• Where do you get recommendations for restaurants?
I only really get recommendations for restaurants from friends. There are really only two things that will get me to try a new restaurant: recommendations from friends and coupons. Unless I’ve specifically heard that I should try a place or I catch wind of a great deal, I’m probably going to stick with what I know.
• What marketing methods work with you?
Coupons work very well. If I stumble across a deal that’s too good to pass up, I’ll try a new restaurant (or go back to an old one that I usually am too cheap to go to). I’m thrifty, and money talks. Consequently, I have no interest in coupons that barely actually save you any money. The value of a coupon certainly depends on the overall price tag, too. If I’m going to a restaurant where an entrée is about $6.99, a buy one get one free coupon does wonders. So does a $5.00 entrée+drink coupon. For example, I hadn’t been to Qdoba in years when I stumbled across a set of buy one get one free and $5.00 entrée coupons. After burning through these coupons, I discovered I really love the food at Qdoba, and while I wasn’t willing to spend the $6.99+tax before, now I often am.
However, a coupon that would really just irritate me and not make me inclined to try a restaurant would be a “buy one entrée and a drink and get the second entrée half off” type of coupon. Throwing in strings attached like having to buy a drink that I wouldn’t normally buy (I drink water, always) kills the value of the deal for me. The same goes for slightly more expensive meals that require you to buy one entrée and two drinks to get any kind of discount on the second entrée. Either you want to give me a deal or not, but don’t make me pay for something I don’t even want to be able to use the coupon.
• What could a restaurant do to attract more young people?
Come up with a set of menu options that are economically viable for people who make $7-9 an hour and have bills and rent to pay. Have attractive menu options (not appetizers with 5 bites worth of food) that are priced low enough for me to consider going to your restaurant when I’m thinking “I’m hungry and don’t want fast food but don’t want to spend a fortune.” It’s a difficult nut to crack, but it’s the truth. Another thing that attracts young people is drink specials. Nearly every Wednesday, I go to a certain Mexican restaurant because they have 2-for-1 margaritas. I also often go to the Ram when they have happy hour to sit down to a good beer that doesn’t break the bank (note: cheap Pabst isn’t going to bring me or anybody else to your restaurant).
• How do you think young people’s preferences are going to change the restaurant industry over the next 5 years?
Eating out is expensive. This is much worse for young people who don’t make much money than it is for older people with some more disposable income. With the economy the way it is and many young people lucky to even have jobs, let alone ones that pay a decent wage, there isn’t a lot of money going around to go blow a bunch of money on one meal. Furthermore, many young people (myself included) try to eat at least somewhat healthy. My mother has even commented on how my generation seems to eat a lot healthier than hers did when she was my age. As such, I stay far away from Taco Bell and McDonald’s if I have any say in the matter. When it comes down to deciding what I’m going to eat, I try to find a balance between price tag and nutritional value. I think as time goes on, more and more restaurants are going to start finding ways to provide menu options to appeal to people trying to find that same balance in price tag and nutrition. That might be a hard balance to find, but I can assure you that if I walk into a restaurant and see that isn’t providing anything like that for me, I’ll go find one that will.
|