This is my newsletter, "The Magic Money Maker" that restaurants and bars would find interesting. It talks about various topics from marketing to sustainability.

1. December 21, 2010
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Volume 1, Issue 1
The Magic Money Maker
Tips for
Restaurants Making Money in the
and Bars
Restaurant and Bar Business
Magical Strolling Reg
Energy Saving Tips for Sustainability
One way to make restaurants more that make easy sense first. Fixing a
sustainable is to save on energy costs. dripping faucet can save a restaurant
Utility costs have hit the restaurant about 1,200 dollars a year.” Tom
industry pretty hard in the past. One continues, “The key is to create
solution to this problem is to put an awareness and show team members how
energy saving program into place. In using energy affects the bottom line of
the article “Culver’s Tackles Rising the restaurants and ultimately how that
Utility Costs by Cutting Energy Use” affects them. Once you create
from the National Restaurant awareness and ask your team to make
Association’s website, Tom Williams the changes, they will.”
director of building services for Culver’s restaurant put into place
Culver’s restaurant stated, “We started processes such as having employees turn
looking at how we could take a dime off cooking hoods off at night, fryers off
here, five cents there.” Tom William’s when not needed and staggering start
advice when it comes to putting an times for kitchen equipment. Some
energy program in place: “do things other ideas to cut energy costs is to
put timers on inside and outside
lights, (continued on page 2)
Employee Theft Harms the Bottom Line
Employee theft takes many forms. It can come by giving 3) Consequences for theft are minimal.
away food or drinks to customers, outright stealing of
cash, theft of time, theft of food or alcohol, overcharging 4) Employee feels underpaid or underappreciated.
customers and then pocketing the cash and stealing
customers credit or debit card information. A majority of 5) Restaurant or bar does not have a written policy
theft goes undetected by management. In some cases, concerning employee theft.
management is involved in employee theft. Opportunity
remains the leading cause of employee theft. A good way 6) No system in place to trace employee theft.
to prevent employee theft is to limit opportunity. Rarely
does an employee steal because of need. Some reasons Some ways for owners and managers to prevent theft:
why employees do steal:
1) Low morale at the workplace. 1) Get to know your employees, don’t trust but
get to know your employees and treat them
2) Employee feels the business mistreated them. well. If you don’t treat employees well, they

2. Front Page Articles Continued The Magic Money Maker
Magical Strolling Reg
Energy Saving Tips for Sustainability (cont.)
replace neon signs with LED lights and Another idea is to install recycling
install compact fluorescent bulbs. centers at the restaurant. A restaurant
Switching to low energy LED exit signs could teach or encourage their guests to
cost $1,000 less to run than typical exit separate recyclables. This certainly
signs. enhances sustainability. Reusing left
Culver’s also recommends using 6 inch over cooking oil to heat water is another
rather than 4 inch insulation; having idea to save on energy and fuel costs.
awnings over windows and installed new Refrigerators are cooled by ejecting heat
cooking hood systems. These energy through the coils on the top or bottom of
efficient hoods make a significant the unit. Do not push reach-ins into
difference by keeping the kitchens tight spaces where the heat will build up,
cooler. A restaurant which gets low-flow forcing the refrigerator unit to work
spray valves can pay for themselves in a harder and use more energy. Pulling
year and save an estimated 123,000 frozen food for defrosting at scheduled
gallons of water a year per restaurant. time intervals helps save energy costs.
Employee Theft Harms the Bottom Line (cont.)
will be less likely to turn in a thief once otherwise the establishment opens itself
they become aware of a thief. up to legal liability.
Employees who are not treated well
6) Change out cash drawers in mid-shift
which become aware of a thief, may feel
and limit access to cash drawers and
“In addition, in the establishment “deserves it” and not
safes.
turn in the thief. Employees who are
many cases, it treated well are more likely to turn in In cases where a restaurant or bar
takes about $200 thieves. owner catches a thief or a thief is turned
in by other employees, some owners
in sales to make up 2) Track all food and drink sales through
recommend prosecution with restitution.
a POS system which helps to decrease
for a $20 theft.” freebies.
The reasoning for this is because a
restaurant owner does not want the
3) Track food inventories. Stealing food word to get around that his or her
can be as simple as eating a forbidden establishment is the place that is easy to
piece of dessert while on break or taking steal from. Other reasons is by not
cases of food right off the delivery truck. prosecuting a thief, that thief can just
Inventorying at the end of each shift and get hired somewhere else, commit the
having it written down is a good idea. same crimes and become another
restaurant owner’s problem. Prosecution
4) Keep all alcohol under lock and key.
with restitution also sends the message
Only the owner, manager or bartender
to other employees that there are real
should have access to supply. Keep a
consequences for stealing. A failure to
running inventory of alcohol and if there
prosecute a thief who has been turned in
are no sales to account for alcohol use,
sends the wrong message that there are
your employees might be helping
no real consequences for theft.
themselves.
In addition, in many cases, it takes about
5) Install security cameras in your
$200 in sales just to make up for a $20
establishment and make them difficult to
theft. Employee theft can harm the
see (maybe use camouflaging). Move
profitability of a restaurant. Theft should
the cameras around from time to time
always be treated seriously by a
but exercise good common sense when
business.
moving the cameras to new locations

