Interview with Beth from Ruby’s Diner

Transcript of the Video: Interview with Beth from Ruby’s Diner

Hey, good morning. Welcome to Reservations. I’m Jeff Harrison, behind the camera running the operations today, is my dear friend and business partner Andrew Mccauley. Today we’re back down in Palm Springs and it really is a beautiful day in Palm Springs today. But you know, what makes this unusual is it’s the middle of summer for us and I’m in a location that is absolutely busy. I’m really honored and I’m looking forward to today’s discussion with Beth of Ruby’s Diner.

Beth, welcome. Hi, welcome. Hey Ruby, excuse me. Hey Beth. See how excited I’m having trouble with this? So let me ask you, Beth, tell us a little bit about Ruby’s Diner because this is, you know, we do a lot of this where there are standalone restaurants, but this isn’t really a standalone restaurant is it?

Founded in 1982

No, we are a franchise and corporate owned. It was founded in 1982 by Doug Cavanaugh opened up on a pier. He wanted to open up a restaurant and named it after his mother Ruby because she wanted to relive her high school years and that’s what it all developed. I love it, you know, the whole theme of a diner. I mean there is a bicycle behind us, above us, there’s a train going on. Maybe, Andrew, he’ll pan around. Look at that, I mean it really is like when you walk in, you kind of stepped back into a new era, is it? It is, that’s the feeling. We get that, a lot of feedback from our guests too, the writings about their childhood or their favorite time of history.

Now you’re holding some things. I think they’re really cool. And this is a major takeaway. As you know, the show is really about marketing for restaurants and what helps them be successful. Tell us a little bit about what you do on a consistent basis to help drive new traffic and build an audience.

How To Build An Audience

Well, we are really pushing now social media and our latest gig that we’re doing and it’s actually been very successful, is asking people to join our e-club through texting and you could just use the number 7-5-7-2. By doing so, you get a free shake here at Ruby’s. Then you also get alerted by other specials that we’re having coming up like our $2.99 special on Wednesday, January 25th. It’s Ruby’s birthday. Our Ruby Burger is our original price back from 1982.

Start With A Loyalty Program

I’m already hungry gang. I’m looking for this. So basically you start out with a loyalty program, right? Then you give them something free for the shake and then because I’ve opted in to get that, then you give us additional things along the way. Is that it? Absolutely. It’s just a kind of like a club within a club. It’s like thank you for being a regular guest and for being a regular guest we give you some free items here and there. Now how long have you been doing that process? Well, it’s actually been gaining ground in the last say three years, but it’s been the process really since Ruby’s been open.

Now in the Palm Springs area, it’s known for a destination property or a destination location. What do you find is your biggest challenge when it comes to, you know, we think to have the summer’s offseason, but again, I’m looking around and it’s not off-season in here. What do you find is your biggest challenge when it comes to a property that’s in a destination location versus one of the other Ruby that is like, in downtown Los Angeles, it’s 24/7.

Gather The Locals

I would say probably our biggest target would be the local. We like to gather the locals, come in during the hot season right now. But, programs like the texts, texting helps them bring them in. And, also we have a lot of other things going on too for our guests here. For people that are in hotels. We have behind is the Palm Mountain Hotel. We have an association with them. If they eat, if they sleep at the hotel behind us, they can have breakfast here with us

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You know, that’s really smart. I like to call it cooperative marketing? You’re reaching out to partners that you don’t compete with, but you compliment one another, right, and then you’re there. So it kind of triggering their guests to come in here because they probably don’t serve breakfast over there, do they? Well, actually they did, they had a restaurant, but we were concerned about it. Well, that hasn’t changed at all with the business that people still like coming to Ruby’s.

Join A Relationship

So there’s a neat takeaway that’s already Beth is dropping some fire, loyalty programs, cooperative marketing. So think about that. If you’re in an area, not just in Palm Springs, but look around, say hey, who has my ideal client right that we don’t compete with? And then see if you can join a relationship with them because now do you do anything to compliment back the other direction?

