Restaurant Newsletters That Pay Off

This book reveals one of the best-kept secrets of successful restaurateurs —regularly talking with their customers and would-be customers outside the restaurant through newsletters.

You'll find 50 examples of newsletters now being sent regularly by owners/managers of a wide variety of restaurant types —chain, independent, family, ethnic, health-food, and many more. Best of all, the newsletters are reproduced in near-actual size so that you can read what your peers are telling their readers!

Plus! You will pick up hundreds of ideas for promotions, new business opportunities, menus, employee relations, incentives, sponsoring community projects, and food and wine education —ideas so productive that some restaurateurs use no other advertising.

Restaurant Newsletters That Pay Off is a comprehensive guide to every aspect of newsletter publishing. If you are already using a newsletter, you'll see ways to improve it. If you've never been involved with a newsletter, this book will reassure you and have you putting one out in no time. You'll find everything you need to know to create, write, design, and distribute a newsletter that will strengthen your relationships with customers, develop their loyalty, increase public awareness of your restaurant, and, most importantly, boost sales.

"Our newsletter has become so established and so welcomed by our guests that it's as much a part of our product as the food and service." —Danny Meyer Union Square Cafe, New York City

"It's by far the single most effective advertising I use. Whenever I print an issue, I have to add an extra person to handle the additional bookings." —Andy Ayers Riddles Penultimate, University City, Missouri

"Our newsletter has paid for itself many times over." —Marley Majcher Abiento, Pasadena, California

As a restaurateur, you work hard to make a lasting impression on your guests in the hope that fond memories of a fine dining experience will keep them coming back for more. But memories fade, and your competitors work just as hard to become your customers' restaurant of choice. How can you help ensure that your restaurant is first in the customer's mind for that romantic evening, important business lunch, or special event?

Restaurant Newsletters That Pay Off

In this invaluable handbook you'll learn how to:

• Select editorial content that captures readers' attention
• Develop a brisk, engaging writing style
• Create an attractive design for your newsletter
• Build a mailing list of the people most likely to respond to your message
• Use and select among a variety of distribution options, including mail, fax, and the Internet
• Measure your newsletter's impact on business

Walter Mathews, creator and, for 20 years, publisher of Restaurant Briefing, the American Express restaurant newsletter, helps you decide on the look, length, tone, and frequency of your publication; negotiate with printers; build a mailing list; and more. More important, he shows you how to use your newsletter to get customers involved.