The 19th Annual UCLA Extension Restaurant Industry Conference, which took place on Thursday April 16th, has been one of the highlights of the year for Socialtyze. The restaurant business is a huge part of our DNA, with our client roster including The Cheesecake Factory and several others that are doing exciting things in the fast casual and casual dining space. Additionally, our sister agency StoryCafe specializes in connecting influencers with brands, so it was an amazing opportunity for our team to hear from the industry’s top thought leaders on what’s working, what isn’t…and what’s next.The day was filled with educational panels and presentations on a variety of topics ranging from finance to brand renewal to marketing. Our CEO John Bohan also moderated a lively session with four highly sought after foodie influencers, which you can view below.(Oh, and it probably goes without saying, the food was delicious.)

HERE ARE OUR TOP TAKEAWAYSAn investment in your employees is exactly that – an investment.One of the highlights of the day was Starbucks SVP Clarice Turner’s Keynote presentation on how the brand, after hitting an all-time low in 2008, righted the ship and has evolved into the industry titan it is today. The crux of that correction was based on one thing – that 47 percent of people at the time made their decision about where to buy coffee based upon the interaction they have with the people serving them. The percentage who made decisions based on the coffee itself? A surprising 26 percent.Starbucks took action and made meaningful changes to clear out the obstacles in their employees’ lives that would hinder their ability to focus on the guest’s experience. They gave 20+ hour employees healthcare benefits. They paid for employees to earn their degree…and more. Happy wife, happy life? Happy staff, happy guest.Ikea’s meatless meatballs are really good, an influencer told us so.Leslie Durso, a featured panelist and prominent plant-based foodie influencer, told the audience a story about how she recently partnered with Ikea to create a series of engaging posts, tweets, and Instagrams highlighting the retail giant’s new vegan meatballs. She also used Twitter’s hot new live streaming app Periscope to document her adventure through Ikea (which, let’s face it, is ALWAYS an adventure) to the Ikea Restaurant where she taste-tested the meatballs LIVE for her fans tuning in (Spoiler Alert: “They are really good!”). Ikea’s integration of on-brand influencers played a key role in the holistic campaign’s success, and all Los Angeles locations sold out within five days.Put social on the menu (and in the minds of employees).One of the more practical pieces of advice came from Gigi Dubois, who also participated on the influencer panel. Gigi stressed the importance of putting your brand’s social media handles on the menu (just as you do on your website) so they are highly visible and therefore can easily be added to tweets and posts. Ikea-meatball-loving Leslie added that it’s shocking to her to see how many servers don’t know the restaurant’s social media handles when asked. Both points may seem simple or obvious but they appeared to be “Aha!” moments for attendees. The in-restaurant trigger goes a long way in driving social conversation and making it easy for guests to share their experience.Your competitors aren’t as clear-cut as they used to be.In the past, it’s been easy to point to brands like Chipotle and say they are competing for share of mind and stomach with, say, Lemonade. But the reality today is that linear comparisons exist no more. For example, McDonald’s now has to proactively compete with a locally sourced espresso bar. Throw native food-based apps like Eat With Me (and a myriad of others) into the mix and the mud gets even muddier. Restaurants aren’t just competing with each other, they are also now competing with technology and the sharing economy.Go local or go home.One of the key takeaways of the day was: get real and get local. And most importantly, be honest and transparent about it. Local means different things to different people and brands, but according to Darren Tristano of Technomic, 57% of people say they make decisions based on whether or not the establishment sources local ingredients. Whether it’s locally sourced vegetables or fruit (top of mind for consumers at 66% and 67%, respectively), local craft beers, or even something as simple as a locally sourced honey, the reality is that people today care more than ever about where the food on their plate came from. This is particularly important for chain restaurants that are competing against the “Eat Local” movement. As Tristano said, you need to provide “food with a story.”Customer service doesn’t start – or stop - at the door.A common theme throughout the day was the importance of genuine customer service (which starts with the Employee Journey), both in store and online. Whether it was Mike Simms of Simmzy’s in Manhattan Beach, Susan Sarich of SusieCakes or Brett Schulman of Cava Grill, every owner of a successful restaurant stressed the importance of customer service extending to the digital space. Many have teams devoted entirely to engaging online communities, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Yelp, and are fully committed to responding to all questions and feedback – the good, the bad and the ugly – online, just like they do in the store. Those who don’t have the in house capacity outsource to companies like this one.

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