Finally Mom! Big Big Pink Flamingos.

We just wrapped up our 6th in-person Ultimate Hospitality Business Summit in Winnipeg, and I'm gearing up for what's going to be a world-changing one in Canmore. But something hit me hard at this fall's events. After three decades in this industry, working with thousands of restaurants across Canada, from single-location independents to multi-unit powerhouses, I kept seeing the same gap everywhere. The same blind spot that's costing restaurants millions.

Marketing and branding. Still. In 2025.

Not because operators don't care. They care desperately. They're spending money, posting content, running promotions, chasing the algorithm. But they're building the plane while flying it. They're marketing before they have a brand. They're shouting before they know what they're trying to say.

At the summits, I watched successful operators (people doing real volume, real covers) struggle to answer basic questions: Who is your core customer? What problem does your brand solve? Why should someone choose you over the place across the street?

These aren't theoretical questions. They're the foundation of everything. And without them, you're just burning cash and hoping something sticks.

Here's what kills me: I've coached international brands to create authentic, sticky brand positioning. I once pitched my mom as the Beyond Meat ambassador with the line "It does really taste good." Simple. Real. Human. It didn't happen, but it would've been a hit because it was authentic. I've built brands that are changing the industry through human connection, like Canada's Restaurant Guy, crushing massive brands like Labatt's and Joey's in social engagement. They've got teams and multi-million dollar budgets. I'm just a guy in a basement with a full-time job and a love for branding and marketing. And I'm beating them.

Right now, I'm going after Liquid Death with our Gardenhose Water brand using the first sideways selling idea in the beverage space. Then there's The Ultimate Hospitality Business Summit Brand. Yeah, it's the longest brand title ever. But it works. It disrupts. And we deliver on exactly what it promises.

Here's the thing about all of this: none of these brands succeeded because of big budgets or fancy agencies. They worked because they followed a process. The same four-step process I've used to build brands inside the largest food distributor in North America. The same process that took The Late Night Restaurant Podcast to the top of the Canadian restaurant podcast rankings.

So I'm laying it out here. Not theory. What actually works when the doors open and guests walk in (or don't).

Every strong restaurant brand in Canada follows this cycle, whether they realize it or not. The ones who master it grow. The ones who skip steps fade. It's that simple.

Before you post another photo, run another ad, or launch another campaign, you need to know who you actually are. Not who you want to be. Not what sounds good in a mission statement. Who you are right now, today, in the eyes of your guests.

Start with your data, not your assumptions.

Pull your sales reports. What's driving revenue? What dishes are moving? What's sitting? What's your repeat rate? Here's a reality check: Restaurants Canada found that repeat guests account for more than 60% of profit across the industry. But only 40% of operators track it. If you're not tracking repeat visits, you're flying blind.

Look at your reviews. Not just the ratings. Read what people actually say. What words keep showing up? What do they praise? What disappoints them? Your guests are telling you who you are. Listen.

Check your traffic patterns. When do people come? Why do they come? Lunch because it's fast? Dinner because it's an experience? Weekend brunch because it's Instagram-worthy? Your patterns reveal your customer.

Now identify your core customer. Not "everyone who's hungry." A specific person with specific needs. The 2024 Statista report showed that 78% of Canadian diners choose restaurants that "fit their lifestyle." That means your brand isn't about you. It's about them. Who is the person your restaurant was built for?

At the summits, I asked operators to describe their ideal customer in one sentence. Most couldn't. They said "families" or "young professionals" or "foodies." That's not specific enough. Your core customer is the person who comes back. The one who brings friends. The one who defends you when someone criticizes you online. Find that person. Build everything around them.

Next, define your brand's enemy. Every powerful brand has one. It's not your competition down the street. It's the problem you exist to solve.

For Gray's Cookies, it was guilt. "Eat cookies without feeling bad about it." For your restaurant, maybe it's the chaos of weeknight dinners (so you solve convenience). Maybe it's boring chain food (so you solve authenticity). Maybe it's pretentious fine dining (so you solve approachability). Your enemy clarifies your purpose. It gives your brand a reason to exist beyond "we serve food."

Then write your brand promise. One sentence. No fluff. This is what you guarantee every single time someone walks through your door.

"Honest food, served right."
"Your neighborhood table."
"The bar where every night feels like Friday."

This isn't a tagline. It's not marketing copy. It's your standard. The thing you deliver or you've failed. Ask your team if they believe it. Ask your regulars if they see it. If they don't, stop marketing and fix your operation first.

Real talk: If your marketing says "farm-to-table" but you're using sysco everything, guests will know. If you promise "family-friendly" but your staff rolls their eyes at kids, parents will feel it. Brand isn't what you say. It's what you do, consistently, when nobody's watching.

