Transcript

Cole Lindbergh:
Hello, everyone! It’s great to see you all. Welcome to this joint webinar with ChowNow and Boostly, titled Three Tactics to Grow Your Restaurant's Revenue.

I’m excited to kick things off today. We have some special guests and panelists who will share valuable insights on this topic. Many of you in the chat are eager to dive in, so feel free to join the conversation and ask questions anytime.

You can choose to chat with just the hosts and panelists or send messages to everyone. My name is Cole Lindbergh, one of the sales enablement managers at ChowNow. My role is to support our sales team in helping restaurants succeed. I’m thrilled to be hosting today, and I have two special guests joining us: Shane Murphy and Shandy Lindley. They will introduce themselves, starting with Shane.

Shane Murphy:
Awesome! I’m really excited for today’s webinar. I’m Shane Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Boostly. We’re an SMS marketing system for restaurants, and we integrate with almost every tech vendor a restaurant might have, whether it’s a point of sale, online ordering system, phone system, or reservations. We make it all work seamlessly.

Before Boostly, I built an online ordering company and a business catering marketplace. I’ve also spent years in restaurant operations as an executive at Jolt. Throughout my career in restaurant technology, I’ve been passionate about helping small restaurants grow their revenue and achieve real business outcomes. I’m really excited about today’s topic.

Cole Lindbergh:
Thank you, Shane. We’re looking forward to hearing your insights, especially given your experience in the restaurant tech space. Shandy, please introduce yourself.

Shandy Lindley:
Thanks, Cole. My name is Shandy Lindley, and I’m the Senior Director of Customer Success at ChowNow. I oversee both our restaurant success team and our 24/7 customer support team. My background is in restaurants—I’ve worked in New York City and Los Angeles for over a decade. I’ve been a barista, a manager, and worked at mom-and-pop spots as well as large corporations. Today’s topic is close to my heart, and I’m excited to discuss it.

Cole Lindbergh:
Fantastic! It’s great to have both of you here. We’ve got more people joining, so feel free to use the chat at any time. Today, we’re discussing Three Tactics to Grow Your Restaurant's Revenue this month. We’ll cover increasing order volume, elevating your online presence, and using data to boost performance. Let’s start with a survey question.

[Survey Question: Are you currently storing customer data and using it for marketing purposes?]

Cole Lindbergh:
It’s always interesting to see how restaurants are using customer data. Let’s give everyone a moment to answer. Elaine in the chat said "yes" to both questions. Great! Let’s take a look at the results.

For those who said “no” or “I’m not sure,” Shane, why is storing customer data so valuable?

Shane Murphy:
Great question. Storing customer data allows restaurants to reach their customers repeatedly, encouraging them to visit more often and spend more. With so many ways for customers to find restaurants—especially through third-party platforms that don’t share customer data with you—it's crucial for restaurants to own their data. Having customer data lets you market directly, which boosts your margins and strengthens your relationship with the customer.

Cole Lindbergh:
Exactly. Restaurants need to own their customer relationships, especially with third-party platforms keeping the data for themselves. Shandy, what should restaurants do with this data once they have it?

Shandy Lindley:
There’s so much you can do with customer data! Busy restaurant owners may not have time for large marketing campaigns, but focusing on impactful areas can make a difference. Email marketing is a powerful tool. If you have email addresses from online orders or loyalty programs, leverage that data to inform customers about promotions, new menu items, or even to spotlight your staff. Automation also helps—set it and forget it while still driving engagement with your diners.

Shane Murphy:
I’d add that many restaurant owners don’t realize how much data they already have, whether it’s phone numbers, delivery addresses, or emails from loyalty programs or reservation systems. When you know where your data is, you can use it to its full potential. Boostly specializes in text message marketing, which is incredibly effective. We help restaurants use their phone numbers to build a subscriber base and send targeted text offers, driving instant orders. Each marketing channel—email, text, or direct mail—has its own strength, but text messaging offers fast, direct results.

Cole Lindbergh:
It’s all about leveraging multiple channels, right? Reaching diners through email, texts, or even local mailers helps restaurants stay top-of-mind. How do you recommend segmenting the customer data for targeted marketing?

Shane Murphy:
Segmenting your customer base is crucial. Different groups prefer different types of marketing—some respond to email, others prefer texts. Behavioral marketing is key. For example, you’ll want to treat regular customers differently from those who haven’t visited in months. Sending tailored offers based on past behavior can increase engagement and revenue.

Shandy Lindley:
Absolutely. And don’t forget to make the experience as smooth as possible. Whether it’s online or in-store, giving customers a frictionless experience with easy add-ons and upsells will naturally drive higher margins.

Cole Lindbergh:
I completely agree. For instance, I’m always tempted by dessert upsells online! But let’s move to the next topic—elevating your restaurant’s online presence. We have another survey question for everyone.

[Survey Question: What percent of your business comes from online orders in a month?]

Cole Lindbergh:
Online presence is crucial, but it varies for each business. Shandy, where should restaurants focus when it comes to improving their online presence?

Shandy Lindley:
Think of your online presence as your digital storefront. Just as you carefully plan the customer experience in your physical space, you need to do the same online. How easy is it for customers to find you? Is your website up to date and optimized for online orders? Do you own your Google business page? Are your photos accurate and appealing? Make sure your preferred ordering method is easy to access so that customers don’t default to third-party services that cut into your margins.

Shane Murphy:
A great way to start is by opening an incognito browser window and searching for your restaurant. Do third-party platforms rank higher than your website? Google’s algorithm prioritizes listings that are complete and have consistent information, so make sure your details match across platforms. Also, regularly ask customers for reviews, as recent and frequent reviews help improve your rankings.

Shandy Lindley:
Right! And don’t forget to claim your listings on platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google. You want to be in control of all the information customers find about your business. If something’s wrong, it’s like having a wobbly table in your restaurant—you need to fix it.

Shane Murphy:
Another quick tip is to regularly check your online ordering buttons. If your ordering button isn’t working, you’re potentially losing sales. You wouldn’t let a broken register sit for days, so treat your online tools with the same urgency.

Cole Lindbergh:
Exactly. Let’s open the floor to some questions from the audience. I see someone asking, "How do you handle negative reviews?"

Shandy Lindley:
When handling negative reviews, respond calmly and professionally. Don’t match the reviewer’s negative energy. Apologize for their experience, and offer to resolve the issue offline by providing contact information. It shows you care about customer feedback without engaging in a public argument.

Shane Murphy:
I agree. And for internal feedback, make sure you take the time to understand the root cause of the issue. Some people might try to game the system, so it's important to handle each case on a personal level, deciding how best to make things right without encouraging bad behavior.

Cole Lindbergh:
Great advice! Before we wrap up, Shane, can you give us a quick overview of Boostly?

Shane Murphy:
Of course. Boostly is an SMS marketing system that helps restaurants use customer data from various systems—like your point of sale, online ordering, and phone systems. It automates marketing and allows you to send targeted messages to customers based on their behavior. No contracts or setup fees, and you own all the data.

Shandy Lindley:
At ChowNow, we help restaurants grow their online ordering business with tools that streamline operations and drive more revenue. Our 24/7 support and restaurant success teams are here to help optimize everything from your menu to your profits.

Cole Lindbergh:
Thank you, Shane and Shandy! This has been a great session. To all our attendees, we appreciate you joining us and taking the time to learn how to grow your restaurant’s revenue. If you’d like more information about ChowNow or Boostly, please feel free to reach out. Have a wonderful day!