Danny Barbarigos, owner of La Tasca Tapas Restaurant in downtown Arlington Heights, was interested when Groupon approached him to offer a coupon on the power-buying website.

“We tried some knock-off sites and sold maybe 30 or 40, so we decided to try this,” Barbarigos said.

The online venture quickly paid off when 2,500 Groupons offering $30 worth of food for $15 were sold in a short period of time. Even after a month, many of those customers are still coming in, he said.

Continue reading . . .

A recent survey by MustHaveMenus a provider of restaurant menu templates, revealed that nearly half of the 1,300 restaurant owners, managers and caterers that were polled, do not use social media to attract customers to their eateries. While social media usage among restaurateurs is growing, a large percentage of eating establishments are social media holdouts.

Here are some of the key findings from the study:

• 42% of restaurant owners and managers invest in social media efforts (including blog participation, and managing their Twitter and Facebook accounts.
• 12% of restaurants and caterers hire someone to manage their social media presence.
• 23% of respondents do not believe that they need to use social media as a marketing tool.
• 23% of respondents believe that they don’t have time to devote to social media, along with all their other restaurant management duties.

Continue reading . . .

Recently, Montrealer John Hartupee and his girlfriend headed to New York City for a foodie week-end.

“Burger King in the airport waiting for my flight to NYC. I’ll consider this my amuse-bouche for Eleven Madison Park!” he tweeted.

When he got to Eleven Madison Park (has four stars from the New York Times), they sent out extra amuse bouches under silver domes. Each had mini lamb burgers on them. “We hope these are better than the one you had at the airport,” the server smiled. Is it stalking?

Nope. It’s what Twitter-happy restaurateurs would call personalized service. If your birth date is on Facebook, don’t be alarmed if a hostess wishes you a Happy Birthday! On the other hand, if you forgot the name of the wine you liked at a restaurant, well, tweet and ask.

Continue reading . . .

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced that it will participate in the launch of Facebook Deals, which enables people to easily find and redeem deals at nearby businesses when they check in using Facebook Places. Chipotle will offer a special promotion for people who check in at any Chipotle location using Facebook Places on their smartphone. Facebook Places gives people the power to easily share where they are with friends, find friends who are nearby, discover new places, and now, take advantage of a special Chipotle offer by checking in.

Check in at any U.S. Chipotle on Saturday or Sunday, November 13 and 14, and November 20 and 21, and receive a buy-one-get-one entrée which includes a burrito, burrito bowl, order of tacos or salad. Customers must show their smartphone check-in to the cashier when the check-in is made and the offer will be validated.

“Facebook has become a great tool for us to establish and deepen relationships with our customers, and we’re excited to make this offer to the Facebook community,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing officer at Chipotle. “With more than 1 million Chipotle fans on Facebook, we enjoy frequent conversations with our customers about our business and what makes us different. And now with Facebook Deals, we have an opportunity to turn more people on to Chipotle.”

Chipotle uses its Facebook Page to discuss its commitment to using premium quality ingredients from more sustainable sources in its more than 1,000 restaurants. Chipotle calls this commitment to fresh, unprocessed foods cooked using classical cooking techniques and raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers “Food with Integrity.” The company also promotes restaurant openings and special programs, answers customer questions, and responds to service issues using the popular social networking platform.

Most heroes don’t get noticed but they inspire people in small and large ways every day.  Perhaps there is no place where this is truer than in high schools across the country.  So today, Subway, along with Facebook and Electus, is helping high school students recognize the everyday heroes at their schools.

Subway and Ben Silverman’s next generation multimedia studio Electus, an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI), are announcing the launch of a collaborative venture called Subway High School Heroes. This first-of-its-kind social entertainment program and competition is centered on inspirational people in the high school community, including students and teachers. The 8-week-program launched via Facebook on Oct. 18, 2010, and users can now nominate and vote for their favorite heroes for a chance to be crowned Subway’s ultimate High School Hero by going to the Subway High School Heroes application at the Official Subway Facebook page at www.facebook.com/subway.

