Editor’s note: This is the 12th in a new weekly series of PMQ-exclusive articles about pizzeria marketing from Matt Plapp, CEO of America’s Best Restaurants and Dryver Powered by Repeat Returns.
Last week, we discussed “What’s possible?” What is the best possible sales case for your restaurant as it stands now?
I recall having this conversation with a restaurant owner for the first time. Oddly enough, it was a pizzeria owner. I asked a simple question and got a much deeper answer. He owned a one-location, casual-dining pizzeria in a town of 20,000 people. I asked him, “What’s your dream outcome in the next 12 months?”
His response was much more than I anticipated, but it showed me he’d been thinking about this scenario for a while. Without hesitation, he told me that his sales needed to increase by $130,000 without adding more overhead. After food costs, he’d be left with $100,000, allowing an extra $30,000 toward management pay. That would enable him to attract higher-quality managers who could run the place without him more often. He’d finally be able to spend time with his family on Friday nights instead of in the pizzeria’s kitchen. Then he’d take the other $70,000 and pay himself what he deserves. And that would allow him to get out of credit card debt and afford to finally take his dream vacation to Italy.
This raised the stakes. I was no longer simply working with a number but with a vision—his vision.
The Attention Audit
After that conversation, I started forcing my team and our clients to look deeper into marketing, and we created what I call the “Attention Audit.” I was told, “Don’t use the word audit. It gives off bad vibes. It’s a scary word that reminds us all of the IRS.” But that is exactly why I used that word.
This Attention Audit is something I created to understand where our clients were in the marketing process. At one point, I thought I could help anyone. I thought I was the restaurant marketing Superman! However, as we took on more clients, we realized that not all restaurants are created equal in marketing, and their sales don’t always reflect their brand.
So I made this Attention Audit to help me see where a restaurant was with the basics and how self-aware they were. My team and I would complete the audit and have the restaurant owner do it independently. Then, at the next meeting, we’d compare notes. To my surprise, most owners were harder on themselves than they should have been, which was a relief. Click here to download my Restaurant Attention Audit.
Your brand strength is what makes gaining customers easier. To build an incredible brand, you need attention. You can either get massive attention by spending more money than everyone else, like the big brands and chains, or you can dominate every category on this Attention Audit.
So, last week, we talked about the goal you set, and this week, it’s all about understanding the marketing effort needed to get there. Click the link above, check out the blog post, and download your copy of my Restaurant Marketing Attention Audit. Once you plug in the numbers you came up with last week, you’ll see what it will take from a marketing perspective to reach the promised land. Then, let’s meet back here at PMQ.com next week.
My name is Matt Plapp. I’m the CEO of Restaurant Marketing That Works. I’ve worked with thousands of restaurants since 2008 when I started this company, and over the next 12 months, we will help 2,500-plus restaurants with their marketing. This is the latest article in a new weekly column for PMQ to help restaurant owners understand the gold mine we have to market in 2025—and beyond.