Podcast Summary: "Marketing is About Standing Out in a Noisy Marketplace"

Podcast: RESTAURANT STRATEGY
Host: Chip Klose
Episode Date: September 25, 2025

Main Theme

This episode explores the critical importance of standing out in today's crowded restaurant marketplace. Drawing inspiration from Seth Godin's book Purple Cow, host Chip Klose argues that the most effective marketing tool is creating a remarkable experience or product—one so unique that guests cannot help but talk about it and share it with others, thus driving powerful word of mouth.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Power of Standing Out

• Foundational Idea: Stand out by creating something truly remarkable so guests “can't help but come back” and "rave and tell other people about it." (Chip Klose, 00:16)
• Reference to Seth Godin’s Purple Cow: "The key of any small business is to create the kind of experience, to create a product, a service that moves people so much they can't help but come back." (Chip Klose, 00:27)

Marketing Triangle for Restaurants

• Three Pillars of Restaurant Marketing: (Chip Klose, 07:00)
  1. Customer Acquisition: Get new people in the door.
  2. Customer Retention: Keep people coming back, increasing frequency.
  3. Evangelism (Word of Mouth): Spark organic conversation—"A restaurant grows the same way a church grows."
• Analogy to churches: “A church grows when a service is held and a pastor stands up... moves the congregation... so that some woman in the ninth pew... relays the story... That’s how a church grows... That’s how a congregation grows.” (Chip Klose, 07:48)

The Mechanics and Evolution of Word of Mouth

• Traditional vs. Modern Word of Mouth:
  • Used to be conversational ("Hey, have you been anywhere interesting lately?" 09:16)
  • Now, it’s digital—people see posts on social media, which then prompts conversation.
• Importance of “putting your thumb on the scale”: Don’t just hope for word of mouth—create experiences that actively encourage sharing.
  • "I want people to be so moved by the experience that they can't help but text their friends and tell their colleagues the next day and take a picture..." (Chip Klose, 12:02)

Examples from Outside the Restaurant Industry

• Big Companies: Disney and city landmarks intentionally design “remarkable” photo opportunities.
  • “For the life of me, I don’t know anybody who goes to Epcot and doesn’t take a picture of that.” (Chip Klose, 13:35)
  • Eiffel Tower as the “prototypical” sharable monument.
• Luxury Brands: Retailers like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, and Chanel “do this really well”—creating must-photograph, must-share moments. (Chip Klose, 15:50)

Restaurant-Specific Examples

• High-End: Alinea (Chicago)
  • Table Dessert: “They literally put down these giant boards and like smash things onto the table and splatter chocolate...” (Chip Klose, 17:05)
  • Helium-Filled Sugar Balloons: “Instead of a balloon of rubber or latex, it is made of sugar and they’ve pumped helium in there... everybody’s talking like they’re chipmunks.” (Chip Klose, 18:15)
• Casual: Black Tap’s Crazy Shakes
  • “These are milkshakes that are giant. They’ve got hunks of cake hanging off the side... You see a picture of it and you go there to get it.” (Chip Klose, 19:00)

Practical Takeaway: How to Stand Out

• If you run a “plain, boring bagel sandwich” shop—consider what would make you truly remarkable:
  • “Maybe I have a $22 bagel sandwich. ...It would be sort of outlandish. ...You would get a certain percentage of people that would say, ‘Alright man, I gotta see what this $22 sandwich is all about.’” (Chip Klose, 22:18)
  • Even customers who don’t order the outlandish thing will talk about it.
• If you have a signature dish, ensure it's the most:
  • Photographed
  • Talked about
  • Shared item on your menu
• “If you don’t have a signature dish, you need at least one.” (Chip Klose, 24:36)
• You can differentiate through flavor, presentation, or a memorable flourish in service.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On “Evangelism” in Restaurants:

  • “A restaurant grows the same way a church grows, right?... They’re so moved to go evangelize for the church—go talk about their experience. It’s really no different from a great restaurant.” (Chip Klose, 07:48)

• Practical Example:

  • “If someone says, ‘Hey, where can I get a good bagel sandwich in this town?’ I’d be like, ‘Oh, great, you know where I love, I love to go to this place.’ But... I’ve never gone out of my way. ...That is a problem.” (Chip Klose, 05:00)

• Creating Share-Worthy Experiences:

  • “You simply must come up with something that people can’t help but order... people to go out and talk about you...” (Chip Klose, 19:43)

• On Differentiation:

  • “Don’t just be a plain, boring bagel sandwich. If you’re gonna do a bagel sandwich, man, do it—something that people can’t help but talk about.” (Chip Klose, 22:00)

• Closing Call to Action:

  • “Be remarkable. Stand out. Create a differentiated product, a version of what you do that is unlike anything else out there, and that’s it. That will help grow your business more than just about anything.” (Chip Klose, 26:00)

Timestamped Structure of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Key Content | |-----------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Episode Introduction & Purple Cow Concept | Standing out, being remarkable | | 02:58 | Guest Pet Peeve (Menu Transparency) | Importance of information for decision making | | 06:20 | The Marketing Triangle | Acquisition, Retention, Evangelism | | 09:16 | Evolution of Word of Mouth | From conversation to social media | | 12:02 | “Thumb on the Scale” Analogy | Prompting guests to share | | 13:35 | Disney, Landmarks & Shareable Moments | Monumental experiences as marketing assets | | 17:05 | Restaurant Examples: Alinea & Black Tap | Remarkable dishes provoke sharing | | 22:00 | Bagel Sandwich Thought Experiment | How to make even ordinary products special | | 24:36 | The Importance of Signature Dishes | Making menu items talk-worthy | | 26:00 | Closing Advice | Summary, book recommendation |

Conclusion

This episode delivers a powerful, actionable message: In a world of endless choices and noise, the path to sustainable growth for restaurants is through remarkability. By creating experiences and products that are unique, memorable, and conversation-worthy, you turn your guests into passionate advocates. Every operator should be asking, “What do we do that people can’t help but talk about?”—and the answer to that question is the heart of effective restaurant marketing.