Podcast Summary: Restaurant Strategy – "Three Simple Frameworks to Level Up Your Marketing (ENCORE)"

Host: Chip Klose
Episode Date: September 4, 2025

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In this episode, Chip Klose demystifies restaurant marketing, arguing that it is much simpler and more strategic than many believe. He presents a clear, actionable approach by sharing a single, memorable definition of marketing and introducing two powerful frameworks—the ABCDs of Marketing and The Triangle Principle—to help independent restaurant owners consistently boost profitability and build a more sustainable business.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Rethinking Restaurant Marketing

• Simplicity Over Sophistication:
  Chip challenges the notion that marketing must be a complicated or intimidating process.

  “It doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't have to be a challenge. There's a simpler way of thinking about marketing your restaurant...” (00:01)

• Mindset Shift:
  He stresses the need for a strategic rather than a purely tactical approach:

  “Tactics are changing all the time... the biggest gap that I see in the restaurant industry... is that they need a new mindset shift, is that we have to take a more strategic approach—Low effort, high impact.” (03:23)

2. The Key Marketing Definition

• Three Core Questions:
  Marketing boils down to:

  1. What’s the product?
  2. Who is that product for?
  3. How do we reach them?

  Chip explains that while the first two rarely change, the third ("how do we reach them?") is ever-evolving with technology and trends.

  “Marketing is really just answering three questions. What's the product? Who is that product for? And how do we reach them? That's it.” (05:00)

• Alternative View:
  Marketing as entering a busy room, getting the right people to raise their hands, and then motivating a change in behavior (e.g., coming to your restaurant instead of going home).

  “We walk into a busy room... we say, hey, listen, can I get everyone's attention?... Who here likes tacos? ...and then you said, hey, everybody who likes tacos, follow me… At its most basic. That's all we're doing.” (06:00)

3. Framework One: The ABCDs of Marketing

(Referenced repeatedly: 07:53–18:55)

A – Audience

• Identify who has a problem you are uniquely qualified to solve.
• Avoid the “for everyone” trap. Be specific about your ideal guest.

  “Who's your restaurant for?... I use this example... a Greek steakhouse in Manhattan... [The owner said] everyone. I said, no, it's not… This restaurant was not for them‚… If I had to pick who this restaurant's for, it's not even close.... you need to turn your back on a whole potential audience. I'm asking you to turn your back on dollars. But by embracing your niche, your target audience, you will actually be way more successful.” (09:04–11:42)

B – Brand

• Your restaurant is the solution to your target guest’s problem—a purposeful, designed experience.

  “Your brand, your restaurant, the experience you're crafting, is the solution to someone's problem.” (11:56)

C – Competition

• Recognize your place within a competitive set ("the consideration set").
• Essential to be on your guests’ shortlist when making dining decisions.

  “Your job is just to be part of the consideration set first... you got to land on a short list.” (12:52)

D – Differentiation

• Stand out within your category—why choose you over similar places?
• Avoid becoming a commodity (competing only on price, convenience, or familiarity).

  “If your pizza place is undifferentiated from all the other pizza places, you have a problem. Because now we're in the commodity game... and it's a race to the bottom.” (16:38)

E – Everything (Empowerment Point)

• Every aspect of your business (signage, menu, lighting, service, etc.) communicates something and affects perception.

  “Everything you do, every choice you make says something to the diner, right?... Be empowered by that.” (18:03)

4. Framework Two: The Triangle Principle (Marketing Triangle)

(19:48–26:11)

Chip introduces the Triangle Principle as a practical framework for turning strategy into action:

Three Sides/Goals to Focus Marketing On:

1. Customer Acquisition

   • Get new faces in the door; raise awareness, build trust, convert curiosity into visits.
   • Measure and strategize for effectiveness.

   “Number one, you got to find a way to get new people in the front door. That's customer acquisition, right?” (20:23)

2. Customer Retention

   • Turn first-time guests into regulars and increase visit frequency.
   • Use targeted actions: e.g., bounce-back coupons, loyalty programs—as long as they serve this specific goal.

   “There’s an incredible drop off when it comes to first time diners, right? So you got to get those new people to come back and you’ve got to get all your diners to come back with greater frequency.” (21:20)

3. Evangelism (Word-of-Mouth)

   • Proactively cultivate and encourage diners to talk about your restaurant—through social content, reviews, and real-life referrals.

   “If word of mouth is so powerful, then why wouldn’t we put a strategy in place for it?... What are you doing to get people to talk about you?” (23:08)

• Measurement and Goals:
  Each side of the triangle is a goal; select marketing tactics/tools based on how they help achieve specific side(s), not arbitrarily.

  “I want you to think about what you need to happen…work this in reverse order. Every time you talk about your marketing… it should always be framed as this: When it comes to customer acquisition, these are the things we do… This is how we measure them.” (23:45)

• Filtering Opportunities:
  Use your Triangle goals as a filter when evaluating new marketing tools or vendor pitches.

  “You’re going to be able to very respectfully, very directly say, that sounds interesting... but tell me, what is it going to help me accomplish—this, this or this?” (25:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Target Markets:
  “Who's your restaurant for? ...[the owner] said, everyone. I said, no, it’s not… you need to turn your back on a whole potential audience… But by embracing your niche, your target audience, you will actually be way more successful.” – Chip Klose (09:04–11:42)

• On Commoditization:
  “If your pizza place is undifferentiated from all the other pizza places, you have a problem. Because now we're in the commodity game...and it's a race to the bottom.” – Chip Klose (16:38)

• On the Power of Details:
  “Everything you do, every choice you make says something to the diner... be empowered by that.” – Chip Klose (18:03)

• On Marketing Measurement:
  “It should always be framed as this: when it comes to customer acquisition, these are the things we do, this is how we execute them, and this is how we measure them.” – Chip Klose (23:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01–03:23: Setting the stage; the need for a new, strategic marketing mindset.
• 05:00: Core marketing definition: the three critical questions.
• 06:00: Alternative "busy room" analogy for marketing.
• 07:53–18:55: The ABCDs (and E) of marketing: detailed explanation and examples.
• 19:48: Introduction to the Triangle Principle.
• 20:23–26:11: Triangle’s three sides—acquisition, retention, evangelism—and how to operationalize them.

Takeaways for Restaurant Owners

• Shift to a Strategic Approach: Move away from scattershot marketing tactics—focus on the fundamentals.
• Frameworks Are Essential: Use the ABCDs to ensure a strong concept and market fit; use the Triangle Principle to structure and evaluate your ongoing marketing activity.
• Measure & Adjust: Every marketing activity should tie to one of your three triangle goals—and be measured.
• Embrace Differentiation: Don’t try to be everything to everyone; the riches are in the niches.
• Empower Every Detail: Every decision, from menu to ambiance to communication, is a touchpoint that can set you apart.

For those who haven’t listened:
This episode provides concrete, easy-to-apply frameworks that demystify marketing for independent restaurant owners. It replaces anxiety and wasteful complexity with clarity and empowerment, helping you map out exactly what to do next—and why—to reach more guests, serve them better, and turn them into your restaurant’s best advocates.