August 22nd, 2009 
Concentrics Restaurant Group is the group that comprises One Midtown Kitchen, Two Urban Licks, Trois, Murphy’s, Tap, Stats, Room, Lobby at Twelve, Parish, 30 Tables and Max’s Coal Oven Pizza. Concentrics restaurant group is now expanding into Chicago and Orlando with a couple restaurants.
Concentrics begins its own restaurant week this week (3 courses for $25), although you would never know it, unless you are signed up for their mailing list. Besides that, they haven’t done anything to really promote it. Seems strange as Midtown Restaurant week is only 1 week away, that they would have this promotion now. Perhaps they wanted to get a jump on the restaurant week groupies.
So, when I heard of this, I immediately went to the Concentrics website to check it out. Funny, there is no mention of their restaurant week on the site, at least not on the home page. Now, if you are going to have a restaurant week, wouldn’t you put it on the home page of your website?
I started clicking on individual restaurant sites (you get to them by clicking the links on the Concentrics home page). I really hate these sites. Inevitably they all must have sound. Hey Concentrics take note: most people don’t like sound, especially when they are at work. Not to mention their fancy sites take forever to load.
Most of the restaurants have the menus posted under something like “Happenings” or “Events”, Really? They didn’t even put it on the home page of the actual restaurant? Is it a secret? I was really interested in seeing the 3 course menu for Trois. But it seems like Trois and Two Urban Licks do not have menus for restaurant week posted. So, I emailed the company (a reply to their email announcing Restaurant Week) and what follows is the dialogue I had with them:
Me: Do you have the individual restaurant menus for this?
Concentrics: They should be posted on each restaurant’s website.
Me: They are for some but couldn’t find it for Trois or Two Urban Licks. I wanted to do a post on my website about it. So, I thought you may just have a list you could email me.
Concentrics: I apologize, I do not.
Me: Ok, just so I’m clear, if the special menu isn’t on the website, then there is no way to get it?
Concentrics: If you call the restaurant, they can give it to you verbally. Please let me know if you are unable to get it.
Wow, they suggest I call the restaurants individually. Yep that’s just what I want to spend my time doing. For a big restaurant group, they sure don’t seem to have a clue about basic internet marketing and customer service. They could learn a thing or two from Fifth Group Restaurants. When they get involved, they really do a promotion right and all the necessary information is right there on their website or on Facebook.
It is especially disappointing because I like One Midtown Kitchen and Two Urban Licks’ food quite a bit. I haven’t visited the other restaurants yet. It is tasty food served in a trendy atmosphere. But I’m certainly not going to take my chances of being stuck with a caesar salad app followed by a chicken breast entree culminating with a slice of cheesecake. I want something out of the ordinary when I participate in Restaurant Week.
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