Adjust the Thermostat of Your Restaurant to the Right Temperature

and Increase Your Sales

Some time ago, I was talking with the owner of a restaurant who told me that they could not
adjust the temperature of the air conditioning and that their establishment was too cold. They
explained the employees were always happy because having low temperatures when they had to
walk so much would get them less tired; however, female customers who came to the restaurant
complained about how uncomfortable the icy environment was and didn't want to come back a
second time. Their concern was that they didn't know whether to leave the low temperature to
make their team more comfortable and perform better, or to make the place warmer so that
customers would return.

From the point of view of neurogastronomy, we can give many recommendations on this topic.
The main one would be that the temperature should range between 21 and 23º Celsius. This way
you will have a pleasant climate that favors both clients and employees.

That said, a study published in 2018 offers us a revealing answer about what the ideal setting is
depending on the type of food we offer in our establishment. After analyzing the final results, it
was concluded that a warm environment promotes the consumption of low-calorie foods with a
delicate flavor, such as salads and sushi. On the contrary, a cold environment would promote the
desire to eat tasty dishes such as pizza or French fries. This is very interesting and revealing and it
is thought that this occurs through a process of self-regulation of body temperature generated by
the subconscious of the diner.

Now that we know this, it's time to adjust the thermostat in our restaurant, encourage our
customers to enjoy our experience in a more pleasant way and that all staff feel comfortable and
willing to meet the business objectives.

We co-created this content with @neurogastronomo to help your business grow.

Reach Your Target Audience Efficiently

Audiences out there are very varied; therefore, you must know how to recognize them, identify
them and connect with them. Knowing the different audiences that visit you and buy from you is
very important when paying for social media advertising to reach more people.

A very common mistake when running ads using tools such as Facebook Ads is to place a generic
image of your dishes to target all people; since the information used to segment is very general, it
will result in underperforming ads. It is important to take care of the money that is invested and, in
this case, we recommend that these ads are targeted to a specific audience. Here are three types
of very frequent audiences:

1. The family. Use targeted ads for them. For example: a picture of a family sharing in the
restaurant with a variety of dishes on the table. If you provide delivery service, use a picture that
shows this reality: a family that orders different dishes, some for the children and others for the
adults. When you run an ad that portrays a real situation, you create a greater connection than a
generic image with a motorcycle icon to promote delivery service.

2. Couples want special moments to remember. If you have a space in your restaurant that is cozy,
romantic and special, that is the place where we recommend you take the picture that you will
later use for an advertisement on Facebook. In this way, you can show them they can live a special
moment in your space.

3. The foodies will taste your delicious dishes and live the experience of the place by highlighting
the origin of the ingredients, the creative processes of the dishes or that pairing menu created
only for one season; that is the experience that you should convey in an image.

In these 3 examples, we think out of the box and stop running only generic ads that seem to speak
to everyone, but really speak to no one. Depending on your type of food business, we are sure you
can have more types of customers by working with different audiences. Then, we can monitor
metrics and analyze the ones that have better results.

Customers today are looking for tailor-made products; they want to feel special through food and
drinks made to their liking. For this we recommend you listening to your customers, knowing them
100% and being able to offer them options that personalize all or part of their experience. Start by
knowing your identity, your values, goals, competitors and the things that matter to them. These
aspects should guide all decisions and actions, from the biggest to the smallest, to convey a
message to your audience. And if we take a magnifying glass, we can see that audiences are very
varied.

Put this recommendation into practice and you will see the positive results of creating advertising
content and images targeted to each audience segment. Then, share with us the results you got.

We co-created this content with Valentina Salazar, Food Marketing Consultant, to help your
business grow.
Never Forget this Important Piece of the Puzzle in Your Restaurant
The atmosphere of a restaurant is fundamental to connect with guests; so, it is important to be
clear about the visual concept and the complete experience that customers live: from the moment
they enter your restaurant, till the moment they leave. In this sense, it is essential not to forget a
very important area within the business, because it can affect the diner's experience and as a
result, the restaurant could receive uncomfortable testimonials on social networks.

