Meanwhile at the North Pole

<br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><h2><span style="color: red;">Happy Holidays!</span></h2></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">From myself and our Team here at ReservationBooks.com, we sincerely wish you<br />a festive holiday season, and all the best for 2013!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #414141; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">Sincerely,<br /><br />Dave Lipson<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="560" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nAUE6XdPovM?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="315"></iframe></div><br /></div>

Meanwhile at the North Pole

Happy Holidays!From myself and our Team here at ReservationBooks.com, we sincerely wish youa festive holiday season, and all the best for 2013!Sincerely,Dave Lipson…

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The Need For A Flexible Business Plan

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2UpgtouMWPlj3PRlJqUyr5mEP43E-8u2OHUgsUIkQIR_v1uPzoIAt_HYxaLSb_GwKLPda_9_Y7-jzGjnBYkn9RENz7f61WutB9yYVB_P-Zqjg2vVzzMXyIkbD0uE7AUTMWgoKvqAfB8/s1600/startup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2UpgtouMWPlj3PRlJqUyr5mEP43E-8u2OHUgsUIkQIR_v1uPzoIAt_HYxaLSb_GwKLPda_9_Y7-jzGjnBYkn9RENz7f61WutB9yYVB_P-Zqjg2vVzzMXyIkbD0uE7AUTMWgoKvqAfB8/s200/startup.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">While many entrepreneurs take the step of preparing a <a href="http://www.reservationbooks.com/">restaurant business plan</a> before opening a restaurant business, they may not realize the importance of tweaking that plan on a regular basis. Very few people going into an enterprise are able to forecast the exact pathway the business will take in the future. Keeping the business goals current allows the personnel in the management or ownership part of the business to maintain a close watch on what was planned and how closely the actual results match the plan.</span><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">You may wonder why the variance occurs. It can result in fewer sales or higher expenses. Either of those factors could be from inadequate knowledge of the marketplace, the products or the costs. Sometimes expenses increase in ways that could not have been foreseen.</span><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">There are many resources that can offer directions on how to develop a good plan. Other resources are devoted to tracking the elements that will tell you whether or not the plan needs to be revised. You should be sure that each element that you used in designing the plan is measurable. Identify the factors that will allow you to know whether or not you are meeting your goals. These can be financial or development goals.</span><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">There are benefits in being up-to-date for the business plan features. If you are falling short in meeting revenue goals, you may need to adjust your spending. Unless you review the plan regularly, you won't be able to make revisions in a timely manner. Another benefit you get when you maintain your business plan regularly is fast response if you need to apply for commercial credit or acquire new facilities.</span><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">A business plan should be detailed for the next fiscal quarter. You can be more general when looking at expectations for a year in the future. The plan should always be in place for three years. You are able to build in emergency funds or long-range capital acquisition because you have a plan and have allocated funds for the future.</span><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Taking time each month to review your business plan and compare it to the transactions that have transpired during the period can help with your future planning. Record keeping in a responsible manner is part of being successful as a business owner. Creating the initial plan is confusing and time consuming to most people, but help can be obtained through internet classes or local low-cost classes.</span>

The Need For A Flexible Business Plan

While many entrepreneurs take the step of preparing a restaurant business plan before opening a restaurant business, they may not realize the importance of tweaking that plan on a regular basis. Very few people going into an enterprise are able to forecast the exact pathway the business will take in…

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Looking for ways to cut down on expenses when running your restaurant?