At its core, the question “What inspires you?” drives the concept behind Subway High School Heroes competition. Users are encouraged to nominate, share and vote for whomever they feel is the genuine hero in their high school communities. Whether that hero is their 16-year-old sister who volunteers everyday to mentor and tutor students struggling with math, or their high school English teacher who encouraged and helped them apply for college, Subway High School Heroes seeks to honor and celebrate the inspirational figures in every high school community.

“Whether they are winners on the field, in the classroom or in the community, we know that winners eat at Subway,” said Tony Pace, chief marketing officer, Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust. “The High School Heroes program helps to recognize those winners for the inspirational work they are doing.”

“Electus and our creative partners Arthur Hasson and Dennis Ardi  are very excited to team up with Facebook and Subway, two brands driving the evolution of social media,” said Ben Silverman, Founder and CEO of Electus. “Social media is transforming how consumers communicate and tell their own stories on a constant and shared basis. We are thrilled to build a franchise that can engage audiences in brand narrative and community empowerment and work with world class brands on a creative campaign designed to inspire and champion young people around the country.”

Engagement with the participants starts with a Hero nomination. Anyone on Facebook can nominate a friend they think is inspirational in their high school community. Users will be able to upload and share videos, comment, and vote for their favorite heroes. The Facebook community will make the ultimate decision on the country’s best and most inspiring heroes.  Finalists will be selected based on how many votes they receive. Everyone who interacts with Subway High School Heroes, including the heroes, nominators and voters, have a chance to win great prizes through regular drawings. The winning Subway High School Hero will be announced via Facebook Dec. 16, 2010, and will win a grand prize of $10,000 and an Apple iPad.  Visit the Official Subway Facebook page for complete details and to nominate heroes.

“On Facebook, we share and discover things all the time.  This is true for books we read, music we like and shoes we wear.  Why shouldn’t this be true for the inspirational people in our lives?” said Matt Jacobson at Facebook.  ”We’re excited to be working on this project because it recognizes the everyday heroes that inspire the lives of high school students all over the country and helps them acknowledge the contributions these heroes make to their schools and communities.”

Publicis Modem, Subway’s digital agency of record, helped further develop, manage and execute the High School Heroes program with Electus, led by its Branded Content & Entertainment team.

“Social engagement is playing an increasingly important role in how users consume content,” said Gian LaVecchia, SVP Group Director Branded Content & Entertainment at Publicis Modem. “We think High School Heroes is uniquely positioned to leverage this trend to not only create an authentic point of connection for our audience, but also drive long-term affinity by creating an engaging social platform that celebrates real-life, everyday heroes.”

If you’re going out for dinner, you might want to check your computer or mobile device before you leave to see what the specials are for your favorite restaurant.

Restaurants have been taking advantage of the various social media to showcase their menus. It is not enough just to have good food to survive in today’s economy and local restaurants are engaging with their customers to not only make sure they give them a try, but to guarantee they are repeat customers. By using the different tools that are available to them, they are able to make connections with the people who visit.

“The initial fear,” said Steve Haweeli, president of Word Hampton Public Relations, “was that customers would post about a bad experience. Owners quickly realized that you have a chance to make good in public. You see how things work. It is a great opportunity for customer service best practices.”

Continue reading . . .

White Castle is so sure its fans will crave the new garlic cheese flavor of The Original Slider that America’s first fast-food hamburger chain is giving them away. For a limited time, visit White Castle on Facebook and receive a coupon for a free Garlic Cheese Slider. Three new limited edition sandwiches are available through October 30, including Garlic Cheese, Garlic Cheese & Mushroom and Garlic Cheese & Chicken Marinara.

“With this offer, White Castle wants to connect with our loyal fan base by rewarding them with the opportunity to try our new Garlic Cheese Slider for free,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president of corporate communications. “By exposing more consumers to the White Castle tradition of quality and flavor that has existed for almost 90 years, we expect we’ll find thousands more Cravers out there.”