Once you know who you are, you need to think long term. Strategy is the difference between chasing trends and building something that lasts.

At the summits, I watched operators get excited about every new platform, every new marketing tactic, every new "game-changer." TikTok. Instagram Reels. Loyalty apps. AI menus. They're not wrong to be interested. But without strategy, you're just collecting shiny objects.

Strategy creates focus. It tells you what to do and, more importantly, what NOT to do.

Start by asking four questions. I learned these at Sysco, building platforms for thousands of restaurants. These four questions frame every decision:

What's our core strength? The one thing you do better than anyone else in your market. Not five things. One.

Who are we bonding with? Your core customer. The person you're building this for. Be specific. Age, lifestyle, values, habits.

Who are we competing with? Not every restaurant. The ones fighting for your customer's same occasion. If you're a Tuesday night takeout spot, you're not competing with fine dining. You're competing with DoorDash and frozen pizza.

What's our current situation? Market position, resources, challenges. Be honest. You can't build strategy on delusion.

Now set your vision. Make it specific. Make it measurable. Make it real.

Bad vision: "Be the best restaurant in town."
Good vision: "Be the most recommended restaurant in Calgary for date night."

Bad vision: "Grow our business."
Good vision: "Double weekday lunch traffic by Q3."

Your vision drives culture. It aligns your team. It gives you something to aim at that's bigger than today's lunch rush.

Write measurable goals. This is where most operators lose me. They set goals that sound good but mean nothing.

Don't say "grow sales." Say "increase average check by 10% by June."
Don't say "build awareness." Say "raise unaided awareness from 30% to 50% by year-end."
Don't say "improve service." Say "reduce table turn time by 8 minutes without sacrificing experience."

If you can't measure it, it's not a goal. It's a wish.

Now here's the hard part. Pick your growth path. There are only two:

You have to pick one. I know you want both. Everyone does. But trying to do both splits your focus, dilutes your message, and weakens your results.

Here's why this matters: A Deloitte Canada report found that increasing guest retention by just 5% can lift profits by up to 95%. Think about that. A 5% bump in how often your regulars visit can almost double your profit.

So ask yourself: Are we a customer acquisition brand or a loyalty brand right now? What does our business need more? New faces or more visits from existing fans?

Once you pick, everything else gets easier. Your messaging changes. Your tactics change. Your spending changes. Strategy is about choosing.

In my years building national platforms at Sysco, I saw the pattern over and over. The operators who grew fastest weren't the loudest. They weren't spending the most. They were the most consistent. They said no to distractions. They aligned their marketing with their identity. They picked a path and walked it.

Strategy without execution is just a business plan collecting dust in a drawer. Planning without follow-through is a hobby. Execution is where brand meets revenue.

Start with a one-page plan. Seriously. One page.

If you need more than a page, you're not clear enough. You're overthinking it. Strip it down to what actually matters:

Share it with your team. Pin it up in the back. If your kitchen staff, your servers, your bartenders can't explain your plan in under two minutes, rewrite it. A plan nobody understands is a plan nobody executes.

Pick three to four actions per quarter. Not ten. Not fifteen. Three to four.

Focus drives results. Complexity kills momentum.

Maybe this quarter you're refreshing your menu based on actual sales and margin data (not what the chef wants to cook). Maybe you're creating a simple content plan that tells your story consistently. Maybe you're building three solid community partnerships that fit your brand. Maybe you're training your team to deliver your brand promise at every single guest touchpoint.

Three to four things. Done well. That's execution.

Execution is where brand meets reality. Your food, your service, your atmosphere, your messaging all have to line up. If one's off, the whole thing falls apart.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen this at the summits and in my consulting work: A restaurant markets themselves as "upscale casual" but the bathrooms are filthy. They say "locally sourced" but the menu reads like every other place. They promise "friendly neighborhood vibe" but the staff treats regulars the same as first-timers.

Your guests aren't stupid. They see the gap between what you say and what you do. And they won't come back.

Before you launch any campaign, any promotion, any new initiative, run it through these four filters:

Does it focus on your target customer? If it's for everyone, it's for no one.

Does it fit your brand? If you're a dive bar, don't run a wine pairing dinner. Stay in your lane.

Does it deliver one clear message? One. Not three. Not five. One.

Does it support your strategy? If it's off strategy, it's off the table.

If you can't check all four boxes, don't spend the money. I don't care how good the deal is or how excited someone on your team is about it. Wrong tactics burn cash and confuse your guests.

Track your ROI. Restaurants Canada data shows that operators who review marketing ROI monthly grow revenue almost twice as fast as those who don't. You need to know what's working.

