?? Restaurant Roundup 4th April

?? Get the latest scoop on the hottest hospitality trends served with a side of expert insights, from Amazon's palm-scan payments to the rise of Swicy flavour combos.

I’m Dawn Gribble, your host. I am an independent hospitality marketing strategist with over 20 years of international experience. Find me on LinkedIn , Twitter , or at? hospitalitymarketinghub.com ??

On this Week’s Menu

• ?? Amazon Debuts Palm-Scanning App for Restaurant Payments
• ??? KFC's New Array of Boldly Sauced Nuggets
• ? Starbucks Reserve Rolls Out New Range of Sweet and Spicy Drinks
• ?? Get Your Meal at McDonald's McSki-Thru?
• ??? DoorDash Expands Its AI Voice Offering?
• ?? The Role of Consumer Psychology in Hospitality Marketing
• ? How to Conduct a Restaurant Marketing Audit

?? Amazon Debuts Palm-Scanning App for Restaurant Payments

• Amazon One is a new app that uses palm recognition for payments and other services. It is available in the US at over 500 Whole Foods Market and other Amazon stores. The app uses AI tech for identity verification and guarantees high data security by creating a unique numerical representation of the palm signature. Amazon One has been used over 8 million times, with over 80% of users choosing to use it repeatedly. LINK
• ?? Amazon One could significantly impact restaurants globally by offering a secure payment option that enhances customer experience. However, privacy concerns and user trust in biometric payments must be addressed, so educational material in your marketing would be recommended. The success of Amazon One in restaurants depends on addressing these factors and potentially waiting for wider consumer acceptance of biometric payments.

??? KFCs New Array of Boldly Sauced Nuggetsnbsp

• KFC is introducing a new line of Saucy Nuggets featuring five unique and tasty sauces. The sauces include Honey Sriracha, Korean BBQ, Sticky Chicky Sweet 'n Sour, Nashville Hot, and Georgia Gold, catering to current flavour preferences and offering customers a range of options. LINK
• ?? KFC's new Saucy Nuggets are a perfect example of the "swicy" trend set to dominate 2024. Speaking of which …

? Starbucks Reserve Rolls Out New Range of Sweet and Spicy Drinks

• Starbucks is bringing a sweet and spicy twist to their Reserve locations in Chicago, New York City, and Seattle. Customers can enjoy the new Hot Honey Espresso Martini and Hot Honey Affogato, featuring a touch of hot honey for a unique flavour. These new additions to the menu will be available through the summer while supplies last.?LINK
• ??Swicy cocktails are on the rise, and espresso martinis are due for a makeover, too! These drinks blend espresso's rich depth with the novel hot honey kick, suggesting a trend towards more adventurous, sweet, and spicy cocktail combinations. Expect more menu espresso martini variations featuring different peppers, fruits, or flavoured liqueurs to cater to adventurous coffee drinkers.

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?? Get Your Meal at McDonalds McSki-Thru

• The McSki restaurant, located in S?len, Sweden, is a unique McDonald's that offers a Ski-Thru option for its customers. It is the only McDonald's in the world that provides this feature and is situated at the Lindvallen ski resort. Since opening in 1996, the McSki has become a popular spot for hungry skiers to grab a quick meal. While the menu includes familiar items like McNuggets and McFlurrys, hot chocolates and Big Macs are the most popular. LINK
• ?? To create an engaging dining experience, restaurants can take inspiration from the McSki restaurant in Sweden:
• Use local and seasonal ingredients
• Cater to the weather
• Offer fast ways for customers to collect their food
• Design themed menus based on local events

??? DoorDash Expands Its AI Voice Offering

• DoorDash is expanding its use of artificial intelligence by hiring leaders from tech firm Standard AI to assist in developing an AI voice ordering system. DoorDash plans to use its expertise to create a white-label AI bot that can take orders over the phone for chain restaurants. In August, DoorDash announced this AI voice initiative in response to the finding that 1 in 5 consumers prefer ordering takeout by calling the restaurant. LINK
• ?? Restaurants are increasingly using AI for voice ordering to improve efficiency and upsell customers. This trend reflects a growing preference among customers for more interactive and convenient service technologies

The Role of Consumer Psychology in Hospitality Marketing

Effective Hospitality marketing is heavily influenced by consumer psychology. By understanding the factors influencing consumers’ decision-making processes, motivations, and behaviours, hospitality marketers can tailor their strategies to attract and retain customers more efficiently. This article looks at key psychological concepts and how they can be applied to hospitality marketing to help you grow revenue and build customer relationships.

How to Conduct a Restaurant Marketing Audit

Restaurant marketing audits are in-depth evaluations of your marketing strategies. It’s a strategic process to assess your online presence and its effectiveness in reaching customers and driving business growth. Audits provide insights into areas for improvement and what’s performing well and needs scaling. An audit can help you identify gaps, evaluate your online presence, better understand your target audience, uncover growth opportunities, and strengthen your marketing strategies.

We understand that every restaurant is as unique as the vision of its owner, which is why our consulting services are designed to meet each client’s unique needs – as a result of our work with global franchise leaders to social enterprises, national chains and QSRs, The Hospitality Marketing Hub team brings a wealth of experience to the table.

Our high-quality insights and strategic guidance ensure that you have a solid foundation for growth in all of your restaurant marketing and customer experience efforts. We serve unique insights, in-depth market research, strategies, and digital marketing support that delivers tangible results.

With our expertise, insights, resources and connections, we can increase your brand’s visibility and profitability and help you outshine the competition.

Visit hospitalitymarketinghub.com Today! - Here's To Your Success ??