Siobhan got back from her holiday in Greece last week, she went to Agassi in Zante and ended up staying in the same apartments my husband I went to a few years ago.  Before she went I told her about this great little restaurant on the main street in Agassi called Ethnic which did great grilled meat and sea foods. In fact it was the only restaurant I remembered from that holiday and they had a great marketing strategy, which Siobhan confirmed they were still using and was still working. It’s quite simple but it ticks a lot of marketing boxes, and it is as follows:

1. It is small - The owners two Greek Australian ladies are there every night, serve you, advise you on the best meals and generally get to know you. Which means you feel well looked after, welcomed and get great personal service, difficult to find in many larger restaurants.

2. There is limited seating - So it always looks full, it also means that for many nights of the week you may have to book to ensure that you get seated. This creates a sense of urgency and also means that if you haven’t been before, you think it must be good if it is full every night and you have to wait to get a table.

3. The food is excellent - It is simple but their beautifully flame grilled meat and vegetables  in marinades and sauces taste amazing. You definitely want second portions, which means that you will want to come back again.

4. The food is in short supply - By that I mean that they only have so many servings of each dish, so they create scarcity, if you go in one evening and want the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs and there are none left, they will offer to book you a table for another night and keep some back for you. This is a great strategy, if there are no pork ribs left when you order them, it makes you think they must be amazing, so you quite happily agree to booking a table for another night to sample them. As most of their business comes from holiday makers, they know that return visits will be in short supply as most people are only there for a week or two, so they need to make the most of each and every customer.

5. Not desperate for business - Siobhan said that they passed by on their last night and there was a sign on the door which said “Gone fishing back tomorrow”. They know that they will fill their restaurant night after night so taking the odd night off is not difficult for them to do. And they do it with humour, rather than just saying closed.

The large Italian restaurant across the road, was mostly empty and had bored looking waiters at the door. They did little to welcome people in and it was lacking the intimacy and warmness of the Ethnic restaurant. Sometimes the simplest marketing strategies are the best.