Ep 191: Restaurant Marketing Frustrations, Challenges & Revolutions

Brendan Sweeney is the CEO and co-founder of Popmenu. Launched 6 years ago and serving more than 10,000 restaurants today, Popmenu is a leader in digital marketing, ordering and on-premise technology. With a strong background in product development, user experience and marketing for high-growth SaaS companies, Sweeney leads efforts to deliver easy, immediately impactful technology that drives better financial outcomes for restaurants. He can be found on the global speaking circuit, industry podcasts and news sites.

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I love talking about marketing and tech so it was fun for me to get a chance to speak with Brendan Sweeney, CEO & Co-Founder of Popmenu about all the cool stuff they're doing for restaurants.

We discuss the importance of having all marketing touchpoints in one place, the frustration with PDF menus on restaurant websites, and the evolution of restaurant websites. Brendan emphasizes the importance of utilizing technology to enhance the customer experience and increase sales, and he suggests that cross-selling, upselling, and recommending pairings should be built into the ordering process.

Other highlights from our conversation include...

• How Popmenu got started
• How tech is helping bridge gaps in marketing for restaurants
• Getting restaurant websites & online ordering right
• How to know your customer better and why that's important
• The power of the marketing flywheel
• Doing your menu right online to be a powerful sales tool for your restaurant
• The importance of having an efficient & effective off premise ordering/takeout/delivery capability
• and more...

Be sure to check out the episode...

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Link: https://www.popmenu.com

Episode Sponsor: Zinch

TIMESTAMPS from Podcast...

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**Introduction [00:00:00]**
Jaime introduces the episode and guest, Brendan Sweeney, CEO and Co-Founder of Popmenu.

**Pop Menu's mission [00:01:37]**
Brendan explains Pop Menu's goal of providing a single tool for restaurants to acquire and engage customers, and the frustration with the lack of technology tools for restaurants.

**Pop Menu's features [00:02:33]**
Brendan discusses Popmenu's features, including ordering and marketing functions, and the importance of having all marketing touchpoints in one place.

**Importance of knowing your customers [00:04:34]**
Brendan emphasizes the importance of knowing your customers and having a singular view of their interactions with your restaurant, and how Pop Menu helps with personalized and efficient marketing communications.

**Frustration with PDF menus on restaurant websites [00:07:08]**
Jaime and Brendan discuss the frustration with PDF menus on restaurant websites and how Pop Menu addresses this issue.

**PDF menus on restaurant websites [00:07:49]**
The frustration with PDF menus on restaurant websites and the importance of having all marketing touchpoints in one place.

**The need for a modern menu experience [00:08:40]**
The insight that all restaurant marketing criteria should be in one place and under control of the restaurant, and the need for a modern menu experience that functions like a modern e-commerce multi-step multi call to action funnel.

**The importance of knowing your customers [00:10:10]**
The importance of knowing your customers and providing prompts for the guest who's browsing to share a bit about themselves, and how the dynamic experience allows for marketing that's more akin to what modern retail and modern e-commerce do.

**Checkpoints for restaurant websites [00:11:45]**
The importance of keeping information up to date and understanding what the website is for, which is to capture information for personalization that will help make a marketing flywheel.

**Importance of Online Ordering [00:15:17]**
Discussion on the significance of online ordering, especially during the pandemic, and how it became a crucial part of Popmenu's services.

**Communication Tools [00:17:05]**
The importance of communication tools during the pandemic, and how Popmenu helped their clients by providing a template for messaging their customer base.

**Popmenu's Ordering Service [00:19:01]**
Popmenu's decision to add ordering to their services, and how it became a smaller but significant part of their business. The importance of integrating ordering with marketing for better engagement and remarketing.

**Increasing Revenue through Online Ordering [00:21:08]**
The increase in restaurants offering off-premises dining, and the importance of doing it well to increase revenue. Tips for upselling and extracting more from customers during online ordering.

**Upselling and Personalization [00:22:45]**
The importance of technology in upselling and personalization, and the use of customer data for better marketing messages.

**Marketing Practices [00:23:34]**
Basic e-commerce practices, replicating server conversations, and the use of personalization data for marketing.

**Simplicity in Restaurant Technology [00:24:13]**
The simplicity of restaurant technology and the importance of showcasing food and unique selling points.

**Effective Marketing Tools [00:25:01]**
The effectiveness of sharing first-party reviews and the correlation between marketing impressions and ordering volume.

**Geographic Coverage and Demo [00:27:57]**
Popmenu's geographic coverage and the invitation to visit their website for a demo.