At this point, you might be wondering: “Valentina, what is that area?” I am talking about the
restroom. I bring up this topic after doing several market studies and interviewing more than 100
people in 4 months. In these conversations they shared with me their opinions about the
inconsistency of a nice restaurant and its restroom. Below are five tips that can help you make the
best of this area and thus prevent diners from having a bad perception.

1. It is essential that you include the restroom within the visual concept of the business and verify
that it is consistent with the entire setting. If your restaurant has a minimalist industrial design or
style, then the restroom should also have that concept.

2. Put mirrors in the women’s room: a percentage of them take selfies at mirrors in the bathroom
as long as they are eye-catching and “Instagrammable”.

3. Depending on the setting concept, add flashy phrases or colors. Your restroom walls can display
information about your restaurant's social media accounts or seasonal promotions.

4. The smell is a fundamental yet rarely considered point. This can be an area of opportunity if you
have not worked in it. There are a variety of scents on the market that you can add as part of the
diner experience.

5. Amenities: having soaps, napkins, hand cream and, sometimes, even sanitary napkins or
tampons are details highly appreciated by the female public.

Take these 5 tips into account. If you are not applying them at this time, I invite you to check what
areas you can improve. An unpleasant restroom can ruin all your company’s dedication, effort and
work in creating the dining experience. You don't want that the first thing they share when they
return to the table is how unpleasant they found the restroom.

In the marketing area, when creating the monthly strategies, add in your actions one of these
points that I am sharing with you regarding the restroom. It is our job that diners live the best
experience and, additionally, that they share it through social networks.

I know some restaurants with very flashy restrooms and people always share photos that are
taken in them.

I invite you to apply these tips, then write me and share how all these ideas help you.

We co-created this content with @valentinasalazarmx to help your business grow.

Valentina Salazar, food marketing consultant.

Gamification as a Strategy in Your Marketing Plan
Surely, on more than one occasion you have wondered how you can get the attention of new
customers, and at the same time, maintain the loyalty and preference of current guests. Today,
through these lines, I will mention some ideas that you should use and know how to take
advantage of at all times.

What is gamification and how to apply it in my restaurant?

First of all, before getting into the matter, we must review a little about what the term
gamification means and also discover why is currently so mentioned by food websites. According
to specialists, gamification is the marketing strategy through games and educational activities,
which will keep the client extremely active and entertained.

Generally, this commercial practice applied in restaurants is completely linked to the experience
that the customer had in that culinary establishment. In this way, there will be an excellent
interaction between the customer and the food establishment.

For this reason, many food establishments have begun to implement different marketing tactics,
focused on the meaning of this term.

Make them feel at home. Every day, lovers of good food are increasingly demanding.
Consequently, these customers are looking for a complete dining experience. And it is not just
about tasting an excellent, perfect and succulent dish, diners seek personalized attention.

For this reason, there is nothing better than establishing a game, contest or creative activity, so
that the diners feel identified with the brand. This plan can be executed before, during or after the
diner's visit. An idea of gamification is to locate a prize wheel spinner inside the restaurant.
Customers can spin it to instantly win prizes or discounts. This strategy can be applied for Father's
Day, for example, so diners can win instant prizes and discounts for future visits.

Promotions and discounts, who does not like these words? Without a doubt, one way to quickly
attract customers is by offering discount codes or designing a menu with special offers. An idea to
get out of the ordinary and create interaction and play with our customers is that, once they eat
and pay the bill, they are given an envelope that has a prize or promotion, but that envelope
cannot be opened, they have to deliver it in the following month when they make a consumption,
so that a restaurant waiter opens the envelope and shows them what they won. In this game it is
recommended to have a variety of prizes from small discounts or paid food to the jackpot; the
more attractive the jackpot, the more people will want to participate and it will result in several
visits to the restaurant.

Gaining accumulating points in exchange for prizes or food consumption is another very frequent
action to leverage this strategy. Through platforms with chatbots, encourage the user on Facebook
to perform an action through Messenger and from there share with friends or leave their personal
data to obtain points or discount percentage on online purchases.
So, activate creativity, games and dynamics to create an interactive experience with business
results!

Content created in collaboration with Valentina Salazar, Food Marketing Consultant, to promote
the growth of your business.