You know that feeling you get when you discover some cool new restaurant? Or when you tell your friends about a shop they’ve never heard of? That feeling is a huge word of mouth motivator. People love to look cool and adventurous in front of their friends. So they love being the first to tell…
WOM Tip #386: Everyone loves a hidden gem
Food for thought: A business education in 20 courses
This guest post is from Andy Nulman — President of Just for Laughs and author of “Pow! Right Between the Eyes: Profiting from the Power of Surprise.” See the original post this was adapted from and more like it on his blog. Here’s a big statement to start your day: A dinner at Chicago’s Alinea restaurant should…
Word of Mouth Tip #36: Surprise them with something special
Little surprises can create lots of conversations. Opportunities to offer unexpected delights include a free upgrade, expedited shipping, a little something extra in the box, an extra free sample, or even a hand-written note. How a word of mouth supergenius does it: Butterfly Sushi here in Chicago does great things with sushi, but they also…
Sometimes, it’s about what you don’t sell
A lot of buzz-generating ideas center on introducing something new or adding something to your product line. But for Austin-based fast-food restaurant Cabo Bob’s, their topic is about what they don’t sell. Cabo Bob’s is officially the first fast-food restaurant to be high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) free, serving only sodas made with pure cane sugar…
TAC Quick Thai Kitchen’s secret menu for insiders
TAC (Thai Authentic Cuisine) Quick Thai Kitchen in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood hands most diners a standard menu with traditional Thai cuisine — but insiders know to ask for the special menu with dishes like Fish Maw Salad, the Boat Noodle, and Chewy Beef Jerkey. Here’s Tasting Table’s writeup on it: “Most diners walk into TAC…
Word of mouth from empty bottles of booze: How Sushi 28 does it
Chicago’s Sushi 28 — a bring-your-own-beverage sushi and Vietnamese noodle restaurant — invites customers to write messages on their empty wine bottles after their meal and displays them in the window. In thick black marker, fans write notes like “Get the dragon roll, we love it here!” and “Best first sushi ever!” — and the…