Introduction
The restaurant industry is highly competitive, and few businesses can survive. Although it might seem that the recipe for success in the restaurant business is only to provide high-quality food, it is a more complex process. The success of any hospitality industry company lies in its ability to offer a unique customer experience and strengthen the brand image, which will help the business withstand any challenges that may occur.
In the case of Juan and Bonita Gonzales’ restaurant, The Mexican Villa, a hepatitis-related staff issue caused significant damage to the place’s reputation. Although no incidents of infection were involved, restoring reputation can be a complicated task. Nevertheless, The Mexican Villa can survive such a predicament through public relations tactics that involve customer engagement, changes to the decor, menu, and staff, along with unique events and cause-related programs.
Public Relations Tactics
Juan and Bonita Gonzales can use several public relations tactics to salvage the situation and attract customers again. The first highly recommended tactic is to apologize to the customers publicly and ensure that such an incident will never happen again (Mishra, 2022). Additionally, the owners could emphasize their strong commitment to food quality and safety. Although this tactic alone will not solve the issue, it will show the customers that the owners take responsibility for their mistakes and are willing to make the necessary changes. Therefore, such initial steps are crucial in restoring customer confidence and the restaurant’s reputation.
Aside from the first tactic, Juan and Bonita Gonzales can keep the communities updated on food quality and safety, as well as the measures that have been taken and those that are being implemented. By doing this, customers will feel it is less dangerous to dine at the place since necessary precautions are taken. Additionally, since the business will need to incentivize community members to revisit the restaurant, motivational factors must be considered. For example, a complementary tactic can involve offering discounts or coupons to customers (Mishra, 2022). For example, discounts can be offered to those who bring more people. Such an approach will not only motivate customers to return but also encourage them to bring in more potential customers.
Furthermore, since the food industry relies heavily on word of mouth and advertising, social media engagement can be helpful. Owners or managers can create social media accounts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This will allow the owners to engage with customers through news and offers and collect feedback for further improvements. The Mexican Villa should encourage customers to leave positive reviews and change their views.
Cause-Related and Event Marketing Program
Cause-related or event marketing programs could also help salvage the damaged reputation. On the one hand, The Mexican Villa can partner with a local business or organization and donate to a good cause. This will highlight the restaurant’s good intentions and its commitment to contributing to the community’s thriving well-being (Stone et al., 2020).
Additionally, it will allow the owners to receive recognition since such an activity can be covered in the media. On the other hand, The Mexican Villa can host a charitable event on its own, allowing guests to donate to a good cause. This, too, can help the business secure media coverage, which can help resolve the reputation issue by strengthening the brand image. As a result, the restaurant can expect more customers.
Moreover, the restaurant can also focus on event marketing programs to attract more customers through activities. Among the ideas that the owners can use are hosting a salsa dance night or a tequila-tasting event. Since the business is multicultural and attracts both immigrant and non-immigrant visitors, such events can be a practical approach to attracting new customers and gaining attention. Aside from these events, to create a unique atmosphere, the restaurant can focus on offering live music that can be set in the dining room area.
Consequently, two areas will be able to provide customers with unique experiences: the dining room will feature live music and a serene atmosphere. At the same time, the cantina will offer visitors the opportunity to watch football and enjoy their meals while they are there. Thus, the festive environment and diversity will help customers stay longer.
Saving The Mexican Villa
Generally speaking, The Mexican Villa can be saved, but it will require a significant amount of effort and commitment from both the staff and the owners. The overall goal is to enhance the customer experience by making customers satisfied and confident, strengthening the brand image, and finding innovative approaches to make the place recognizable and resilient in the face of challenges. As a result, the first approach should be aimed at public apology and communicating the changes being implemented in the business. Aside from this, the owners will need to demonstrate their commitment to food quality and safety, which they can do through a strong social media presence. Overall, these methods will help share the news and changes and encourage more feedback through customer engagement.
Moreover, another approach should rely on improving customer experience and finding a competitive edge. Given that the business already faces competition from two other restaurants with similar themes, finding aspects that could strengthen the brand image and offer a unique customer experience is crucial. Although focusing on cause-related and event marketing programs is helpful, the owners should also consider other methods. For example, educating employees to be more mindful and customer-oriented is necessary as the first step in enhancing the customer experience (Clow & Baack, 2017). Another step is to make changes to the decor and menu, which can shift the brand’s image toward a newer direction. Consequently, the effects of such changes should be the ability to keep existing customers and attract new ones.
Conclusion
Therefore, The Mexican Villa can overcome its reputation challenges by engaging with customers, updating its decor, menu, and staff, and hosting distinctive events and socially driven initiatives. The public apology and informing the public of the business’s improvements should be the first steps taken. Additionally, proprietors must demonstrate their commitment to food quality and safety, which they can achieve by being active on social media. A different strategy should also focus on enhancing the customer experience and gaining a competitive edge. Marketing initiatives focused on a particular cause or event may also help repair damage to a reputation.
References
Clow, K. E., & Baack, D. E. (2017). Integrated advertising, promotion, and marketing communications (8th ed.). Pearson Education (US). Web.
Mishra, T. (2022). Human resource management and internal marketing. Taylor & Francis.
Stone, R. J., Gavin, M., & Cox, A. (2020). Human resource management (10th ed.). Wiley.