses look like as well.

Ensure good signage opportunities to promote your detailing services. While car detailing isn’t typically a walk in proposition, you do want to make it easy for customers who have made appointments to find you and depending on your location, traffic speed on the road and other factors, how far away can people see your sign, read it and then have time to pull into your business comfortably?

Consider locations near complementary businesses, like car dealerships (new and used) or service centers, to attract more clients. Depending on your location (near water bodies or tourism areas), you may also want to consider a lot size and entrance that can accommodate customers bringing in boats (which may be detailed prior to or after winter storage) and RVs.

Auto detailing requires large amounts of water for detailing vehicles. The location must have a reliable and adequate water supply to support the business operations. The location should have access to a consistent and high-volume water source and be able to properly manage and dispose of the wastewater generated from the business, either through connection to a municipal sewer system or the ability to install an on-site wastewater treatment and disposal system.

We would suggest doing a water quality test as well, hard water can leave spots and mineral deposits on vehicles. If the location checks all the boxes but has hard water, make sure you estimate what a water treatment system will cost you to install and upkeep when doing your business plan and projected financials.

Don’t forget to check zoning regulations to make sure the location allows for this type of business.

One additional tip, additional markets to promote to that may be good customer bases are car sellers who want to get their vehicle in tip top shape prior to selling private sale, or to a dealer, so it has better eye appeal. If this is a market you want to want to pursue, an value add on would be a service taking professional pictures of the vehicle for sale and assisting with a good sales writeup for people considering private sales of their vehicles.

Looking for ARC Readers

Finding a Location Brick and Mortar Business Book CoverAre you interested in being an ARC Reader (ARC stands for Advanced Review Copy) for new books? These will primarily be business books, but we do have one fiction book in the works as well.

Our next book, Location? Location! Finding a Location for Your Brick and Mortar Business, will be ready to read in mid to late September 2024, with another book on marketing to follow in midwinter.

Signing up to be an ARC reader is an opportunity to read new books before they are “officially” published online and before anyone else.

In return, you agree to provide an honest review on Amazon to help others decide whether the book is worth reading or not. You need to be a current Amazon customer who has spent at least $50 previously to be able to leave a review. If you don’t have an Amazon account or have never used it, we also appreciate reviews on Goodreads. Amazon review guidelines.

I ask that reviews be honest, while I appreciate that people (especially ones that know me) might feel reluctant to leave anything critical on a review. Real reviews do help. And you can be kind AND be constructive at the same time. There is a great post on leaving reviews (positive and not so much) which is worth a read. Constructive feedback IS a gift.

ARC reviews should focus on what makes the book enjoyable or hopefully, in the case of most of my books, educational and valuable to new and existing business owners, while avoiding spoilers or major summaries (since most people reading the review won’t have read the book yet).

Talking about things like: was the information useful, easy to understand and did it give actionable tips or information can help new readers decide if the book suits their tastes and more importantly their informational business needs.

The Book will be sent in PDF format digitally by email about 3 weeks before official publication.

If this is of interest, please fill out the form to sign up! And THANK YOU!

Other Ways You Can Help:

  • The #1 way you can help is to leave a review!
  • Post a picture or quote from one of my books and tag me on Facebook or LinkedIn.
  • Recommend one of my books on Goodreads.
  • Pin or tweet your favorite of my books.
  • Share one of my books on Facebook,  Instagram or LinkedIn.
  • Refer a friend that might find one of the books useful, especially if they are starting a business or in business and might need some help.

Location? Location? Finding a Location for Your Brick and Mortar Business overview:

Ditch the guesswork and navigate the key factors every aspiring business needs to consider before they sign on the dotted line for a property.

Finding a Location for Your Brick and Mortar Business is your roadmap to a thriving business reality. Order your copy today and turn your entrepreneurial dreams into brick-and-mortar success!

Whether you’re dreaming of opening a hair salon, a fitness center or a garden supply center, Finding a Location for Your Business offers the tools and knowledge to find a location that meets your needs and maximizes your businesses potential for success. Discover the secrets to making informed decisions and turning your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

This comprehensive book covers essential topics such as community assessments, competition research, zoning and planning considerations, traffic counts, crime and safety, parking and traffic flow, employees and housing and much more.

Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or a newcomer to business ownership, this book provides valuable insights, and a detailed location and assessment checklist to help you make informed decisions.

Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers for Nonprofits

Last week I ran a SCORE workshop on Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers for Nonprofits and there were some things I touched on that might be helpful for any nonprofits (based on feedback from my attendees) to think about as many people on the call were unfamiliar with them.

Often there is a discount between volunteers and the people running and organizing the nonprofit and it usually starts from the beginning when a volunteer first starts volunteering with an organization.