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvBUZ90l-caaU1av2nCDeOV1rvIL4exKMF6V4nCp0QpMCRhxPRzL7hcQvBVnuXS2a7AcxaNX-Gm36sj2CC4dsJUJC_jkjF9_SnMsm34H_wEJoFl1Gx4fVixJt47dcKPf0HjAD0tVefdI/s1600/Expenses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvBUZ90l-caaU1av2nCDeOV1rvIL4exKMF6V4nCp0QpMCRhxPRzL7hcQvBVnuXS2a7AcxaNX-Gm36sj2CC4dsJUJC_jkjF9_SnMsm34H_wEJoFl1Gx4fVixJt47dcKPf0HjAD0tVefdI/s320/Expenses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />1. Menu Streamlining<br />A restaurant operator should have a menu that most efficiently utilizes the space, labor and inventory available. Most restaurants have bulky menus with non-moving food items.  Take the time to review your sales of each item and cut down on items.  Look for menu items that have unique ingredients and may be costly to source.  Also take into consideration the labor that comes with preparing a menu item.<br /><br />2. Develop and have operating standards<br />Have standards and procedures to be followed at all service levels of the restaurant. To ensure compliance, ensure consistent monitoring. This does not only help you serve your restaurant clients better, it also helps you save on costs, especially if some of the measures taken are on cost cutting.<br /><br />3. Alternative energy Sources<br />Green energy is not only appealing to customers, but it also helps restaurant owners cut down on energy costs. Dishwashers, sinks and bathrooms can have their water heated by a solar heating system. Furthermore, some states offer tax credits on renewable energy. In addition, the restaurant owner can sell excess power to the national grid.<br />Restaurants can also use equipment that do not consume a lot of energy to cut down on energy expenses.  Take a look at your light bulbs and what an LED can save you per day and what the government is willing to give you back in a rebate.<br /><br />4. Rethinking layout and equipment<br />Prices of food and guest palates fluctuate with time. Similarly, operations within a restaurant also need to change with time. Efficiency can be improved through regular reviews of layouts and equipment. Outdated practices and services need to reviewed. For instance, orders can be made online while still using telephones. Similarly, the best selling food item should be placed closer to the pick up window to minimize on movement within the restaurant. Its ingredients should also be readily available to the chef.<br /><br />5. Have your bills rechecked<br />Have your restaurant accountant or better your audit company (3rd party) sift through bills looking for errors, overcharges and can eventually negotiate a better deal for services provided to the restaurant.<br /><br />6. Credit cards real cost<br />A majority of restaurant owners are faced with expenses relating to credit card processing fees. Such an owner is advised to contact their processor and have their company explain all the fees charged as per the monthly statements. If the company fail to explain the fees, then the manager/owner should look for another processor. Such knowledge of all the fees and charges in processing credit cards assists the managers/owners control processing costs. Since manual entry of credit card numbers costs more to process, mobile payment units may be used in the case of delivered orders.  In this day and age there are so many options here with new smart phones and smaller processors.<br /><br />7. Better inventory management<br />Inventory management has direct impact on profit margins, cash management, asset turnover and return on investment. This management can be done by labeling perishable products with dates to minimize on spoilage, reconciliation of orders vs supplies.<br /><br />8. Co-operate with other restaurants<br />This might be of help especially when it comes to purchasing supplies. Join a buying group that allows restaurants to purchase in a group which not only saves on purchases, it also eliminates the need to deal with multiple sales people or negotiate for better prices. Furthermore, it also protects the group members from price volatility especially if the group had a contract on a lower price.<br /><br />9. Ask for Vendors' Help<br />Suppliers have a vested interest in making you happy and can similarly assist when it come to cheaper options of products or techniques. Since they are not familiar with how you manage your costs, asking for several tips on costs cutting from them might give you new ideas. On the other hand, they might be knowledgeable of places you can purchase new equipment at a cheaper cost.<br /><br />10. Think before signing any contract<br />Restaurant owners should avoid contracts that auto-renew themselves if the services being provided aren't cancelled within a given time frame, contracts with pricing running out before the contract, contracts that cannot leave you even if you relocate the business, contracts with more details about it being offered online as well as contracts that are electronically signed as changes or negotiations are pretty harder for such contracts. This will assist the owner not to be stuck with unsuitable and non-beneficial terms that come with a contract.<br /><br />For more information on how you can run and improve your restaurant business visit us at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/reservationbook">http://www.facebook.com/reservationbook</a><br />Looking for some great restaurant forms and inventory forms to help you in your pursuit visit us at <a href="http://www.freerestaurantforms.com./">www.FreeRestaurantForms.com.</a><br />

Looking for ways to cut down on expenses when running your restaurant?

