• Case Study: Applebees vs. Buffalo Wild Wings

    1 October, 2011

    Sticking to what a restaurant or bar does best can be tough for an expanding business. Category leaders strive to maintain a high quality core product and excel in their concept strata year after year. Concepts attempting to be all things to all people run the risk of losing their brand identity. It’s the difference between having one good chef knife or a butcher block full of dull knives...

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  • Strategic Marketing 3 of 3: Social Media Development

    1 August, 2011

    Social media has provided a new way to reach potential customers. Social media adds the dimension of interactivity that was absent from print media. While the opportunity to reach consumers in a new fashion is exciting; new challenges are present. The challenge in capturing consumer attention rests in rising above the constant bombardment of online ad campaigns...

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  • Strategic Marketing 2 of 3: No-Cost Marketing

    1 July, 2011

    Two paths exist for promoting your business. Advertising and no-cost marketing. Advertising is the use of resources to present a paid, biased point of view regarding your concept. No-cost marketing on the other hand relies on the strength of your product and service to propel it into the minds of consumers...

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  • Strategic Marketing 1 of 3: Concept Positioning

    1 June, 2011

    Concept Positioning, sometimes called market positioning, is critical to creating separation from your competition. It is the reason someone will think of your restaurant or bar instead of a competitor of a similar style...

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  • Why Groupon May Not Be Right For Your Business

    1 May, 2011

    Groupon, an online coupon service has become a web phenomenon. Friends from time to time may encourage coupon usage by posting a link to a Groupon on social networking sites. An online coupon can be positive for a new brand attempting to drive traffic and build a customer base. Conversely, the use of a Groupon by an established brand with multiple locations can be overwhelmingly negative...

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  • Site Selection 3 of 3: Analyzing Upfront Cost Basis

    1 April, 2011

    Interpreting demographics lays a foundation for analyzing the surrounding area for potential storefronts. Judging prospective customers attitudes toward your business is key to determining if your target demographic will frequent the new location. Once the target market has been identified, including intangible consumer attributes-the hunt for a new site can begin...

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  • Site Selection 2 of 3: Interpreting Demographics

    1 February, 2011

    If you clearly Understand the Market, that is you understand what your concept means to your current and potential customers, then your next step in finding the right location is to analyze the demographic data.....

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  • Site Selection 1 of 3: Understanding the Market

    1 January, 2011

    The old adage “location, location, location” is just that, old. In today’s saturated and highly competitive marketplace to focus exclusively on location for your new or expanding concept would be, to put it lightly, a blunder. Not to say location isn’t important but we think that old axiom should sound like this: “brand development, market strategy, location”. We know, it doesn’t exactly have the same ring....

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