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Ben Martinez posted this response to KNGs request for restaurateurs to share their ideas of what's working.

We created a loyalty program through RepeatRewards
(PPMI - RepeatRewards) about 4 years ago...Today we have over 14,000
active members in our data base that we stay in constant contact with,
either through direct mail, email, voice broadcast or fax...People like
to spend money with people that they like, in our case we created a
RELATIONSHIP with our guests through creating a loyalty program and
staying in constant contact (No National Chain can create a relationship
like an Independent can) ....When people are uncertain or worried they
go to the places or place that they are most comfortable.

Since implementing our loyalty program, we have generated sales from
$650,000.00 to over $1.6 million in annual sales. The majority is based
on our El Jardin loyalty program. To date, in 2008, we increased profits
by over 29% compared to 2007 and through the first 7 weeks of 2009 our
sales are up 4.2% compared to 2008. In the time of a RECESSION,
while other's are struggling to stay afloat we're continuing to
gain more and more of our market share.

I have also teamed up with other Independent Restaurateurs across the
country and we have created a Mastermind Business group that helps create
marketing and strategies to increase sales and add more profits to the
bottom line. (Learn restaurant marketing strategies from Ben Martinez and Restaurant Masterminds )

Those are just a few things that we have done, we've done so much more
but it would take a week to tell you all about them...Here's my favorite
quote that all my staff lives by and is no doubt recognized by our guests:

"Excellence is an act won by training and habituation, we do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do! Excellence then is not an act, but a habit"

Cheers,

Ben Martinez
El Jardin Restaurant
www.iLoveEljardin.com