yeah so I run a barbecue restaurant in
Kentucky and you guys are marketing
geniuses both of you so just you know
what advice do you have for small guys
like me you know competing with the big
guys out there John before you answer
that
Chandler can you give us a little more
context how many years what kind of
revenue like give us something to give
you a real yeah we could give real good
answers to that question but here we are
right let's go let's go ebrill further
give us a little more context how long
you open yeah how'd you do in sales sure
so we started as a food tent a couple
years nice worked away through a gas
station after that we actually just
closed that location open our next
location which is a real location now so
yeah with you about a million dollars in
sales yeah so you know we're just we've
done a lot of social media stuff to this
point but you know it seems like I don't
know I doubt we hit a plateau yeah like
we're we're getting ready to bring a
video guy on full-time we show on
YouTube how you feel about your location
our new location is really strong but
you know I'm one of those guys like what
we're doing now is plenty to make enough
money the problem is that we're just
like I always want more you know what I
mean I'm always trying to get better I
don't wanna get complacent I really feel
like we just hit what so because today
what's your traffic count the road we're
on probably 15,000 or so okay so so
you're on a road that we qualify for a
national franchise so he's got some good
potential based on a traffic on that
road you know I would say something yeah
I think Gary's gonna agree with me you
know we're not in the in the content
business we're not in a restaurant
business you're not in a barbecue
business we're all in the business of
creating reactions when it creates a
reaction it works doesn't it when it
creates nobody it doesn't work so the
post isn't a product the reaction is the
product a post is the vehicle to you
barbecue isn't a product the barbecue is
a vehicle the product is a reaction our
people reacting well will they sitting
up when the food hits the table their
feet tapping to the music you're playing
how are your guests reacting to what
you're doing yeah everything reaction
was has been fantastic you know they're
all my
the recipes all homemade we like to joke
she was farm disabled before with hip
you know she grew up on a farm in South
Georgia but yeah I mean people loved the
food so you had a story
yeah yes sir yeah you have a story in
the most powerful asset to marketing
particularly to Millennials these days
is to have a story is that story online
do people know that story your mother's
recipe are you creating curiosity online
and in a marketplace to try your mom's
recipes I think we're on prime time the
guy that doesn't marketing I'm probably
dropping the ball on not really
hammering home the mom started not not
only that you're not hammering home [ __ ]
because you haven't posts of an
Instagram in four days uh you are you
are right about that I'm aware and so to
me you hit you know hitting a plateau
from a marketing standpoint like you as
somebody who's got such a great piece of
you food for Instagram like you've been
given a gift I'm working with people
that have concrete companies I like like
fencing like doorknobs you have barbecue
food in Kentucky
like you should be brush think four
times a day on Instagram right and and
and you're not so for me you haven't
tapped out anything you haven't even
started but it's even more than that all
right I'd be posting pictures of the
smoker the products smoking the raw
product you know making real quality
statements in what you're doing you've
got to create curiosity so people want
to walk through the front door and taste
it and channel when you have a baby that
ridiculously cute sitting next to you
and working on the business like this is
you so you wait a minute you've got
barbecue in Kentucky which allows you to
speak about a lot of things like sports
and other things it doesn't have to
always be about the food right you could
talk about the basketball team and
things of that nature the recruiting so
you think people like upset brother you
if you literally post and use the
hashtag whoever Kentucky recruited and I
promise you five of them are superstars
and you use their hashtag of those five
I promise you that people going to
discover that because they're clicking
that hashtag Kentucky best basketball
it's religion so yeah I already do like
when I look at your Instagram and and
great job by Andy here like pulling up
your stuff like we haven't even begun
here right and I could do one day just
on the beans one day just on the
coleslaw like one day just on the beans
like four varieties of content just on
the beam or the beans good I mean that's
so easy to do too I mean your hundred
cent right because it's all made from
scratch so the essence of making stuff
from scratch is a story so you can see
the path there yeah I mean there's
[ __ ] beans on the plant dude I love
beans and there's a bottom left picture
which I got to tell you guys is one who
takes professional food pictures that
picture sucks and the reason why is
you're showing little unimportant things
you got to come in on the meat you got
to show the juiciness the thickness of
the ridge up here on this one right like
what is that a hush puppy right but
you're getting closer to the product you
can see the crisp the flavor try to make
these ranchers a little closer try to
get people to connect those are okay
what that's almost looking at clothes
there you go that's some [ __ ] right
there
moving from US Air Force is there a base
nearby I know not here listen and this
post on May 14th the one that said happy
Mother's Day right you know you've got
the Mother's Day hashtag but there's no
other hashtags that you used right you
could have run so I'm like you gotta get
into best practices too and remember
right you're cold in that means you know
me and I always say watch what I'm doing
not what I what I'm saying and like you
know that I'm treating my Instagram very
differently than you're treating your
Instagram right right yeah I guess I am
I guess I just had the double down on I
