Serving food is more than getting food to the table or to the homes of the customer. It is serving up a plate of a unique experience in tastes, smells, ambience and feeling. If you think that your business does not have a brand because you are in the food industry, You are wrong.
The restauranteur or food entrepreneur needs to be hyper-conscious of the role that food plays in everyday life. It brings people together, even if it isnt the sole purpose for which people gather, it is shared at gatherings, and it can make and break an occasion. Therefore food establishments have unique opportunities to implant themselves in the psyche of the average person whther they attend the restaraunt premesis, or operate a take away or odering only operation.
I have created a list of Myths that entrepreneurs and business leaders may have about branding as it relates to the food experience.
Myth 1: Your restaurant does not have a brand
Whether your company is 2 years old or 250 year old your company or business has a brand. What you do not have is intentional branding. Your brand is everything customers and the public can consistently see feel hear and assume about your business or company.
Does your restaurant serve generally traditional, quickly prepared and inexpensive food? Then that is the basis of your brand.
Being intentional about your brand is when you offer products, services, and policies that solidify the things that the public knows about you, like in the example above. You then deliberately create a logo, and social media posts, ads and flyers that solidify these concepts about your brand.
Read on to discover the other 2 myths about your Food Brand
Myth 2: Your company does not need a brand
It actually does. Your brand tells its unique story that sets you apart from the competition. Whether your brand is about humble beginnings as a family operation, with family values. It can be about new culinary applications of traditional food, or just regular wholesome food served consistently. This story, told well will set you apart from the competition and will influence purchasing behavior of your potential customers. When your brand reflects who you are it will attract people who align with your values and that creates a loyal customer. Consider what is the profile of the average person that visits your locations, or interacts with your brand online via your website, facebook or instagram. Download my Guide to Social Media Content Ideas to begin your journey to create a unique experience through social media content here.
Don't forget to continue to the third myth below
Myth 3: You can't change your brand
If your brand is not working for you. Change it! It may be dated, not attracting your ideal customer or just a little bit flat. Change your colours, give your restaurant a paint job, redesign or reprint your menus, or update your staff uniforms.
Your options are limitless as to how deep you want your rebrand to be. This can range from a refresh, to an entirely new entity. You can phase this out over time in bite sized pieces, or develop a project to execute major elements in an orchestrated way. That’s up to you. Branding is just one arm of your marketing strategy, but is integral in the development and growth of your business.
Your brand is constantly evolving to coincide with your business goals, industry innovation and market conditions. A brand can get boring, dated and loose its lustre, know when its time to employ a new apprach and updated assets.
In my experience however, the most challenging things about changing a brand is changing the way your people (staff, managers, stakeholders) think and speak about the business, and the way they interact with customers under the new brand. Food is a symbol of health, happiness , community and even success. To brand your business well, you need to determine which of these characteristics you want to leverage on most. Consider your physical restaurant, your online presence, and your menu, decor utensils and equipment as opportunities to brand your business in the mind of the public and your ideal customer.
Building your brand is important no matter the industry that you're in. Need help branding your business?
Get a Free Consultation with me to discover where you are how we can get you where you want to be in your market.
Are there any other branding myths that are widely believed? Add them in the comments. Remember to like and share this article with someone who needs to read this.
Comments