Restaurant Marketing Strategy & Plan

This assignment requires students to develop a detailed business plan for a new restaurant. The plan should include a thorough market analysis of the Australian restaurant industry, a SWOT analysis identifying the restaurant's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and a comprehensive marketing strategy outlining how the restaurant will reach its target audience. Financial projections, including revenue forecasts and expense budgets, are also essential components of the plan. Students will demonstrate their understanding of key business concepts and apply them to the specific context of the restaurant industry.

Running Head: MARKETING PLAN 1
Marketing Strategies and Tactics: VTI
Diner

MARKETING PLAN 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
a. Marketing vision and goals...................................................................................................3
b. Marketing needs, trends, description and segmentation.......................................................4
c. Core marketing and product/service strategy.......................................................................4
d. Sales strategy, Advertising and promotion including any strategic alliances......................6
e. Alignment of above strategies with overall strategies..........................................................7
f. SWOT analysis.....................................................................................................................8
g. Marketing objectives to improve SWOT analysis..............................................................10
h. Legal and Ethical Requirements and considerations..........................................................10
i. Takeovers and Franchises for business expansion.............................................................11
j. Risk Analysis of Marketing Plan........................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
Task 2 Summary of Marketing Plan..............................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................14

MARKETING PLAN 3
Introduction
Marketing plan is one of the most important documents of an organization. When a company
introduces its new products and services, it needs to develop a marketing plan that assists in
approaching and attracting its target customers (Baker, 2014). Same as other organizations, VTI
Diners has created a marketing plan that includes all the important marketing aspects of the
company. VTI Diners is serving quality food products and situated at 190 Queen Street,
Melbourne, where the people can arrange their family togetherness around the love of traditional
Australian diner. The organization is serving very delicious and quality food to the people of
Australia and attracting the Australian people by implementing a unique theme. This report
includes different strategies and tactics according to the given marketing objectives in the
marketing plan of VTI Diners. There is the discussion regarding various aspects of marketing
plan and risk analysis of the given marketing plan.
Task 1
a. Marketing vision and goals
Under its marketing plan, the vision statement of the VTI Diners is to provide a place for
togetherness arranged around the love of Australian diner. This organization surpasses a unique
theme restaurant by placing real heart in the services to customers and quality of food. Thus, it is
offering an exclusive presentation of the food and attracting the customers (Bauer, 2012). Under
its marketing vision, it seeks to develop a comfortable and entertaining atmosphere, which brings
older people back to the easiness of 70s and 80s. It gives them chances to strengthen the relation
across different generations.
In addition to this vision, company has established different goals, like; marketing goals,
strategic goals and tactical goals. Under marketing goals, the organization seeks to attain the
revenue of 1.8 million within the timeframe of three years. With this, it looks for opening
another restaurant in the year 2020. By establishing the strategic goals, the restaurant wants to
become one of the top family restaurants Melbourne within next three years. Furthermore, VTI
Diners plans to implement various systems and policies to attract the customers towards its
restaurant services (Birt, 2013).

MARKETING PLAN 4
b. Marketing needs, trends, description and segmentation
One of the most important market trends is that the people today love to eat outside and want to
spend time with their family and loved ones under a comfortable and relaxed environment. There
are various needs, which are considered for introducing this new restaurant in Australia, like;
 Variety of food with quality standards
 Clean and comfortable environment
 Attractive and peaceful ambience
 People want a fun and enjoyable experience
 Effective customer treatment and respectful serving by the staff
By considering these marketing needs, the company is going to introduce its restaurant and
targeting wider market audiences, like; 25 to 70 years old people, income more than $ 50000,
business professionals etc. The major target market for the company is older people from the era
of 70s and 80s as the environment takes them into this era by providing simpler and comfortable
time. Thus, it is segmenting the market on the basis of demographic and psychographic
characteristics, like; age, income and interests (Chang, 2016).
c. Core marketing and product/service strategy
Under its marketing plan, VTI Diner is implementing an effective marketing strategy that will
assist in attracting a large customer base towards its products and services. Through this
marketing strategy, the organization wants to put the marketing message that it is family fun and
entertainment in a non-fast food and nostalgic atmosphere. By identifying the target audiences
and competition, the organization will focus on the core elements of brand, like; website, menus,
wall decors, theme nights, server uniforms etc. Under this marketing strategy, the company will
consider different elements of marketing mix, i.e. product, price, place and promotion. The
prices of product will be affordable for its target audiences (Grzinic, 2007). The company will
use effective distribution channels to approach the customers and effective ways for promoting
the services among people. The marketing message of the company is “Your Way-Back-When
Diner”.
The product and service strategy at VTI Diner is very innovative. Each and every item in the
menu will be named uniquely with the appropriate and colorful logo and image. The company is
going beyond the packaging of traditional Australian food diners to provide an exclusive

