Top 5 Reasons Why Fast Eddies Bon Air Sells

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Across from St. Louis, in the small river town of Alton, IL resides a legendary bar called Fast Eddies Bon Air.  Some gather for the drinks, most come for the food.  The scene resembles “The Double Deuce” from the movie Roadhouse, hosting everything from bikers to attorneys.  The only difference is Patrick Swayze isn’t ripping out throats, and Fast Eddies clientele is MUCH friendlier.

The dark interior of Fast Eddies is lit up with neon beer signs, old memorabilia, and glowing flat screens covering the days sporting events.  At first glance, it’s not a place to take your mother.  Only to find out, your mom loves Fast Eddies!

So why does Fast Eddies draw such a crowd?  I’ve seen Sundays where they ring 500+ food orders by 2pm.  That’s just warm up!  What is their secret?  How do they do it?  Here are the 5 reasons why Fast Eddie’s Bon Air sells:

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Why Mister Rodgers Would Make an Excellent Restaurateur (and so can you!)

Won’t you be, my neighbor?  This was the theme song to a long airing PBS show called Mister Rodgers Neighborhood.  The lovable character, Mister Rodgers, asked this of American children for close to 33 years.  He believed in community and crossing the fence to meet your neighbors.  You know what?  Fred Rodgers would have made an excellent restaurateur!

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Top 5 Non-Tech Ways to Hustle Street Traffic for Your Restaurant

Location is EVERYTHING, right?  Of course it is!  Will you always be slammed?  Not necessarily.  The Field of Dreams idea “if you build it they will come” doesn’t really pertain to real life.  Mondays, cold rain, lack of exposure, and poor marketing are all factors that can kill a business.  Therefore “location is everything” doesn’t always hold true.

Let’s say you’re in a relatively high traffic area and you normally do well.  Today just happens to be one of those days, and you’re abnormally slow.  How can you increase street business?  Google Favorite Places may be one way, but I am a bit skeptical.  Let’s ditch advanced technology for a second, and get back to our roots.  Below are 5 tips for hustling street traffic:

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Why Field of Dreams is the Worst Movie Ever


Remember the movie “Field of Dreams?”  It’s about a middle-aged guy named Ray Kinsella living with his family among the vast cornfields of Iowa.  While farming the yellow fields one day…Ray hears a voice.  The voice softly whispers “If you build it, he will come.”  Taken by surprise, he continues laboring and tending his precious crops to feed his family.  As time passes, the voice starts booming louder and louder – “If you build it, he will come” – “If you build it, he will come.”  This sparks relentless ambition into Ray as he realizes what the voice is telling him:  Build a baseball diamond.  Thus starting the worst movie ever made…

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Our Story: Why We Built UrbanBacon

I see restaurants join Twitter everyday, and that’s incredible news.  Then it happens…that new restaurant begins tweeting nothing but specials.  Their entire feed becomes a rotating spam bomb of happy hours and ½ off appetizers.  No engagement.  No personality. Just spam.

Tons of people have expressed this problem to me.  They hate when restaurants only tweet specials, they even unfollow them.  I agree.  People join Twitter to talk and meet people, not to be bombarded with advertising.  Is your restaurant making this deadly mistake?

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Is Your Restaurant a Favorite Place on Google?

Imagine walking up to a store, scanning a bar code, and getting instant online reviews.  Imagine getting special offers right before you walk into a restaurant, just by scanning a barcode.  Imagine scanning that same barcode and telling the world about your experience at that business.  As a business owner, did your heart just skip a beat?  Are you a Google Favorite Place?

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Meet Paul Tran with Focal Point – “What it Takes to Be a Restaurant Owner”

I randomly met Paul Tran on Twitter one night.  We got to talking, and he blew me away.  This guy is sharp and very in-tune with the restaurant community.  While no longer running his own restaurant, he now focuses on franchising and equity.  Trust me, this interview is a must read for owners!

1. Paul, after reading through your Linked-In profile, I am impressed.  You are a former successful restaurant owner now focused on franchising and equity.  What’s the story behind where you are today?

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Meet Wes Aiken from Schedulefly – A Rockin’ Service for Restaurants

I was privileged to sit down with Wes Aiken from @Schedulefly.  The people at Schedulefly are doing amazing things for the restaurant industry.  I cannot thank Wes enough for taking time from his busy schedule.

This is a must read for restaurant owners! Enough of me yapping, lets get to the interview:

1.  I know what it has taken to develop UrbanBacon, and we still have light years to accomplish.  Can you tell me the story behind Schedulefly and what are you guys looking to accomplish?

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Top 5 Things Your Restaurant can Learn from McDonald’s

It’s no secret, chain restaurants are ultra successful business models.  They work.  They work extremely well.  Have you ever asked why?

Look, we are not promoting large corporate chains.  We love local restaurants and bars!  Helping every local restaurant in this country is our goal.  That doesn’t mean we can’t analyze chain restaurants and learn from them.

In 1955, Ray Kroc started a little chain hamburger joint called McDonald’s…maybe you heard of them?  McDonald’s was an instant classic.  You can read their story here.

The success of McDonald’s did not happen overnight.  Two brothers wanted to streamline their small hamburger stand for efficiency.  They started drawing out the flow of their kitchen on a tennis court.  Everything was strategically placed to maximize efficiency and consistency.  Then they took it a step farther.  They developed an in-depth how-to manual that someone in high school could follow.  Viola, fast food is born!

Here are 5 strategies independent restaurants can learn from McDonald’s:

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How to Turn Your Bathroom into an Advertising Giant

Where is the one place every guest visits?  If you think it’s the bar, think again.  We are all human, we all use the bathroom.  Are you utilizing this super secret advertising spot?

Think about it.  Your restaurant is a busy atmosphere.  People are preoccupied with food, friends, and drinks.  They rarely pay attention to advertisements for upcoming events.  Bars are notorious for restroom advertisements.  Beer/Liquor labels usually provide them with free promotions.

So how does a fine dining restaurant adopt this strategy without looking too much like a bar?  Here are 4 simple tips to using bathroom advertising:

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