Most of my blog postings here are designed to help you navigate the ins and outs of your restaurant insurance program.  And inherent in that plan is the concept of managing risks.  But there is one risk out there that insurance cannot manage for you and you need to take proactive steps to protect yourself right away.  If done right, this form of risk management can turn a big risk into a huge reward.

I’m talking about Google reviews.  You should know by now that your customers and even your competitors can hurt or help you with the reviews of your restaurant that they post on Google.  So you must begin the management process by making it a point to read those reviews regularly.  You must know what your clients are saying about you and you must address the negatives in the way you manage your restaurant. 

The quickest way to see your reviews is to type in the name of your restaurant , followed by your city name and state in a Google search.  Then find the Google maps page link  and read the reviews.  If no reviews are posted, then you are working with a blank slate.  That’s a good thing.   Think of Google reviews as search engine gold.  The more of these that you have, the higher your ranking with Google and the easier it will be for your clients to find you amid all the internet clutter of competing restaurants.

Now, the next step is to stuff the review box full of positive reviews.  You might be tempted to open up a bunch of different Google accounts and do your own reviews.  Don’t fall for this.  When Google catches you at this game the punishment will be severe and quick.  You will probably see your search engine rank drop off the face of the map pretty quickly.  Rather, put in place a way to ask for these reviews from your clients that love you, your friends and family and your customers who tell you something good about your restaurant.  Make sure that all of your employees have a system for asking for these reviews from customers who tell them how much they enjoyed your restaurant.  Once you have set up this plan you need to make sure everyone is on the same page for getting it implemented and you must follow up to check to see that the reviews are being posted.

Now you probably think of your current insurance agent as the guy who sells you a policy and hopefully gives you advice about what policies you should buy.  But is your agent taking the time to help you understand what you need to know to survive and prosper in the new digital age?  What is your agent doing for you to directly increase revenue and sales opportunities?   If you like the information in this blog, you may want to check out another feature that we offer to our clients at no charge at all.  This is a coupon posting page on our web site called the Clinard Insurance Partners Program.

At Clinard Insurance Group, in Winston Salem, NC, we specialize in helping all different types of restaurants with their restaurant insurance policies.  We work hard to help them become informed insurance consumers and we also know that not every restaurant is the same.  We don’t want you to be put into a restaurant insurance program that lacks the special coverage your type of restaurant needs, or one that forces you to purchase coverages you will never need.  To that end, we have developed 5 distinctly different restaurant insurance programs: A Fine Dining Restaurant Insurance Program, A Casual Dining Restaurant Insurance Program, A Fast Food Restaurant Insurance Program, a specialized insurance program for Bar and Grill and Taverns, and finally a Caterer Insurance Program.  If you need help with your restaurant insurance questions, or if you feel that your agent isn’t working hard to help you develop more top line revenue, then please feel free to call us, toll free, at 877-687-7557 or visit us on line at www.TheRestaurantInsuranceStore.com.

The Summer months are a high risk time for teen drivers. Parents must be more vigilant during this time to insure the safety of their teen aged drivers. There are several reasons why the Summer months present special challenges for parents of teen drivers.

First of all, many parents tend to raise the curfew times during Summer months. I know I have done this. This is a good thing to do as your child earns your trust and has begun to gain some experience behind the wheel, but as you do this, keep in mind that there are some tipping points where extended curfews may put your child at a greater risk. Try to decide exactly what your teen will be doing with this extra time and determine if the rewards are worth the risks.

Another reason that Summer is so dangerous is that teens now have more and more nights to do things without school in the morning forcing them to come home earlier. Over time this opportunity can lead to some dangerous behavior from teen drivers.

Even during the day the danger for teen drivers is increase during Summer. This is because teens have more time to drive around without specific purpose. While it is great for them to log more hours behind the wheel and gain experience, it is best done if they are driving for a purpose besides time wasting.

I highly recommend that each parent consider getting a GPS device installed in their teen driver’s car to help them with the temptations that driving brings on. You can find out more about these devices by visiting www.teensurance.com.

At Clinard Insurance Group, in Winston Salem, NC, we help thousands of families with their auto insurance all across North Carolina. We work hard to help our customers become informed insurance consumers and we want all of you with teen drivers to have the tools that you need to help keep your teen drivers safe. Please visit our teen driver web site or call us, toll free at 877-687-7557 for more help with your auto insurance, home insurance, business insurance, or life insurance.