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February 27, 2024 • Featured Resource

Recap of the 2024 DRA Restaurant Marketing Summit

Recap of the 2024 DRA Restaurant Marketing Summit

We were thrilled to host the January edition of the 2024 DRA Restaurant Marketing Summit with 20+ industry leaders providing insights and giving attendees the opportunity to engage with peers in the restaurant community. Thought leaders provided actionable marketing tactics on topics including increasing customer acquisition, loyalty, engagement and revenue. Over 1,000 people across the restaurant industry tuned in to learn best practices to improve online, customer and brand experiences. 

Curious about the key take-aways? Don’t worry, we’ve got them recapped for you below.

McDonald’s 

Our Executive Director, Joe Reinstein, sat down with McDonald’s Chief Marketing and CX Officer, Tariq Hassan, to discuss how mission driven marketing has been a focus for the brand. A key marketing strategy  is encouraging their customers to engage with the brand on social media, a concept they call “Sharing the Pen.” Harnessing the power of brand fans has been the driving force behind some customer favorite campaigns like the Grimace Shake, Free Fries Friday, and Camp McD. The McDonald’s team also recognizes that it is important to connect the technology used in their marketing, like their loyalty app, to their behind the counter processes to ensure customer and crew experiences seamlessly work together. Undoubtedly, as the head of marketing for the largest global restaurant chain, Tariq Hassan is harnessing the power of the brand and brand fans to drive a a successful business. 

Google

We brought back a fan favorite speaker from previous Summits, Google’s Ashley Do, to lead a session on “What, Why and How to Update Your Google Business Profile.” Maintaining a current profile on Google not only means highlighting the latest details of your restaurant’s business like hours and menu offerings, but also taking advantage of new features like the ability to remove a delivery provider. With 69% of consumers starting their restaurant search on Google, knowing how to properly utilize Google tools is imperative to meeting your customers where and when they are looking for food. 

Access their educational materials in our member resource center.

Ovation

A successful restaurant doesn’t just offer great food; it offers a complete experience to consumers which is why Zack Oates, Founder & CEO of Ovation, led a popular session on “3 Steps to Increase Profits Through the Guest Experience.” To dive even deeper into tactics to strengthen guest relationships, check out Ovation’s in depth Case Study on how Sticky’s Finger Joint was able to increase online ratings and save hundreds of guests that were unhappy! This is a hands-on approach to improving customer loyalty with tangible takeaways.

Access their educational materials in our member resource center.

Full Session List of Topics & Speakers

  • Optimizing Your Google Business Profile | Ashley Do – Global Partnerships, Google
  • Digital Marketing for Off-Premise Success | Carl Orsbourn – COO, JUICER
  • Find Better Ways to Serve (and Sell) Before and After the Dining Experience | Chip Klose – Restaurant Coach, Restaurant Strategy
  • Maximizing 3rd Party Promotions | Chris Munz – VP of Growth, Voosh
  • Mastering Off Premise | Christopher Ramirez – EVP Marketing, Dog Haus
  • Generate Recurring Revenue with a Restaurant Membership Program | Court Allam – Owner, Go Explore Local
  • Your Restaurant Marketing Questions Answered | David “Rev” Ciancio – Head of Revenue Marketing, Branded
  • Your Restaurant Tech Questions Answered | Deric Rosenbaum – President, Groucho’s Deli
  • 3 Ways to Increase Sales by 15% | Hamed Mazrouei – Founder & CEO, Milagro
  • Powering Restaurant Loyalty Program | Ivan Matkovic – CEO & Founder, Spendgo
  • Marketing Tips & Insights from Industry Insiders | Jaime Oikle – Owner & Founder, RunningRestaurants.com
  • Mastering Off Premise | Jared Pfeifer – Publisher, FoodOnDemand
  • Hospitality Hangout LIVE from the DRA | Jimmy Frischling – Co-Founder & Partner, Branded Hospitality Ventures
  • Mission Driven Marketing | Joe Reinstein – Executive Director, Digital Restaurant Association
  • The 5 Things the Best Restaurateurs Do To Achieve Massive Profitability | Josh Kopel – Founder, Restaurant Marketing School
  • Comparing Apples to Meatballs: All Reviews Are Not Equal | Kelsey Verdier – Director of Marketing, Marqii
  • Top 10 Tips For Marketers to Help Operations Attract and Retain Top Talent | Marielle Kokos – Head of Sales & Partnerships, Lineup.ai
  • Making All Your Social Media Dreams Come True | Mark Sorenson – Founder & CEO, Social High Rise
  • Digital Marketing for Off-Premise Success | Meredith Sandland – CEO, Empower Delivery
  • Hospitality Hangout LIVE from the DRA | Michael Schatzberg – Co-Founder & Partner, Branded Hospitality Ventures
  • Top 10 Tips For Marketers to Help Operations Attract and Retain Top Talent | Mike Armstrong – Content Marketing, Lineup.ai
  • Digital Marketing for Off-Premise Success | Robert McColgan – Co-Founder & Brand President, Modern Restaurant Concepts
  • 5 local SEO myths | Rory Balkin – Founder, Donut Digest
  • The Business Card Bounce Back | Ryan Gromfin – Founder & CEO, The Restaurant Boss
  • Your Restaurant Marketing Questions Answered | Ryan Scharffenberger – Head of Marketing, Freebirds World Burrito
  • Your Restaurant Marketing Questions Answered | Sara Kear – CMO, Condado Tacos
  • Video Storytelling Secrets | Shawn Walchef – Owner & Digital Storyteller, Cali BBQ Media
  • Mission Driven Marketing | Tariq Hassan – Chief Marketing & CX Officer, McDonald’s
  • 3 Steps to Increasing Profits through the Guest Experience | Zack Oates – Founder & CEO, Ovation

Creating opportunities to connect restaurant operators, thought leaders and industry experts is at the core of the work we are doing at the DRA. We are grateful for the support from our members and partners in making the January edition of the 2024 DRA Restaurant Marketing Summit a success. Keep an eye out for our encore summit on April 11th and gain access to more educational materials like these by becoming a DRA member. Together, we can make a more sustainable technology and delivery ecosystem and ensure restaurants deliver superior online customer and brand experiences.