How do you use the Web for your business?

Hi everyone,

I'm starting a website that will cater to restaurant owners, and I'm trying to get to know my audience.
If you could offer any insight by answering these questions, I would really appreciate it.

- How do you primarily use the Web to promote your business?  Email blasts?  Do you have your own website?

- If you do not currently have a presence online, what are the biggest barriers that have prevented you from doing so? 

- Do you use social networks (Facebook, Twitter) to promote your business?

- Do you check any restaurant review sites (Yelp, Citysearch) for feedback on your business?

- What kind of service would you be interested in that you cannot currently do on the web in a convenient fashion?

Thanks a lot for your time.  I hope to hear feedback from you.

What made you decide to start a website that will cater to restaurant owners?
 
Do you have knowledge and experience of/in the industry?
 
Just curious. Any time I see someone state they are going to do x y z for a business and are trying to get to know the market...I wonder what the decision to start such a business was based upon.
 
It is usually based on existing knowledge and experience within the industry prior to the decision.
 
If it was a decision based on technical knowledge you would most likely be better served with independent contractor stuff to assist restaurants with building websites and getting to where  they wish to go and be that already exists...if they are not there yet. There is a market who are too busy  or could not be bothered to do it on their own. . There is an overload of these types of sites and services. Many are already experienced popular  and well established.

An excellent question, CC. 

The idea originally started when one of my friends from high school started a restaurant. 
She is not technically savvy, although she had the need to develop a presence on the web.

With any business, there should be a plan to identify a problem, and then to construct a way to solve that problem.

You are correct that my experience is founded in technical knowledge. 
However, you have to start somewhere, and my next step is to get to know the audience I will be serving. 

By the way, this is my site, if anyone is interested in checking it out.

http://www.menugem.com

Thanks a lot!

I am glad you did not take that personally. It was not meant to be a go away statement.
 
The biggest factor that has happened over the last few years is a lack of overall account management and keeping up with the updates.
 
EVERYONE was on MySpace 2 years ago. Now EVERYONE is on Facebook and Twitter and whatever else is next. The problem is once you establish an account with any social network you are there and it is a difficult place to be (in business) when you are idle on the internet...anywhere. Better to not be there than to join and not be there. Even harder to keep up with the social network when there is the matter of business. Some who are being your friends or tagging you or tweeting have that window of free time at home or in the office.
 
People who had no clue what Facebook was until very recently are flocking there until they mad rush to the next destination. Now they have to be there (in their head) because everyone is there...just like MySpace.

No problem CC, I didn't take it personally. 
I realize I've got to be able to answer those types of questions.

My reason for coming to the forums is this: 
Yes, there are a lot of websites that target restaurants. 

But being that I am starting at the ground level, I have an opportunity to do things differently.
That's why I'm asking for input. 

Oh Yelp!  Reminds me of the little dogs that bark and growl because it makes them feel like BIG DOGS! That just makes them  annoying little dogs.
 
Some love to chime in with little brain power just to contribute  space. The ones who just make no sense and do not have enough sense to realize they have no sense...which usually attracts more of the same. Looking for a reaction as well as attention because they do not have the ability to get any attention without being an ass. No more crank calls to the pizza parlor these days so people have to act like morons somewhere.
 
Bad ratings because maybe they do not like the fact a place is in Hoboken or Jersey City NJ. I love the place but I love to get drunk on Saturday night and I have to take the train from NYC to get there and back.
 
OK! The owner will get right on a way to pick the place up and plunk it down in midtown Manhattan for ya! 
 
Or...oh man! I love this place but I get paid every two weeks and it sucks that I can't go on the off pay weekend.
 
Oh thanks for loving the place so much you give it a bad rating through no fault of anyone  but maybe YOU! We made a mental note that it is all about you. Maybe we could call your boss and see if you could be paid weekly...or start a fund for you. 
 
At the very least those that do happen upon ratings like these can rest easy that maybe these people will not be there!
 
I get the aspect of real people real ratings. I just wish more real people were a little smarter.
 
 
 
 
 

I'll iterate what I've said before, I think a lot of this "web 2.0" stuff like Facebook and Youtube can be used but the tie-in to traditional marketing can't be under-emphasised.

