RESTAURANT STRATEGY

Chip Klose

The Restaurant Strategy podcast is dedicated helping independent restaurant owners increase the profitability of their restaurants and grow. The show is hosted by industry expert Chip Klose, who asks the question: What would your life look like if your restaurant could deliver consistent, predictable 20% returns?

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573 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes573

Newest first

Aug 3, 2020 · 26 min
7 Mindset Shifts to Overhaul Your Business
#73 - 7 Mindset Shifts to Overhaul Your Business After 20 years in the industry, there are tons of little tips and tricks I've learned... like how to design website, how to layout a menu, how to hire and train good staff, and how to properly fold a napkin. Those are things that make me better at my job, things I love to pass along. But then there are the mindset shifts that have helped shape the direction of my career. These are seven top-level strategic shifts that can make a profound differen
Jul 27, 2020 · 48 min
INTERVIEW: Jake Grim, Founder of the QR Menu System
#72 - INTERVIEW with Jake Grim, Founder of the QR Menu System Table Rock Industries has been a supporter of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast, and over the past few months I've gotten to know the companies founder - a guy by the name of Jake Grim. At just 21 years old, he's bringing a fresh perspective and a whole lot of energy to his cause of helping restaurant owners navigate this challenging time. He grew up on the family farm in Gettysburg, PA and has been involved in his mother's restaurant s
Jul 20, 2020 · 21 min
How to Spot Shifting Foods Trends in a Post-Covid World
#71 - How to Spot Shifting Foods Trends in a Post-Covid World Covid-19 has upended our world, and reordered the daily routines for billions of people. In order to make predictions about the future, Economists and Social Scientists often look at changing Macro Trends. To be sure this global pandemic has reordered life for many of us. On this week's episode we're going to look at five different areas to better understand how Covid-19 has reordered daily life: Technological Trends Economic Trends
Jul 13, 2020 · 21 min
Reinventing the Wheel
#70 - Reinventing the Wheel On this week’s episode we’re going to talk all about reinvention. Why to do it, what it might look like, and how to take those tentative first steps toward redesigning a profitable business. I share a bunch of different suggestions to help spark ideas, which all go back to this idea of diversifying your revenue streams. Think about all the different ways you can make money in your business. THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR: The Table Rock QR Menu System (CLICK HERE) The ONLY Rest
Jul 6, 2020 · 29 min
How Marketers Use Storytelling to Sell
#69 - How Marketers Use Storytelling to Sell When I say, “Tell me a little bit about yourself,” how do you respond? Do you say, "Well I’m 5’10”, about 180 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair?" Of course not! In fact if someone did that in an interview, you’d be like… who is this psychopath. When someone says, “Tell me a little bit about yourself” you respond with a brief bio. If it’s an interview you might talk about where you went to school or the last company you worked for. If you’re meetin
Jun 29, 2020 · 23 min
All About the Freebies and Spreadsheets
#68 - All About the Freebies and Spreadsheets Over the past year I've heard from a bunch of you and the common thread I always seem to hear is how much you love the freebies and giveaways. So I've tried hard to make more of them - workbooks that correspond with a given episode, or cheatsheets, or spreadsheets. Since the start of the year I've tried to provide more resources for you. Anything to help make your lives easier. So on today's episode I'm recapping ALL of the resources I've shared and
Jun 22, 2020 · 30 min
The Surprising Truth About Creativity and 4 Steps to Harness It
#67 - The Surprising Truth About Creativity and 4 Steps to Harness It Creativity is a renewable resource. It’s one of the few things in this world where the more you mine, the more that appears. Best of all, it’s not reserved for the chosen few… rather it's something we all have at our disposal. Today, I want to talk all about what creativity is, where it comes from, how we can tap into it to grow our businesses, and the best way to inspire your team to do the same. I share a simple 4-step proc
Jun 15, 2020 · 19 min
Treading Water vs. Swimming to Shore
#66 - Treading Water vs. Swimming to Shore When it comes to water safety, the data is clear: there are two skills children need to master before they get into a pool. The first is how to swim, obviously. And the other is how to tread water. Those are the two things that can substantially increase their chance of surviving in the off chance that they fall in. But when it comes to business, too many people focus on the latter at the expense of the former. If you're on a boat and you fall overboar
Jun 8, 2020 · 28 min
10 New Marketing Books for Your Nightstand
#65 - 10 New Marketing Books for Your Nightstand Back on Episode #15 I shared my original Top Ten List, and it went so well that I'm going to share ten more. Below you'll find links to all 20 titles so you can purchase them for yourself on Amazon... most (if not all) of the titles are available in book form, as well as on Kindle and Audible. Happy Reading!!! THE ORIGINAL LIST Purple Cow by Seth Godin All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin Permission Marketing by Seth Godin Setting the Table by D
Jun 1, 2020 · 21 min
Run the Numbers!
#64 - Run the Numbers! In theory, running a business is a somewhat simple affair. You make a thing and then charge people more for that thing than it cost you to produce it. This is what it means to run a profitable business. And of course, that’s what all of us want, right? To build a business that is inherently profitable… And yet, for years now in the restaurant industry, it’s been death by a thousand cuts. As all costs go up, profitability goes down. And still, as an industry, we’ve just he
May 25, 2020 · 1 hr 1 min
INTERVIEW: Richard Jones, CMO of Cheetah Digital