1. Menu StreamliningA restaurant operator should have a menu that most efficiently utilizes the space, labor and inventory available. Most restaurants have bulky menus with non-moving food items.  Take the time to review your sales of each item and cut down on items.  Look for menu items that have u…

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Why Your Restaurant Needs A Blog

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCd7aaQAxh7WkRXZN9_HyMm5PSC99E43sjsE209DvxwKe7ooFphqMl7GN824LkDhqkYQbpPNG7YxtAiJ1f2sb-bOHbNK-KEv47taPSQF_Eb2bV_LN17HDXonvSRwnf9E6XahyCCBAYB0/s1600/blogging.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCd7aaQAxh7WkRXZN9_HyMm5PSC99E43sjsE209DvxwKe7ooFphqMl7GN824LkDhqkYQbpPNG7YxtAiJ1f2sb-bOHbNK-KEv47taPSQF_Eb2bV_LN17HDXonvSRwnf9E6XahyCCBAYB0/s320/blogging.gif" width="228" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>blog<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">journal</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">published on the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">World Wide Web</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">consisting of posts typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Blogs are usually the work of a single individual, occasionally of a small group, and often are themed on a single subject.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A blog by no means is a short term marketing solution.  It is however a long term marketing asset that will bring you traffic “or eyeballs” to your restaurant website.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now I know how busy restaurant time can be and there is very little time for sitting down and writing about things to post online.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">However here is a cool fact:  Companies that have blogs have 55% more website visitors.  Can you restaurant afford to not use this indispensable marketing tool?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">At the end of this video and in the text below <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ill</st1:place></st1:state>give you some inexpensive tools to use to make blogging a little easier.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So you might be wondering what do blogs do and why do I need them for my restaurant?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, Blogs are used to earn peoples trust that your restaurant is the place they want to dine.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now it is up to you how many times you blog.  The more the better but in this busy world; who has time to continually be writing while running a restaurant?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">You need to add some sort of value for the reader. Entice them with a coupon.  Show them why your restaurant is the place then need to be.  Post pictures, Build a relationship with them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v83LgNOZ2mI?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now when setting up your blog for you restaurant I suggest you set up 5 or more blogs. Let me explain.  The more written original content there is online about your restaurant the more Google will think you are an authority.  Meaning they will put you higher up on Google when people search for you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, you may be wondering how Google picks your restaurant to show on Google. It is done by keywords and similarities to what the user is looking for.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So the 1^stthing you need to do is figure out what are the best keywords to use for your restaurant.   What would a person enter into Google to search for your restaurant?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Maybe <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Wing night<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Restaurant on YOUR Street<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Restaurant at YOUR Mall<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Live music in YOUR city<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Your restaurant feature like Martini Mondays</span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So now that you have a keyword list you can start to build your blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I suggest having 5 blogs that you use for advertising purposes and setting these up in Blogger.com. Now I suggest using Blogger.com as it is owned by Google and … Do you get how using their tools may help your efforts?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now the key to remember is to use one of the keywords in the title of each blog you set up.  So for instance here is a blog that I have set up as “Kanata Irish Pub” because <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kanata</st1:place></st1:city> is the city the restaurant is in and Irish Pub is one of the keywords that a person might use to search<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, in blogger you can pick nice background images and change the appearance of the blog to suit your tastes. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So once you have this done you can set up your 1^st blog posting.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So go ahead and write about what you think will be of value to your restaurant audience.  In this example we talk about the restaurant and the deal of dinner and a movie.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Make sure you add compelling images that catch the reader’s attention and draw them into your story.  This also helps by breaking up the text and making it easier to read.  You can even embed your YouTube videos.  This makes for a very compelling story.  Imagine a restaurant without a blog and a future customer is searching for where to eat and one of the websites they come across is your blog and it contains fabulous stories and videos of your restaurant. Then there is your competitors page that just has one plain Jane website with very little content and imagery.  Where do you think they will dine?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now do not forget somewhere in the blog to put a link to your website.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Also you will see labels listed at bottom, these are important as well.  Insert your keywords here and always put more than one.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Also one image per post and rename your image one of your keywords before you upload it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Your good blog should be on your domain like www.restaurantname.com/blog<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">To do this you will need to get your website administrator to install Wordpress on your domain and use this for your professionally written blogs. The ones you add to your advertising and links form your website.  The reason you use Wordpress and attach it to you restaurant domain is that it will build up the reputation of your domain name but it needs to be hosted on your website address <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now make sure you do not always just talk about your restaurant. Readers do not always want to read about your restaurant.   <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are some great things your can blog about for your restaurant<o:p></o:p></span></div><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Your neighbourhood and other businesses in and around yours.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Your city that you do business in.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A team you sponsor.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A regular customer.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A staff member that went above and beyond to please a guest.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Your family story<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Blog with images about past entertainment like bands in your bar, even maybe a video<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Special events like St. Patty’s day<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Charitable events that your restaurant participates in.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now don’t for get the title of a blog post is very important.  It needs to capture the reader’s attention.  It also needs to contain one of your restaurant keywords like your restaurant name, where your restaurant is etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are some resources<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Blogger link up </span><a href="http://www.bloggerlinkup.com/">http://www.bloggerlinkup.com/</a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here is a cool blog I have learned tons from <a href="http://www.ppchero.com/">http://www.ppchero.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Blog writers <a href="http://www.iwriter.com/">http://www.iwriter.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Use the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Google keyword tool to assist with your research <a href="http://www.googlekeywordtool.com/">http://www.googlekeywordtool.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Why Your Restaurant Needs A Blog

