Last week I challenged two local Orlando restaurants to further their adoption of twitter and allow me to tweet my order.
Orlando Ichiban stepped up within the hour and said they would start accepting orders via DM only. While I commend this step (you guys are awesome!) I also think it completely misses the boat from a marketing standpoint. You want orders to be public, front and center. I have 5,700+ people following me on Twitter and many of those live in Orlando. Why wouldn’t you want me to share my order with all those hungry potential customers? This is a huge opportunity for a food order to go viral and inspire others to purchase . Think about it:
- I (or anyone on Twitter) place an order for sushi right before lunch.
- As people are getting hungry and making lunch plans they see the order I just placed.
- They decide to place an order for pickup or stop by the restaurant.
By forcing me to use a private DM channel you negate that effect completely. No viral. No awareness. No gain. Yes, it’s better customer service, but you lost all the marketing potential.
Ichiban explained to me that they don’t have a device that allows them to get tweets real time in the restaurant. However, DM’s go directly to their cell phone via SMS, allowing them to respond. Guess what? It’s time to upgrade. Get a computer, iPhone or some other device that lets you interact with your customers in an open and public way in real time. Social media should be social, that’s the whole point. If you want me to DM you I might as well send my order via fax, carrier pigeon.
I really don’t like the DM idea so I decided to circumvent the system. I ordered my food yesterday via regular tweet, giving them enough time to spot it and respond. I am hoping I can do this without the delay sometime in the near future.
The food was fantastic and very well presented (even for a takeout order). The only thing I wish I would have seen was some mention of Twitter on the menu or as a little insert. I decided to add my own for the photo above : )
Hey Ted, glad to hear your food was yummy. We are definitely exploring options as to how we can fully integrate Twitter into our restaurant. We will keep you updated on the progress. Thanks for the shout out!
@Orlando Ichiban:
The dragon roll was the BOMB!!!
I would LOVE to see more restaurants do this (hey, can you work on Bikkuri on Colonial? by me??). I’m really excited to see Orlando area businesses embracing Twitter and I hope they quickly see the benefit.
Maybe it’s a girl thing, but I don’t want my Twitter followers knowing how many California Rolls I can eat. I’d prefer DM. Haha.
How about this @orlando ichiban:
1. Invest in a flat panel TV with vga capabilities (DIRT CHEAP nowadays)
2. Buy a simple Mac mini (I have used 1st gen minis starting at $225)
3. Setup a wireless connection
4. Install and use TwitterCamp (http://www.danieldura.com/code/twittercamp) to display tweets in real time, allowing servers and chefs to pick up real time orders.
5. Users must follow you before placing orders.
6. Follow them back so you can DM them.
7. DM the people who ordered for confirmation of the order, and request a phone number prior to processing the order.
Mounting the TV in a nice spot in the restaurant (the entrance or the bar) could also have a positive effect such as building a buzz about twitter for people that often eat at Orlando Ichiban, as well as build up follower count and twitter orders. Down the line, a few screens around restaurant may add to an even better atmosphere…
TwitterCamp is a very cool application, and it can be customized. By allowing people to see for themselves as they walk in, the marketing possibilities are almost endless…Especially when people like Ted Murphy have the power to reach 5700 + people instantaneously…with no more than 140 characters.
Good luck
I love this idea and I love sushi. The sushi restaurants in Madison should do this right. now.
I wanted to know why Canon and Sony weren’t on Twitter today and asked people to recommend video cameras and no one even recommended those brands, but a Flip camera instead. But one person told me that some companies are waiting to be on Twitter to see if it’s a fad or not. Twitter is not a fad. Get on it and use it!
[…] wasn’t satisfied with only being able to order via a private message on Twitter and he wrote on his blog why Orlando Ichiban should accept public orders. He ordered via a public reply […]
[…] Ted Murphy is driving his favorite lunch restaurants in Orlando to jump into the Twitter universe (even offering his own personal economic incentive). That got me wondering, as I went about my errands yesterday, if the businesses I had stopped in to should be using social computing techniques too. I talk to myself in the car anyway, so this time I decided to talk to you about what was on my mind (thanks to my new Flip camera!). I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Please consider leaving a comment, even something short. I much prefer conversation to talking to myself. […]
im creeping in the back 😉 http://t.co/YjcGyDuF