Teaching A Class On What You Know Best - Marketing By Putting Money Where Your Mouth Is.

A heated debate in the food service industry concerns an old adage: Catch a man a fish and he'll eat for a day...but if you teach a man to fish, will he still continue to eat at your restaurant?

Capitalizing on the popularity of the Food Network's how-to shows and the continued celebrocracy of gourmet dining, high-end restaurants have been proving that this summer, those who can do can teach as well. Lately, many restaurants have been offering special evenings where the Chef, Sommelier, or equally qualified employee, shares some cherished know-how, as well as select drinks and delectables, to a room full of eager patrons/students.

La Marea in Miami organized a two-hour interactive BBQ how-to as part of their Father's Day offerings this year, the foodie-tchotchkes shop Good Egg, located in Toronto's Kensington Market, offered classes on home-preserving and knife skills that drew the likes of movie star Rachel McAdams, while Roberta's Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, led a dramatically well-attended seminar on Rabbit Butchering a few weeks ago.

According to the Toronto Star, Food Network Canada has grown 20% in viewership in the past year, proving that people are becoming even more motivated to watch what they eat. Or well, watch what they'll eat be made. It's not necessarily a new idea, (Seattle-area restaurants have been nourishing their bottom line by having customers put money to the Chef's mouth for several years now) but it's a great one, especially since, despite political promises to the contrary, these past months have not produced any significant economic stimulation. Offering an evening of this sort can help throw your name out as a doubly enjoyable experience; dinner and a show!

And hosting a lecture or seminar at your establishment can also help produce guests on what otherwise might be your slower nights; L'Espalier Boston, for example, offers a special wine-themed dinner on Mondays, the very popular Cheese Tuesdays (featuring captain seating, a themed lecture and a 'cheesy' parody sing-along), and they've just added a 'Mixology n' Cocktails' night most Thursdays. Front of the house staff there once confided that these events hoist numbers by a good fifty or sixty heads, an added revenue that comes without significant costs, well above traditional weeknight bookings.

Additionally, remember that encouraging your staff to contribute ideas and participate in these evenings can help motivate them through what might otherwise be a lackluster summer while also demonstrating how you value and appreciate their unique expertise.

Ultimately, proving to the public that you are worth your salt (or possibly, know it) will highlight the reasons patrons ought to be visiting your restaurant on all the other nights of the week as well. And that's definitely something worth teaching.