Maguire Promotions & Hospitality Consulting

I’m working with a limited number of independent, Boston-area restaurants and businesses I believe in and can proudly promote, partner with and stand behind. My services are not intended to disrupt any existing PR, marketing or publicist relationships you have, but rather to supplement them. The following items represent the services I provide as part of a monthly package.

Analyze and evaluate your current social media content and strategies over the last 2 months. This includes every aspect of your online presence and online customer service platforms. Includes meeting with and coaching/mentoring your current social media contributors regarding content and strategy. Also includes ongoing daily monitoring all of your posts for spelling, grammar and content. Please note: I will be posting as your restaurant on a limited basis, but I am not taking over your social media marketing and doing it for you.

Social media is the number one daily activity among Americans, topping time spent on email and Google. I will make ongoing social media recommendations to keep your restaurant current, relevant, and busy. Strategic, effective, grass roots social media campaigns lead to free media coverage from both traditional and alternative media sources (note jm Curley in DTX) and can lead to organic, regional and national coverage if executed properly.

Services include 7-day/week monitoring of all of your social media platforms, monthly analysis and continuous recommendations for improvement. If you have existing vendor relationships, I will collaborate with your current PR/Marketing affiliates to maximize the effectiveness of your content and expand your reach.

A copy of my “Social Media Strategy” Guide is included with our partnership and review will be included in strategy sessions with your internal social media team and affiliates.

A discussion and copy of my jm Curley social media strategy is included with our partnership. (jm Curley was named one of the “50

Coolest Small Businesses in America” by Business Insider when I was managing the social media and promotions.)

Boost your current social media campaigns by leveraging my personal network and voice in the Boston restaurant community. Improve your reach via Facebook, Twitter, Email, Instagram, and all social media platforms that you employ. Includes retweeting and “sharing” and “liking” Facebook and Instagram statuses and commenting when appropriate without overdoing it.

Increase your brand awareness by leveraging the Server Not Servant blog and SNS Facebook Group when appropriate. I can defend and promote restaurants in a way that restaurant owners would like to, but can’t. (See Linclon Tavern “pizza box” incident and Sycamore “reservations” incident blog posts.) Some of my blog posts reach tens of thousands of people, including an expansive network of Boston’s blogging and restaurant communities. As Jim Hoben, owner of El Pelon stated; “An affiliation with Server Not Servant is an insurance policy when we need it.”

Refer diners and private and corporate parties to your restaurant. Every week I’m asked for restaurant referrals, and often asked about restaurants that can accommodate large parties and PDR requests. I often see posts on Facebook, Chowhound, and similar sites looking for recommendations. If you have an events coordinator, and/or a catering division, I’ll work with them to make sure they’re capturing as much business as possible.

Evaluate your current media relationships/strategy and recommend improvements. I will increase your brand awareness by leveraging my network of Boston-area restaurant contacts and media connections. I am in frequent contact with hundreds of restaurant owners, managers and workers via social media and in person. I also communicate frequently with most of the relevant Boston media members who cover restaurants, including all of the major players and alternative media. I will forward press releases for select events to personal media contacts if requested. It’s critical to constantly cultivate, nurture and build our restaurant media networks. The landscape and players are always changing.

Analyze and evaluate your current strategy for responding to amateur online review sites; Yelp, Chowhound, Urbanspoon,

OpenTable, Trip Advisor, City Search, Zagat, etc. Like it or not, a lot of diners make decisions about where to go based on these sites. Savvy restaurateurs pay attention and have strategies in place to make the amateur ‘review’ sites work for them. I will work with whoever is responsible for monitoring these sites at your restaurant, and implement a strategy and protocol that works best for your restaurant. A lot of restaurateurs and managers are not aware of what the guidelines are for responding within each review site, and have no strategy. (Chowhound changed their policy on 8/7/2014.) I will monitor incoming reviews daily and alert you to what requires a response. I will also be available for ongoing consultation and editing of specific public and private responses. I am not taking over responding to your online reviews, but coaching someone at your restaurant on how to do it.

Scouring the internet and the city acting as a watchdog to defend and promote your brand/business. I will be constantly seeking ways to promote your restaurant and improve your operation. A common complaint I hear from restaurateurs is, “I don’t have time to keep up with all that stuff. It’s overwhelming.” I agree. This is a 7-day a week commitment from me. I read everything I can locally, nationally and internationally about restaurants, and will forward anything that I feel is relevant to your restaurant/business and can help you. This includes online chats hosted by Marc Hurwitz of Boston’s Hidden Restaurants. It also includes the daily Boston Globe, Sunday New York Times, as well as every other publication and site I can devour; Eater, Grub Street, WSJ, Huffington Post, Yelp, Chowhound, Boston Magazine, BostInno, Zagat, Thrillist, Urban Daddy, Twitter, Facebook, and everything in-between. I often find great pieces on hospitality, training, and co-branding opportunities with other restaurants. I will forward everything I come across about your restaurant or about our industry that you may want to forward to your managers or entire staff. Great internal communication builds trust, and a lot of restaurants are not doing nearly enough of it.

Identify industry volunteer opportunities for your staff to connect with industry brothers and sisters, build relationships, and help your business build goodwill through neighborhood and community involvement.

Crisis management to defend and protect your brand. I’ll be available every day of the week for consultation. Includes drafting and editing content for crisis communications.

Evaluate your current methods of gathering direct, candid feedback from friends and guests, and make recommendations on how to improve upon your current strategies. You can’t get honest feedback unless you ask for it.