A blog is a journal published on the World Wide Web consisting of posts typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Blogs are usually the work of a single individual, occasionally of a small group, and often are themed on a single subject.A blog by no me…

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Pinterest for Restaurants

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1f3df1DTX7WMpPdrUFkmlh44n__aM_cIdIcka71X_TJvynicG78vhqJc0r-teZaDC3q6WHQTdv2_p-Sl4u20Gfylcf-JcbZieHI1V2AbxHPhgiUYAXpXG145FAA-TXpriJMTXrsyeCI/s1600/pinning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1f3df1DTX7WMpPdrUFkmlh44n__aM_cIdIcka71X_TJvynicG78vhqJc0r-teZaDC3q6WHQTdv2_p-Sl4u20Gfylcf-JcbZieHI1V2AbxHPhgiUYAXpXG145FAA-TXpriJMTXrsyeCI/s200/pinning.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">As one of the “fastest growing social services in the world</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> Pinterest</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> cannot be ignored as a great source of marketing for your restaurant.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Pinterest</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">is a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinboard" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial;" title="Pinboard"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">pinboard</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">-style<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial;" title="Social networking service"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">social</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_sharing" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial;" title="Photo sharing"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">photo sharing</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own collections and or 'like' photos.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Pinterest requires a bit of creativity to get your restaurant noticed and your pins being shared or commented on.  </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are some ideas as well as a great YouTube Video we did showing you how to set it up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iMz5OIgJaio?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>Publish pictures of people in your restaurant.</li></ul><ul><li>Tell the story of your restaurant and put up pictures of say the design process of your restaurant, family, renovations, special events like St Patty's Day.</li></ul><ul><li>Post videos of your chef cooking up a signature dish, or a bartender making a special drink.</li></ul><ul><li>Post some resources like a map to your restaurant, recipes, or something your customers may be interested in.</li></ul><ul><li>Show some behind the scene pictures of your staff in the kitchen or at charity events.</li></ul><ul><li>Plan a contest with people who follow you.  Offer a free dinner or night out.</li></ul><ul><li>And of course always go off topic a bit.  You can pin about your city's sport team, or the news.</li></ul><ul><li>Pin about milestones for your restaurant like years in business or even other milestones like guest’s anniversaries or birthdays.</li></ul><ul><li>Show of your family roots and why you started in the restaurant industry.</li></ul><br />

Pinterest for Restaurants

As one of the “fastest growing social services in the world Pinterest cannot be ignored as a great source of marketing for your restaurant.Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbie…

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How important is video marketing to your restaurant?