Cost per new guest. How much did you spend to get someone new through the door?
Repeat visit rate. Are they coming back?
Average check. Are they spending more over time?

Sit down with your team once a month and ask two questions: What are we doing that builds loyalty? What are we doing that's just burning cash?

Kill what doesn't work. Double down on what does. That's execution.

Over 35 years in this business, from flipping chicken at 14 to building brands at the highest level, I've seen restaurants completely turn around by following this process. Local independents in Edmonton. Multi-unit groups expanding nationally. The formula doesn't change. The right plan, executed with discipline, changes everything.

Strong brands never stop learning. The best operators in Canada aren't guessing. They're measuring, analyzing, and adapting in real time.

Every month, hold a "brand huddle." Thirty minutes. Your leadership team. Four numbers:

Awareness: How many people in your market know you exist?
Trial: How many new guests came in?
Repeat: How many came back?
Referral: How many are telling others?

These four numbers define your brand funnel. They tell you exactly where you're winning and where you're losing.

If awareness is strong but trial is weak, your marketing message isn't compelling enough. People know you exist, but they're not motivated to visit.

If trial is strong but repeat is weak, your experience is broken. You're getting people in the door once, and they're not coming back. That's an operations problem, not a marketing problem.

If repeat is strong but awareness is weak, you have a hidden gem problem. Your regulars love you, but nobody else knows you exist. Turn up your marketing.

If referrals are weak across the board, you're forgettable. You're not bad enough to hate, not good enough to talk about. You're vanilla. That's the most dangerous place to be.

Ask three questions every month:

What worked? Not what felt good. What actually moved the numbers?
What slowed us down? Where did we waste time, money, or energy?
What needs to change? What are we doing next month that we're not doing now?

Keep it tight. Keep it honest. Move fast.

Here's what most operators miss: Your real marketing budget isn't what you spend on ads. It's your service and consistency.

The 2025 Sysco Canada Operator Report found that 63% of Canadians try new restaurants because of recommendations, not advertising. Word of mouth. Referrals. Someone they trust telling them, "You have to try this place."

You can't buy that. You earn it. Every shift. Every plate. Every interaction.

When something works, repeat it. When it doesn't, kill it fast. Adaptation isn't guessing. It's refinement based on data.

The market moves fast. Trends shift. Guest expectations evolve. Your rhythm keeps you stable. You're not chasing. You're cycling. Know, think, plan, measure. Again. And again. And again.

Every quarter, run the cycle:

Q1: Know your data. Dive deep into who you are and who your customer is right now.
Q2: Build strategy. Set your vision, goals, and growth path.
Q3: Execute your plan. Focus on three to four key actions.
Q4: Measure and refine. Analyze what worked, kill what didn't, adapt for next year.

This rhythm keeps your brand alive and relevant. It keeps you ahead of operators who are just reacting to whatever happened last week.

Strong brands outperform reactive ones. It's not even close.

Forbes reports that consistent branding increases revenue by up to 23%. Harvard Business Review found that brands with clear purpose grow 40% faster. In Canada, operators who align their message with their experience see higher loyalty, stronger reviews, and steadier sales, even when the market softens.

I've seen this firsthand, hundreds of times. I've coached international foodservice brands that became market leaders using this exact cycle. I've helped independents triple their sales without increasing ad spend by a dollar. I've watched operators grow from local names to industry authorities.

The formula doesn't change. It's the discipline that separates the good from the great.

At the summits this fall, I asked a room full of successful operators: How many of you have a written brand strategy? Less than 20% raised their hands. How many review your brand metrics monthly? Less than 10%.

That's the gap. That's the opportunity.

You don't need a bigger budget. You need a clearer plan.
You don't need more followers. You need more fans.
You don't need another campaign. You need a brand that means something.

Ask yourself these questions right now:

Who are we trying to serve? Not everyone. Who specifically?
What do our guests believe about us today?
What do we want them to believe six months from now?
What three actions will get us there this quarter?

If you can't answer those in under five minutes, you don't have a brand strategy. You have good intentions.

As Canada's Restaurant Guy, I've built brands, led teams, and watched this industry survive and thrive through every kind of chaos. Economic crashes. Pandemics. Inflation. Labor shortages. Shifting consumer behavior.

The restaurants that make it aren't the ones with the most money. They're the ones with the most clarity.

I've seen how trust, consistency, and focus turn restaurants into brands that guests love. Brands they defend. Brands they miss when they move away.

The four-step cycle (know, think, plan, measure) works because it forces you to slow down, get clear, and act with purpose. It turns gut feelings into data. It turns ideas into income. It turns restaurants into brands.

Follow the cycle. Commit to the process. Build something that lasts.

That's how great restaurant brands are built in Canada, and everywhere else.