The Curtze team, as always, went out of their way to make sure every one of the attendees felt welcome.  Their sales team took the time to introduce us to many Independent Restaurant Owners, some who traveled several hours to be a part of this event.

Curtze Food Fair 2011

Market Source, Fresh Connect, Teri Trost

We enjoyed fabulous and beautifully prepared food samples like the Herbal Lemonade with POM Juice from MarketSource and Fresh Connect.

Special thanks to the Curtze team once again for making it possible for our team to connect with Independent Restaurant Owners.

Here is what co-owner Donna Reese of Reeses’s Pizzas and More had to say about the Diningverse menu editor:

I LOVE DININGVERSE!!!! I spent today loading our new catering menu and monthly specials/events for May. It was SUPER EASY and that even a computer “dummy” like me can look like a pro! THANK YOU for hooking me up!

Here is the original post Donna made on Facebook:

Donna Reese loves the Diningverse Menu Editor

By the early 2000’s most restaurant owners realized they needed a website, so that was a “no-brainer” and an easy sell for developers. However, what many restaurant owners failed to realize was that most of their customers came from their area; so launching a campaign on the world wide web (www) was a bit of “overkill”.

As the Internet grew, IROs tried to do what the franchises were doing by creating loyalty programs, email campaigns, etc. Anything to enable people to find their websites. It was time consuming, often only reached existing customers and frankly, most did not have a thick enough wallet to maintain these programs.

Then came the 2006-2010, the era of social media. The original restaurant “stand alone” websites became dinosaurs. Restaurant owners either had to become more technically savvy or spend mega bucks to help people find their websites (which were useless to the growing population of smart phone users).

Some IROs saw social networking sites like Facebook as their savior … but lately, it is becoming a ‘parallel’ Internet where IROs online marketing efforts have become even further diluted.

It is no secret that these sites are pretty good at rounding up herds of followers, some by hopping on each others backs at times to fertilize their growth. But how did these social coupon companies gain such momentum? The answer is that they had the good sense to capitalize on the ‘herd mentality’ of people that created profiles and categorized themselves. It set the stage for coupon companies to use that data to create a product: LIKE COUPONS FOR RESTAURANTS.

Members who buy these proposed online coupons typically get 50-70% off the product or service…hence the “feeding frenzy”. However, restaurants running on a slim margin, and now being faced with a 5.3% rise in food costs can only absorb this by dipping into their own pockets.

If you offer $20 of food and service for a 50% discount, the customer pays $10 for the social coupon, $5 goes to the ‘coupon company’ and you’re left with $5. To extrapolate, if your coupon campaign is successful and you attract 100 customers, you’ll be providing a whopping $2,000 of food and services and bank a measly $500 (and that is assuming taxes and other expense don’t eat into that). That is a loss of $1,500.

You’ll often hear restaurant owners say that a “discounted chair” is better than an “empty chair”. But when you participate in these programs, are you paying coupon customers to dine at your restaurant? Or worse yet, are they dining at the expense of your regular full paying customers?

What if there was a better alternative? What if there was a real time restaurant marketing system which allowed restaurant owners and managers to create their own offers? What if you could enter promotions by yourself in real time and set your own limits? What if that was just one part of an all inclusive web marketing solution?

The lesson here is clear. Think before you act on a sleek sales spiel from a social discounter. Check out the cartoon below. This seems to be happening too often.

It is no secret that running a discount program like Groupon will often create a (short term) increase in customer volume. But if you consider you’ll likely need at least 200% guest traffic to break even on a 50% discount, you might reconsider this as a marketing option. Actually, a 50% discount means that your business keeps only 50% of the remaining dollars because the other half goes to the discount program for ‘their services’.

When you couple these programs with the unforeseen rise in the cost of food the result is too often a losing scenario for independent restaurant owners who are swallowing the cost. To quote Jay Goltz, “Instead of writing a check for an ad, you are choosing to lose money on sales”. He stresses the importance of doing the math.

These sites certainly appeal to their numerous followers looking to get a deal in this time of heightened sensitivity to prices; but are independent restaurants falling victim to this feeding frenzy created by these social coupon sites?

Are these social network coupon companies using their followers to bait unsuspecting small businesses into a marketing program that sucks the life out of them?

