Growing up in South Africa, there were many reasons to get excited. There were all the usual highlights that very young children should always look forward to, such as Christmas, Easter, birthdays, losing their “baby” teeth, and scheming with their 4-year-old sister to stay up and raid the tooth fairy when she got to. give you money for your teeth (that’s another story!) and the parents decide you’ve been such a good kid that they’ll buy you a puppy … which, looking back, to tie up very closely with a barrage of robberies on the zone ….

The best of the best … “Come in Chico, the clown”

However, there was one event, an event that was way above the rest for a 7-11 year old. It was an event that was represented by a brightly colored envelope through the mailbox, followed by a LOT of bragging with your classmates at school (and one became a lot more popular during that time ?!) And then of course , came the BIG event. Yes, anyone who grew up in a lower middle class family or better in South Africa will resonate with, you guessed it! AN INVITATION FROM BOY THE CLOWN TO GO TO SPUR ON YOUR BIRTHDAY !!!!

Not only could he claim his free crayons and coloring papers, but he was also entitled to KIDDIES Hamburger and Chips and then … FINALLY … it would come: the crowning glory of any youth night out in Spur: AN ICE CREAM BOY THE CLOWN – WITH a sparkler and the kitchen staff would come and sing to you “Happy Birthday!”

Yes, those were the days of pure pure emotion. The days leading up to the big event seemed to take forever to go by and sleeping at night was quite difficult, but in the end we got there. ***** (see right to the end)

Now to “The Business End” of this …

Now on the strategy: restaurateurs, bar / club owners, basically anyone who owns a venue that wants to attract a clientele is always interested in “getting people in the door.” Getting “bums in the seats” is what keeps the rattling away. Now, giving a hamburger for children and an ice cream of your own with two Smarties for the eyes is not going to cost you anything. It’s money coming out. But now, the thing is, people who go out to a “free birthday meal” very rarely go out alone (except for this guy I knew, but he threatened to sue me if I mentioned him in this passage!). others to help them celebrate, those other people are paying full price.

Pretty straightforward, right? The most EFFECTIVE marketing is.

The point is, if people don’t, they are missing out on the opportunity to

1) get more people than would have come to dinner that night and

2) have the opportunity to get NEW people, potential future regulars, to enjoy the evening at your location. All at a very low cost.

It’s even better if your “birthday boy / girl” is an “opinion leader” and knows a lot of people, a bit like a “social butterfly”. The more popular they are, the more likely they are to attract large numbers to your location.

In fact, one of the best marketers in the food and beverage industry that I know actually offered FREE FOOD to anyone who reserved a table on one of their pre-opening nights (I know people who were there 3 nights in a row!) . The place was a very nice upper class place in the heart of Leicester Square, London. He listed it as “putting the staff to the test” but in reality, not only did he do it, he ensured that he would score big numbers at his restaurant / bar. More people to enjoy the experience of eating there and more chances to come back – regulars are the best kind of habit you’ll get. It costs you very little to keep them coming back if you treat them right; However, a new customer can cost you a lot to get in, especially when you consider advertising costs, problem customers, and so on.

So there we have it folks, give someone a free birthday meal and they’ll bring their friends. Show them a GREAT night and they’ll be back for more. Very simple, very cost effective, and most importantly, easy to implement.

***** There is a short epilogue to the previous story: I remember an incident where “Boy the Clown” appeared at a child’s birthday party. It was during one of my friends’ birthday parties and they were obviously much richer than my family, as he received TWO balloons and they sang “happy birthday” to him in ENGLISH. The thing was, Chico’s entrance was somewhat unexpected and when you’re a little kid and you see a grown man in a clown costume and full makeup jump out from behind a door yelling “SURPRISE !!!” It’s more than enough to make you jump up and spill your cream soda float!