Creativity is Key for San Francisco Restaurateurs

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 23, 2009 – The San Francisco Bay Area has always had a culture full of creative and forward thinking individuals.  This is the type of culture that has made the area one of the top restaurant destinations in the world.  Restaurants are now using this creativity to form new and innovative ideas to remain successful and drive customer loyalty through these tough economic times.
John Priest, VP of Operations for Vine Solutions, a premier restaurant accounting and consulting firm based in the bay area, states “our clients who use creative techniques to market their restaurants have seen an overall rise in guest counts.”
Sam’s Chowder House, an award winning staple in Half Moon Bay, has recently gone mobile with their launch of their ChowderMobile.  This enables Sam’s Chowder House to bring their cuisine directly to their customer’s events.  Poggio Trattoria in Sausalito has been focusing on providing affordable and unique menu specials that focus on classic Northern Italian cuisine, including Porchetta and Spiedo Misto della Pasqua.  These classic dishes have garnered exceptional reviews and substantial press for Poggio.
Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa has re-adjusted their menu by removing their higher ticket items to change the overall perception of the menu.  Now customers can feel the affordability of the restaurant because they are not distracted by higher ticket items.  Since this change, Third Street Aleworks has seen their dinner counts rise significantly.  Other restaurateurs have re-adjusted their concept altogether.  The Left Bank group has changed their Tanglewood concept to open LB Steak in Santana Row when Roland Passot realized what Santana Row was lacking was a great steakhouse.
To create customer loyalty, many restaurateurs have also turned to the new social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook.  1300 on Fillmore, Orson, and Nick’s Cove have been using these resources to open a communication line to their regular customers.  They use this resource to promote special events and new menu items.
Priest highlights that “the idea is to make your customers feel like your restaurant is their community.  Specials and events make them excited about what you are doing and helps give them a break from the norm.  Although not all ideas will work, those who are resilient and proactive will be the most likely to survive.”
Vine Solutions, Inc. was incorporated in 1996 and has offices in Corte Madera and Santa Monica, California.  Vine Solutions, Inc., provides accounting and financial advisory services to a variety of high volume independent restaurants and regional chains.

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Vine Solutions provides premier restaurant accounting and consulting services. Specialized for the restaurant industry, services include bookkeeping, payroll, and operational and financial consulting.