I actually asked Kathy Danielson of  Performance & Event Management why we didn’t see this and the reason was staring me right in the face.  These companies have huge pieces of equipment geared specifically for outside cooking, storage and refrigeration……something few restaurateurs have at their fingertips.  And it is no small task to staff a 4 day event that runs 11AM-11PM.  So, I get it now!  And now I understand why she asked Diningverse to be a sponsor.  Yep, the restaurants could have a presence and get some exposure without serving food…..brilliant!

Erie Rib Fest 2010

So, in less than a week, with the help of Creative Imprints Systems and Apple Creative Group we got some Diningverse t-shirts made.  We rustled up some coupons and Gift Certificates from Nelson’s Tavern, Lorie’s Wildridge, Ricardo’s and Latino’s. Alice DeGeorge of Presque Isle Printing put together our ballots in a few hours.

During the 4 day event, the Diningverse booth became the hub for supplying water to the Dance Elite Company.  We lured the crowd with handy wipes and “clean” Diningverse t-shirts.  Many signed up as new patrons using our newly launched Simple Sign-in….smooth!

The daily drawings for the dining gift certificates reaped 5 lucky winners: Michael Trayer, Bonnie Lee Mikula, Judy Brown, Jacob Stevenson and Phil Senita. Those that did not win can stay eligible for upcoming contests by becoming a patron of Diningverse.

As we enter tourist season, we want to remind people that local cuisine is never a local secret.  We want people visiting Erie, PA to be able to easily find our local independently owned restaurants. Every town has its own unique flavor, signature food or something that it is noted for.

Although it was just “Ribbers” serving food at the Erie Rib Fest, Diningverse was there promoting local independent restaurants.

A number of area businesses donated over $1,100.00 worth of goods and services to be raffled off as part of a gift basket, with proceeds going to a local charity. The contest was the brainstorm of Mark Ericson of Penn Automotive who took on the task of organizing this well received event.  In fact, it was so well received by the community that Mark had to coordinate a 2nd drawing.

Donald, our first winner, chose his gift certificate for Ricardo’s, a favorite local restaurant noted for their fried zucchini, pasta and other Italian/American dishes.

Linda has not chosen a restaurant for her $50 Diningverse gift certificate as yet.  This is not surprising; there is a pretty wide selection of suggested and recommended restaurants.

But, we think the real winner is SafeNet Center, the local charity chosen to receive the proceeds from the event.

I couldn’t help thinking how much things have changed since the origination of this quote. Most of us would agree that there has been a dramatic shift in advertising with the onset of social networking. Perhaps the last line could be updated to: work like hell and socialize.

An effective marketing campaign is now within easy reach of any small business owner armed with a computer and email address. Unfortunately, restaurant owners using it (for advertising) often find it very time consuming. Wading through all the noise on Facebook and Twitter in an effort to capture a targeted audience is no easy task. Recognizing the limitations, they often use these sites to drive traffic to their ‘stand alone’ sites. But, those ‘stand alone’ sites must then compete against everything else on the Internet, further complicating the ability to search for them. Whew, where will it all end?

I often hear Independent Restaurant Owners (IROs) blame chain restaurants and the ugly economy for putting them on the endangered species list. But, at Diningverse, we felt that the real problem was often the inability to find these little dining gems; so, connecting IROs with locavores seemed like the right thing to do. Patrons create their own dining universe, right down to suggesting and recommending the restaurants, making Diningverse the place for locavores to socialize.

Which takes me to that patron’s suggested restaurant…..Ted’s Montana Grill. With multiple locations, it certainly appears like a franchise. And, since the Diningverse mission is to help folks find local dining gems, I wasn’t sure if it fit our description of “local”. Yet, isn’t it the call/duty of Restaurant Owners and Patrons to let us know if a restaurant should be included on Diningverse? After all, they are the end users. Ted’s Montana Grill does have a home town feel. Everything is done with a goal to “do good” as he puts it; from being eco-friendly to staffing each location. His restaurants stand as a good example of “doing the right thing”….respecting people and the environment, which is likely why it was suggested.

Since every restaurant listed on Diningverse must have its own web profile, perhaps it could be viewed as the great equalizer of all (suggested) restaurants. It levels the playing field for ‘single location’ restaurants, yet it gives corporate owned restaurants a home town feel. In many ways, because they are patron suggested/recommended, they enhance each other when they appear side by side within a given location.

So, I guess the jury is out…..and Ted, if you are listening, what do you think of replacing “advertise” with “socialize”?