Those interested in receiving the coupon must “Like” the White Castle page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/whitecastle and print the coupon to use at any of the nationwide locations. The coupon will be available on White Castle’s Facebook page through October 22. Customers must redeem the coupon by October 30.

The unique Garlic Cheese Slider begins with a traditional steamed 100 percent USDA beef patty topped with a slice of White Castle’s bold garlic cheese. The Garlic Cheese Slider and Mushroom is topped with garlic cheese and tender mushrooms in a savory sauce. The Chicken Marinara Slider starts with a lightly breaded 100 percent white-meat chicken breast topped off with garlic cheese and a zesty Italian marinara sauce.

To see at the happy crowd at Bistro 17 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, you’d never think that just 3 months ago, they were close to shutting down for good. Owner Anna Buckingham says,

“Business was so slow at that point, even during the tourist season, that we were wondering if we should call it quits.”

But now this French-themed restaurant with mouth watering brie and an obsession with containers and dogs is a word-of-mouth sensation and always busy. In fact, they’re one of the few restaurants doing really well in the off-season.

Fortunately for Anna, one of her regular patrons runs a Hilton Head Island Facebook page with 65,000 fans.  Anna tends to make friends with all her customers. So they teamed up, and created a winning combination.

Continue reading . . .

Kona Grill (Nasdaq:KONA) announced today that a Foursquare element will be added to the marketing and promotions for Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out.

The Great American Dine Out will be held nationwide with hundreds of restaurants participating and collecting donations. Share Our Strength is a foundation raising funds to end childhood hunger in America.

When the Foursquare Mayors check in anytime during the Great American Dine Out, a $5 donation will be made to Share our Strength. Previously, mayors received a free appetizer or sushi roll upon check-in.

Kona Grill is using other social networking and media to publicize the event; active on both Twitter and Facebook since early September. A Facebook “I Support No Kid Hungry” Badge is being spread virally, giving guests a chance to spread the word on the cause. In restaurant, $1 of every Berries & Cream Dessert will go to SOS; guests donating $1-$5 will receive a complimentary edamame, and donations over $5 will receive a pizza or flatbread on a subsequent visit.

Employees are also encouraged to share news through their own social networks. Marc Buehler, President and CEO of Kona Grill, Inc. has written a blog post that was posted on Sunday, September 19 to kick off the 7-day event. Buehler has also offered a 10% personal match to the company’s total donation. An excerpt from his entry follows.

“We are extremely blessed to live in a country with so much wealth, opportunity and freedom, yet every day there are millions of kids that don’t know where their next meal may be coming from. It is hard for me to describe the number of emotions this conjures up inside of me…but I am filled with hope. This is a great country with smart, resourceful and caring people. Together we have achieved and will continue to achieve great things.”

A colleague of mine who raves about Ottawa’s Play Food and Wine recently tweeted to her followers that she was looking forward to her Friday night dinner reservation. Much to her surprise, just minutes after settling in, a restaurant manager she had never met came to the table to thank her for always tweeting such kind words about the popular spot.

She was delighted.

Over the past year the marketing world has seen some incredible PR campaigns strategically harness the power of social media – it is an important tool that can be used by businesses big and small.

Well-known Ottawa restaurateur Stephen Beckta opened Play in January, 2009. Grayson McDiarmid, Play’s wine director and service manager, decided it would be fun to sign-up for Facebook and Twitter about 10 months ago. At the time of this column, Play had almost 500 Twitter followers and about 665 Facebook fans.

Continue reading . . .

Home Run Inn, a purveyor of thin crust pizza on Chicago’s South Side, and Lou Malnati’s, a North Side peddler whose trademark pie is deep dish, collaborated this spring on a Facebook-based contest called “Through Thick and Thin.” By firing up the debate about Chicago’s favorite pizza style, the restaurants’ aimed to raise brand awareness, engagement and media buzz and—not to forget—sell more pizza during the busy summer season.

Although e-commerce represents just a small percentage of their business—both restaurants ship frozen pizzas ordered online nationally and Home Run Inn takes carry-out orders online—the traditionally offline nature of pizza didn’t stop them from using the Internet to their advantage.