<br /><div style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;">How important is video marketing to your restaurant?</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;">  </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;">Well, YouTube has now become the second largest search engine after Google. What does that mean for your restaurant? It means that people are going to YouTube not only to find answers to their problems but to</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;"> </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;">see</em><span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;">them. Instead of reading the information, they would rather watch it.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18pt;"> </span></div><div style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;">Can you imagine searching for a restaurant in this day and age and not coming across anything online about them?  Even better think of a customer who may or may not have been to your location and he searches for a restaurant. He comes across 2 different restaurants online.  Your competitor’s page with great content, clear descriptions, YouTube videos of what they offer, great music, and smiling faces.  Then they come across your restaurant and it has a very limited online presence.  No wow factor.  You may have better food, better ambiance and better service but in the eyes of this future guest they have decided to go with your competitor.  In this powerful day and age of social media it is imperative to not ignore the power of having an online presence. </span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FejfHFs4SH4?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="line-height: 18pt;">Here is a short little promotional video we did for </span><a href="http://reservationbooks.com/"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Reservationbooks</span><span style="line-height: 18pt;">.com </span></a> Very inexpensive to make and assists with our online presence.  </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;">Get started today marketing your restaurant on YouTube! </span></div><div style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>

How important is video marketing to your restaurant?

How important is video marketing to your restaurant?  Well, YouTube has now become the second largest search engine after Google. What does that mean for your restaurant? It means that people are going to YouTube not only to find answers to their problems but to see them. Instead of reading the info…

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What Is a Napa Leather Reservation Book?

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkZdqMU8dHVVWzB9dncH0YJZ0fzwpR3r4Aq8DGh37a0Zt167jA6hwo_ez4q2N9C49B3wu39J1aL5AhzIQMQ8XNmJURs-8gEyH7NPpftwK4vdSpM7Xr6Dq1R-EyxZBQtpBjYXGuC5uv00/s1600/leather.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkZdqMU8dHVVWzB9dncH0YJZ0fzwpR3r4Aq8DGh37a0Zt167jA6hwo_ez4q2N9C49B3wu39J1aL5AhzIQMQ8XNmJURs-8gEyH7NPpftwK4vdSpM7Xr6Dq1R-EyxZBQtpBjYXGuC5uv00/s320/leather.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our reservation books are being shipped to restaurant across the world to restaurants and hotels and very often restaurateurs ask us, “What is a <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Napa</st1:place></st1:city>leather reservation book?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Napa</st1:city></st1:place>leather is full-grain leather, typically dyed, made from unsplit kid-, lamb- or sheep-skin by tanning with salts of chromium or aluminum sulphate, and noted for softness and durability. It is often used in high-quality leather products such as high-end furniture and accessories like restaurant reservation books and menus. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The tanning process which produces <st1:city w:st="on">Napa</st1:city>leather was invented by a man named; Emanuel Manasse in 1875 while working for the Sawyer Tanning Company in <st1:city w:st="on">Napa</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state>, hence the name <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Napa</st1:place></st1:city> leather.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We have found <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Napa</st1:place></st1:city>leather a perfect fit for our reservation books. The soft ply and durability of the leather is what we were looking for in a premium reservation book. “When we 1^st started to ship our <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Napa</st1:city></st1:place>leather reservation books in early 2000 we never expected the success of the books” says Dave Lipson president of <a href="http://reservationbooks.com/">ReservationBooks.com</a>.  Clients have raved about the durability of their <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Napa</st1:place></st1:city> leather books.  Each and every year restaurants have been just ordering refill pages that we sell keeping the cost of their reservation books down.  We had thought originally that the leather books with the wear and tear that restaurants see in their day to day operations would only last 2 years but remarkably we are finding many of our reservation book clients using the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Napa</st1:city></st1:place>leather books for 3 and 4 years.  </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So if your in the market for a durable, fashionable reservation book look no further than <a href="http://www.reservationbooks.com/">ReservationBooks.com </a></div>

What Is a Napa Leather Reservation Book?

