Dinner Menu Innovation at Dunkin’ & Starbucks

November 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Beginning in 2015 Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts will plan to sell more dinner-friendly offerings. Starbucks and Dunkin’ will be attempting to compete with fast food dinner destinations such as Chipotle or McDonald’s by offering more savory dinner options which will in turn keep profits and sales at a steady flow during the entire day. John Costello, president of Dunkin’ Donuts global marketing and innovation mentioned in an interview that although breakfast would remain their core, “..today people are seeking all-day dining, and they want to eat what they want, when they want it and where they want it — that’s why we are so committed to menu innovation and giving our guests even more options that they can enjoy any time of day.”

This Fall Dunkin’ has already added a steak sandwich and a wrap with eggs as a permanent menu addition. Introducing dinner staples will help sales continue past the breakfast rush. As it stands now, only 40% of sales come after 11 a.m. This leaves a lot of room for growth for the chain which stays open until 10 p.m, and especially for the outposts that are open 24 hours a day. Costello hinted at drawing some inspiration for the new dinner offerings from their locations abroad, “We have a variety of products and flavors that are tailored to the regional preferences of our guests around the world such as donuts stuffed, topped and glazed with everything from rice pudding to saffron to crushed pistachios in India.”

While Dunkin’ will try to compete with getting guests who want food on the go, Starbucks in turn is attempting to get customers to stay by introducing small plates to share along with wine and beer sales. The new evening menu offerings are currently being tested and include dishes such as truffle mac and cheese, double chocolate brownie bites, and five choices of red wine, three white, prosecco and a sparkling rosé. According to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, “More details around the new food and beverage innovations, reimagined store designs and new store formats, mobile order and pay, and the expansion of our evening programs” will be available Dec. 4th at the annual investor meeting.

To read more about the dinner menu innovations at Dunkin’ and Starbucks, click here

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With:

Successfully Promoting Restaurant Events

November 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Brian Casel, found of Restaurant Engine, has compiled a list of five tips to promote upcoming events at your restaurant. It isn’t always easy to draw a crowd and spread the word once you have planned a great event. The key to publicizing the event is to advertise it in a series or succession using a combination of different channels. Firstly, it is crucial to create an online event page and create a link to make it accessible from your various other pages. Here are some tips on how to make this event page as compelling as possible:

  • Use a graphic description of special activities and menu items served at the event. Include references to special attendees along with their photos and descriptions – (live music, a chef’s demonstration, etc. )
  • Include a start time, end time and who should attend.
  • Include a prominent call to action, such as an RSVP button is needed.
  • Write about the event on your blog and make sure to always provide the link back to your event page.
  • Create a hashtag (#event) and include it in blog posts about your event.
  • Use social share buttons to encourage visitors to share the event with their friends and family.
  • Target keywords for your event to optimize for search engines; use a title tag and headers that use your event keywords.

Secondly, a few weeks before the event, send an email to your customers. Continue to publicize in a series by sending an email a week before, and yet send another reminder a day or two before your event for the final pitch. Ensure that the subject line of the email is creative and draws attention and that the body of the email has a large call to action that directs the readers to the event page. Social media is of course an appropriate outlet for social events, and a great promotional tool. Buzz about the event will be created by coming up with an event hashtag and using it in every social media post, blog or tweet. Create a social media schedule beginning with a Facebook event that has detailed event information, followed by a custom tweet for the event. Continue to tweet often and trace your statistics. Other social media channels that can be leveraged include Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google +. Traditional media should not go overlooked though, flyers have always been a proven successful for promoting events along with magazines, local newspapers, news releases and radio stations.

To read more about Casel’s tips for successfully promoting a restaurant event, click here

 

 

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