Coco's is closing soon.....

As I said earlier, never underestimate the power of a brand. A popular brand has the power - it is a truly unbelievable thing.

In that thread, if someone can figure out how to "brand" the restaurants of 30A as a group - think outside the box here 30A restauranteurs - you could generate interest away from the big brands that have recently moved in.

Exactly Indigo Jill now... how to do that

How about something like -- 30-A, Where the old ways are the new ways.

We were watching this documentary about Wal-Mart the other night -- about how some funky small towns were trying to keep out chains and Wal-Mart came in and used freedom and property rights and ads with images of Nazis burning books to overturn the laws against chains. The conclusion of the documentary was that what attracted people to these mom and pop enclaves was the spirit of community they embodied, and that they begin to decline when the chains come in and the mom and pops close, but the growth trend is toward the mom and pops, the places that are a little off-beat and different.

So, while the rest of the country looks more and more the same, like the Geography of Nowhere, people will be attracted to the places with a sense of place.

As far as branding the restaurants -- well, there is this call in show about food on the radio every afternoon in New Orleans hosted by Tom Fitzmorris. New Orleanians are obsessed with good food, and are quick to point out that the food in every other city or town in the country with the exception of New York and to a lesser extent Chicago is pathetic. There is one other exception mentioned -- 30-A. There is a such thing as foodie tourism. Further, the reputation of the "brand", or the seeds of it, are already there to be built upon.

So sorry to hear about Coco's. We really love eating there.

I like the direction you are going. There are some of the most talented chefs and service staff you can find on 30A. Am and I plan our vacations around where we want to eat. I'm sure we are not the only ones.

I also like Indigo Jill's idea on collaborative marketing. Advertising is very expensive and something like that could definitely help. One of the things we love about this area is how all of the restaurants tend to work together. We lend each other supplies especially during the off-season. We also tend to be very open to giving advice and support. I think that sets this area apart and could make a collaborative markeing effort successful.

How about something like -- 30-A, Where the old ways are the new ways.

We were watching this documentary about Wal-Mart the other night -- about how some funky small towns were trying to keep out chains and Wal-Mart came in and used freedom and property rights and ads with images of Nazis burning books to overturn the laws against chains. The conclusion of the documentary was that what attracted people to these mom and pop enclaves was the spirit of community they embodied, and that they begin to decline when the chains come in and the mom and pops close, but the growth trend is toward the mom and pops, the places that are a little off-beat and different.

So, while the rest of the country looks more and more the same, like the Geography of Nowhere, people will be attracted to the places with a sense of place.

As far as branding the restaurants -- well, there is this call in show about food on the radio every afternoon in New Orleans hosted by Tom Fitzmorris. New Orleanians are obsessed with good food, and are quick to point out that the food in every other city or town in the country with the exception of New York and to a lesser extent Chicago is pathetic. There is one other exception mentioned -- 30-A. There is a such thing as foodie tourism. Further, the reputation of the "brand", or the seeds of it, are already there to be built upon.

Maybe we should do what they do in New Orleans and have a SoWal Eat Club. A group goes to a chosen restaurant every month, and the chef prepares a special meal with wine pairing for a flat fee. Here is a link to how it works in NOLA: http://www.nomenu.com/EatClub/index.html

We could start very simply and limit ourselves to independent operations that would like to have us. :wave:

I'm thinking more about what we can do. Don't forget the simplicity of this dining forum. Keep posting reviews and info about local restaurants. Also there are quite a few restaurants with reps that post here and they are quite successful.

:wub:SoWal has been great to Amore'!:wub:

I can't tell you how much we appreciate it.

I just wanted to say that when we brought 2 couples with us last weekend to Mountainfilm, they were forewarned that much of our weekend was planned around meals, no lie. We took them to Borago, Fabrice, Red Bar, Hurricane, Amore and Hibiscus. That list alone encompasses some of the best food 30A has to offer, and the variety is wide. On the way home, I posed the question: what was the best thing you had to eat all weekend? My point being, we had a lot to talk about after all the good things we ate. Please--stay here and eat here!
P.S. Why had I never heard anything about the corn fritters at Hurricane?! They changed my life!

I'm thinking more about what we can do. Don't forget the simplicity of this dining forum. Keep posting reviews and info about local restaurants. Also there are quite a few restaurants with reps that post here and they are quite successful.

I'm trying to get Skunky to blog about food -- he even took notes at Criolla's last weekend.

Beyond that, what about some sort of rating system? Like a Zagat style democratic restaurant review, with a few spot-on comments added, that could be printed up yearly and distributed to tourists and locals alike. It seems like this board would be the perfect place to launch that sort of effort. Of course, this might not work out great for the tourist trap places -- but there aren't many of those and it's the bad experience like that that drives people to the chains, anyway.

I think Kurt is right in trying to keep it as simple as possible.

Repeated rave reviews and taking guests to all your favorite places and steering them away from the chains will go far!

I think a Sowal list of favorites would be great, as well as notes like kid-friendly, takes reservations, vegetarian meals etc, but a rating system would rapidly devolve into personal preference wars IMO.

I'm trying to get Skunky to blog about food -- he even took notes at Criolla's last weekend.

Beyond that, what about some sort of rating system? Like a Zagat style democratic restaurant review, with a few spot-on comments added, that could be printed up yearly and distributed to tourists and locals alike. It seems like this board would be the perfect place to launch that sort of effort. Of course, this might not work out great for the tourist trap places -- but there aren't many of those and it's the bad experience like that that drives people to the chains, anyway.

Great ideas!

Why Does it have to be just 30-a restaurants? We should try to support small businesses in the area as a whole! SoWal is so much more than just 30-a!

I'm thinking more about what we can do. Don't forget the simplicity of this dining forum. Keep posting reviews and info about local restaurants. Also there are quite a few restaurants with reps that post here and they are quite successful.

This is where we've had such success....you are so right Kurt!:clap::clap:

I :wub:reading Skunky's food reviews!!!!