mean I'm not I guess for our market I'm
just not believing in Instagram but
that's probably don't so I mean we speak
with ton of Facebook advertising and
really go into that but yeah look look
it's not about being dumb or not or it
being dumb or not it's it's it's mapping
your output to your ambition you've
achieved something really about it well
explain you've achieved something
incredible most people will never build
a business that does a million dollar
years in revenue right and I've known
what million plus god bless
to me to me I just heard from you you
open this and let's rewind it that said
you're still hungry and like yeah yeah
I'm listen you got a little one at home
I'm not telling you how to do your
work-life balance
I'm not telling you do you here's what I
can tell you by looking at your Facebook
and YouTube and Instagram in a 20-18
environment around food culture that is
completely being dominated by
consumption online I don't think your
actions are speaking to you being hungry
okay so what I I know your answers
always do everything right yes to
everything but you know obviously
Instagram yes what are the two other
things I can do in 2017 to set us up
right for 2018 so again I think you know
watch what I do and and not what I say I
think you should be bright I think you
should literally get an intern from a
local high school or college if you
can't afford it or if you can't afford
it or you have a relative I think they
should literally film you every single
day and you should put out a piece of
content for third you know three minutes
seven minute video on a day-to-day basis
Lyle's barbecue day-to-day every single
day from those videos I think you should
do four posts on Instagram seven on
Twitter five on Facebook and I think you
should start a barbecue podcast Kentucky
barbecue podcast and put out a show once
a week on audio above and beyond working
everyday and taking care of your little
guy if you're as hungry as you [ __ ]
say you are but if you were then you
would have posted up and that Ford a gap
wouldn't exist I stood by John I'm
empathetic
he's the jailers deemed that you know
that's not as important Facebook ads are
working better and sharing you know it's
fun to talk to you is you know my spiel
which is like fine that's doing better
now but it's also because you're not
doing your RAM well right now absolutely
you're right about that we we just need
to go back to doing some homework and
and get into practicing your hundred
percent right I want to add one thing if
I can for you you can increase your
guest frequency by one visit a month
that's a 12 to 15 percent increase in
revenue right one visit more per month
as 12 to 15% views you need to work on
that is
well so you need to have the frequency
programs in place you need to have
programs to get people that come midweek
back on weekends people have a
propensity to come on weekends to come
back midweek you need to work this in a
more immediacy type of a way you've got
to increase frequency as well especially
in a market like yours we can only get
too many so many new customers you got a
lot of barbecue in your area sure yeah
absolutely
so sometimes it isn't a question of
adding more customers sometimes it's a
question of adding more customers and
more frequency and that's the combo that
together will make you much more
successful there's also the insight in
restaurant business you know pricing is
key now and I know like with us being a
fast casual restaurant Jon where do you
think the price point needs to be
average ticket wise you know I'm under
the belief that we're cuz we make
everything from scratch
we're price just a little bit higher and
you know we do a lot to try to
differentiate ourselves with marketing
and and telling stories on Facebook and
things but we're gonna have to do better
obviously it sounds like but what price
point do you think and does that play
into it at all well let's say you was
selling a stake for a half the price of
somebody else and somebody comes up to
you and says your steak is too expensive
they're not saying it's too expensive
because they pay twice the price for a
steak someplace else they're telling you
your steak is not worth the price so I
don't think you should ever lower your
price you need to make the statements
that provide the value commence repair
at that price so are you saying the
things recipes spec our best ribs are
the best in the world the media sit
falls off the bone you got you don't
have an absolute value issue you have a
value perception issue and there's a
difference between perceived value and
absolute value that's like your I
wouldn't know you price I would build my
value statements I just thing about that
advice is there was something in the way
that you were communicating about
Facebook versus Instagram I would highly
recommend you think about branding
versus sales to many people when they're
right it's it's you know - well yeah you
know if that's the case yeah I can just
tell that you're smart enough man to
know a shitload of eyeballs are on
Instagram right yeah so you know know
no I was gonna say they are I guess I'm
just I I don't know I'm doing that
stupid thing where people like justify
that it's not happening in their area or
but it's happening everywhere yeah this
is this whole notion that ran through
your mind nobody in [ __ ] Lexington
Kentucky is on Instagram is ludicrous
you know honestly right what you're
doing is you're assuming an excuse which
is worser than making an excuse in and
of itself yeah I mean you don't assume
anything until you know it that's what's
exciting about this environment and the
things that you're doing is you can test
all of these and it's not only what you
do is how you do it as gary saying to
make it war work effectively but don't
make the excuse out of the gate because
then you're gonna discount your
initiative and your effort before you
start it so it's interesting I believe
so much in driving people to you if
you've got quality the cost of
acquisition is something that is
fascinating to me so for example we're
about to do something at Wine Library my
family business we have a huge gourmet
department I want to continue to build
it rip and we're about to create
