The Other Side of The Tortilla was featured in an article on social networking in the July/August 2010 issue of El Restaurante Mexicano, the only bilingual magazine in the U.S. for Mexican, Tex-Mex, Southwestern and Latino restaurants nationwide.

1. el Restaurante
MEXICANO July . August 2010
Healthy
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Protecting Bar Profits
Expo comes to L.A.
www.restmex.com

2. social networking
Seven Steps to a
SIZZLING WEBSITE
BY RON ADELMAN
A
fter lunch and before dinner—every restaurant owner experi- via its website. Additionally, it’s a good idea to display
ences down time. But skip the siesta and instead, hop online! your margarita flavors on your website and through
social media outlets.
With more than 200 million people around the country using
the Internet, and social networking becoming more popular than ever,
websites have become integral to a businesses’ success. And as a restau-
rant owner in a fixed location, it’s important to engage with your local
3 Optimize Your Search Results.
Include information in your website title that will
get you indexed in Google and put you on top of local
market. The following Internet marketing tips from former restaurant searches. For instance, if you are an organic Mexican
restaurant chain, make sure to have key words such
executive and internet marketing expert Ron Adelman can pave your
as “organic” and “restaurant” hidden in your title—
way to a sizzling site. something you can hire an outside source to do.
Before hiring someone to create or revamp your site,
1 Broadcast Your Services.
The content on your website should be as fresh as
the ingredients you use in your restaurant. This will
however, be sure to understand your target market
and what they want. Use words they can understand
and include information on your site that they would
be an essential part of driving traffic to your site. Do want to know.
daily updates of happy hour specials, promotions—
even include a calendar of events. Desperados Mexi-
can Restaurant and Bar in Japan (www.dosdesperados.
com) is a great example of this. The first thing you’ll
4 Don’t Be Afraid to Brag.
Creating a company blog is a great way to keep
your customers in the loop and add a personal touch.
find on its homepage is the restaurant’s special of the On your blog, you can promote various styles of cook-
month with a corresponding picture, followed by a list ing from different regions of Mexico with recipes and
of daily specials, a description of the restaurant and tips. Keep in mind a restaurant is a social gathering
store hours. Also, make sure you have a place on your place; therefore it’s a good idea to celebrate all Mexi-
website that takes reservations; Facebook is a great can holidays from Cinco de Mayo to Dieciseis de Sep-
tool for this as well. tiembre to Día de los Muertos. Instead of telling your
customers how efficiently you can do your job, show
2 Be a Non-conformist.
Think about what sets you apart from your com-
petition. No other restaurant is more synonymous
them. Mexican restaurants are about fun and celebra-
tion; not only is the food colorful and playful but so is
the environment. Make your site reflect this. Upload
with a cocktail than Mexican restaurants are with mar- images or create multi-media components, such as a
garitas. This gives you a great advantage over other video with festive dialogue and music. And remem-
establishments. Torreon Mexican Restaurant in Kan- ber, your bartenders are just as important as your chef.
sas (www.torreoncantina.com) allows customers to Shoot a video of your bartender making a margarita or
make its famous margaritas at home by selling the mix your chef wrapping a tasty burrito.
19

3. social networking
D I S P E N S E R S
5 Stay Image Conscious.
Your website is a reflection of your business. Consider
not only design but also colors, and keep it simple. Internet
• Tortilla Chip Serving Cabinets users want their information to be easily accessible. Use the
• Hot Food Drawers one-click rule. With no more than one click of the mouse,
your potential customer should be able to venture off your
homepage and find exactly what they’re looking for. Casa Fi-
Info Number 112
esta in Tennessee (www.nashvillecasafiesta.com) uses a clean
design and cheerful color scheme on its site; the restaurant
Features:
• Available in many sizes also breaks its menu into three categories: lunch, dinner and
and styles
beverages & desserts. Each food category has its own tab on
• Assorted capacities to
meet your operational the homepage, which makes it easy for visitors to find what
needs
they need.
TCD-1 “El Primo”
w/44gal. capacity.
6 Get Social Media Savvy.
Although networking in person can build relationships,
the possibilities online are endless. It takes work to bring traf-
fic to your website, so link it to as many social networking
CALL FOR A FREE BROCHURE
1• 800 •869•5918 sites as possible. You can promote yourself through Linke-
OR VISIT US @: texicanspecialty.com
dIn, Facebook and Twitter. Make your business its own Face-
book and Twitter profile where you can display company
REGISTER NOW AT specifics and interact with local groups. Consider visiting
www.hispanicretail360.com relevant blogs like The Other Side of the Tortilla (theoth-
Hispanic Retail 360 Summit ersideofthetortilla.com), where you can comment on posts,
engage with Mexican food aficionados and stay up-to-date
with the culture. Also, make sure your website is compatible
with mobile phones.
Branding to the Trillion Dollar U.S. Latino Market
Same Dates. 7 Stay Up to Speed!
Google will penalize a website that takes longer than
Info Number 113
eight seconds to open. There is nothing wrong with an aes-
Same Great Content. thetically pleasing design, but you don’t want to overdo it
Exciting New Location! with Flash. Make sure you have the proper technical support
Hyatt Regency La Jolla, San Diego, CA so readers aren’t waiting forever for pages and pictures to
August 8-10, 2010 load. Frequently check external links and make sure they are
actually linking the reader to another site.
Bottom line—if you decide to hire outside help for your
website, it’s important to find a company that has the indus-
try knowledge and marketing background to not only drive
traffic to your site but convert visitors to customers.
About the Author: The former vice president of operations for national
Mexican restaurant chains including Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant and
Casa Lupita, Ron Adelman is a leading franchisee with WSI, an internet
marketing and web development company. For more information, visit
phone (866) 759-0313 or www.wsiroi.com/.
20 el restaurante mexicano