Episode 72: Jay Ashton

Jay Ashton, long known as Canada’s Restaurant Guy, has developed a loyal following that extends far beyond borders. His popular podcasts "The Daily Restaurant Show" and "Menu Unplugged” have informed and entertained many restaurant operators with his current tips on brand building and improving the guest experience.

A restaurant career that began at age 14 and has extended over 33 years provides a wonderful foundation of knowledge for Jay to work from. “Food crosses all barriers,” Jay tells us, “Restaurants have become the last bastion of civility, operators need to do more on the play side to create a better guest experience”.

In this episode Jay shares his three tips for successful brand building (1) Be sincere with messaging (2) continue to nourish, strive to improve and (3) stay connected to your community. "Successful restaurant brands become the third place, after home and work it's the third place guests want to be with their friends and family,” says Jay.

Jay explains how guests' expectations of the restaurant experience have changed and provides examples of ways today's operators can shift to offering more convenience while also enhancing personal service. 

Jay challenges us to embrace the change and reminds us that successful restaurant brands are the ones that combine their inside-the-4-walls marketing approach, with social media influencers and community involvement.