something called free food Friday like
we're gonna give away a fuckload of free
food like just like mono show up between
this three hours and we're gonna give
you a $20 food gift certificate and
through this the cost of acquisition for
us that $20 because we know our business
is so much better than a lot of other
people business that we can make that
ry+ in a two or three year window
I am Facinelli make that lease for him
gonna do the exactly the same thing in a
different way if you buy a guest through
traditional media the cost of that guest
is typically 40 to 80 dollars if you so
let's say your rib dinner cost you five
dollars food costs the ribs the potato
the platter the whole thing I would give
out a hundred coupons for a free rib
dinner to people that have never been
there before no restrictions so now Gary
walks up to the front door with a coupon
I got a coupon for a free rib dinner
never been here before come on in first
of all I don't pay till they come second
I'm paying four dollars and sixty-five
cents not forty to sixty dollars for
each customer and then here's something
that nobody else will tell you if
somebody goes to a restaurant for the
first time it has a flawless experience
the statistical likelihood of them doing
a second visit is about 40% they come
you know I believe
and have a flawless experience the
statistical likelihood of a third visit
is still about 42% the third time they
come the statistical likelihood of a
fourth visit is over 70% so I've got a
market to three visits not one visit one
front rib dinner you sit him down put a
red napkin on a table not a white one
identify him as a first-time customer
connect with him and work to get him
back a second time in the third time
once they're there the third time you
own them mention that the red napkin
thing is genius because you know in a
fast-casual environment we're not
hitting that table honey let me give you
okay so you put a red napkin at the
table Gary sits down he's eating dinner
now he's getting his free rib dinner
orders water costs them nothing I know
you're a first-time customer cuz he's
got a red napkin when he's leaving the
manager comes to the table writes on the
back of a business card five dollars off
chicken did you like the ribs love them
you gotta try my chicken come in for the
chicken now I'm prompting a second visit
not with a printed or handwritten card
now he comes into the second visit drops
the business card on the table everybody
knows this is a second visit because red
napkin was the first visit second visit
finish the meal you go up you say so how
is the chicken it was freaking great are
you full totally stuffed man next time
you gotta try my cheesecake peas free
piece of cheesecake now three visits
ribs wait a piece of cheese flavor
cheesecake I was like that's [ __ ]
brilliant the chicken was a washout
that's really the discounts right the
cheesecake is a dollar thirty five for
about six hours you got three visits out
of them with a 70% likelihood of a
fourth that's the way you're mark in a
restaurant with that you were the bed
let me listen let me give you one more
for the road mister was a very
interesting thing that John said because
I grew up in that environment too and
John's from the traditional marketing
world that we grew up in from pulling
from his world notice how he said first
time
stomer I'll give it to you because the
traditional retail and bar thing is like
look it's more like you've already got
somebody in the funnel the cost of
acquisition for a new buddy is very very
very powerful I used to do that too but
it was tricky right because now some of
your old time customers may see that and
they've got that angst of wait a minute
why am I being not treated that way as a
loyal customer
you just want new people and it's always
been a put ass friction for us right in
the reach right now I just went to
Instagram right I tucked in Lexington
Kentucky got it
yeah I'm looking at nine posts right now
that are top posts and ungodly amounts
unlimited amounts of people's posts that
are from Lexington Kentucky I went down
all the way down and that's from 48
minutes ago 40 pictures down 48 minutes
ago thousands of people are posting
right now on Instagram from Lexington
Kentucky I go to the top 9 posts I click
the middle one it's a nice little cute
couple right
they got 298 likes Abby she's got she's
from somewhere she's part of a sorority
it looks like she has 2387 followers
there's a triple dot in the top right
corner on Instagram I hit it and let me
send her a message I send her a message
a b c or lexington we love being part of
lexington here's a $20 off coupon $10
off coupon free chicken only she sees it
you're grabbing somebody who has a big
social media profile you've not heard
any of your loyal customers like me and
John had to back in the day she comes
and she posts a picture of the food and
creates word-of-mouth now that five
dollar acquisition created no friction
to loyal customers and because she's now
media she amplifies it and you're
getting an eighty five hundred four
thousand dollar media amplification
against your five [ __ ] dollars and
last one thing don't discount people get
addicted to discounts they don't get
addicted to free that's right so yeah I
know that that's the one thing we
probably done right then we've never
wavered on with discounts I mean that's
like you know cheapen the product for
sure
well guys I appreciate this and I just
want to say one thing you know when I
separated from the Air Force
three years ago now I watched a ton of
our rescue and I watch
a ton of Gary's content and you guys in
the content you put out really helped me
build this business from literally we
were a tenth on the side of the road to
now we have our brick and mortar
business with very little bet on it and
that's something you guys helped me with
so I am eternally grateful if you're
ever in Lexington first rack of ribs on
me and no red napkin needed and and and
and an all end would thank you what for
what you've done for this amazing
country that has created a framework for
us to be all able to do this that's
right all right
and if anybody out there YouTube wild
barbecue company check us out good plug
at the end
[Music]