It’s always puzzled me that restaurants don’t do more with email and email newsletters. Every time I decide to go out to dinner, it’s the old “Where do you wanna go?””I dunno, where do YOU wanna?”
Just imagine if I’d gotta an email reminder from a local restaurant…how likely it would be that we’d spend our bucks there?
Now I live in an area which is supported, in the winter, by winter residents…which means summer’s REALLY slow and the local restaurants are all crying in their beers (or their dirty martinis) about how few customers they have. But not ONCE, at a locally-owned restaurant, have I been alerted to “join our e-list and get first notice of specials, free samples, recipes…”
Last night, I counted up things that the restaurant I was in (90% EMPTY of customers) could use in their email newsletters to entice diners:
* It’s an unusual building. What’s the story behind THAT?
* Drink special is sangria. History of, why it’s so refreshing, made with oranges from the owner’s trees, “ask for a free sippin’ sample”
* June is Southern Cooking Month. (So THAT’S why the wait staff was all wearing jeans….) Definitions of Southern cooking, why hush puppies are called that, etc etc. Tomes have been written on this subject
* Dinner special: Surf n Turf, petite style. Yum. Tell me more.
* What the heck is a 1905 Salad and why do all Sarasota restaurants have a salad named something like this?
They could even do surveys in their e-newsletters. Do you order dessert and why not? (DuH wants apple pie, they never have it.) What one thing do you wish we offered that we don’t (DuH votes for good beers.) Why could we do better? (I vote for a real flower on the table,not those nasty dusty plastic ones.)
Why heck, they could even offer Frequent Eater Miles. Have 10 racks of ribs and you get a free meatloaf.
Maybe I have a new career, chastising restaurant owners instead of resalers. I bet the resalers might be relieved a bit to have me take on another industry!
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
[…] 5, 2008 by Auntie Kate Okay, so I was wrong. ONE restaurant that I go to DOES have an email list that they use. Usually, they’re nice […]
I’m with Kim, no sharing of our Auntie Kate! 🙂
It would definately bring me in the door if I was e-mailed dining specials and coupons. But now I’m hungry….thanks!
Dottie
First of all, as usual, you are absolutely right. The only emails I get about food are for pizza and I do take advantage of them. Emails are like commercials to me and restaurant emails would make me hungry and would be especially enticing if there was an offer/special of some sort. That being said, the restaurant business will just have to get their own guru. I’m like the possessive little child who doesn’t want to share. Your knowledge would be worth fortunes, but what if you preferred your new career. We’d be so lost!
You ARE kidding, right? You Californians ;-)…
Hush puppies are those little (highly-overrated in my opinion) morsels of cornbread batter fried in the iron skillet after the fish, ham, fatback, whatever is done…or some say, BEFORE to test the temperature of the spider… and tossed to the hounds so they won’t go nosing about their humans’ dinners.
As in “hush puppy, that’s MAH fried squirrel.”
Of course in Californian Fusion Cuisine they’re called “croquettes de maïs” …
Next, you’ll be asking me what part SPIDERS play in all this!
PS Forget the cookbook, bring WINE! (I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.)
So, how did hushpuppies get their name? I love them, and always have catfish and hushpuppies when visiting the south. What’s the scoop???
As for the restaurants, perhaps their marketing just hasn’t caught up with the resale industry. And perhaps, you really do need more to do??? lol.
ps, I’ll bring you a cookbook from the Wine Country, don’t tell anyone.