More lunch and dinner customers for a neighborhood bar and grill

The situation

The menu combined traditional bar food with healthier options, and the owner was adding more: wraps, salads and vegan dishes. Regulars made up a large share of foot traffic. The goal was to bring in new customers during lunch and dinner.

What I found

The customer experience was already strong. Bar staff built quick relationships with regulars and new customers alike. The growth opportunity was timing: putting the healthier menu in front of the lunch crowd, and events and drinks in front of evening customers. I built a profile of the loyal regular, Loyal Lance.

Outside the restaurant, competition was thin: fast-food chains, Mexican diners and a few grocery stores. Nearby corporate offices and apartment complexes brought heavy daytime traffic and a good audience for a lunch menu. That became a second profile, To-Go Tammy. I also worked with apartment managers to understand occupancy and residents.

Online, the social profiles were active and well kept. The website needed updates.

The work

I delivered a report covering the current customers, the surrounding neighborhoods, businesses and recreation, and four audiences worth targeting, with buyer behavior and estimated sales potential for each:

1. A heavily trafficked mountain park nearby

2. Apartment complexes

3. A busy golf resort

4. Nearby corporate offices

The report laid out three strategies (market penetration, market expansion and product expansion) and specific recommendations: promote catering, invest in trivia nights, open the restaurant for fundraisers, slim the lunch menu toward healthier options, and run a focused social media program to reach new customers.

The outcome

The restaurant used the findings for marketing, inventory, staffing and promotion decisions. After it put the targeted promotions in place, new customer acquisition rose 27% and weekend customers rose 33%.