Marketing Strategies for Independent Restaurants in Philadelphia, USA

Although the restaurant industry is the second biggest employer in the United States, 67% of restaurant owners fail during the first 3 years of operation. This study aims to identify marketing strategies used by small independent restaurants in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Twelve semi-structured interviews were used from three restaurants for this study. NVivo 10 was used to analyze the data and generate themes. Two marketing strategy themes emerged: blogging and using the point of sale system; employee engagement and upselling. Implications for positive social change such as business development opportunities were created. Results from this study show small, independent restaurant owners must develop stakeholder strategies to support annual strategic initiatives and assist in accomplishing opportunities for growth.