In Pathways to Success, he summed up criticism by saying: “no one ever kicks a dead dog,….the more important a dog is, the more satisfaction people get ……it gives the kicker a feeling of importance.” He ends by saying: “Remember that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment.”

I know this is of little consolation to a business or restaurant owner who has been made the target of negative press, for whatever reason. But, we must assume that these perpetrators are rarely looking for a resolution to a problem. If they were, it would seem more logical that the complaint would be taken to a person capable of resolving the issue.

At Diningverse, we often get asked why we don’t have any “negative recommendations”…..we don’t think those two words belong in the same sentence. Aren’t recommendations inherently positive in their very nature?

We were looking to develop a restaurant voting mechanism that was respectful of patrons’ opinions, yet mindful of the restaurant owners’ reputations. That prompted us to give Diningverse patrons a collective voice; listing restaurants by the number of recommendations they received, with the most recommended restaurants always appearing first in their respective areas. Our goal was to provide individuals with a place to discover these local dining gems; making Diningverse very different from typical restaurant directories.

Understanding that something can go wrong in the best of restaurants, patrons can easily contact the owner/manager directly. They are often grateful for the feedback. It enables them to address an issue they may be unaware of; and gives them an opportunity to communicate directly with the patron. It is the right thing to do.

By balancing the interests of patrons and the restaurateurs, Diningverse is gradually becoming a reliable online directory for the growing population of locavores. As we continue to promote this positive atmosphere, we expect restaurant owner/managers to have a greater comfort level utilizing this technology for their web profile.

So, after much deliberation, we decided to give the reins to our patrons; after all, they are the end users. They would populate the site by suggesting their favorite restaurants; the only stipulation being, that the restaurants had to be independently owned. We have nothing against chain restaurants, but unlike most independent restaurant owners, they often have their own IT departments and thicker wallets for marketing.

Diningverse Patrons quickly began inviting their buddies and suggesting restaurants. They invited family and friends from outside the initial beta area. Basic restaurant profiles began popping up across the US. Patrons even created lists and linked them to other social media.

But, then we noticed something interesting. We began to see Patrons putting up professional profiles and contact information. When they recommended their favorite local restaurants, it became a “B to B”…….local business/professionals and organizations supporting local restaurants through social networking. Who would have thought Diningverse would be the virtual conduit for that? They recognized the symbiotic relationship; that the pulse of our cities beats within the hearts of our local independent restaurant owners.

But, here is the wake up call. We noticed that the restaurants with full profiles on Diningverse became some of the most recommended restaurants. It became pretty clear that patrons wanted to see up to date menus, prices and specials in an organized, easy to view manner. Restaurants that took the time to keep their profile updated, seemed to benefit the most. And with Diningverse, that task is super easy!

A bigger wake up call is that typical restaurant websites are often frustrating to folks just looking for basic information. The search is further complicated every time you have to switch gears to see the same information for a different restaurant; or to wait minutes (delete) to load the home page. If you have diet restrictions or food allergies, you just want to see the menu.  And, obviously, this doesn’t work for today’s mobile crowd. There is huge value in just keeping it simple.

With social media, you cannot always predict where it will lead or how people will use it. We never anticipated some of the creative ways our patrons would use Diningverse, but, we shouldn’t be surprised, it is their dining universe.

The general consensus of the attendees was literally, shock. Most of them didn’t think of Facebook as a marketing tool, much less a management tool. And I can tell you, there was a crowd of folks asking him questions after his short commentary.

We are experiencing a pretty ugly economy and many small businesses are scrambling to be noticed on a very limited advertising budget. This has really set the economic climate for the explosive growth in social networking….creating a virtual stage where the tickets are free and a business can perform 24/7 to a packed house.

Many Independent Restaurant Owners are seeing social networking as their stage to effectively compete against chain restaurants; and Diningverse is a great example. Most cannot afford the price of a billboard, or commercials that air during the Super Bowl or Olympics. But for $79/month, they can level the playing field with a content rich web profile on Diningverse.

At first glance, Facebook appears to be a good place to start for independent restaurant owners. But upon deeper inspection, it lacks the tools Diningverse provides that are industry specific.  Let’s face it, when you are hungry, you have little interest in reading what is on a restaurant’s Wall. You want to know what is in the area and how to get there. If you have a particular cuisine in mind, well….you get it.

….so, say hello to Diningverse, “your entree to local restaurants”.