Building on Established Success
Melt Bar and Grilled in Cleveland, Ohio is an excellent example of a restaurant success story. Melt puts a new spin on bar food and the often predictable beer choices, offering a selection of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and over 150 beers at any given time. Owner Matt Fish says there is usually about an hour wait at each of his restaurants every day, and Melt has been voted Best Beer Selection and Best Sandwich, as well as Best Restaurant in Cleveland for the past three years by local publications. Melt has been featured on Man vs. Food and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and the restaurant was just recently named as one of Nation’s Restaurant News Top 50 Breakout Brands.
So then why would Fish need the help of Rewards Network for the past five years if his restaurants are so successful? The partnership offers him the opportunity to seamlessly and continuously improve his business and open additional locations. It’s important to recognize, like Fish did, that marketing efforts shouldn’t stop once success is reached; there is always opportunity to understand and broaden your audience, to continue to attract new customers beyond your local radius and to keep current customers coming back again and again.
Data and Analytics
Fish depends on the Rewards Network program for regular data that helps him to continually improve his business. He is able to gain insight into how his restaurants are performing from the data by analyzing ratings, tracking zip code spending and comparing ratings from location to location. He shares this information with his Melt staff, as well, to encourage and motivate them. This data provides Fish and his staff with opportunities to improve the Melt business.
Access to Capital
Rewards Network also provides Fish with access to capital, and this is one of the ways he’s been able to expand his business so rapidly; he was able to grow Melt from one location to four since first opening. He has grown by almost a store every year since partnering with Rewards Network, and will soon expand outside of Cleveland to Columbus, Ohio and potentially beyond. Fish says that he is impressed with the whole package that Rewards Network has to offer, and that is what keeps him coming back year after year.
Staying With Rewards Network
Fish knows that Rewards Network offers him a total package that pulls together sales data, customer ratings and reviews, analysis and access to capital. He remains happy with the program and a partnership that has exposed Melt to a wider demographic and will continue to allow his business to expand indefinitely.
