6. The management treats you as a valued guest. We have not talked about your relationship with the staff! Get to know the owner. Send them business. Tell them about it beforehand. You are a good tipper. You treat servers as equals. When you show up, the owner and staff are glad to see you. If you need a table on short notice, they make it happen.
7. It is a great place for client/prospect dinners. The royal treatment you get from the staff creates an ideal stage for those dinners when you team up with a wholesaler and invite a couple of clients who are each asked to bring along a friend. The restaurant’s reputation helps your client “sell the event.” The client’s guest realize they are dining at the same place as the local movers and shakers. The welcome you get from the staff and manager announces you are one of this crowd.
8. You may get invited to exclusive client events. Some restaurants do wine-themed dinners or celebrity chef nights. These involve a set menu, but often sell out quickly. Regular patrons get advance notice. These are usually festive events. They are another opportunity to meet new people.
9. The restaurant is a great seminar location. Monday night is the quietest night of the week for restaurants. Many of them are closed on Mondays. Weeknights are generally quieter than weekends. If you hold seminars, this can be an ideal opportunity to book the entire restaurant or a private room for your event. The reputation of the restaurant helps “sell” the event. Attendees gain bragging rights.
10. The bar might be active. Most of this discussion revolves around being a regular at dinner. You can also stop at the bar on your way home. There are plenty of people who patronize a restaurant for their bar scene. A couple we know came up with the idea of visiting several top hotels in Paris, having a glass of wine at the bar and ordering bar food. They built their own multi-course dinner by visiting several hotels! The logic is you can increase the frequency of your visits to the restaurant by stopping in for a drink and a quick bite too.
The “see and be seen” restaurant is another stepping stone to gain entry into the HNW community. Becoming a regular is quite enjoyable too!
Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. His book Captivating the Wealthy Investor is available on Amazon.