Working with Blue Chip Marketing Worldwide, a marketing firm retained by Home Run Inn, the restaurants recruited nearly 11,000 Facebook followers to select their favorite essay among 92  entries submitted on Facebook by married and engaged couples on their relationships. The prize? A wedding or vow renewal ceremony on one of the rooftops overlooking the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field during the game on June 13.

Continue reading . . .

For three years, the brothers Haytham and Nael Nasr toyed with the concept of Mybar, a restaurant-bar that opened last month in the heart of posh downtown Beirut.

Encouraged by investor interest in an earlier pub project, they decided to go ahead with the venture. But instead of going the traditional route to line up investors, the brothers took a more innovative approach: they got funding via YouTube and Facebook.

“The easy solution was to find two or three investors,” says one of the brothers. “However, we wanted to keep the direction of management and spread the risk. Having a larger number of investors also allowed us to tap into a wider customer base, with each investor having their own crowd of friends.

“We started raising money through word of mouth and the use of social media. We wanted Mybar to go viral.”

Continue reading . . .

A year ago, Starbucks knocked off Coca-Cola as the most popular corporate brand on Facebook, with its page on the social network drawing 3.7 million fans. Now the coffee giant has become the first brand to clear the 10 million-fan mark on Facebook, with its nearest rivals — Coke and Skittles — both trailing behind at about 6.5 million.

To put Starbucks’ social ascent in perspective, the company is close to catching up to pop icon Lady Gaga in Facebook fans. She’s just ahead in the rankings, with about 10.4 million, according to data compiled by the Inside Facebook blog. Only other celebrities (Michael Jackson, Vin Diesel), games (“Texas Hold’em Poker,” “Mafia Wars”), “Family Guy,” Facebook, and the President himself, stand ahead of Starbucks in the number of Facebook fans.

So what’s the secret of the coffee chain’s success on the site?

Continue reading . . .

Tony Crolla has won plaudits and prizes for the quality of his log fired pizzeria, La Favorita and for the Italian cuisine on offer Vittoria on Leith Walk and Vittoria on the  Bridge.

Now he is ensuring the dining experience extends well beyond the three venues by become the first Italian restaurants to interact with customers on their favourite online venues.

Tony has launched both Twitter and Facebook pages for La Favorita and Vittoria, giving his customers the chance to keep up to date with the latest restaurant news, events and offers.

The social media sites also give his customers a platform where they can express their views on the restaurant, inviting them to make suggestions and improvements, ensuring that they get the ultimate dining experience.

Continue reading . . .

Restaurants are increasingly using social media as a marketing tool, but a New York City burger chain launching next month is redefining the strategy.

4food, which on July 6 is to open its first of 11 planned locations, will allow customers to use iPads to place orders.

Customers also have the option of naming and branding their creation, and posting it on Facebook or Twitter. When ordering from home, they can create commercials on YouTube.

The branded burgers and commercials are then featured on a 240-square-foot media wall at the restaurant that also streams from Foursquare, a social-networking site where users can check in at restaurants and other locations. Every time someone buys one of the concoctions, the creator receives a 25-cent credit through their account.

Continue reading . . .

With a landslide victory at the polls, pizza lovers across the country have united to keep Pizza Hut’s $10 Any Pizza deal – any size, any crust, any toppings for just $10.  From May 11-June 10, 2010, Pizza Hut asked America to vote on the fate of the incumbent deal at Facebook.com/PizzaHut.  An overwhelming 98 percent of voters clicked “Yes,” resulting in a resounding victory for the $10 Any Pizza deal.

“America has voted and the $10 Any Pizza deal will be extended at Pizza Hut,” said Brian Niccol, Pizza Hut Chief Marketing Officer.  “The one-sided victory shows that pizza fans remain hungry for the combination of great taste and value.  We’re excited to continue offering that combination with our $10 Any Pizza deal.”

