How Restaurants Cater to Conventioneers and Tourists
July/August 2008
By McCall Mastroianni
Tourists represent a growing market for restaurateurs. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, culinary travelers make up roughly one-fifth of the U.S. leisure traveling population. The 
Georgia Department of Labor has found that in Atlanta alone there were 38.1 million total visitors in 2006 and trade shows such as The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market bring more than 100,000 visitors to town each year. Business and pleasure travelers alike can provide a wealth of opportunities for restaurants to fill their seats, and Atlanta restaurant operators are learning how to tap into the out-of-town segment to create memorable meals for visitors.
SEEKING OUT SOUTHERN SPECIALTIES
What matters to locals may not necessarily appeal to guests from other cities or countries. While natives tend to look for something different when dining out, visitors are often in search of regional specialties and the “true flavor” of the particular city they are visiting. South City Kitchen and Pitty Pat’s Porch in Atlanta both offer guests a true taste of the South.
“Although Southern cuisine can be an enigma to some, I find that visitors, especially in the South, are genuinely looking for an authentic dining experience unique to the region they are visiting – not watered-down or cliché renditions of what most people expect,” says Fifth Group Restaurants partner Robby Kukler. “At South City Kitchen, our menu is a true reflection of Southern cuisine, but with a sophisticated spin,” says Kukler. “This appeals to a wide range of visitors, whether on business or pleasure trips, who want to go back home and say they’ve truly experienced a taste of the South, but with a big-city twist.”
However, it’s not just the guests’ passion for the food that counts; the restaurant staff must also show a passion for making the most of a guest’s experience. Richard Lara, Chief Concierge at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead, agrees. “It is important for restaurant staff members who are in contact with the guest to be knowledgeable about recommendations on sights to see or even other restaurants to try,” he says.
CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR CORPORATE CIRCLES
At Fogo de Chão in Buckhead, business meals are very popular. Fogo’s continuous service is a strong part of the restaurant’s ability to please businesspeople, cutting down on ordering time and meeting interruptions. By having cards on the table, the control is where it belongs – in the hands of the guest. After all, they are the customers. Fogo also keeps the city’s convention schedule close at hand and makes notations in the reservation books in order to accommodate guests correctly. “The size of the event, length of stay and hotel locations are all vital pieces of information so that we can adjust inventory and staffing levels to ensure a perfect dining experience,” says Fogo de Chao’s Customer Service Manager Amyn Bana.
Using this strategic knowledge, Fogo de Chão is able to make out-of-town guests feel right at home. “We know the convention schedule is tough, and what we want to provide is a relaxing and entertaining environment so that guests who are away from home can feel like they are at their own dining room table,” Bana adds. Since Fogo specializes in serving larger parties, lunch or dinner at the restaurant becomes much more than just a meal – it is an event. Guests plan their dining schedule in advance.
“A common quote from out-of-town guests is that they had a salad for lunch because they knew they were in for a big dinner at Fogo,” says Bana.
COZYING UP TO THE CONCIERGE
Restaurateurs’ relationships with concierge can be mutually beneficial. A successful concierge takes the time to get to know the guest and asks probing questions to extract their needs. How much time do you have to dine? Do you prefer a casual or refined ambiance? What is your favorite type of food? These are the factors that concierges like Lara consider when recommending a restaurant to someone from another city.
According to Lara, one of the biggest mistakes restaurants make is failing to recognize that a recommendation happened deliberately. “Concierges can send the guest anywhere, so it is in the restaurant’s best interest to acknowledge that they appreciate and nurture the relationship they have with the hotel and the guest,” says Lara. “One of the best things a restaurant can do is to send out a dessert or some small token compliments of the hotel or the concierge. This makes guest feel good and fosters the relationship with the hotel. Recognition like this is great for the guest, the restaurant and the hotel, in that order.”
In order to provide an accurate recommendation, the concierge must be able to provide firsthand experience of a restaurant. “It is vital for me to be able to say that Restaurant X has a very sexy ambiance, and the food is great,” says Lara. “I need to build an honest relationship with the guest, so they continue to trust me and my judgment.”
While some dining establishments are better suited for business travelers and others appeal to those on vacation, out-of-town guests make up a significant sector of restaurant traffic and should not be ignored. Nurturing relationships with local concierges, reviewing convention schedules and training your staff can all be effective channels for beating out the competition on nabbing the out-of-town crowd.
McCall Mastroianni works for Melissa Libby & Associates, a PR firm with several restaurants among its clients. She can be reached at (404) 816-3068.