MARKETING PLAN 5
presentation of their choices. However, the food offered by this will be similar to other
restaurants, such as; French fries, hamburgers, sandwiches, ice-cream, milkshakes etc. But there
will be some innovative things, like the menu and food products will utilize nostalgic names
from the era of 80s and 90s. Thus, the theme of restaurant and menu items will very unique and
exclusive (Harmer, 2014).
Product
Tactics Responsible
person Cost Schedule Accountability
1. Differentiation
of products Production 200$ 2-4 weeks Marketing person
2. Product
expansion Restaurant owner 400$ 1-3 weeks Promoters
3. Special
Combos Restaurant owner 400$ 2 weeks Marketing people
and HR
Price
Tactics Owner Cost Schedule Accountability
1. Discounts for
first timer
meals
Finance
department 500$ 2 weeks Finance manager
2. Loyalty card
program
Marketing
Manager 500$ 2 weeks Customers
Promotion
Tactics Owner Cost Schedule Accountability
1. Social and
Online Media
Marketing
manager 400$ 4 weeks Advertising
manager
2. Ads in
newspapers
and magazines
Advertising
manager 500$ 4-5 weeks Customers and
print media
Placement
Tactics Owner Cost Schedule Accountability
1. Opening new Owner of 900$ 4-5 weeks Market

MARKETING PLAN 6
franchises restaurant researchers and
experts
2. Effective
distribution
channels
Marketing
managers 400$ 2 -3 weeks
Volunteers and
marketing
executives
Total cost ($4200)
d. Sales strategy, Advertising and promotion including any strategic
alliances
Implementing an effective sales strategy will assist VTI Diners to gain more competitive
advantage over its competitors in food and restaurant industry. To increase its sales, the company
will use different theme and innovative things to generate its sales. The organization can use a
combination of sales strategies, like; upselling, special promotion etc. It will train its employee
on the upselling techniques. In addition to this, it will give discount for the first timer meal that
will attract the customers towards its services and eventually increase its sales (Herrington &
Bosworth, 2016).
For increasing its sales and revenues, the organization will use advertising and promotional
techniques, like; online media, print media and traditional media. Under digital media, the
company will use social media sites and online pay per click advertising. In this, the company
will give text ads for the family café in Melbourne and other related words. Furthermore, it will
adopt local media print advertising, under which it will give the playful and fun ads with the first
timer meal code for getting discount (IBIS World, 2017). Apart from this, it can use some other
methods of advertising and promotion, like; e-mail marketing, promotional campaign, customer
referrals, membership organization referrals etc.
Sales Strategy
Tactics Owner Cost Schedule Accountability
1. Special
promotion
Marketing
manager $500 4-5 weeks Marketing team
2. Upselling Sales manager $200 3-4 weeks Finance manager
Total $700

MARKETING PLAN 7
Advertising and Promotion Strategy
Tactics Owner Cost Schedule Accountability
1. Advertising Advertising
manager $7500 3-4 weeks Marketing team
and media
2. Public
Relations Marketing
managers $4000 5 weeks
Event organizers
and Marketing
team
Total $11500
Moreover, VTI Diners can enter into a strategic alliance with an already established entity in the
food and restaurant industry that will assist the organization in sales of products and create brand
awareness about this new restaurant in the location (Kwok, & Yu, 2013). In this strategic
alliance, both the organizations will work as separate entity, but for a common objective, i.e.
increase in the customer base by offering quality food under comfortable environment.
e. Alignment of above strategies with overall strategies
VTI diners will develop the above strategies in such a way that will assist the organization in
attaining its business objectives. All the strategies, developed by the organization will definitely
help the company in attaining its objective, like; profitability, increased customer base and
establishment of brand image in Australia. The core strategy of the company is to provide family
fun that is unforgettable (Lee, Hallak, and Sardeshmukh, 2016). It will develop a goal to promote
the comfort and fun for the people and legitimacy of display by the staff and food servers. The
above sales and marketing strategies of the company are totally aligned with its overall strategy
as both are working for attaining similar objective, i.e. return visits by at least 25% of people in
next six months. Thus, after understanding the overall business strategies, this organization will
develop its marketing and advertising strategies.
f. SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is the process of analyzing the situational factors of an organization, which may
have positive or negative impact on its growth and success. On the basis of given marketing plan,
the SWOT analysis for VTI Diners is conducted with another business in the similar nature, i.e.
O Bar and Dining restaurant (Luo, 2008). O Bar and Dining is also food organization that is

