Hi, my name is Kayli and I am a blogger.

I literally whispered that as I typed it. Why? Because we have a bad rep. People hate bloggers. People are bloggist.

I have been relatively safe. I‘ve kept my head down; been honest, but kind; not caused any chaos, but still, I’ve had my fair share of animosity come my way. “What do you know about food, you are only 23!” and “You aren’t a chef, why do you write about food!?” and my favourite, “Real reviews are on paper!”

Well you know what, f*** all of you that think that way. No, I am not a chef, no, I have no formal culinary training, no, I haven’t travelled the world sampling magnificent delights served to me on golden plates by Turkish royalty. But I have never claimed to be any of those things.

I write honest reviews. I don’t write for the hot-shot foodies. The hot-shot foodies can find it out for themselves. I write for the public, in a way that I think people can appreciate and understand. I’m not out to get free food, I’m not out to become the next Nigella, I’m not out to cause a scene for my dramatics and I certainly don’t want to hurt restaurants just for the sake of it. I am out to let people who love eating out, hear an opinion on what is out there.

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The perfect pub!

Do any restaurants in Cape Town offer kitchen-tours?

About 15 years ago, we had a family-holiday in Spain. I must have been around 10 years old maybe even younger. During the flight, a stewardess came up to my parents and asked if I would want to say hi to the pilot and have a look at the cockpit. A dream come true! But I still remember that my parents were also interested in having a look at the cockpit and of course, they were allowed to accompany me.

For me and the other kids, it must have been the most exciting flight ever, in the history of all flights. The excitement levels were at an all-time high. But our parents, they wanted to join too. They wanted to know how it works! 

I am sure there are quite a few adults who would love a tour of a restaurant's kitchen along with an explanation of how things are made and done. Who wouldn't want a tour of a wine bar? 

Do you know of any restaurant in Cape Town that engages with their guests in this way? 

While studying at UCT, one has to read a wide range of academic material on marketing and business practices. And academics like listing things. Especially listing steps. The 5-, 7- and 10-step lists seem to be favored. 

I am reading Guerrilla Marketing by JC Levinson at the moment which is about marketing practices and ideas for small business owners/entrepreneurs. He proposes a 7 step program for successful marketing aimed at small business owners. While I was reading it, I thought that these could be adopted to restaurants as well. 

• 1. Find the inherent drama in your offering
• 2. Translate that inherent drama into a meaningful benefit
• 3. State your benefits in as believable way as possible
• 4. Get the people's attention
• 5. Motivate your audience to get involved
• 6. Be sure you are communicating clearly
• 7. Measure your finished advertisement against your creative strategy

Read the entire article for further explanations for the points mentioned above.

In 2009, the London restaurant L'Anima got in on the social media act by crowd-sourcing their wine list selection. They hosted a tasting for six wine experts. The tasters formed three teams to sample a short list and settle on the final selection. Unfortunately these enthusiasts, rarely agree with each other.

And that's where the public came in.

For three wine categories where the experts couldn't reach a decision, L'Anima uploaded videos of each team pleading their case. Members of the public were then asked to vote for the wines that they'd like to have in the restaurant. The exercise proved a successful marketing tool for L'Anima and L'Anima's audience benefited too - getting its nose into proceedings that were once the exclusive domain of experts.

25 Critical Questions for every Restaurateur and Restaurant Manager

Marketing is not about selling a product, it's about selling a story. I have already posted a few articles on restaurants which are trying to do just that. While surfing the web I found a blog that posted the questions below and every manager/owner should be asking these! Some questions refer to the "story-aspect" of marketing a restaurant, others refer to profitability and service quality. All are aspects of marketing.

Here are the 25 questions that you should be asking according to (Source: RestaurantMarketingBlog). I don't think all questions should be considered with equal weighting, some are certainly more important than others. 

1. What is your restaurant famous for?
2. What do your guests think you are famous for?
3. Do you advertise or actively tell your guests what you are famous for?
4. If you are famous for a product, ..... click on read more below to see all 25 questions.

I’m Lovin’ it 2.0

We’re all lovin’ it. Every student has been to McDonalds at least once in their life. And most of us have liked it enough to come back several times.

Now, their slogan “I’m lovin’ It” has been the company's most successful and longest-running campaign, surpassing the iconic "You deserve a break today," and "Food, Folks and Fun," both in longevity and sales gains. I’m not old enough to know those slogans but I’ll take their word for it!

If you look at the business success, there would have been no reason" for changing the campaign -except for ego. We're bringing it out from behind the arches and into the action to better brand and celebrate those uniquely McDonald's moments. Even more importantly, we're making sure that we build both brand equity and drive sales with every piece of advertising. - CMO Mary Dillon

So guys! They are keeping the slogan...and making it even better. The result: some of the best TV Ads I have seen in a long time. It’s funny, it’s emotional, and it’s relevant. Lovin’ it! Check them out below! 

The Rainforest Cafe

• The Mystery Cafe
•  Pay-as-you want Restaurants

• The Rainforest Cafe

Radiohead made the news when they allowed their fans to pay whatever they thought was reasonable to download the band's latest album. Now, innovative restaurants from all around the world are doing the very same exact thing: They let their customers decide how much their meal is worth.

Picture provided by Springwise