Restaurant Websites - The Worst of the Worst Food Twittacle The King is Dead Oatmeal - Hot and Now? and more

1. 08/11
Restaurant Websites – The Worst of the Worst
Food Twittacle
The King Is Dead
Oatmeal – Hot & Now?
And more

2. 08/11
Restaurant Websites:
Not good, bad & ugly
When’s the last time you went to a restaurant’s website and came
away feeling like you had a good Web experience? There’s a
good chance that your answer is never. As consumers, we likely
visit a restaurant’s site for only a handful of reasons: to review the
menu and prices, make a reservation or confirm telephone High Fives for
number/hours of operation/location.
Five Guys
Culinary curiosity may drive us to the Web for a few other It happens to almost all of us — that craving for
reasons, but what we find at most restaurant sites is nothing good. a great burger. You never know when it might
These sites are plagued with auto-play music, Flash-based strike, but fortunately there’s probably a Five
slideshows, poor navigation and far too often menus with no Guys near you. For the past few years, Zagat
prices. and other consumer surveys have consistently
A recent article on Slate.com attempted to root out the cause of ranked Five Guys as having one of the best-
this overabundance of poor restaurant websites, and the author tasting burgers around.
discovered that chefs and restaurateurs aren’t solely responsible. Some of the fault lies
with the Web designers who attempt - and fail - to somehow recreate the restaurant Therefore, it’s no surprise that in 2010 the
experience online. number of new Five Guys outpaced the number
of new McDonald’s by greater than 4:1.
It’s important to remember that your website is often a first impression of your brand, and
delivering simple, useful information in a straightforward manner is far more important On the opposite end of the spectrum, let’s hope
than trying to dazzle with fancy pictures and graphics. Besides, if I’m visiting a you don’t constantly crave a Quiznos sub. The
restaurant’s website, there’s a good chance I’m already out and about and surfing from chain closed 600 stores in 2010. Ouch!
my iPhone. What good is your Flash-based site to me then?
Read the full article here.
Read the full article here.
Source: Slate.com Source: consumerist.com
Food Twittacle!!! Don’t Stop Pedaling
Did you know that some restaurants have started Forget trying to put 50 cents into this vending
performing twittacles (slang for a “Twitter machine. Take a seat and start pedaling
miracle”)? Recently, Peter Shankman, a social instead. California beverage brand Activate
media entrepreneur with 100,000+ Twitter has created custom vending machines that
followers, tweeted before boarding a flight from distribute free drinks when customers spend a
Tampa to Newark. little time on a stationary bike connected to the
machine.
The subject of his tweet? Shankman jokingly
hoped for a porterhouse steak from Morton’s Source: Springwise.com
Steakhouse awaiting upon his arrival at the
Newark airport.
Low and behold, Morton’s answered that wish by
sending a tuxedo-clad employee to the airport
with a porterhouse steak in tow. The steak and
well-dressed delivery boy greeted Shankman as
he made his way to ground transportation.
Talk about a great way to generate PR buzz and
also make an influential customer’s brand loyalty
register off the charts.
Source: consumerist.com

3. Portion Control Redefines Value 08/11
There’s no way to pinpoint the exact time in American culinary history when
excessive portions somehow came to represent value to the average consumer.
However, 2011 or 2012 will perhaps mark the year when Americans finally say
enough is enough. QR Codes Never
A recent research report from The NPD Group found that 43% of Americans Tasted Better
claimed to have eaten smaller portions all or most of the time in the past year. Of
the 5,000 adults surveyed, 57% asserted they would like to eat smaller portions in Research is revealing more about the use
the coming year. and users of QR codes, as the consumer
What does this mean for your brand? engagement technology finds its way into
Well, for starters it means that serving size new promotions by restaurants.
will start to play a larger role in the
decisions consumers make while dining Unlike conventional bar codes, a QR code
out. This is especially true for Gen X and stores information vertically and
Gen Y consumers who tend to value horizontally. When a smartphone camera
portion size/control higher than do Baby captures a code, special software on the
Boomers and diners older than 55. phone displays additional information or
links the user to a website with data or
As Americans become more and more special offers.
health conscious and restaurants face potential menu-labeling mandates,
downsizing portions seems unavoidable to adhere to ideal caloric intakes. Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell is currently
Restaurants have the ability and also the responsibility to help redefine a serving using such codes to promote its Big Box
size in the eyes and stomachs of Americans. Remixed meal bundle, and 23-unit fast-
Get creative. Offer more options. Find interesting ways to serve up healthier food. casual Boudin Bakery of San Francisco
Smaller doesn’t have to mean less of what really matters. incorporated QR codes into a recent
Facebook coupon so smartphone users
Source: NPD Group Survey Image: Nicholas Watts on flickr could quickly access an online store-
locator tool.
Just how many consumers are using such
QR code technology, and where are they
using it?
The King Is Dead Recent research by digital media
measurement company comScore Inc.
The newest TV spots from Burger King started appearing on TVs across
indicated that in June, 14 million
America toward the end of August. What didn’t appear was the creepy King smartphone and other camera-equipped
mascot, made famous by the brand’s ad campaigns in the early 2000s. mobile device users in the United States
scanned a QR code. That represented
Burger King’s current management transition, creative ad agency, and menu about 6.2 percent of all mobile device
updates have all shaped the new direction the brand appears set to take. The users age 13 or older.
new advertising will focus on making the product the hero and emphasizing
freshness and quality. Such tactics are being deployed in efforts to win over a Read the full article here.
broader demographic of mothers and families (as opposed to the younger male
audiences previously targeted). Source: NRN.com
Only one new ad has debuted thus
far, and it’s promoting the new Enjoy a taste of Luckie by scanning below.
avocado-and-bacon-topped
California Whopper. Let’s just hope
that the burger we order at our local
BK looks as good as the food
photography in the new spots and
isn’t just a Whopper with some green
slime on top.
Source: NRN News Image: zieak on flickr