Many nonprofits I have worked with over the years don’t have a system or documentation in place for this. But some do and it will only help a nonprofit have outlined and to go over with new volunteers the expectations of what a volunteer will do, as well as the training expectations a volunteer may go through.

There are some simple bullet points that are key to volunteer communications.

  • Clearly outlined
  • Clearly explained
  • Expectations
  • Clear direction
  • Do and Don’ts

Onboarding Checklist:

I also suggested an onboarding checklist for new volunteers and most of the nonprofits on the call were not familiar with the concept, so I came up with sample one based on the many nonprofits I have worked with over the years.

This is in Google docs, but can be downloaded as a Microsoft Word Document by going to the “File” menu in the top bar, then to “Download” and the submenu will give you the option to download it as MS Word.

ASK Principle:

Something I have used for years with volunteers, I call the ASK principle. I know there are variations of this floating around but I’ve found this works well.

ASK (Ask questions, Seek to understand, Know how to listen)

When applying the ASK Model within a nonprofit, it’s about creating a two-way dialogue that values volunteers’ inputs, addresses their concerns, AND strengthens their connection to the organization.

A: Ask Questions

Objective: Engage volunteers by soliciting their opinions, needs, and preferences to tailor the organization’s offerings and communications effectively.

Example: Using a volunteer survey (it can be anonymous) to seek feedback.

S: Seek to Understand

Objective: Dive deeper into the feedback or concerns raised by volunteers to genuinely understand  their experiences and expectations from the organization.

Example: As a result of the volunteer survey, you follow up with ALL of your volunteers to go over the feedback results, positive and negative.

K: Know How to Listen

Objective: Actively listen to what volunteers are communicating, both verbally and non-verbally, to acknowledge their feelings and show that their voices are heard and valued.

Examples: While volunteer one-on-one meetings can be very insightful, if a volunteer is having a problem or issue with a supervisor or volunteer leader, they may feel reluctant to share. If it’s regarding another volunteer, they may feel like it’s telling tales out of school, or the reluctance factor may also be there because they may not know of any prior relationships the person they are speaking with may have with the person in question. Are they buddies, do they do things together, etc. I always recommend to nonprofits and business owners as well is if there is a management issue, have more than one person talk to the person experiencing some challenges. People may open up when speaking with someone else and other details may also emerge that were not touched on in the initial conversation.

Volunteer group meetings can also be very productive, but sometimes can be counter-productive if one or two people monopolize the floor. Having someone that can act and be impartial, a “Switzerland” so to speak, as a moderator, can help keep people on track and let others speak.

I’ve always found when listening to volunteers, it works well to echo back to a person, whether in a one-on-one setting or a group, “this is what I heard you say.” Is this correct or did I mishear or misunderstand? 

This accomplishes three things, one it reinforces to the speaker that you were actually “listening” to them, two, it helps you better understand an issue or problem when you have to repeat it, and three, echoing back makes sure that what the person is “actually” saying is understood correctly. 

They might have said, we are having a problem with a volunteer leader because they don’t respond quickly to phone calls or emails, YOU might hear, well they are having a problem with the volunteer leader, and they are unhappy but not specifically WHY or the WHY maybe misheard or in a lot of cases misinterpreted. 

Volunteer Personas:

In 2022, I had written a blog post about customer personas and using social media to data mine for information. Customer personas can be extremely useful for creating customer profiles, but they can also be very useful to nonprofits.

You can use the same concept and create volunteer profiles and member profiles (if your NP is membership based) and that can help with recruitment of both. These examples are ones I created for a horse nonprofit organization as examples for a prior presentation.

As follows are two examples each of a volunteer persona and member personas.

Sample NP Member Persona Sample NP Member Persona Sample NP Volunteer Persona Sample NP Volunteer Persona

S.W.O.T. for Nonprofits:

I also want to add, the benefit of using S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis can also be very useful for a nonprofit and can analyze volunteers, board makeup, volunteer leaders, members, the organization itself, fundraising and help identify things going on in the organization that might need attention.

Having your board of directors do this in conjunction with your Executive Director and Committee Members helps to get lots of insights, different viewpoints and, in many cases, inspiration and direction.  

These two examples are ones I’ve done on various nonprofits over the years that I have either volunteered with or worked with as a personal business client.

S.W.O.T. Analysis Volunteers S.W.O.T. Analysis Volunteer Leader Issue

I hope some of these tools are helpful as an organization goes through their nonprofit journey.

Restaurant Take Out Containers: Leveraging Two Birds With One Take Out Container

Line drawing of a take out containerRecently 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?

Book Cover: Finding a Location for your restaurant

 

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.