Our reservation books are being shipped to restaurant across the world to restaurants and hotels and very often restaurateurs ask us, “What is a Napaleather reservation book?”Napaleather is full-grain leather, typically dyed, made from unsplit kid-, lamb- or sheep-skin by tanning with salts of chrom…

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Starbucks and Alcohol

<br /><h3 class="groups" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> In the middle of January this year I posted the question to our loyal followers of <a href="http://reservationbooks.com/">ReservationBooks.com</a>: What are your thoughts on Starbucks offering alcohol to lure more customers later in the evening?  It looks like the every popular coffee hangout will roll out wine and beer to 25 of its locations in a test this year. </h3><div><br /></div><div>Here is the Bloomberg article <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/starbucks-to-add-alcohol-at-more-cafes-to-lure-evening-customers.html">CLICK HERE</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">What Do You Think?</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 class="groups" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="600" id="qpl_q9RBYKxe" scrolling="no" src="http://quipol.com/q9RBYKxe" style="background-color: white;" width="400"></iframe><span style="background-color: white;"></span></div></h3><h3 class="groups" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </h3>It was interesting to see what other food service professionals thought.  Here are a few of the comments...</div><br />After dabbling in music and breakfast sandwiches and seeing their stock plummet, their CEO wrote a book about getting back to their core. They closed their stores to retrain their baristas, and worked to get the smell of fresh ground coffee back into their cafes. Now they have taken the word coffee out of their logo and announced that they are testing alcohol. How soon we forget. David Wetzel <br /><br /> I don't drink anymore, but as a regular customer, and stockholder, i think it is a great strategy. For centuries Taverns have been the meeting place for people, Starbucks will reinvent that environment and legitimize it just like they did with the $4 coffee. John Brodersen <br /><br /> Starbucks keeps expanding its venue. This is just another logical extension. Starbucks provides a comfortable small format gathering place for impromptu meetings for friends and executives. This would merely provide another beverage option of choice. Craig T. Weichmann<br /><br />Well, I don't have a problem with that. If it boosts their sales, others will have to get on board and offer to sell alcohol. Other states sells alcohol in their grocery stores. So I can see it coming. Or other competitors,, the bread and butter businesses will have to change...be creative..the word people shudder..CHANGE..Lily Like <br /><br />Starbucks has been an incredibly successful brand! Who would have dreamed thirty years ago that a product like coffee sold by so many vendors and virtually every restaurant could have expanded into brand shops throughout the US with such a loyal following as Starbucks? The marketing genius of Starbucks is testimony to entreprenurial spirit, a passion for a product, and a vision to carry out a dream. While we all have doubts to the potential downsides of a move to put alcohol into Starbucks locations, I'm sure their top management is not doing so without careful dilegence in how to introduce the products and maintain thier own sense of identity. The change just may attract enough customers into thier locations who would like a glass of wine or a craft beer, but don't usually drink coffee particularly at night. I can see that individual now going with friends who crave Starbucks for a relaxing evening drink. Hats off to Starbucks for the courage to attempt change for the sake of growth! My guess is they'll pull off thier experiment! Dan Boyle <br /><br /> This could be a good move if done correctly. I remember my college days, and at times wanting to go out for a drink with my friends but not having all of the noise or chaos you usually find at a local watering hole or drinking establishment. The atmosphere at Starbucks allows me to focus in on what I am working on while enjoying a nice coffee with my co workers or friends. If the new concept is held tight with the current trend and most peoples expectation when they visit a local Starbuck's, I don't see anything bad coming from this as this would simply be an add on to capture more of their current customers business. Bobby Welliver<div><br /></div>