4. Chow Down in Chi-Town 08/11
Strange to think that bands such as The Strokes would ever share the
stage with the likes of a lobster corn dog, but believe it or not, that’s what
happened at this year’s 20th annual Lollapalooza in Chicago. The three-
day concert featured more than 130 bands, and more than 30 local
Chicago restaurants and vendors came out to feed the masses.
Leading the charge to feed festival-goers was well-known celebrity chef
and Chicago native Graham Elliot Bowles, who has been dubbed official
Lollapalooza “Culinary Director” for the past two years. Calling on other
local chefs who enjoy music, Graham has challenged the status quo of Food Trucking 101
festival food – typically corn dogs, funnel cakes and various mystery meats Looking to start your own food truck
on a stick. business? You’re going to need to know a
Given the sampling of dishes served this year,
the bar has certainly been raised for festival lot more than how to cook and the Kelley
food. (Yes, we’re looking at you Texas. Let’s Blue Book value of that fixer-upper panel
see what you can bust out for Austin City Limits van you’ve been eyeing.
2011.) Check out this clip on RollingStone.com
in which ?uestlove from The Roots takes a tour By the time you’ve done the math, you may
of Chow Town and samples a few of Chicago’s decide you’re better off sinking your money
culinary treats, including a watermelon and into a good old-fashioned brick and mortar
jalapeño popsicle. establishment. On average, kick-starting a
Source: Food & Wine Image: lollapalooza.com mobile restaurant could cost you $30 —
$80K, which doesn’t seem too bad
compared to the average cost of opening a
traditional eatery ($125 — $500K).
However, you’ve got to account for the red
tape and unexpected expenses of running a
Oatmeal – Hot & Now? restaurant on wheels. Permits and gas
prices play a large role in your operations,
Krispy Kreme finally appears to be throwing in the towel against the
unrelenting opponent that is consumers’ desire for healthier menu choices. and these costs can vary significantly
Having recently experienced its best quarterly profits since 2004, the depending on where you plan to hit the
company hopes to build upon recent success and boost sales by streets. For example, firing up the engine
incorporating more health-conscious options. and stove in Colorado Springs will only cost
you $115 for a permit, but in a market such
Earlier this summer patrons, could visit a Krispy Kreme for a taste of a as Los Angeles, you could be looking at
“Cookies and Kreme” doughnut made from real Oreos. But come this fall,
well over $500.
they’ll be able to order yogurt, oatmeal and fruit juice to accompany those
little circular bundles of deliciousness the company has been making since
1937. Additional expenses, both financial and
mental, can include parking, turf wars,
Following in the footsteps of another doughnut-slinging competitor, Krispy inclement weather, storage issues and
Kreme also plans to unveil a specialty coffee line in the next year or so. marketing. Learn more and see lots of
Customers will be able to enjoy this new coffee both in stores and at home, pretty pictures at the original blog post
as there are plans to sell the product via retail grocers. here.
On a personal note, it was recently
Source: NRN.com newsletter
announced that the iconic Krispy
Kreme store on McFarland Boulevard
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will be rebuilt
and will reopen after being destroyed
in the April 27 tornadoes that swept
across the state.
Crimson Tide fans can rejoice knowing
they will once again be able to
celebrate victories or wallow in defeat
accompanied by a dozen hot-and-now
doughnuts (or a dozen bowls of
oatmeal, if that’s how you roll).
Source: Time.com Image: isriya on flickr

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