RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#530 - What Exactly is a Figure Eight?

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This week's episode is brought to you by: MARGIN EDGE
VISIT: https://www.marginedge.com/lp/chip

This week's episode is brought to you by: RESTAURANT SCALE SECRETS
VISIT: https://restaurantscalesecrets.com/Chip

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A Figure Eight is the repeated set of tasks that an employee is responsible for throughout service. You teach it to your people so they always know what they need to do next. 

 

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If you want to snag a copy of Chip's book, The Restaurant Marketing Mindset... 
CLICK HERE: https://www.therestaurantmarketingmindset.com/

 

If you're ready to learn more about the P3 Mastermind...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/p3-mastermind-program

 

If you want a free 30-day trial of our Restaurant Foundations Membership Site...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/Foundations-b

 

If you want to leave a 5-star rating/review on Apple Podcasts...
CLICK HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/restaurant-strategy/id1457379809

#529 - If You Can't Take a Vacation, You Don't Have a Business

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This week's episode is brought to you by: KICKFIN
VISIT: https://kickfin.com/demo/

This week's episode is brought to you by: AJINOMOTO
VISIT: https://ajinomotofoodservice.com/

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If you can't take a vacation, guess what? You don't have a business... you gave yourself a job! 

This is how you fix it. 

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If you want to snag a copy of Chip's book, The Restaurant Marketing Mindset... 
CLICK HERE: https://www.therestaurantmarketingmindset.com/

If you're ready to learn more about the P3 Mastermind...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/p3-mastermind-program

If you want a free 30-day trial of our Restaurant Foundations Membership Site...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/Foundations-b

If you want to leave a 5-star rating/review on Apple Podcasts...
CLICK HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/restaurant-strategy/id1457379809

#528 - How to Find a POS That Works for You

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This week's episode is brought to you by: MARGIN EDGE
VISIT: https://www.marginedge.com/lp/chip

This week's episode is brought to you by: RESTAURANT SCALE SECRETS
VISIT: https://restaurantscalesecrets.com/Chip

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Connect with Sam Maddox, founder of BridgeWave to see how they can help: 

EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: https://bridgewave.io/chip
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-maddox/

 

*****

 

If you want to snag a copy of Chip's book, The Restaurant Marketing Mindset... 
CLICK HERE: https://www.therestaurantmarketingmindset.com/

 

If you're ready to learn more about the P3 Mastermind...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/p3-mastermind-program

 

If you want a free 30-day trial of our Restaurant Foundations Membership Site...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/Foundations-b

 

If you want to leave a 5-star rating/review on Apple Podcasts...
CLICK HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/restaurant-strategy/id1457379809

#527 - Putting Employee Retention Front and Center

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This week's episode is brought to you by: KICKFIN
VISIT: https://kickfin.com/demo/

This week's episode is brought to you by: AJINOMOTO
VISIT: https://ajinomotofoodservice.com/

*****

KickFin: https://kickfin.com/demo/

KickFin is an incredible tool that allows for instant, cashless, tip payouts the second an employee's shift ends. It saves the management team from late night tip distribution plus all the annoying bank runs. Safe and convenient. They are working with thousands of companies all over the country... why not you? 

Prairie Canary: https://www.prairiecanary.com/

Check out this charming little upscale bistro in the middle of Iowa to see how the PHG leadership is putting the staff experience front and center.  

***** 

If you want to snag a copy of Chip's book, The Restaurant Marketing Mindset... 
CLICK HERE: https://www.therestaurantmarketingmindset.com/

If you're ready to learn more about the P3 Mastermind...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/p3-mastermind-program

If you want a free 30-day trial of our Restaurant Foundations Membership Site...
CLICK HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/Foundations-b

If you want to leave a 5-star rating/review on Apple Podcasts...
CLICK HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/restaurant-strategy/id1457379809

#526 - Google Should Be at the Heart of Your Marketing Strategy

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This week's episode is brought to you by: MARQII 

MARQII is your one-stop-shop for listings management and reputation management. Collect reviews in one place to make responding easy and effortless and win the SEO game to land at the top of more search results. Win back guests and put more butts in the seats with Marqii. 

VISIT: https://marqii.com/

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This week's episode is brought to you by: RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGIES

Simplify and automate your back of house operations with RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGIES and their cooking oil management program. These guys take the dirtiest job out of your kitchen! 

VISIT: https://www.rti-inc.com/

 

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1. Google Is the New Front Door

For most guests, Google is the first interaction they’ll ever have with your restaurant. Before they see your menu, your dining room, or your Instagram, they see your Google Business Profile. That means Google decides whether you look busy or dead, trustworthy or risky, relevant or invisible. If that front door looks dusty, people don’t knock—they keep scrolling.

2. “Near Me” Searches Are Pure Buying Intent

When someone searches “restaurant near me,” they’re not researching—they’re hungry. Google prioritizes proximity, relevance, and activity, which means owners who optimize their profiles win disproportionate traffic without paying for ads. This isn’t branding; it’s demand capture. Ignore Google, and you’re leaving ready-to-spend money on the table.

3. Reviews Are Social Proof on Steroids

Google reviews don’t just influence guests—they influence Google itself. Quantity, quality, and recency all affect how often you show up in search results. A restaurant with 1,200 reviews and a 4.4 rating will outperform a 4.8 with 73 reviews almost every time. Reviews are not vanity metrics; they are ranking fuel.

4. Google Often Decides Before Your Website

Most guests never click through to your website. They see your photos, hours, menu highlights, reviews, and busy-ness directly on Google—and make a decision right there. If your photos are dark, outdated, or nonexistent, you’ve already lost them. Google isn’t a gateway to your site; it’s the decision engine itself.

5. It’s the Easiest Marketing Win You’re Ignoring

Posting updates, photos, and offers on your Google profile takes minutes—and almost no one does it consistently. That means the bar is low. Active profiles get rewarded with more visibility, more clicks, and more calls. This is one of the highest-ROI activities available to an independent operator, precisely because it feels unsexy.

6. Google Answers Questions About You—Whether You Like It or Not

“What are your hours?” “Do you have parking?” “Is it good for kids?” Google will answer these questions with or without your input. If you don’t control the narrative, the internet will happily guess for you. Claiming and managing your profile is reputation management, not marketing.

7. Photos Matter More Than You Think

Restaurants with frequent photo uploads dramatically outperform those without. Guests want to see the food, the room, the vibe, and the crowd. Google prioritizes businesses that look alive. A restaurant that visually signals momentum wins over one that looks like it hasnitated since 2019—even if the food is better.

8. Google Is the Refere...