Starbucks and Alcohol

In the middle of January this year I posted the question to our loyal followers of ReservationBooks.com: What are your thoughts on Starbucks offering alcohol to lure more customers later in the evening?  It looks like the every popular coffee hangout will roll out wine and beer to 25 of its l…

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Choosing a Pen and Paper Reservation Book Over Computer Software For Your Business

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxlzfvkgQHoE5TffmvDKCUk-Ni5KHnEKJOA3ayWuuJbCSvlAW_FkLr3rLUc-_D5Zho423dKhGO06eoSdP5BBMQ-3224wRbdo_V9GpA68shM6EJfWV1hvWdrJerbBw_2UwHtPiySdIavo/s1600/hal-400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxlzfvkgQHoE5TffmvDKCUk-Ni5KHnEKJOA3ayWuuJbCSvlAW_FkLr3rLUc-_D5Zho423dKhGO06eoSdP5BBMQ-3224wRbdo_V9GpA68shM6EJfWV1hvWdrJerbBw_2UwHtPiySdIavo/s200/hal-400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />It sometimes seems that everyone does everything digitally.  In many situations, using a computer to perform a task can make things faster, simpler, and more organized.  However, there are times when using pen and paper is actually better.<br /> This is especially true when it comes to <a href="http://reservationbooks.com/">reservation books</a>.  When you’re making a reservation for a client or guest, you want everything to go perfectly.  You don’t want to waste your time and you certainly don’t want to waste the time of your client.  Everything needs to be neat, organized, simple, and ready at a moment’s notice.  While computer software can be most of these things, most of the time, it will never be as reliable as the original pen and paper reservation book. <br /><br />Reservation Books Are Always Ready<br /><br />When the phone rings or a client walks through the door of your business, you want to be able to pencil in their reservation immediately.  A pen and paper reservation book is always easier to grab when the phone rings.  It’s much faster than logging into a program on your computer and much more reliable.  You never have to wait for a screen to load so you can spend less time waiting and more time taking care of your clients. <br /><br />Reservation Books Are More Personal<br /><br />Though many reservations are made over the phone, chances are you make many of your businesses reservations with the client in person.  Whether the client drops in to make a reservation for later in the day or week, or is scheduling their next visit at the end of a previous one, there will be times when your client is with you when you make the reservation.  Nothing breaks the interaction between two people like turning away from someone to use a computer.  If you’re keeping reservations in a pen and paper reservation book, you never have to worry about a computer coming between you and your clients.<br /><br />Reservation Books Are More Permanent<br /><br />If you’ve ever lost an important file due to a computer crash, you know how devastating it can be.  While computer software can be backed up, there is still the possibility of losing your reservation information due to software problems or power issues.  Pen and paper reservation books are permanent.  There are no files to lose, so you never have to worry about being left in the dark when it comes to your business reservations.<br /><br />Reservation Books Are Less Expensive<br /><br />When you’re using software, there is always the possibility that you’ll have to pay for an update.  Some software even requires you to pay a monthly fee.  Pen and paper reservation books are less expensive than software and they have no recurring costs. <br /><br />Reservation Books Require Less Training<br /><br />When you rely on your employees to record and keep track of reservations, you need to know you can count on them to find the information they need.  However, you don’t want to spend a lot of time training your employees to use expensive software.  With pen and paper reservation books, don’t have to worry about costly and time consuming training.  Paper books require less training of staff to use and result in fewer errors like overbooking and lost reservation information.<br /><br />Reservation Books Are Better<br /><br />In the end, pen and paper reservation books are just better.  They’re always ready, more personal, more permanent, less expensive, and require less training to use.  Don’t waste time and money on expensive software when you can buy a beautiful pen and paper reservation book for a fraction of the cost. <br /><div><br /></div>

Choosing a Pen and Paper Reservation Book Over Computer Software For Your Business

It sometimes seems that everyone does everything digitally.  In many situations, using a computer to perform a task can make things faster, simpler, and more organized.  However, there are times when using pen and paper is actually better. This is especially true when it comes to reservation books. …

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