The one thing I'd like to explore, and see others explore further is Twitter. Foodies are naturally communicative, it's the one thing where this "viral marketing" thing makes sense to us. If us lone-wolves can develop a brand, it's Twitter because we can pick-and-choose a venue, a location, a time-interval and even a market.

Picking our market for this one is as simple as showing up at a car show, an art festival, a whatever and giving out discount or "free sample" coupons which steer into Twitter. That way your coupon isn't throw-away after one use. You just captured a contact, something we rarely get to do with street sales.

How's that for a bingo?

When I sold my restaurant in late 07 and at that time I found at that time it was worthless to have a web site.  We did have a promotion that went out every week by email to the ones that singed up for it.  I put about $2,500 in to the web site (URL, hosting with out adds, design, and updates) in the 18 months that I had it before I sold restaurant.  I think we were getting about 15 new hits every week but most of them were out of state.
 
Currently I own / run a bakery, catering service, party hall, and batch kitchen.  We use our web site for everything but advertising.  Our 8 larger customers log in to place there orders, employee schedules are kept on line, our stock inventories, and much more. 
 
My oldest daughter / manager has been working on setting up a web site in her spare time I think she put it onto the back burner till winter hits and we slow down.  She’s planning on combining the website with youtube.  I don’t see the web site bringing in a lot of catering stuff, but I could see it bring in some stuff for our part hall and batch kitchen.

OzDogs - good point about going to car shows / trade conventions.  Just putting yourself in front of masses of people is a good way to reach out.  I've got similar plans for my business in the future.

sunset pastries - wow it sounds like you've gone through a lot with getting your online presence going.  But it sounds like you've gotten it together.  I think some of the services of my new site might be helpful to you.  I'll keep you posted about it on here.

Don’t take this wrong…
Until your site takes off then to me it’s just one more “service” out there for business to spend money on that might work and might not.  There are a few other sites like what your describing that I can think of that are sitting at idle and lowers the odds for your site.
 
 
I’m not looking up any studies but in an urban setting most people will not drive more than 30 miles to go out to eat.  Money is best spent with printed ads to reach these people.  There are some types of places that draw people from longer distances but there are already avenues for them to get there name out and to attract people.

No worries, I'm not taking it the wrong way.  I understand there are a lot of websites out there.
I'm not planning on charging for our basic service, either.  It'll be free to list your business.  I'll post more info about it when my site is ready!

I would suggest you really study the competition. Communicate with as many restaurant owners (in person) as possible and build your vision to recognize what you consider to be the ''flaws" of the established services. They are not flaws in the way that will kill them...just maybe some practices and procedural set-ups that many existing or potential users do not appreciate or enjoy.
 
The established players like to establish a system and/or a look and many users hate change. Users/members will cry scream become dramatic and vocal until they get used to it...or get tired of being tedious and be quiet. If you establish something that an established player finds useful and will smply be an enhancement (sans much notice or change) they will clip it and have it built-in to their system within a few hours. Take something they are doing that you feel is all wrong...and make it right. Most will  never make the radical change and you may get a shot at establishing a foundtion for yourself  in quick drying cement. You will need to do that since some new player that started after you could easily clip whatever you are doing...as well.

First of all you should optimize your web pages.
1. Write Meta data for your website using your keywords: HTML title, and meta description.
2. Then pay attention to the titles on your pages, they should also contain your keywords. Don't optimize your pages to the multiple number of keywords at once, just choose 1 or 2 main keywords.
3. Frequently update your website by writing blog articles or create a News section there. Google like updates. And again don't forget to use your keywords on the articles.

And that's just a beginning :)

Good luck!

there was a fellow in WOODBRIDGE, NJ 07095  doing local stuff, selling and building web sites for food. i know it was a rough gig on a local deal.
 
http://woodbridgenj-restaurants.com/ 
 
or
 
http://www.mcdevittenterprises.com/

Hello everyone,

The website has been coming along.  
We have added exclusive content - our own articles on the restaurant business.
If you are interested in keeping in touch, please pre-register for our site or email info@menugem.com

And we are looking for restaurant owners to interview! 

http://www.menugem.com