Absolutely. We all, of course, we compliment a lot of the staff people that come in to help out and we also make an effort to get to know our neighbors. All of our stores here have a 10 percent off for all of our neighbors here in Palm Springs and in the stores nearby. That helps a lot in many of our proprietors nearby are by themselves. So we actually deliver to them because they’re running the shop by themselves.

I think I’m an opening a store down here just because that would be great to have breakfast delivered five days a week. That’d be great. Beth, that’s awesome. Tell us a little bit about like what do you think right now, and maybe it’s Ruby’s across all of Ruby’s. What do you think is your number one marketing piece that you use? Is it social media now?

Nothing Beats Face to Face

It is actually going towards that I would say, but nothing beats face to face. So, as managers, as myself, when we go to the bank or go to the grocery store, it’s appropriate for us to leave our business card and invite people to come and join Ruby’s and we always get wonderful feedback as, oh, I love Ruby’s. Yes. And you know we go there for our birthdays and the special celebration. So it always has a good feeling with people.

I want to back up for just a second because you said one of the challenging part is getting the locals to attend Ruby’s. And I have to be honest, I live in La Quinta, which is not very far away, but I think it when it comes to Palm Springs, it really is even still a destination. Like I’m a tourist, right? I don’t think have been down here to come to Ruby’s. So what exactly are you doing to reach out to the locals? I mean, do you have an initiative in play to say, okay, like these programs, but how do they find out about those programs?

The Best Way to Market

We have several actually. We go through the schools. We have certificates for the kids that we give out for them when they do well in school that they get a free meal. We also have done programs with the police and fire department and giving them free gift baskets to bring their families in. We also give discounts to people that work at the hospital, at the Air Museum, pretty much anyone that the policemen of course. And if we just go face to face, I actually go door to door is the best way to market.

Yeah, Beth doesn’t know this, but we’re going to have a one day seminar and Beth is going to be our guest speaker. She’s going to walk us through a lot. Beth, this is great. I mean this is exactly why we’re doing this show because there are so many restaurants out there that are suffering. They’re struggling to survive and they think they need a lot of money to do that. But what you’re talking about is you’re just reaching out to the community and saying, hey, we’re here and we want to offer these things and just at least come and try us once. Like you said, it’s face to face. Right? Absolutely.

How Do People Find You

I can’t thank you enough for being here. This is great. Any. How do people find you? Where would you say, hey, we’re in Palm Springs, but Palm Springs is a big area. Tell us how they find you. Well now you know, through social media they can go through Twitter, Facebook. We are also on Google and then, of course, we’re also involved with the Chamber of Commerce’s and also the visitor centers and they recommend us because they eat here also.

Tell us your location, your address, or your location. We are 155 South Palm Canyon in Palm Springs. And it’s really right in the heart of Palm Springs, isn’t it? Absolutely. We have tropical on one side and rain is on the other.

Make Sure You Take Advantage Of This

Now, just before I let you go, you serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Absolutely. A lot of people don’t know that we serve breakfast. One of my favorites is the ranches, Huevos Rancheros. It’s delicious the black beans are fantastic.

Hey, before you go, let me just borrow this one more time. Make sure you take advantage of this. I’m going to encourage you if you’re watching this and you’re in now, is this true for any Ruby’s or just the one here in Palm Springs? Any Ruby’s. So, if you’re within my voice and you’re near Ruby’s, all you have to do is text in, Hey Ruby, that’s H-E-Y R-U-B-Y 275-272 and you joined the rewards club. They make sure to attend on July 25th between 11:30 AM and clothes and take advantage. Hey, they’re rolling back their price for their burgers too, just $2.99. That’s outstanding. Beth. Thank you. Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.

Great stuff. We’ve got to go because it’s going to have breakfast real quick and we have other things going on, so hey, thanks everyone for joining us. This is another, a fun episode of Reservations where you can come as a restaurant owner and say, hey, how? How can I find out more information about how to be more successful? That’s where going to find it right here. Thanks for joining us. I’m Jeff Harrison, behind a camera Andrew Mccauley and we’ll see you again on Monday.

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