Ask Dave
(Or, What does Jeeves Know?)
October 2000
Please send your questions to dave@dinersoft.com

Q. I manager the only full-service restaurant at the Denver International Airport.  We are quite busy doing about 5 million a year.  We have a lot of constraints by the airport (city) with signage, lights, etc.  I schmooze airline execs, customer service, and find it very difficult to come up with ideas to market my restaurant at this type of location.  Also, finding quality help to travel to the airport is a whole other subject.  Any ideas?

Alan Schwartz

A. Dear Alan,

I feel for you!!! As I have been to the new airport in Denver I know you are out in the middle of nowhere. Labor must be tough to get and marketing in the regular sense probably won't work.

First, For your marketing question I have a few ideas some may not fit into your restaurant theme but I will also give you a few resources to check out.

1. Try a employee discount program that allows employees that work any where in the airport to get a 10% discount. You may think this cuts into profits but if any traveler asks an employee where to eat your restaurant name could come up first.

2. Try happy hour for airport employees. Give discounted apps or drinks for after work employees. You have a big advantage as many employees like to get together after work for a drink and since there is no other sit down restaurants in your area your restaurant is the logical choice.

3. Check out these books available at Amazon.com maybe some of them will have ideas you can modify to work in your location:

Marketing Your Restaurant: 50 Easy, Effective, & Inexpensive Ideas That You Can Use TODAY!

Restaurant Marketing
by William O. Smith, Richard L. Lynch

Guest-Based Marketing : How to Increase Restaurant Sales Without Breaking Your Budget

For your employee problem try these ideas:

First and foremost create a good work environment. Happy employees talk and word of mouth is the best advertising for help.

Second, they need to make a fair wage and have decent benefits. Don't be cheap you'll get cheap help.

Third, advertise correctly. Use bold print in your help wanted ad for the type of job you are hiring for. I noticed a 100 percent increase in the responses based on this type of change in my advertising.

Last you might try a bonus to your employees. A fifty to one hundred dollar bonus to an employee who refers an employee who stays more than 3 months might work.

Good sales building and good luck with the job market.

Dave

Q. Dear Dave,
I've heard you have some cooking experience and may have even made some TV appearances to share outstanding recipes.  Can you suggest a menu (with recipies) that would go with a good Merlot?  Can you also suggest a good Merlot?

G-Man

A. G-Man my TV experience is overrated but I can give you some great advice on some Merlots at least in my opinion. My favorite merlot is Pahlmeyer Merlot but it can be pricey.  Here are a few of my other favorites in the high to middle end range:

1. Columbia Crest Columbia Valley Reserve
2. Beringer Howell Mountain Bancroft Ranch
3. St. Francis Sonoma Valley Reserve

For good merlots at a good price try

1. Columbia Crest Columbia Valley Estate Vineyards   
2. Concha y Toro   Rapel Valley Casillero del Diablo 
3. Gallo of Sonoma  Sonoma County

For more info check out the wine spectator at:
 
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Spectator/notes

For merlot pairings with food I would try:

Beef: roasts, steaks, stews, hamburgers,
Lamb: rack, leg of, chops
Pork: roast 
Poultry: duck with rich or hearty sauces, turkey with rich or heavy sauces
Pasta: with meat sauces, meat lasagna
Game: squab, quail, pheasant, venison
Cheeses: Parmigiano, Romano and other hard cheeses
Cheddar and other savory, firm cheeses
Soups: hearty meat-based stews, meat stock with vegetables.

Hope all this helps. For some recipes go to the Gourmet website and search their recipe file for any of the above categories. Here is the link:
 http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e02_recipes/recipes.html

Happy eating and drinking,

Dave