Office Hours: Mass Marketing is Killing Your Restaurant--Do This Instead

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses.

In this episode, I make the case for connection over content. Because here’s the truth: most restaurant owners are focused on chasing new customers when the gold is sitting right in front of them — the people who already love what you do. I dig into how to build deeper relationships with your existing guests by creating personalized experiences and engaging directly. When we stop broadcasting and start actually connecting, that’s when the magic happens. I walk through the exact steps to create marketing that feels personal, meaningful, and intentional — the kind of stuff that makes your best customers feel seen, valued, and eager to come back. If you're ready to stop shouting into the void and start turning loyal guests into your biggest advocates, this episode's for you.

Takeaways:

• You can run a successful restaurant without running a successful restaurant business.
• Marketing isn't about content. It's about connection.
• Focus on frequency rather than new customer acquisition.
• Mass content doesn't create loyalty. Connection does.
• Your guests aren't looking for noise. They're just looking for a reason to come back.
• Connection comes from direct engagement, not volume.
• Create personal one-to-one moments with your customers.
• Your best customers just need a reason to come back.
• Make a list of your top guests, create that personalized offer.
• The math on this is compelling.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Profitability
01:06 The Importance of Connection in Marketing
03:02 Personalized Marketing Strategies for Customer Retention
05:55 Actionable Steps for Engaging Your Best Customers

If you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at [e-mail] and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.