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Writing Sample - Direct Mail Piece for a Restaurant

Since direct mailers, what some would call "junk mail," are so easy to ignore, this advertisement had to get attention right away. It had to entice by painting a picture of adventure, of the exotic. Its goal was to dispel preconceptions about buffet dining and to lure readers to try something completely different.

Note: We keep our client and product names confidential, so you'll see the company name replaced with [Company] and the product replaced with [Product].

 

"Discover the Exotic Tastes of Brazil - Explore this Unique Dining Adventure Today (Because You'll Have Trouble Getting a Reservation Once Word Leaks Out)..."

Dear Friend,

Wear roomy pants. Because the [Company] Grill will spoil you so rotten with sumptuous meats, cheeses, and delicious salads that you're going to need an extra belt notch or two. You're going to love it here. And the service!... But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Recently I discovered an unexpected twist to the traditional "all you can eat" place. As a kid, my parents treated me to dinner out when I got good grades. I grew up poor, so going out to eat was an event. My folks would take us to a buffet restaurant and it was the one time they'd encourage us to eat all we wanted.

It was everything the [Company] Grill is not.  As a kid, I didn't like the pushy crowds much. The food was a little bland, but hey, you could eat lots of it. When the servers brought out more food, a rush of diners descended on artery-clogging, greasy eats in a feeding frenzy that would shame a shark. It wasn't what you'd call "fine dining."

FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT BUFFET DINING

[Company] Grill made me think about buffets in a new light. It's a completely different experience from the second you walk in the door. The first thing you notice is there's no pushing in line. Many times I've gone to [Company], there was no line at all. I walked in and was immediately seated.

Light instrumental music with a latin beat softly plays in the background. You hear the trickle of water playing down a waterfall in the cozy waiting area. But don't get too comfortable on the leather couches, because you won't have long to wait before you're seated by [Company]'s courteous staff.

You walk across a beautiful stone floor so clean you could eat off it as you're escorted to your table. An enthusiastic greeter shows you the immaculate salad bar, itself an adventure in exciting delights you'll love. Even though I come for the fantastic meats, I find myself savoring the exotic tastes of heart of palm, delicious cheeses, boiled quail's eggs, fried bananas, and a host of other light foods. The only downside is that I enjoy the salad bar so much that I often don't save enough room to enjoy all my favorites from their authentic Brazilian grill.

When you get back to your table, you find what looks like an unusual salt shaker. Half is green and the other half red. Your waiter explains the colors work like a stop light. Turn it with the green "go" end up to let the servers know you're ready to try the next sizzling meat as it comes right off the grill. When the red "stop" end is up, it means you want to enjoy what's already on your plate, so they can pass you by for a while.

But if you're like me, you won't need the red end until you're completely satisfied.  As your server comes to your table with top sirloin, pork tenderloin, bacon-wrapped chicken, Brazilian sausage, grilled pineapple, and other delights, you'll have to be stronger than I am to resist them. That's why [Company] Grill's dress code should require roomy pants. You're going to have trouble saying no when they entice you with one exotic treat after another.  You can diet tomorrow.  You'll want to live today!

And unlike buffets you've been to before, this one comes with service. No crowding in lines and juggling plates of food. Smiling servers come around every few minutes to tempt you with tasty meats you'll savor.

WORD'S BEGINNING TO SPREAD ABOUT THIS UNDISCOVERED TREASURE

It seems I'm not the only one raving about [Company] Grill. It won the Salt Lake City Weekly's Best of Utah award for Best Brazilian Grill, beating out better-known Rhodizio Grill and Samba Grill. Word's beginning to get out about [Company] Grill's exciting flavors, great service, and its fantastic atmosphere. It's also the lowest-priced Brazilian Grill in Salt Lake (while maintaining the best in quality and service).

And here's something I'd never consider doing at other buffets... business. [Company] Grill is an enjoyable place to hold a business lunch for two people or twenty. And it's classy enough to impress clients. It's never noisy and I enjoy enough privacy to do business. And because [Company] seats you soon after you arrive, you have time enough to enjoy a meal in comfort and still get back to the office on time.

If I could find a way to package up and send you the ambiance, service, and feel of [Company] Grill... while still keeping the top sirloin sizzling, I'd just do that. There'd be no reason for me to send you this letter... because you'd already be a customer.

YOUR CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE [Company] DIFFERENCE AND SAVE

If you haven't yet experienced [Company] Grill, I'll even sweeten the deal. Call in to make a reservation and mention this ad before May 31, 2007. The good folks at [Company] Grill will give you 10% off their already competitive prices and they guarantee you'll be seated as soon as you get there.

Sincerely,

Steve Myers
Chief Evangelist for [Company] Grill

P.S. Once you try the food at [Company] Grill you'll want to share the experience with others. Fortunately, they offer take-out service, because I've found it's always safer for me to reveal to my wife that I ate at [Company]'s if I bring some home for her to enjoy.