In trying to boost slow Monday nights, Executive Chef Ray Hollingsworth hit upon an idea that not only fit his upscale Loon River Café, but also allowed him to support aspiring young musicians. So Ray invited local high school jazz bands to play Monday nights at his place, in exchange for his donating 10% of the evening’s sales to that band’s “booster club”. Results were excellent!

1. Restaurant regulars benefited from enjoying free live jazz (most of the groups have been quite good).
2. The kids benefited from the experience of playing “paying gigs”.
3. The various school music programs gained much–needed donations.
4. Because the bands promoted their “appearances” to proud family & friends, the Café's Monday night sales quadrupled! Definitely a Win, Win, Win, Win!

With his upscale Brixx Woodfired Pizza located in a busy downtown business district‚ owner Rae Ashley enjoyed large lunch crowds. However‚ dinnertime wasn’t as busy as evening commuters flocked home to the suburbs. To encourage more young professionals to stop by Brixx for a bite before leaving “downtown”‚ Rae began offering his “MBA Program” (Masters in Beer Appreciation). MBA members eventually sample at least two dozen different imported and microbrew beers‚ eating pizza, and winning small prizes along the way. Newcomers are also presented with personalized beer mugs which hang on the wall for everyone to see! With the increasingly lively atmosphere‚ even more folks are choosing Brixx for dinner‚ even without hoisting a cold one!

While it’s been said that “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”‚ in recent years‚ the “stogey” has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity among folks who see it as a personal “indulgence” (or even a way to break the rules of “health consciousness”). To tap into this trend‚ Leslie Frechette and her family decided to host their own cigar “social”. Their version elevated the event from a smoking–only theme to a several course meal featuring regional Italian cuisine. The gathering (held when the restaurant was normally closed so non–smoking guests weren’t impacted) was extremely well received among cigar aficionados!

For family–style restaurants‚ attracting business on Sunday evening can be a challenge since “it’s a school night”. However‚ pizzaiolo Mike Flynn conquered that hurdle a few years ago by transforming Sunday evenings at his restaurant into Magic Night! Every Sunday‚ Mike pays a local professional magician ($75 for two hours) to perform “slight of hand” tricks tableside to the delight of his young guests. Not only has word of mouth attracted new customers‚ the magic show has helped build repeat business by becoming a weekly entertainment “tradition” for a number of Mike’s younger family customers!

Lunch Customers Boost Dinner Sales

While restaurateur Roger Beavers had a thriving lunch business at his pizzeria/sandwich shop‚ he was unhappy with a less than stellar turn–out at dinnertime. After talking to a few lunch customers to better understand why‚ he discovered that they either weren’t aware of his dinner menu or simply did not think of Bevo’s when they made dinner plans. Since his lunch customers were already familiar with his great food‚ Roger used them to jumpstart his underutilized dinner hours by giving them gift certificates redeemable only in the evening. Once customers had the chance to try Roger’s great tasting dinners‚ his dinner business picked up as Bevo’s rose to “top of mind“ in planning future dinners out.