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Restaurant Web Statistics

Did you know?

-89% of consumers who say they have researched a restaurant online before dining there. Using the Internet to check out menus and other information about a restaurant is most prevalent among consumers age 25 to 45 (AIS Media)

-Of those 89% of consumers, 57% indicated that prior to selecting a restaurant they view the restaurant's Web site. And 33% view other consumer's reviews online prior to dining. (AIS Media)

-13% of consumers who used the Internet to order food from a restaurant in 2006. (National Restaurant Association)

-While traveling, 43% of consumers used a search engine to find restaurants. (AIS Media)

-While searching for a restaurant while traveling: -32% of consumers would like directions on Web site  -28% wanted menu selections with pricing on Web site -23% wanted an online rating/review system on a restaurant's Web site (AIS Media)




Source: http://www.dininggrader.com/restaurant_stats/

Engage your Customers with the Google Business Photos program.

The Google Business Photos program showcases your business in an entirely new way on Google. It drives customer interest and offers content that can be utilized over and over again in your marketing, both online and in print.

Google Business Photos are featured on your Google Places page, next to your search results and within Google Maps. Your tour can be easily embedded within your own website and shared via social media or email!

A Google Trusted Photographer will visit your location and create a full 360-degree interactive virtual tour to be hosted by Google. The photographer will also work with you to capture a set of "feature" still photos. The shoot takes less than 2 hours and all image rights are transferred to you.

Your business will grab attention like never before. Customers can virtually walk through and look all around just like being there, all with Google's familiar Streetview interface.

With package prices starting at $395 (depending on size of location), the program is a great value! There are no hidden costs or monthly hosting fees. Imagery can also be updated as often as you wish (great for showcasing those new displays and design!).

Featured Article

How Google's "Business Photos" Are Helping Local Businesses

Over the past two years, one of the many programs Google has been testing and developing is called Business Photos. It grew out of the “street view” aspect of Google Maps, which provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the area around a street address.

     

Business Photos now extends that same technology inside certain local business establishments that want to give it a try. Among the first piloting the technology are the Soma restaurant Ironside, nearby wine bar District, Public Bikes, and the Brick Monkey, in Redwood City.

Chris Vance, owner of District and Ironside, says he just started using the program at the end of last year, “and already, I don't know what we'd do without it.”

That’s because it’s helping him get more business. “People can just look on the site and a get 360 degree view and see if they like it without having to actually visit the restaurant.“

It helps us get events. People coming to tech events, maybe from out of state, can see and decide whether it’s right for them. It definitely helps us get more business.”

Vance says that initially he had to overcome some reservations about letting a photographer have such unfettered access to his restaurant.

“When Google approached us, at first I felt kinda weird about it, you know, having someone having free walk through access when restaurant was empty. It was mainly security concerns on my part.

“But then when I saw what they could do in just 20 minutes it was pretty amazing. I am a photographer myself, I went to photo school, and I still don't understand how they do it. How they piece it together.”

Google spokesperson Deanna Yick explains how it works:

“Basically what this is about is being able to take that immersive 360 degree experience of street view and take it indoors. Photographers use tripods with multiple lenses to take photos from all different angles, above, below, side views and then stitch them together into a 360-degree view. You can see inside the business and get a feel before you ever walk through the door.”

In a blog post on May 1, Google unveiled the latest aspect to the Business Photos program, which involves Trusted Photographers (both pros and novices), who have been trained how to use Google’s technology on behalf of the local businesses that choose to participate in the program.

(Local photographer Tev Lvee handles the Ironside and District shoots.)

“Now we’ve opened both sides of the ecosystem, so to speak,” says Yick. “We’re taking requests from business owners and also training more photographers.”

So far there are several dozen Trusted Photographers, and several hundred businesses, not just in the Bay Area, but also in many urban centers across the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

“It's really part of our mission to map the world and make a mirror image of the real world,” says Yick. “We hope it adds another viewpoint in a helpful way.”

“It's a great marketing tool for us and for them too,” says Chris Vance. “It’s the wave of the future.”

 By David Weir on May 15, 2012 9:00 AM

Source: 7x7.com

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