Beijing Boyce

We have our leading candidate for worst promotional email of the year, knocking off the ALL CAPS BLAST FROM PADDY O’SHEA’S, but first…

- Mr. Brau gives two curry-stained thumbs up to the new Pink Loft (in the former Browns spot). He went for dinner and says the staff is “awesome”, the food is “excellent”, and the value is “good.” He also noted there is a RMB38 lunch special, which I will soon check out.

- Both stevelee and m-dawg report the Renaissance Hotel (Shuangjing) is featuring RMB12 bottles of Guinness this month. Apparently, it is available at the lobby bar and at Fratelli’s.

- Hopes for Mare to reopen near Workers Stadium are low given the place is empty of furniture. Mare drew heavy traffic, which makes one wonder if the culprit here is property issues. Those looking for tapas in the area can check out related spot OLAS in Sanlitun Village.

- Displaying the marketing style behind sibling establishments Klubb Rouge and Stadium Sports Bars, German bar and restaurant Drei Kronen 1308 has sent an email that includes a customer survey and a new happy hour.

The buy one, get one free happy hour runs 5 to 8 PM and 10 PM to midnight until March 31. Given my previous experiences with bills at DK1308, I expect some confusion for patrons whose imbibing bridges the happy and non-happy hours.

As for the survey, it asks respondents to list name, nationality, telephone number, e-mail address, dining frequency, and suggestions for improvement. My suggestions for improvement:

- Fix your email format: This one was loaded with bad spacing, varying font sizes and styles, a rainbow of font colors  (pink, green, red, orange, blue and black), inconsistent spacing, sections with ALL CAPS, and a layout that even a motherboard couldn’t love.

- Proofread the message: “RUN HOURS” (“hours of operation”?), “FEATURE：brewery with a kingly privilege”, etc.

- Use “BCC”, not “CC”, so you do not disclose the email addresses of customers and potential customers.

- Have some, uh, survey questions (asking how often I eat there and “Do you have any comments about our service, food, atmosphere or any other comments?” does not cut it).

- When announcing there is a happy hour, also list the details of it (buy one, get one free).

DK1308 has a nice layout, good home brew, and a friendly staff, but methinks there just might be a wee gap between the precision of the franchiser and brew-making time and the local marketing team.

A visiting businessman was stun-gunned, beaten, and robbed by two people, including at least one foreigner, around 9 PM in the side streets west of  Sanlitun North last night, according to two sources, one of whom had been with the victim shortly before the incident.

This is the story: The man left a bar, a foreigner approached and asked if the man needed help getting a taxi, the man thanked him for the offer and followed him down a side street, and he was then stunned from behind, beaten, and robbed.

Even taking this story from consideration, this is not the first time stun guns have come up in Sanlitun, so bar-goers should be on their guards even more than usual. I consider Beijing among the safest places in which I have lived, something particularly impressive given the size of the city, but shit does happen – be careful and make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

Shane Crombie is a digital brand strategist, organizer of the ‘First Thursday‘ monthly ad industry event, and regular contributor to localnoodles.com. Here are his top five watering holes and his five suggestions for restaurant and bar owners on how to improve their offerings in a weakened economy. First, his five suggestions.

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1) Distill down and define in one short sentence what your brand stands for and then ask , ‘So, what makes us so special?” If you draw a blank, ask your customers.

2) Price promotions are popular right now. Create an offer that sounds almost too good to be true for maximum impact. Remember the formula: Quality ~ Price = Value

3) Invest in proper staff training and management and treat them like family. Bad service always ruins a good meal and good staff are made not born

4) Pay attention to what your patrons say about you online. Look for trends and gaps and act on them.

5) Those small magazine ads are not cost effective. Connect with your audience online when they’re really paying attention.

The bottom line is get online, keep it simple, and execute flawlessly, and you will prosper.

My top five places:

Ichikura: You cant just go to Ichikura the first time, a friend must take you there. Why? Because watching a master craftsman at work is a sight to behold in good company. Learn about the copper cup, ponder how they make those perfectly formed ice balls, and enjoy the best Moscow Mule in Beijing.

Tun & Nanjie: An oft-asked question around town is, ‘Why is Tun so popular’? Its simple. They give the people what they want: fun music, a very well-run bar and low prices. Its where east meets west in the city. And when I’m about done with the hot hits of the eighties, I head across the car park to Nanjie and some groovin house tunes.

Face: For important occasions, Face is bulletproof. It’s a magnificently designed environment with multiple Asian menus and a generous lounge area to while away the after hours. You’ll never get fired for making a reservation here.

Bed: After a dimly lit dinner at Sambal, Bed is the perfect place to enjoy the city’s best caprioska. It’s an ambient, subtly restored space hidden down an alleyway offering an original interpretation of a classic theme. That’s Beijing.

Element Fresh: They play the best down-tempo music in town, the brewed coffee is rocket fuel, the fruit plate tastes like real fruit, and the pancakes are done just right. What am I getting at? Beijings best weekend recovery session. Just be sure to get there early when its peaceful.