CLAY DOVER of Velvet Taco on Building Brand Loyalty with LTOs (Restaurant Influencers - RI028)

Typically you don’t want your customers saying “WTF”. But things are different at Velvet Taco, where the innovative W.T.F., or Weekly Taco Feature, draws in food fans 52 weeks a year. Watch this interview with CEO Clay Dover (@velvettacoceo) about the success and strategies of limited time offers (LTOs), building customer rapport, and their promise to always try new things.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN on this episode of the Restaurant Influencers podcast, sponsored by the Toast point of sale and restaurant management company? Let us know by leaving a YouTube comment below!

• Improve Your Restaurant with Toast: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

CHAPTERS:
[02:13] - Clay Dover 2-Minute Drill
[05:51] - W.T.F. L.T.O.
[09:39] - Testing New Taco Recipes
[13:32] - Innovations at Velvet Taco
[25:18] - Thinking Differently

Clay Dover is a Restaurant Influencer —

When it comes to innovation, Velvet Taco rivals none. Thanks to their one-of-a-kind, chef-inspired approach to tacos — and the appointment of Clay Dover to CEO in 2019 — the company has exploded from just a few locations to dozens.

That innovation is most prevalent with Velvet Taco’s WTF implementation. WTF is the attention-grabbing name for the company’s “Weekly Taco Feature,” where a new taco creation becomes available on a weekly basis.

“That's part of our DNA,” says Clay Dover about Velvet Taco’s approach to change on the Restaurant Influencers podcast hosted by Shawn Walchef of https://calibbq.media. “Part of the innovation promise is that we'll always try different things.”

• SIGN-UP FOR UPDATES: https://restaurantinfluencers.media

Those “different things” include themed tacos, such as a Bangers and Mash taco for St. Patrick’s Day or a peanut butter and fried banana taco as a nod to Elvis Presley’s favorite foods. Customers come to Velvet Taco expecting a unique culinary experience, and that is what they receive every time. It isn’t difficult to see how the brand was named Nation’s Restaurant News “Hot Concept” Winner” in 2016.

The eclectic menu and Velvet Taco teamed with the innovative vision and successful track record of Clay Dover is the perfect representation of Velvet Taco’s company saying: “anything goes meets the art of the possible.”

NOMINATE A RESTAURANT INFLUENCER — Do you know someone or a restaurant who is great on social media? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or sending the @calibbqmedia team a DM on social media.

EPISODE LINKS:
• Velvet Taco Website - https://www.velvettaco.com/
• WTF Weekly Taco Feature - https://www.velvettaco.com/wtf-weekly-taco-feature
• Clay Dover on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/velvettacoceo

SIGN-UP FOR SHOW UPDATES – https://restaurantinfluencers.media
SUBSCRIBE TO RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS PODCAST – https://link.chtbl.com/RIpodcast

ABOUT VELVET TACO (@velvettaco):
Velvet Taco sets out to elevate the taco through globally inspired recipes and the freshest ingredients. The Dallas-based restaurant concept was founded in 2011. The acclaimed restaurant provides a broad sampling of international tastes and inventive combinations, delivering flavors that are as memorable as they are delicious. In addition to dozens of local accolades, Velvet Taco was named Nation's Restaurant News' 2016 "Hot Concept" and in 2020 won a Nation's Restaurant News Menu Masters Award in the category of Best Limited-Time Offer for its Weekly Taco Feature. Velvet Taco has over 30 locations in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
• Clay Dover on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claydover/

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS:
Welcome to the Restaurant Influencers podcast series. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with leaders in restaurant and hospitality about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling and how to show up and engage where customers are spending time online.

• Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com
• Yelp - https://yelp.com
• Cali BBQ Media - https://calibbq.media

***

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST:

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants

• Learn more about Toast at https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

***

POPMENU ANSWERING:

Not answering the phone is one of the quickest ways for your restaurant to lose a potential
customer. That’s why your restaurant needs Popmenu Answering.
• SAVE $100: Use our special link to get $100 off your first month.
https://popmenu.com/influencers