Empowering America's Restaurants and Retailers

All Blog Posts (17)

Will “Become a Fan” for Food.

On January 25, Einstein Bros. Bagels announced the launch of its “Free Bagel Bonanza”. Beginning yesterday, consumers who become fans of the Einstein Bros. Bagels Facebook page (www.facebook.com/einsteinbros) will receive a digital coupon valid for a free b… Continue

Added by Trevelino/Keller on January 26, 2010 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Lights, Camera, Action! Using Pictures and Video to Enhance your Brand

Websites such as Flickr and YouTube have exploded in popularity for photo and video sharing. Comscore, a marketing research company, revealed that the popular social network YouTube has reached 100 million viewers alone. Using videos and photos are a fun and inexpensive way to showcase to potential customers the “feeling” or “personality” of your brand. Giving them a visual can help solidify a decision to buy your product or to use your services. In addition, pictures and video aren’t only fun,… Continue

Added by Trevelino/Keller on November 11, 2009 at 1:08pm — No Comments

It's what they don't know about your restaurant that may be hurting you.

Shining light on what you do best is a great way to stir interest in your restaurant. Those people are your best customers and come back often because of what they enjoy. However, what they might not know about is your Sunday Brunch, Wine Tasting Wednesdays or your Corporate Catering. Start promoting what needs more attention. Chances are the couple having dinner tonight may be celebrating an anniversary soon. Why not share their favorite eatery with friends and family. A very effective and prov… Continue

Added by David Callahan on September 23, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Is Your Restaurant Prepared for H1N1?

Everyone is talking about H1N1, but beyond the pending vaccine and simple cleanliness messaging, what can you do to protect your employees and customers? To assist in answering questions and providing guidance, The National Restaurant Association has teamed with Ecolab to develop a toolkit to help the restaurant industry fight H1N1 flu and prevent the spread of influenza viruses in restaurants. The toolkit includes information and guidelines restaurants need to help prepare for and prevent an i… Continue

Added by Trevelino/Keller on September 18, 2009 at 10:38am — No Comments

Foodies; Live the Life of an Artisan Foodmaker

Oregon Bounty, the culinary tourism initiative of Travel Oregon (the state's travel and tourism bureau) announced a very cool contest this week offering seven lucky foodies the chance to win a "cuisinternship" where they will spend a week with an artisanal food/beverage producer located in Oregon.… Continue

Added by Jeff Davis on August 27, 2009 at 12:39pm — No Comments

SmartBlog on Social Media

Andy’s top 5 word-of-mouth tips for restaurants By Andy Sernovitz on August 25, 2009 Send them home with something. Send folks out of your restaurant with a unique doggy bag, a T-shirt, some dessert to share — anything that will help them tell the next people they see about you. Offer a secret menu item. Offer a dish or special drink that only insiders know about. It will… Continue

Added by Trevelino/Keller on August 26, 2009 at 4:33pm — No Comments

AdvanceMe, Inc. Releases Third White Paper Advocating Informed Funding Decisions

Merchant Cash Advance Leader Continues to Educate Business Owners AdvanceMe, Inc. Releases Third White Paper Advocating Informed Funding Decisions ATLANTA – August 24, 2009 – AdvanceMe, Inc. (AMI), the nation’s leading provider of Merchant Cash Advances for small and mid-sized businesses, today released a new white paper entitled Merchant Cash Advance: Not for Every Business. Is it Right for Yours? This White Paper is the third in a series addressing current issues impacting the Merchant Cash A… Continue

Added by Trevelino/Keller on August 24, 2009 at 9:34am — No Comments

Portland's "Caprial's Bistro" Closes

I moved to Portland, Ore. a few months ago, all fired up to begin hitting this "foodie mecca" of top-rated restaurants. Long-standing Portland eatery Caprial's Bistro was on that list (led by Caprial Pence and her husband John) but unfortunately I won't get the chance, given that it abruptly closed yesterday. Here's a link to the article from The Oregonian with more details: http://tinyurl.com/p8xy8p. Continue

