Will Lasagna Save Your Restaurant? Or Will It Be Meatloaf?

Either way, ‘Take & Bake’ may be able to save your restaurant.

In a recent Washington Post article, a construction company/restaurant owner laments that his construction business is doing well, and yet his restaurant is bleeding cash. He’s not sure he can save his restaurant.

“It seems to be two different economies. In construction, I’m so busy I can’t keep up and everyone seems to have thousands in disposable income to spend. But come to the restaurant and everyone is so broke they can’t afford a $5 sandwich,” Workman said.

Rowdy Workman says he has tried everything to keep his restaurant afloat. He’s done discounts, sent out mailers, and yet, when the stimulus package went away, so did his customers. This is happening to a wide range of restaurant operators. At the moment, if you’re not a quick service restaurant with a drive through, you’re probably struggling to keep cash flowing.

As winter approaches, many restaurant operators are thinking about closing up shop. The thought of trying to make the business survive on less than full capacity is daunting. But when Mr. Workman says he has tried everything, our question at HotOpeator is, has he tried lasagna, or meatloaf, or any number of other traveling comfort foods?

How Lasagna Might Save Your Restaurant

And it’s not just lasagna, either. It’s any food that tastes great after it has sat in a car for half an hour. It’s meatloaf, pot roast, spaghetti, broasted chicken and even pork chops in mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes and a side vegetable. But before you go off thinking you’ve been there and done all of that, have you tried those items as take a bake?

What might save your restaurant is a Take and Bake program. The idea is, you make up half sheet pans of lasagna, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, prime rib and on and on and sell them out of your refrigerator or freezer. The consumer takes the product home and bakes it up. Just make sure you offer instructions for the perfect meal, including what wine to serve.

Social Media Might Save Your Restaurant, Too

You need a plan. Once you have all the cool comfort foods figured out and ready to go, you will want to tell the world what you are up to. Most restaurant operators simply do not post often enough, or about the right things.

That’s why HotOperator offers a social media program. To help save your restaurant. We post almost every day based on a social media calendar. That way you always know what’s coming, and your restaurant customers keep you top of mind.

A Take And Bake Menu Might Save Your Restaurant

To get started, plan out a promotional menu around your take and bake comfort foods. And have it professionally written and designed. If you are serious and want to save your restaurant, don’t slop on the menu. A great menu will make people like your food better, complain less often, and order more.

Get A Free Consultation To Save Your Restaurant

Reach out to HotOperator and set up a call with one of our marketing experts. They have been in the restaurant marketing industry since the late 1980’s and may know a thing or two about saving your restaurant. The first half hour is completely free. You can ask them anything you want. Call 800-316-3198, or contact them through their website here.

About HotOperator

HotOperator is a foodservice marketing agency. We love restaurants. We want them to survive. But we can’t do that unless we work together. Hire us to help you romance your restaurant brand.

Mark and Kelly are a marketing team and managing partners of HotOperator. They have been working in the restaurant business since 1989. Contact them through the HotOperator website, or by calling 800-316-3198. or contact Laux here.