You don’t want to have a “business”, you want to have a “cause”.
Restaurant branding requires you to have a promise that is reflected at every customer touch point. The idea is that you want your key stakeholders (employees, customers, community, partners, vendors, media… etc.) to passionately help you. One of the most important things in marketing is to stand out and show how you are different – not better.
Everyone should know what you stand and what you don’t stand for. For this reason, your brand promise should be bold, clear and made publicly. If you’re brand promise, let’s say, is “food with integrity”, this is your token to get better into the game. The communication has to be effective and the cause has to be so compelling that you will rocket upwards in sales and profitability.
In pursuing the answer to “what’s our brand promise”, ask yourself what would be your “cause”. Sure, it’s to feed people, do what restaurants are supposed to do which is “restore”, be a good employer, but past all that, what’s your reason for being? What do you stand for? What are your non-negotiables? What do you defend or champion? What are your belief systems and governing codes? The answers to these questions will help you reveal the components of your brand promise.