Ultimate branding for restaurants Part 2 – The big challenges ahead

If you're in the business of restaurant marketing, read on! Part 2 of our chat between Nick Fountain, Head of Marketing and Communications at Fat Hippo Group, John Jones, Commercial Director of Favouritetable, and Mark Ferguson on the intricacies of restaurant branding.  

Q: What are the most significant challenges ahead for restaurateurs in the second half of 2024? 

John: Restaurateurs are some of the most resilient people I've ever worked with. Over the past few years they've had a really hard time, coping with everything from building rate increases and growing energy costs, through to raw material sourcing challenges, and the ‘right now’ food ordering culture. 

One solution to these obstacles is making it very clear what your brand is all about. It has to be believable and brand values must be real and relevant regarding what’s on offer and being truthful about the business.  

The other big challenge is the cost-of-living crisis leaving people with less disposable income. This means a restaurant must offer a memorable experience that makes you want to come back for more.  

It’s then much easier to sell and develop customer loyalty.  

Nick: I agree. At Fat Hippo we've had our own potato fields and gone through the whole farming process to ensure our hand cut fries meet our exacting standards. It’s the same for the bakery we’ve developed, and our brewery.  

With the volume of product needed for our sites we've had to entrust a company with our secret recipes, but it's still about understanding the brand’s steps, including where our meat comes from, because a customer wants to know what they’re spending their money on.  

From a quality perspective, diners are out to enjoy themselves and have a good experience, so every touch-point along the way should be focused on this.  

Q: And what about effectively marketing these points? 

Nick: The biggest challenge is where people don't have the attention spans they once did and you're surrounded by too much by content, so it's about making someone want to stop in their tracks and find out more about your business.  

You might have produced the most beautiful video that's three minutes long and explains your brand perfectly, but if no one's going beyond seven seconds you haven't hit the right nerve. 

This means it’s about a constant drumbeat that shows you're acquiring a customer's interest, which then gets them into your acquisition model and they start to see other content that helps them make that all important booking decision.  

Really strong advocates for your business will go on to tell their friends and share positive news through social media channels.