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Where to put ads where restaurant owners/office managers would see them?

by BowmanBeric
17 replies
I work with a food rescue not for profit (we rescue food that would have been thrown out from restaurants and from offices that get catering). We want to increase the rate of new interested restaurant owners/office managers, and we're considering running an ad.

Where would you run this ad to reach restaurant owners? How about office managers?
#ads #managers #owners or office #put #restaurant
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  • Profile picture of the author BowmanBeric
    Thank you in advance, and I'm sorry if my marketing inexperience is showing!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    In an area where I saw a similar charitable organization 'rescue' food - it wasn't done with ads - it was personal visit by volunteer to the restaurants and food coops. I don't understand where 'office managers' would come into the equation.


    For ads I would think local newspapers - local news stations looking for human interest stories - and perhaps trade journals or papers in the area. Another thought would be a potential presentation at a local Chamber of Commerce Meeting.
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    Originally Posted by BowmanBeric View Post

    and from offices that get catering
    And this one right here.. above and beyond anything else you could focus on using online efforts would be the most targetable.

    Pharmaceutical Reps would be who I would target using LinkedIn. Most larger doctors office's usually get 2 to 3 catered lunches EVERY week - that Pharma Reps bring in. And generally speaking we are talking huge amounts of food - or at least in the Doctors offices I visit. 1/2 and Full Restaurant pans worth of left overs at every office I have ever been in... like straight up silly amounts of food on a weekly basis.

    I would forget trying to target the end user.. but try and get in with the people providing the food.

    The same holds true with offline efforts. Restaurants cater food... get in with them to leave your information for the client to contact.
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  • Profile picture of the author BowmanBeric
    A lot of our current donations come from offices that cater, because it's a lot easier to get in contact with office managers and caterers than restaurant owners. We've tried physical visits, but the same problem arises -- the restaurant owner or decision maker is usually not there/available.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by BowmanBeric View Post

      A lot of our current donations come from offices that cater, because it's a lot easier to get in contact with office managers and caterers than restaurant owners. We've tried physical visits, but the same problem arises -- the restaurant owner or decision maker is usually not there/available.
      Then you need to call and SET AN APPOINTMENT. I would suggest the best time to do this is between the hours of 10 to 11am and 2 and 4pm. You being on the phone is a whole lot cheaper than trying to figure out how to place ads for these people #1 to see, and #2 to actually respond to.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Try linkedin outreach using regional and local food businesses as search terms.

    I suggest a 2 step process though using some sort of freebie that is tightly targeted to their business

    Going straight to the offer rarely works
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  • Profile picture of the author DURABLEOILCOM
    I would recommend LinkedIn Ads you can láser focus your exact contacts to reach with your campaign.
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  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    I am not sure I would want to rescue food meant for the trash. While it might make you feel good, what happens the first time someone gets sick because they ate a sandwich that sat out all day at an office and something in it went bad. The same is true for restaurants, When they are throwing food away it is because it is no longer fresh, again the possibility of someone getting sick from it.

    al
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  • Profile picture of the author BowmanBeric
    @agmccall (sorry, new to forum, not sure how to reply directly)
    We have strict rules for what food can and cannot be rescued, as per FDA regulations. We, and other similar organizations, have not had issues with bad food. Despite what you might believe, most food thrown away by restaurants is perfectly good and safe for consumption.

    I appreciate all of the other comments though, this has been really valuable advice!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    There was a feature on the news here last week about a young woman who has created a huge nonprofit out of collecting ' unused' food. One source she found were the restaurants of the airport food court and mall food courts.

    Al - this isn't trash food at all. Groceries throw out lettuce and other fresh foods that 'appear' less than perfect - but are healthy and nutritious. Restaurants close at night and get rid of food cooked that day. Not bad food - the amount of food discarded would shock you.

    Don't know about anyone else but we often have great 'leftovers' in our refrigerator from restaurants where we 'ate out' the day before. I sure don't toss those out - I 'repurpose' them into my stomach.

    That's what we're talking about here - leftovers from restaurants - they cook fresh every day but often have perfectly good food left at the end of the day.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    the amount of food discarded would shock you.
    40% of food in the USA is wasted.

    Entire truckloads of pre-made salads are regularly dumped before the expiration date because by the time it got to the store it would not have the shelf life required.
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  • Profile picture of the author insubh
    Facebook Ads are very much powerful these days to reach related audiences. Also, you can promote through Personal Food Blogger and Foodies.
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  • Profile picture of the author BowmanBeric
    Thank you for all the replies everyone! I will try to put most of them to use!
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  • Profile picture of the author BowmanBeric
    I've decided to use LinkedIn because it has options to target current office managers/HR, but the multitude of ad types available are a little overwhelming. I'm thinking maybe a text ad, something like:

    Cater food for your office?
    (organization name) is a non-profit that picks up leftover catered food from offices for donation. End food waste in your office today!

    Or would an image ad be better? Maybe we can put a similar message on a banner, with catered food in the background to attract attention?

    What do you guys think?
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Are you opposed to direct mail? I think a simple letter with an enticing coupon inside would do the trick. You could purchase a focused list in your local area, and run a simple direct mail campaign to these business owners and/or office managers.
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  • Profile picture of the author BowmanBeric
    Please don't respond asking me to contact offices directly through phone/mail/other means, as we already do this
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  • Profile picture of the author rich9933
    The best place to create ads for your restaurant are fb and google ads.

    I would suggest to pay 5/day and target people in your area that have an interest in your business with coupons.

    Hopefully that answers your question !
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