Back in November, Eddie’s Trackside Bar & Grill in Monroe, Washington requested some marketing advice. it became our November small business marketing case study: Word of Mouth for a Bar & Grill. Owners Wendy McDowell and Stacie Ballweg needed to boost their stagnant food sales.
My recommendations were to change the menu and create some conversation about the menu. Specifically,
- Align the food and prices with the brand – Create a menu with blue-collar food choices that the matched customer persona.
- Give the menu a personality – Get customers involved and give all menu items railroad-theme names.
- Have a new menu roll-out night – Book a band, make it an event.
- Sample the new menu – During the promotion, sample different items from the new menu.
- Add a dash of excitement – Give out food coupons and prizes such as Eddie’s T-shirts.
- Solicit new menu suggestions from customers – Get customers involved with a menu item naming contest. Take suggestions for new menu items.
Today I received an exciting email from Wendy & Stacie with an update. Eddie’s Trackside has a new menu and has boosted food sales tremendously.
Wendy & Stacie threw a “grand opening” style party with live music. To promote, the Eddie’s staff walked the town distributing flyers about the menu party offering a free appetizer and $1 flutes of champagne. They decked out the restaurant with candles, linens, and flowers from the neighborhood florist. Eddie’s Trackside cooks were dressed in chef’s coats and pants for the party, an has since become their standard uniform.
Because of the great success of the new menu, food sales have climbed and comment cards have been filled with praise. The Sysco food rep and the Sysco graphics department helped design the new menus. In addition to the new menu, Eddie’s now has nightly home-cooked hearty meal specials.
The bottom line: Eddie’s food sales are up while food costs are down. Wendy and Stacie are energized, despite some tough economic conditions in Monroe. They say the community has responded with great support for Eddie’s Trackside Bar & Grill.
Would you like a free case study for your business? Here’s how:
First, read about the small business Marketing Circle of Life. Next, choose one of the four spots for which you would like free marketing advice: Branding, Experience, Conversation, Promotion and put it in the subject line of this contact form: The Marketing Spot Case Study. Then fill out the form with a description of your situation in 150 words or less. Include your exact location and contact information, with a phone number.
If you are selected for the case study, I will contact you. This information will not be shared with anyone else. However, to receive the free marketing advice, you must agree to allow the case study to be presented on The Marketing Spot Blog.
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