Analyze your current communication strategies to inform guests about events, and recommend improvements. This includes online customer service via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, monthly newsletters, Eventbrite, email address gathering, comment cards, POS receipts, etc.

Evaluate current training materials and make recommendations for improvement. Includes company-specific social media policies for employees.

Staffing referrals. I receive weekly requests from workers looking for placements.

Implement protocol for communicating and humbly sharing stories, reviews and all media praising your restaurant. (Internal and external.)

I’ve come up with a list of 100 Service “Do’s” and “Don’t’s” that I am always adding to from my experiences while working and dining out. I will share this list with you and meet and brainstorm with you and your management staff to refine the list and tailor it to your restaurant. After we tighten up the list, I will also participate in a staff training (“Hospitality Pep Talk”) to review the list and discuss the critical differences between customer service and hospitality. It’s important to have a fresh, outside voice to reinforce your internal training strategies.

Attend select special events hosted by your restaurant and help promote them on social media before, during and after the event. My participation at the events could include guest bartending, judging, MC or hosting and FOH management. My attendance at special events would include a comped ticket. I enjoy working at off-sites, and would be game to pitch in when available. I’ve bartended at a bunch of charity events, most recently at Silvertone, Lovin’ Spoonfuls Tailgate at Sam’s, and pitched in at events like

the B&G OysterFest, Bacon & Beer Festival, jm Curley Revelry for Charity Dinners, Future of Junk Foods w/Chef Sam Monsour and Mark O’Leary, KO Pies McDundee events, El Pelon Hot Chili Pepper Contest, guest chef events at BCAE and several others around the city. I love participating in and promoting those events. They’re also a great way to elevate your brand, co-brand with other restaurants, and elevate your brand and visibility.

Analyze your restaurant website, Facebook page and Twitter profiles and recommend improvements. Refer web designers/programmers if necessary.

Brainstorming about co-branding with other restaurants in the neighborhood and around the city. (Family meal exchange, cross-promotions, Pop-ups, etc.)

Attend trainings, pre-meal, tastings, and management team meetings when appropriate to stay plugged in with staff, culture and with what’s happening at the restaurant. Because I’m outside

the daily dynamics, I can offer an objective vantage point. I believe that a fresh, objective, outside set of eyes and ears is critical for ongoing assessments and continuous improvement. Even close friends and regular customers are reluctant to share candid observations because they’re too close to you as restaurant owners/employees. Restaurant operators, managers and employees

are not seeing their restaurants as objectively as an outsider does.

I will dine at your restaurant at least once/month and promote food, beverage, and hospitality via social media. I’ll also give you candid feedback about everything that’s great, and specific, constructive, honest feedback about what can be improved. Evaluations will include staff, service, hospitality, ambiance, cleanliness, bathrooms, sound, lighting, temperature, food, beverage, pricing, and anything else that you’d like me to focus on. (Amount of monthly dining comp TBD based on frequency desired.)

Compensation

Three-month up-front minimum per restaurant based on the services you choose. After 3 months, the agreement will be at-will, month-to-month, with agreed-upon payment due at the beginning of each month. If either party decides to terminate the relationship, it is agreed that as much lead time as possible will be given.

An adjustment will be made for multiple restaurants within a group. Pricing will vary depending upon the size of the operation, # of employees, services selected, etc.

All above services are also available as “à la carte” items for one-time fees without on-going monthly obligation.

Special projects (see below) as agreed upon at additional cost.

I believe that the compensation I request is more than fair for the services I provide. I don’t charge a lot for my services because I enjoy what I do and love working with good people and businesses I believe in.

Additional Services

Referral to Instagram consultant, a professional photographer with 21,000+ Instagram followers. I can coordinate a workshop for your staff to coach them on all facets of Instagram.

Draft and pitch potential stories to my alt and traditional media contacts. (I can also collaborate with your current PR vendors.)

Evaluate perception of current identity. Are your identity, brand and mission clear to your employees and customers? Brainstorm w/ownership, management and employees about current vision/mission and refine/define it. Communicate internally and externally.

Assist w/recruitment of staff. Refer supplemental staff for special events (servers for weddings, etc.)

I have a list of great servers available looking for part-time work.

Anonymous staff surveys/meetings to analyze perception and effectiveness of management and ownership. Is your staff getting enough training? How are internal communications? Does your staff trust you? Do they believe that you have their back? How is their relationship with their co-workers? How would they define their work culture?

Individual staff hospitality and competence assessments. Make recommendations for elevating service, hospitality and technical proficiency.

Evaluate current staff retention strategies, including comparison of Boston industry standards. (Compensation, benefits, training, etc.)

Attend portions of management meetings to brainstorm about anything you’d like.

Attend staff training meetings to observe and give feedback. Referrals from my network to anyone who can help you in areas that I

am not qualified. (Craft beer consultation, Beverage program, P&L analysis, Inventory + Ordering, Payroll Management, Sales reports, Expense tracking, etc. )

Compensation (Additional Services)

Hourly or flat rate agreed upon in advance.

I will be promoting and consulting for a limited number of restaurants, food trucks, brewers, farms, vendors, special events, restaurant suppliers and tertiary businesses, and I’m open to all opportunities.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely-Patrick

Patrick MaguireMaguire Promotions & Hospitality Consulting

“It’s not corporate, it’s personal.” –Sam Jackson chef/owner KO Catering and Pies

“Great service is execution, great hospitality is a mindset, an awareness, and a culture focused on making meaningful and memorable connections with guests. Every guest has the potential to become an ambassador for your restaurant.” –Patrick Maguire