Twice in the last two weeks, I set off to distribute catering details and deals the old-fashioned way: going door-to-door.  I’ve only made it to one sliver of the Eden Prairie business sector, which is huge.  I hit the north side of I-494 between Highway 169 and Prairie Center Drive as well as part of the so-called “Golden Triangle.”  (I skipped Winter Park, but perhaps I shouldn’t have, seeing as how we have a lot of Red Moon fans within those walls.)

Let me tell you, it’s harder than it sounds.  I can tell you I’ve been very tempted to recall my ability to mock and lampoon the F.O.B. Chinese crowd so I could feign ignorance on the meaning of “No Solicitors.”  Instead, I’ve just summoned the courage to be bold and ignore the stickers placed pretty prominently on door-after-sterile-looking-business-park-door.  And boy have I paid the price at times.

Two weeks ago, I was kicked out of an office tower, albeit kindly with an offer to place my materials with the next day’s morning papers for four office suites.  An exasperated minion elsewhere was bothered by the need to get up from his cube and greet me at the door.  I could have left my free $10 gift certificate on the reception desk…. to possibly be ignored for days, as it appears the recession has exacted the one face that’s supposed to be friendly and warm from offices X, Y and Z: the receptionist.

Door-to-door tip: Office buildings are "bang for your buck" real estate with the business-to-steps-taken ratio. Just don't get asked to leave. Thankfully, I found all the people inside this one warm and welcoming. Different story down the road.

In the age of online transparency, Twitter and Facebook over-share, and increasing connectedness via digital signals and interfaces — we sure do keep ourselves blocked-off and guarded when it comes right down to it.  It seems a bit narcissistic.  We can broadcast whatever we want — delightfully assuming people out there will care or find it interesting.  But when a real person appears face-to-face, we opt for the opaque.

So why can’t a small business person go door-to-door to meet neighbors and find a more welcoming reception?  Of course I’m trying to sell something, but I’m also trying to get connected, in a sense.  Perhaps I’m being too idealistic.

Thankfully, I’m not feeling too cynical because I did get a great reception from a great many people out there.  In fact, a few new people have come by using the bonus free $5 gift certificates that I left for their own personal use (see, it does pay to be kind).  More than 50% of the places where people have been present at the door have been kind.

It’s also physically difficult to traverse business park after business park.  They’re not exactly places you travel by foot.  You have to park and re-park for each place you want to leave something.

This all brings me closer to another option: direct mail.  Yes, the “junk mail” type.  If I can design the colorful postcard, why not just send the good word that way with a hefty discount or great offer?  Other businesses still do it, so it must work to some degree.  Plus, it guarantees that most everyone gets our message.  And with the reception I’ve been getting at a lot of places, perhaps it’s better use of my time and energy.

Last night at this time I posted a new (read: re-tooled, unexpired) set of coupons on Red Moon’s Web site.  This time I included something new — an experiment, really.  It’s a coupon regular customers can give to Red Moon newbies — a one-up on good old word-of-mouth advertising.

Click the image to download the "Refer a Friend" coupon yourself.

Here’s how it works: the regular writes his or her email address on the coupon.  He or she gives it to a friend who can then use it for a free appetizer on his or her first trip to Red Moon.  With that email address, I contact the referrer to thank the person and tell them I’ve got a free $5 gift certificate for them waiting at our front counter for use anytime he or she wishes.

I figured it was possibly too involved or confusing to work.  But I could be wrong.  Despite the fact that it was posted just late last night — a pair of guys this morning had the coupon.  I contacted their referrers and there are gift certificates waiting for them.   Hopefully the two guys who came in today liked the food enough to want to return — and I also hope I’ve created some warm feelings among the regulars who passed on the good word about Red Moon.

Any thoughts out there on whether this is a good idea?  Generous enough?  Any twists on this I could use in the future when this gets tired and stale?

It’s probably over-zealous to call this an “overnight success” — but in my world, these little triumphs are huge.  Here’s to hoping more friends refer their friends.

You'll even catch it in a blur: a silly-sounding restaurant name in Belle Plaine, Minn. begs questions about marketing a small Chinese restaurant: Where the heck do we begin?

We passed the Chinese restaurant in a blur, traveling 60 miles per hour down Highway 169 in Belle Plaine, Minn.  But the neon sign on the east side of the freeway was something a keen eye for sophomoric humor wouldn’t miss.  Couldn’t miss.  Didn’t miss.  There it was, prime real estate facing a busy highway, labeled “Mei Dong Garden.”  Another Chinese restaurant inviting more giggles than guys hungry for Moo Goo Gai Pan.

“Don’t they ask anyone if it’s a good name first?” I asked my mom, who was driving us down to see my grandmother in Fairmont, Minn.  She was too busy laughing about the name to really give me a good answer.  But it’s something we’ve always wondered.  How do the Mei Dongs of the world ever come to be without more careful consideration or consultation from a more fluent English speaker?  Or at least one who suffers from the occasional case of gutter-mind?

Thankfully, my Scandinavian, Minnesota-born mom, my brothers and I have always been nearby to prevent too much “Chinglish” from infiltrating the Red Moon.  But somehow our Wonton Soup is a gratuitous treat, labeled “wanton” soup on the dinner buffet.  I find it funny, so I’m leaving it be for now.

