Marika Noguchi

ENGL 301

TO: The Managers and Business Partners of Gyukaku Toronto, Jaeseon You, Yukiko Sakakihara, Kenji Sudo, and Shawn Lee

FROM: Marika Noguchi, ENGL 301 student, MN

DATE:October 17, 2015

SUBJECT: Proposal fordetermining the feasibility of implementing a marketing strategy for the newly opening Gyukaku BBQ Restaurant in Toronto.

Introduction:

Gyukaku is a BBQ restaurant where during busy times, the waiting time may range from an hour to an hour and a half. It has over 30 locations globally, and is a growing franchise business. With two located in Vancouver, it is looking to expand across the Northern Hemisphere. Within the store, occupations include: hosts, servers, server leaders, managers, and general managers. The back staff consists of dishwashers, grill cleaners, and the kitchen staff. Currently, the Vancouver restaurant runs on a marketing system of collecting emails from customers to send promotions and advertisements. Other ways include weekly updates on Facebook and Instagram. However, much is relied on word of mouth and returns of regular customers in the downtown Vancouver location.

Now with the new location in Toronto preparing to launch it’s first opening, they face a new demographic of people and a chance to reopen their store in a new light. How could they advertise better to reach greater heights? What are the best strategies to practice to make this new business successful in the area? My research outlined below will seek to answer these questions in the most effective way.

Statement of Problem:

The main obstacle that this presents for the Gyukaku restaurant involves adaptation to a new environment. Toronto is clearly a whole new city to that of Vancouver, and globalization in business strategy is key in our economy now. Even if the exact replica of the downtown Vancouver location is placed in Toronto, it may not wield the same results. Furthermore, it is every business partner’s dream to make a new store opening as successful as it can be.

Therefore, some of the specific obstacles and challenges Toronto presents include the following: a greater population, wider geographical region, a different culture and demographic, different competition.

Proposed Solution:

A possible solution to these problemsis to study the most popular marketing and business strategies used in the area by other businesses as well as the demographics. What are the trends? Which would be the best to go hand in hand with the vision we have for this new location? Who are the target population? By studying these aspects, it would benefit the business partners and restaurant with the best marketing strategy to maximize profit and increase efficiency.

Scope:

To assess the feasibility of implementing a marketing strategy for the Toronto Gyukaku location. I plan to pursue five areas of inquiry:

  1. What sort of systems do other busy restaurants use in the location?
  2. What are the demographics of Toronto?
  3. What is Gyukaku’s vision and goal for Toronto?
  4. How will this system affect the restaurant?
  5. What will be the most efficient and profitable strategy for the restaurant?

Methods:

My primary data source will be the business partners and Managers of Gyukaku. The Study will be done through interviews, surveys, literary research, and field observations. In this form of research, I will be collecting data on what can be observed of their environment, their opinions on a possible solution, and comparisons with other forms of restaurant management. With this, I will produce graphs, diagrams, charts, and tables to compare and contrast the different aspects.

My secondary sources will be based on available books and websites on different methods of restaurant marketing, as well as previous studies done on restaurant marketing strategies.

My Qualifications:

As a former employee for two years as a lead hostess at Gyukaku Vancouver, I am well acquainted with the staffs, managers, and business partners. I am familiar with how the restaurant is run, the history, and vision of the restaurant.

Conclusion:

For a restaurant of this size and popularity, efficiency in marketing strategies will most likely be of great benefit profit-wise, and for customer satisfaction. Thus, this proposal will attempt to appeal for managers and partners involved with Gyukaku. With a clearly laid out system for the new restaurant, it may run much smoother at a higher rate of success. With your approval, I will begin this research at once.