MARKETING PLAN 8
offering contemporary eating experience to the Australian people and encouraging the healthy
dining thinking. The SWOT analysis of both the organization is stated below;
Dimension VTI Diners O Bar and Dining
Strengths  Traditional food
offering with a unique
menu concept
 Unique names of the
food items in menu
 Providing the
experience of 80s and
90s era
 Quality food under an
enjoyable and
comfortable ambience
(Mason, Jones,
Benefield, & Walton,
2016)
 Effective core brand
elements, like; theme
nights, advertising,
wall décor, Uniform
of the waiters etc.
 Contemporary food
offering considering
the healthy dining
thoughts
 Unique and tasty food
 Its beautiful ambience
is its major strength
 Innovative cooking
techniques
 It is providing space
for small parties,
events, social
gatherings and dinners
(Bar and Dining
Restaurants, 2017).
Weaknesses  The prices of food
items are higher than
other traditional diners
in the city
 Already established
players in the business
of similar nature
 It provides the
experience of 80s and
 Limited brand
presence
 Competition in
Australian restaurant
and food industry
 It is serving drinks and
wines, so there are
some legal and

MARKETING PLAN 9
90s, so it may lose the
youth segment
(O'guinn, Allen,
Semenik, &
Scheinbaum, 2014).
government issues
Opportunities  Expansion of business
in international market
 Strategic alliance with
already established
restaurant and food
suppliers
 Product differentiation
and introduction of a
new range of products
 It can introduce new
healthy drinks and
food products
 Strategic partnership
with other restaurant
organizations
 Improvement in
providing unique and
unexpected journey of
food (Scarborough,
2015).
Threats  Competition in the
market
 People are going
towards healthy and
dietary eating
 Restricted market
segment
 Limited food menu
 Changes in the
customer tastes and
preferences
 Attractive ambience is
not everything for
retaining the customers
g. Marketing objectives to improve SWOT analysis
In order to improve the SWOT analysis, VTI Diner can establish another set of marketing
objectives. These marketing objectives of the company will assist organization in enhancing its
brand presence and it can overcome its weaknesses and threats in the Australian restaurant
industry (Pinson, 2008). These marketing objectives are stated below;
 To offer the quality food products on affordable prices than its competitors

MARKETING PLAN 10
 To provide a wide range of food items
 To ensure the customer satisfaction and create a repeat customer base
 To create the restaurant brand
These marketing objectives of VTI Diner will assist the organization in enhancing its SWOT
analysis and overcome its weaknesses and threats (Terho, Eggert, Haas, & Ulaga, 2015).
h. Legal and Ethical Requirements and considerations
There are various legal and ethical requirements, which need to be considered, when an
organization develops its marketing plan. VTI Diner needs to comply with different laws and
regulations in the development and implementation of different marketing activities, like; Food
Act, 1984, Occupational Health and Safety, Australian Consumer Law, Trade Practice Act etc.
According to the Food Act, 1984, the organization needs to ensure that food offering by VTI
Diners is suitable and safe for the people to consume. The ingredients, used in the food should be
fresh and subject to the quality standards. In addition to this, the company should not mislead the
customers via its advertising and marketing techniques (Untaru, & Ispas, 2013). This
organization needs to become familiar with other federal and state employment laws, like;
overtime, minimum wages and tips to servers. The employer must be aware about their own
responsibility.
Under Occupational Health and Safety, this restaurant should comply with the regulations and
provide health safety to the workers and chefs. To provide safety, it should conduct training
program for the use of kitchen equipment. It needs to develop a code of conduct that will include
all the policies and regulations, which need to be followed by all the employees to work
ethically. Moreover, there should be an employer handbook which will assist the management to
handle the employee issues (West, Ford, & Ibrahim, 2015). Thus, these are the major legal and
ethical considerations, which are important for VTI Diner while developing its marketing plan
and its activities.
i. Takeovers and Franchises for business expansion
When an organization starts a new business, it plans to expand its business after some years of
establishment. For business expansion, VTI Diner can expand its business by opening its
franchise in other cities in Australia. After this, it can go for the international expansion and open
the franchises in the neighboring countries of Australia. Apart from this, buying a small business

MARKETING PLAN 11
is a major step for expanding the business. For this, the organization should make market
research and know about the small size restaurants and purchase them to attain its long term
objectives (Zareil, & Paghaleh, 2011). It will assist the organization in diversifying its product
range and its market also. Thus, through takeover and franchises, VTI Diner can expand its
business and increase its brand presence among a large population.
j. Risk Analysis of Marketing Plan
For each and every organization, it is very important to identify the risk factors to stay
competitive in the prospective industry. By implementing a risk evaluation process, VTI Diner
can identify the risks and issues in the marketing plan to give quick response to the changes and
protect the organization from unexpected losses. This organization may face the risks related to
the target market as the company is targeting only high income level people. It may affect the
growth of its business adversely (Zeriti, Robson, Spyropoulou, & Leonidou, 2014). Another risk
related to target market is that forecasts may need more time to convert in the paying people,
potentially causing cash flow of the organization expected higher sales than actual sales. The
company is making focus on only the Australian traditional food products; it can affect the
business of VTI Diners as compared to its competitors as the people are shifting to healthy and
dietary food products. Thus, the marketing trends and changes may pose challenge and risks on
the organization (Aven, 2015). Lack of market research is one of the major risks, which can
affect the marketing and advertising activities of the VTI Diner.
Conclusion
From the above analysis, it can be concluded that VTI Diner is implementing an effective
marketing plan and marketing strategies, which will assist the organization in attaining it’s both
business and marketing objectives as well. The making vision and objectives of the organization
are very clear and strategies are totally aligned with its objectives. By using this marketing plan
and strategies, the organization will be able to attain the goals and objectives.

