social media « Free Restaurant Marketing and Advertising Ideas I UrbanBacon Blog

Meet Nicolas Carretero from Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas – “A Classic on The St. Louis Hill”

As you may know, The UB Blog loves doing interviews from all walks of life within the restaurant industry. From food bloggers, owners, and even software programmers. If they are involved within the industry, we want to meet them.

Today we get to interview an individual who is aspiring as the next generation taking over his family restaurant. Over this past month, I have had the privilege of working with Nicolas Carretero from Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas located on The St. Louis Hill. Before I start yapping away, let’s get to the interview!

1. First off, welcome to The UB Blog! Whenever I get the privilege to interview a local restaurant, I want to know the background. Can you tell me the story behind Guido’s Pizzeria & Tapas?

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:

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…

Top 5 Ways Social Media is Like Fishing

The majority of my life I grew up fishing private ponds, streams, and rivers in Missouri. There is nothing like the serene stillness and peace of a bright summer day on the crystal water. This is my element, at least as a kid it was. I remember tying neon green and construction orange lures in hopes of landing that monster 8lb large mouth bass. Constant casting and reeling while my lure danced across clear water taught me a great deal of patience. In a way, fishing is like social media. Are your customers biting your lures?

Yelp: Battle Royale Drudges On…

We have been following the Yelp lawsuits closely at UrbanBacon. As promised, we will occasionally keep you up to date with recent happenings…Check out their blog here for the full story.

This week Yelp decided to change their advertising structure. Businesses advertising with Yelp were previously allowed to highlight their favorite review at the top of their profile. A monkey could figure out why a business would want their best review displayed at top of the page. They are now removing this feature from their business model. Is it too late?

Are You Listening to Your Customers? They’re Talking…

It’s no secret, the Internet has given individuals a voice. Bloggers are splashed across the canvas of social media ranting about their encounters with restaurants and basically every industry on the planet. Everyone is subject to reviews, and guess what?

People Listen.

This is the basis behind word of mouth marketing. We all value each others opinions to some degree, almost more than we value critics. Critics seem untouchable as humans, and it becomes hard to relate in our mundane lives.

This is nothing new. We’ve been recommending and trashing restaurants for years. Think about the office, how many times a day do you hear people talking about different restaurants? Are they all good? Of course not, people have bad experiences. Not only that, we have been programmed by society to think complaining is rude. So we hold complaints until we leave. Maybe restaurants are to blame, maybe people are to blame. The bottom line: It happens.

How to Use Twitter Like a Double Edged Sword

Why where The Romans such a dominate army?

One Reason: The Gladius aka “the sword that conquered the world”

This technology allowed soldiers to dish massive amounts of damage to opponents that leveled entire armies! When was the last time your iPhone conquered Greece? It’s funny how a simple technological advancement can be so powerful. Sounds like Twitter, right?

We all know Twitter is a powerful networking tool. That’s not a secret. Just like the double edge sword, its also has an incredibly simple design. This in return, deserves a simple approach. There is no magic bullet to killing Twitter, but we can let you in on a secret tactic that works, keep reading…

Meet Arlene Maminta Browne from Robust Wine Bar: “The Robust Experience”

Welcome to our third interview on UrbanBacon, one that I am totally pumped about!

I was privileged to interview Arlene Maminta Browne from Robust Wine Bar located in our very own St. Louis, MO. Arlene, and her husband Stanley, are the two masterminds behind the fabulous Robust Experience. Truly two people who love life, their family, and wine. Check out their blog to learn more.

I also want to personally thank Arlene for all the insight she has given us. It is truly appreciated:) Enough of me, check it out!

1. I know how much I love wine, and I can only imagine what owning a wine bar is like. Can you tell me the story behind Robust and what are you guys looking to accomplish?

Is Yelp Dead?

Yesterday, the well-known start-up Yelp was slapped with a class action lawsuit. You can read about the story here. Yelp has been accused of “extortion” by a veterinarian hospital in California. The hospital contacted Yelp asking them to remove negative reviews of the business. Yelp refused to take down the reviews. Then a funny thing happened, the veterinary hospital was promptly contacted by a Yelp “sales representative.” The rep told the company they could delete or lower the negative reviews on their pages for the low cost of around $300/mo.

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?