For the record, I believe Mei Dong Garden means something like “Beautiful Eastern Garden.”  A great little restaurant name.  Why not just call it that?

Well it’s not easy to market a little mom and pop Chinese restaurant — and obviously it starts before the doors open for the first time, when someone has to come up with the name.

We’re (and by “we” I mean the chop suey sellers of the world) all up against a lot right now:

• Corporate fast-casual entry into the Asian dining sector (Minnesota has always had Leeann Chin’s but now has Pei Wei, too)
• Innovate too much or market too fancy and you ostracize a substantial chunk of folks who know what they want (Minnesota-style chow mein, of course!)
• Advertising rates remain high enough to make you nervous while audience fragmentation is clear to any media consumer with a brain.  Is it even worth it?  We seem to be barely beyond the abacus — we’ve got to start an Excel sheet to track this “ROI-business.”  Everything is anecdotal right now: “yeah, people use that coupon a lot.”
• Hopping on the social media bandwagon with sponsored ads on sites like Yelp.com seems smart, but the rates and time commitment are a lot to swallow on a whim. (Plus, Red Moon still has no organic Yelp reviews — our local competitors have one apiece, max.)  Yelp might be exploding in Minneapolis right now.  It’s questionable whether it is a hit in Eden Prairie.

The list could go on for a long while.  But this much has been made clear to me: I’m not to spend a ton of money at this point in time.  So that means grass roots, word-of-mouth marketing for Red Moon Chinese Cafe.  Flyers, friendly smiles and things like that.  Keeping our Web site inviting to potentially new customers (Look for a re-launch of RedMoonChineseCafe.com soon!)  Maybe a little salesmanship outside the confines of the dining room.

So here goes nothing.  I’ll have been here two weeks this Wednesday.  It’s time to do this thing!  Thankfully, we have a good name to stand on.

Red Moon's Logo -- designed by my mom in conjunction with the people who made our neon sign out front.

BONUS STORY: Here’s how the “Red Moon” name came to be, interestingly.  My mom and I (and my brothers, I guess) were both leading our lives according to some rich principles of faith back in 1995-1996 (Boy, is that ever euphemistic!)  She more than I, as I was a mere 13-years-old.  Anyway.  In the Bible’s Book of Revelations, there is some reference to the moon turning blood-red during the “end times.”  I’m not about to research the particulars, but it has to do with the second-coming of Jesus.  The name was a reflection of faith.

Today, it remains a classy name with a little bit of brand-value, thanks to my dad’s good cooking and our nice base of loyal, local customers.  People also infer that the name has something to do with the Harvest Moon Festival in China (Chinese: 中秋節)  Conveniently, it works out either way you want to see it.

Thankfully, we are not fighting those ridiculous giggles.  But we are up against just about everything else those other little mom and pops are.  And I’m ready to do battle.

I’ve had a lot of fun over the last year or so trying to help my dad with the marketing of the restaurant.  I’ve developed a Web site, new takeout menu, Web coupons (Check these out for a Halloween freebie!), and tonight I put in an order for the latest batch.

I firmly believe that quality promotional materials can really set us apart from some of our competition without sacrificing any of the quaint charm mom and pop Chinese restaurants are known for.  And I save a lot of money by doing this all myself.  Lucky for my dad, it’s kind of a hobby.  Here’s what we’ve got:

The copy reads: "So you get fierce Red Moon cravings often? You are clearly not alone." (image altered for security)

This will be the newest takeout coupon that we typically throw in all of our takeout orders to encourage more frequent visits.  I’ve altered the artwork just a bit to stave off any copyright infringement — I did pay for that dragon art, after all.  But you get the gist.

The backside (not pictured) has a fortune cookie with an expiration date on the paper — the copy reads “Act Fast! Or the Luck Runs Out.”

Gift certificates -- we have them in $10 denominations -- the new ones will provide more options. (image altered for security)

These are some new gift certificates that will give the customers more options (We already offer these in $10 denominations.)  The new design is narrower, to fit better in wallets.  All of this stuff is also coming with a matte instead of a glossy finish — the Sharpies will work better that way.

I’m also going to go door-to-door to advertise some of our lunch catering and to hit some of the new office complexes in the area.  My dad and I agreed that while generous, these $5 gift certificates would be a great comp to hand out to potential catering customers.  Especially office gatekeepers.  With our price structure, we should be able to recoup food cost at a minimum when they are redeemed.

Lastly — it’s official.  Check this out:

Made myself a Red Moon business card -- you know, to be all professional and stuff.

By the way, I have been using an excellent printer out of California to whip these things up — at a great price.  If there are other small business people out there who want to know more, drop me an email.  I’d be happy to share my sources

Of course, when it comes to selling people on the Red Moon, nothing beats the food.  And I was reminded of that many times today, including by a customer who drove 25 miles from Woodbury solely to get some takeout.  Wow.  Isn’t that awesome?  I’ve always wondered why the mainstream food writers never really picked up on my dad’s cooking.  Well, there’s always time.