#63 - INTERVIEW: Richard Jones, CMO of Cheetah Digital This week, I’m thrilled to be speaking with Richard Jones, CMO of Cheetah Digital. The company describes itself as a cross-channel customer engagement solution provider. They offer everything from acquisition to loyalty and have worked with some of the world’s biggest brands including American Express, Hilton, Walgreens, and Williams-Sonoma. Over the past two months he’s been working tirelessly to help brands navigate this crisis, and on thi
May 18, 2020 · 15 min
The Problem with "Better"
#62 - The Problem with "Better" Why should I eat at your restaurant instead of the one down the street? Because you’re "better"? Better in what way? And says who? And when did they decide that? And what criteria did they use to make their decision? Using "better" as an argument to attract customers is a trap that a lot of marketers fall into and I want to show you specific ways to avoid it. This week's episode is the third and final installment of the Positioning Trilogy... three episodes all
May 11, 2020 · 20 min
First, Last, Best, Most, Only
#61 - First, Last, Best, Most, Only On last week's episode we began discussing the idea of Positioning... a key concept that marketers use to introduce consumers to a new idea or product. On today's episode we're going to build on that by exploring these 5 words: First, Last, Best, Most, Only. What do they have in common? They're words used to position a brand at the edges. It's about going to the extremes, and the key to its success is that only one brand can claim a given word. In many ways, i
May 4, 2020 · 24 min
The Power of Positioning
#60 - The Power of Positioning Humans are remarkably bad at remembering new information. It's why eyewitness testimony is so unreliable. Usually repetition is required to make an impression. In an attempt to shortcut the system, marketers have used a concept called "positioning" to embed themselves into the minds of prospective consumers. And companies use it on you every single day, all day long... On this week's episode I share a bunch of examples to help hammer home this idea: Coke, Standfor
Apr 27, 2020 · 27 min
The Future of Restaurants in Three Phases
#59 - The Future of Restaurants in Three Phases What does the future of our industry look like? This is something I'm been thinking about a lot uring this crisis, and I'm sure I'm not alone. The way I see it, there are three distinct phases: Our immediate future -- meaning today, tomorrow, next week -- and the question is how do we continue to get creative during the shutdown? The near future -- meaning the next 6-9 months. How do we reopen our restaurants, welcome patrons back in, and put
Apr 20, 2020 · 17 min
The Four P's of Marketing
#58 - The Four P's of Marketing If you go to school to study Marketing, you’ll likely learn about this in your very first lecture on your very first day. The Four P’s of Marketing are the foundation for just about everything we do… and that’s true for every kind of business out there. Often referred to as the Marketing Mix, it’s a crucial tool to help us understand how best to serve our audience. In reality we’ve talked AROUND this subject before, but have never tackled it HEAD ON. What are the
Apr 13, 2020 · 32 min
How to Find, Hire, and Work with a GREAT Food Photographer
#57 - How to Find, Hire, and Work With a GREAT Food Photographer On this week's episode we're talking all about ways to up your content game. One key way to do that is by hiring a professional to come in and shoot your food. I've been a food photographer here in NYC for the past 8 years and so I'm using everything I've learned to help you find a great creative to help you promote your restaurant. Topics covered: #1 - How do you go about finding a good food photographer? #2 - How to negotiate wi
Apr 6, 2020 · 33 min
Pivoting Your Business to Ensure Longterm Success
#56 - Pivoting Your Business to Ensure Longterm Success Restaurants all over the country are being forced to do one of two things right now... shut down indefinitely, or pivot to a new model. I believe our ability to stay creative and nimble is going to determine who succeeds in the long term. In that vein I'm sharing 10 ideas from things I've seen myself. Take these ideas and use them... bend them to fit your business. I've included all of them in a cheatsheet. ** DOWNLOAD THE CHEATSHEET HERE *
Mar 30, 2020 · 13 min
Exactly What We Need... Stories to Inspire
#55 - Exactly What We Need... Stories to Inspire If you find yourself overwhelmed by the news these days, then this is the podcast episode for you. For the past few weeks we’ve been inundated with scary numbers and stories about how the world is falling apart… but I’ll remind you that I’m still here and you’re still here and thousands of other listeners are out there as well. And while our industry has been upended, there are hundreds of restaurants out there with stories to tell… stories to ins
Mar 23, 2020 · 25 min
What's on the Other Side of This Crisis?
#54 - What's on the Other Side of This Crisis? It's March, 2020. If you’re listening in real time your anxiety level is probably at an 11. All major sports have suspended play, Broadway shows have gone dark, schools across the country are closing, and now restaurants and bars have been ordered to close except for takeout and delivery service. Of course we’re talking about the Coronavirus — Covid-19 — and it is wreaking havoc on the economy… most of all our industry. If you’re a small business ow

RESTAURANT STRATEGY

7 Mindset Shifts to Overhaul Your Business

INTERVIEW: Jake Grim, Founder of the QR Menu System

How to Spot Shifting Foods Trends in a Post-Covid World

Reinventing the Wheel

How Marketers Use Storytelling to Sell

All About the Freebies and Spreadsheets

The Surprising Truth About Creativity and 4 Steps to Harness It

Treading Water vs. Swimming to Shore

10 New Marketing Books for Your Nightstand

Run the Numbers!

INTERVIEW: Richard Jones, CMO of Cheetah Digital

The Problem with "Better"

First, Last, Best, Most, Only

The Power of Positioning

The Future of Restaurants in Three Phases

The Four P's of Marketing

How to Find, Hire, and Work with a GREAT Food Photographer

Pivoting Your Business to Ensure Longterm Success

Exactly What We Need... Stories to Inspire

What's on the Other Side of This Crisis?