3. Blog Articles The Magic Money Maker
Magical Strolling Reg
Getting New Customers Into a Bar (from my Blog: Marketing for Restaurants and Bars)
A bar needs to be seen as the favorite dates in an evening. Two people talk one
place to be. If the bar is just opening on one for a couple of minutes and then
then some ideas to get more customers move on to the next person. Maybe a
in the door is to invite business leaders, bar could get mentioned on a dating
local celebrities, beautiful people and website.
anyone else the local demographics
relates to. Having a memorable invitation 5) Bartending contests- Get some
also helps. Consider printing invites on bartenders from the area into your bar,
pint glasses or on a coaster. Another choose a theme, like funniest barkeep or
idea to consider is to invite people from best mixologist.
the local luxury car enthusiast club
(along with their luxurious cars). Having 6) Anniversary, birthday party for your
cool rides outside the doors can set a hip bar- Have an anniversary for the opening
tone for a bar. of your bar party or birthday party for
your bar.
Word of mouth is the best way to get
new customers through the door. 7) Menu changes- Adding ethnic dishes
Promotions and specials are the second or cocktails. These new dishes could
best way. Promotions have a theme or bring in new customers.
event that goes on for a set period of
time: a night, a week or maybe a month. 8) Customer contests- Come up creative
Here are some ideas for promotions: contests for your customers.
“Word of mouth is
1) Trivia nights- competition in a trivia Offering food and drink specials can
game, some of which could use hand bring more people into your bar. the best way to get
held electronic devices. However it's a good idea to consider who new customers
2) Karaoke nights- People get up in front it brings into your bar and how they will
of everybody and lip sync to a chosen behave after they sit down and fill up on through the door.”
song. cheap liquor. If a bar's drinks are too
cheap, it could encourage over
3) Open mike nights- The bar owner can consumption and intoxication which
choose the genre: singing, telling jokes, could bring more trouble when it comes
talent, etc. to liability. So, it's important to consider
the consequence before offering drink
4) Speed dating- This allows single men specials.
and women to meet several potential
Your Product as a Marketing Tool (from my Blog: Marketing for Restaurants and Bars)
A restaurant produces food (which is The package to your product is All that hard work means nothing if
your product) from ingredients (which is different. It includes your restaurant's nobody shows up because you
the raw materials) and sells it to a diner. exterior, your lobby, your staff's dress or haven’t created a good brand for
You're competing with a lot of other attire, the dining atmosphere, the smell your restaurant and because the
restaurants for that same customer; so coming from your kitchen, the packaging of your restaurant has a
you have to do it better than the friendliness of your staff, your silverware few problems.
other restaurants or you won't be in and glassware. All of these things are
business for long. You're product is part the package for your product. What you put on your menu is the
of the 5 Ps of marketing: price, product, product and your product should
Your package determines the costs of
promotion, placement and people. be able to fit into the package: the
doing business and your diner’s decision
theme and atmosphere you have
to come in and whether to come back.
However, your product is not packaged chosen for your restaurant as a
Opening and running a restaurant is hard
in a nice looking box that could sit on a restaurant owner. Your menu
work.
department store shelf. should match your restaurant’s
theme and atmosphere.

4. Your Product as a Marketing Tool (cont.)
Any items that do not should be A restaurant needs to develop a
tossed off your menu. Everything marketing strategy and plan based
revolves around your menu. on what’s special, exceptional,
The ingredients that are ordered, unique and different about your
the design of the kitchen, the restaurant. It could be the food,
equipment that is purchased, how ambience, price or value. Study
staff is organized and trained, who your competition and watch what
the chef is, what is on the wine list, they do well and not so well. A
Magical even the name of the restaurant restaurant owner needs to know
(and the name needs to appeal to his or her target market. What
Strolling Reg your target market). Flexibility kind of diner are you targeting?
should be a consideration in making After you get a customer in your
1702 Shelburne Rd. Suite choices for the menu. The diners seat, how do you plan to keep him
356 South Burlington, VT
make the final decisions about what or her there (repeat customer)?
05403
USA is on your menu based on their To be successful in any business
purchases of some items and you have to take care of your
Phone: (802) 264-2741 avoidance of others. This is all very business today, tomorrow and
important for your marketing years down the road.
E-Mail: strategy when considering
magicalstrollingreg@gmail.c "product" under the 5 Ps of
om marketing. You have to think about
how to draw customers into your
restaurant way before you open the
Check out our blog at: doors and every day after the doors
marketingforrestaurants have been open.
andbars.blogspot.com/
About My Organization…
We’re on the Web! My name is William Davenport better gain more repeat customers. I also
See us at: known as the “Magical Strolling Reg.” I perform strolling close up magic for
perform stroll around magic and private events.
www.squidoo.com/magic specialize in programs to help
formarking restaurants, bars and clubs market
themselves, generate more business and