Added by Jeff Davis on August 18, 2009 at 3:16pm — No Comments

Help pick the next Winemaker

An Atlanta man, David Aferiat, is a semi-finalist for an upcoming reality show on PBS, the Winemaker. He needs as many hits to his video as possible to make him a finalist. Please help him out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_ Continue

Added by Dora Burke on August 12, 2009 at 11:16am — No Comments

New Merchants Partner with Vesdia to give Consumers a Retail Stimulus Package Now, More than Ever, Merchants Turn to Partnership Marketing to Drive Sales

Vesdia Corporation, the single largest provider of multi-channel merchant networks and shopping incentive services, announced today the addition of several new brands to its already extensive merchant portfolio, including: Avis Rent-A-Car, Ballard Designs, Budget Rent-A-Car, Sally Beauty Supply, and Vinesse Wine Clubs. These major brands have partnered with Vesdia to participate in loyalty programs Vesdia administers for Citibank®, Citizens Bank, Hawaiian Airlines, Kroger Personal Finance, SunTr… Continue

Added by Vesdia on August 11, 2009 at 3:44pm — No Comments

Back to School Timing. What’s Your Take?

This weekend is Georgia's annual Tax-Free Holiday weekend -- a big shopping weekend, especially for back-to-schoolers. It is hard to believe that kids are starting school already. It seems like the days of being out from June - September are long gone. Summers have gotten shorter and shorter, with kids now getting random weeks off from school throughout the year. A week in October, a week in November and then two weeks in December..it still adds up to 180 days no matter when you take the time of… Continue

Added by Heather Graham on July 31, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Are you a foodie that wants to be on TV?

I am the host of a new show that WXIA is launching inside Atlanta and Company about dining out in Atlanta. The show is Metromix Meals and it airs every Wednesday on NBC between 11am-12pm. Everyday people talk about their favorite restaurants and provide comments on others’ favorites. If you are a foodie and like talking about food and dining out, we would love to have you on air. You would need to be available during the daytime for taping. Please email your contact information, age, and a photo… Continue

Added by Dora Burke on July 29, 2009 at 8:09pm — No Comments

Technology at Your Service

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that social media is here to stay. Whether you embrace it a little or a lot, it is growing and changing every day and your customers are lining up to see what you have to offer. Customers are excited when they find you on Twitter or Facebook -- but are they also excited to see technology at their seat in your restaurant or on the counter of your retail establishment? Well, a recent research study by IHL group (an analyst firm and consultancy that… Continue

Added by Heather Graham on July 14, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

Going Green in the Restaurant Biz

My initial inspiration for this blog post comes from my insanely creative friend Bonnie Forkner. This is a girl who sends me a handmade gift every holiday, did the “green wedding” before it was trendy and plans to open an eco-friendly bed and breakfast some day. It’s not bad having my own personal Martha Stewart when I need her. Did I mention that she raises cage-free chickens in her backyard? Bonnie recently sent me an email titled “Bonnie’s Latest.” As you can imagine, I was very anxious to r… Continue

Added by Melissa Warren on July 13, 2009 at 1:27pm — No Comments

The Social Media Debate Continues ...

I had a recent exchange with several clients about the relevance of social media. Is it a fad? Is it only for the young at heart? Is it important for my business? Can it hurt my business? Can I measure it? I would say, pretty much yes to all of those questions. Of course, I think it's less of a fad, but because it's an always moving medium, what we do with social media in Q3 2009 may and likely will take on a new shape in Q1 2010. This community, for example running on a Ning platform is the lat… Continue

Added by Trevelino/Keller on June 29, 2009 at 1:56pm — No Comments

Food, Inc.: A Movie Review

This past weekend, my family and I went to see the new movie, Food, Inc. No it's not from Pixar or Paramount or Dreamworks or any of the other big production movie houses. This is a small budget, well written, directed and produced film that delves into the America food supply. Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfie… Continue

Added by Trevelino/Keller on June 24, 2009 at 11:34am — No Comments

Free Food for Thought

Free food seems to always draw a crowd. But, as we’ve learned recently with KFC, companies need to be careful when promoting products via giveaways. We here at Trevelino/Keller have been involved with a number of giveaways – from annual promotions to grand openings. Below are a few d… Continue

Added by Heather Graham on May 22, 2009 at 3:48pm — No Comments