With a determination to keep the $10 Any Pizza deal alive, Pizza Hut Tweetologist Alexa Robinson packed up campaign materials and embarked on a tour across America to rally support.  As campaign manager, Alexa visited state capitols, engaged voters at city landmarks and made media appearances in New York City, Philadelphia, Little Rock, Richmond, Va., Columbia, S.C., and Des Moines, Iowa.

“From New York City to Des Moines, I met with hundreds of loyal Pizza Hut fans who voiced their support of the $10 Any Pizza deal,” Robinson said.  “And that support resulted in an overwhelming victory in the Facebook vote.  The $10 Any Pizza deal at Pizza Hut is clearly a popular choice.”

Alexa tracked her progress on Twitter (twitter.com/pizzahut) and Foursquare (foursquare.com/user/pizzahut), giving Pizza Hut fans exclusive news of her whereabouts and access to photos from the campaign trail.  Fans can also visit Flickr (flickr.com/pizzahuttwintern) to view photos from the tour.

Ashley Johnson had a good job making good money as a waitress at Brixx Pizza on Sixth Street in uptown Charlotte.

But that changed about a week ago, when a couple came in for lunch and stayed for three hours – forcing her to work an hour past her quitting time.

And they left her a tip she thought was pretty measly – $5.

Johnson did what most folks who need a good rant do nowadays. When she got home, she went on Facebook. “Thanks for eating at Brixx,” she wrote, “you cheap piece of —- camper.”

And like a growing number of workers, she found out the hard way that what you say on social networks can be used against you, particularly if you’re in a position of public trust or public service.

Continue reading . . .

The humble 144-character tweet is changing the way we eat–even at lunch trucks.

A plethora of food trucks serving hip and exotic cuisines are rolling into cities and towns across the country, and they’re using social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to advertise their gastronomic offerings and provide up-to-the-minute location information.

In the Los Angeles area, Kogi BBQ’s trucks have nearly 63,000 followers on Twitter and more than 10,000 on Facebook who come for short rib tacos and Kimchi in quesadillas.

Seattle’s Skillet Street Food “airstream trailer,” which serves up bacon jam and burgers made from grass-fed beef, has more than 6,000 Twitter and Facebook followers.

Continue reading . . .

As state primaries heat up across the country and the American public grapples with today’s issues, Pizza Hut is reaching out to voters with another monumental task — saving the $10 Any Pizza deal.  Pizza Hut announced today that its famous $10 Any Pizza deal is on the ballot in 2010.  Supporters can participate by visiting Facebook.com/PizzaHut today through June 10 and voting ‘YES’ to keep the $10 Any Pizza deal.

In keeping with the American democratic process, the outcome of this important pizza poll will be decided by majority vote.

“We started a pizza revolution when we introduced the $10 Any Pizza deal,” said Brian Niccol, Pizza Hut Chief Marketing Officer.  ”Now it’s up to the people to put pizza first and vote ‘YES’ to keep the $10 Any Pizza deal on the menu at Pizza Hut.”

To help push this issue to the top of the political agenda, Pizza Hut Tweetologist Alexa Robinson will serve as campaign manager for the $10 Any Pizza deal and visit communities across the country canvassing for votes.

“Voting is one of the most basic American rights and pizza fans should have the ability to exercise this right as well,” Robinson said.  ”There are many issues being decided at the polls this year, but the future of the $10 Any Pizza deal is at the top of our list.  I’ll visit Pizza Hut restaurants, national landmarks and political hot spots to gather support for the $10 Any Pizza deal.  Join us in putting pizza first in 2010.”

$10 Any Pizza deal advocates can follow Alexa on Twitter (twitter.com/pizzahut) and track her progress on Foursquare (foursquare.com/user/pizzahut) for exclusive updates.  The “Keep the $10 Any Pizza Deal” campaign tour kicks off today in New York City with scheduled stops in the following cities:

Pizza Hut, America’s Favorite Pizza, delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant.  The only pizza company to be named a top ten franchise in 2009 by Entrepreneur Magazine, Pizza Hut began 50 years ago in Wichita, Kansas and today operates nearly 10,000 restaurants in more than 90 countries.  Pizza Hut, Inc. is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. ( YUM).