It’s time to kill the idea of ‘vanity metrics’ and embrace a better term
As a restaurant brand with multiple locations, your marketing efforts are critical to driving traffic. However, tracking the success of your marketing efforts can be challenging, and not all metrics have a direct connection to that ultimate goal. The term “Vanity metrics” has been used to describe metrics that make a brand look good on […]
5 1/2 Restaurant Trends for 2023
Oh hey look, another “2023 Trends” article. I’m sure your feeds are full of them, but let me tell you why this one matters. It’s not focused on a service that I happen to provide like so many other trend reports do. Instead, these trends are 100% derivative of patterns I’ve been seeing pop up […]
Clearing up the murkiness surrounding Brand Purpose
Brand Purpose quickly established itself as the buzzword du jour in the 2010s with renowned, respected consultancies like Brighthouse, a BCG Company, and iconic thinkers like Simon Sinek dominating the thinking, and many others adopting and adapting it. The word has become ubiquitous among forward-thinking leaders who seek to scale brands with the stickiness to […]
Restaurant Technology Spotlight: Kickfin
The restaurant industry is finally in the thick of it when it comes to the technology revolution. Realizing the role tech plays in helping agile pivots and adjustments (thanks pandemic!) brands are embracing, integrating, and innovating left and right. Helping that charge is a suite of new technology platforms that seek to solve stubborn challenges […]
Restaurant Trend Predictions for 2022
Ah yes, it’s that time of the year, literally the last day, where we throw down some bold predictions for the restaurant industry. Not necessarily in what foods will be trending, but more focused on larger shifts and notable changes to be expected in 2022. This future-casting is fueled by our discussions with leaders on […]
Successful Restaurant Marketing In 10 Easy Steps
After approximately 20 years of being involved in every aspect of the restaurant business from serving to being a one-person marketing department, I’ve seen first hand what successful restaurant marketing looks like. I have worked in national franchises, regional chains, and locally-owned restaurants that tripled in units. I grew from marketing brand manager into assisting […]
Welcome JP Myler, Marketing Strategist
JP joined the Vigor team earlier this year to head up the marketing strategy for our key client accounts. Since joining the team, JP has played integral roles in building the brands across marketing channels for companies like eegee’s and Erik’s DeliCafé. Her keen sense of what’s trending and your ability to “listen” to data […]
Coming out of COVID-19 with positive brand momentum
Let’s state the obvious: During this COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants are being left without dining rooms, and sometimes without essential staff. Operating in your core competencies—serving food to restaurant patrons—is severely hampered. Even if you’re fortunate enough to have a drive-thru or a strong delivery business, you, like all of us, are left asking some extremely important […]
Joseph lends his restaurant branding expertise to Vox & Washingtonian
Principal, Joseph Szala, lends his expertise to two articles about restaurant branding and naming. The first article discusses the nuances of restaurant naming and how it pertains to a new fast casual restaurant in Washington, DC. The second, published on Vox, speculates the real reasons for Hooters’ decline. Is it the uniform? The format? Millennials’ […]
Here’s the real restaurant marketing silver bullet
There is a burning need in restaurant marketing. I hear about it daily. If I distill it down to one word, it’d be “results.” It seems that so many restaurateurs, brand managers, and C-level executives can’t seem to ace effective marketing. And so the conversations I have, or overhear, are ultimately akin to these one-liners: […]