MARKETING PLAN 12

MARKETING PLAN 13
Task 2 Summary of Marketing Plan
After reading the marketing plan in Appendix A, it can be summarized that VTI Diner is a place
for family and social gathering that is situated at Queen Street, Melbourne 3000. It is operating
its business to provide an entertaining and comfortable environment to its customers. The
objectives of the organization are defined in the marketing plan that it wants to become the
number one family food outlet in Melbourne within three years. Under this marketing plan, the
company is targeting a large market and wider market segments. It is implementing various
effective marketing and sales strategies, which can be beneficial for the organization to attract
the customer and establish brand reputation. Primarily, the organization is using an innovative
strategy to entice the customers by offering unique theme in the food menu. In addition to this,
the firm has developed a social media plan that includes all the ways of advertising and
marketing, like; online pay per click advertising, print advertising and playful and fun ads with
the first timer meal code for getting discount. The organization is developing sales and profit
forecasts, which can be attained by the VTI Diner within the timeframe of three years.

MARKETING PLAN 14
References
Aven, T. (2015). Risk analysis. John Wiley & Sons.
Baker, M. J. (2014). Marketing strategy and management. Palgrave Macmillan.
Bar and Dining Restaurants. (2017). Heighten Your Senses. Retrieved
https://www.obardining.com.au/# [Accessed on: 13 January 2018].
Bauer, C. (2012). An integrated decision model for strategic evaluation of the viability of new
technologies, GRIN Verlag.
Birt, I. (2013). Writing Your Plan for Small Business Success. Allen & Unwin Publishers.
Chang, J. F. (2016). Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. CRC
Press.
Grzinic, J. (2007). Concept of Service Quality Measurement in Hotel Industry. University Jurja
Dobrile.
Harmer, W. (2014). Business Planning for Small Business: A step-by-step guide to the what,
why, when and how of business planning. Balboa Press.
Herrington, J. D., & Bosworth, C. (2016). The short-and long-run implications of restaurant
advertising. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 19(4), 325-337.
IBIS World. (2017). Restaurants in Australia: Market Research Report. Retrieved from
https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/accommodation-
food-services/restaurants.html [Accessed on: 13 January 2018].
Kwok, L., & Yu, B. (2013). Spreading social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of
restaurant business-to-consumer communications. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(1),
84-94.

MARKETING PLAN 15
Lee, C., Hallak, R. and Sardeshmukh, S.R. (2016). Innovation, entrepreneurship, and restaurant
performance: a higher-order structural model. Tourism Management, 53, pp.215-228.
Luo, B. H. (2008). The application of SWOT analysis in project decision. Technology
Information (Academic Research), 4, 63-65.
Mason, K., Jones, S., Benefield, M., & Walton, J. (2016). Building consumer relationships in the
quick service restaurant industry. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 19(4), 368-
381.
O'guinn, T., Allen, C., Semenik, R., & Scheinbaum, A. C. (2014). Advertising and integrated
brand promotion. Nelson Education.
Pinson, L. (2008). Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-step Guide to Building the Business
and Securing Your Company's Future. aka associates.
Scarborough, N.M. (2015). Entrepreneurship and effective small business management. Pearson
Higher Ed.
Terho, H., Eggert, A., Haas, A., & Ulaga, W. (2015). How sales strategy translates into
performance: The role of salesperson customer orientation and value-based
selling. Industrial Marketing Management, 45, 12-21.
Untaru, E., & Ispas, A. (2013). Why do young people prefer fast-food restaurants? An
exploratory study: Journal of Tourism, (15), 27-34.
West, D. C., Ford, J., & Ibrahim, E. (2015). Strategic marketing: creating competitive
advantage. Oxford University Press, USA.
Zareil, M. & Paghaleh, M.J. (2011). Strategic Management of Business in Food Industry: By an
Integrated Deployment of AHP and Freeman Model. Business Management Dynamics
Vol.1, No.3, pp. 47-52.
Zeriti, A., Robson, M. J., Spyropoulou, S., & Leonidou, C. N. (2014). Sustainable export
marketing strategy fit and performance. Journal of International Marketing, 22(4), 44-66.