Restaurant Suicide When the Marketing Message is Wrong

When you hear the words “Trap Brunch” what are your first thoughts? What type of environment or crowd do you envision might attend this brunch? Next, you hear a local disc jockey promoting this brunch because they work it each week. Some may feel it would be a fun, new and interesting experience. Others may be turned away from this brunch, for example individuals like myself, because this is not the type of environment I choose to dine in. When defining the word “trap” in traditional dictionary terms, Google has two definitions listed:

1. a device or enclosure designed to catch and retain animals, typically by allowing entry but not exit or by catching hold of a part of the body.
2. a situation in which people lie in wait to make a surprise attack.

In essence, both definitions provide a negative connotation of the word trap. Today the word trap has grown to be defined in other ways as it is now used in urban and hip-hop communities. The Urban Dictionary provided seven different examples of what the word means in those communities. In the hip-hop community, the word trap relates to the (Quora, 2020) number five definition in the list:

5. Not specifically a place where drugs are sold, rather, The ghetto, specifically the ghetto in Atlanta. Called the trap because people there are stuck in a cycle of selling drugs and hustling to survive, and are therefore “trapped” and unable to leave and make a better life for themselves.

            This is still a negative connotation but relevant to a specific demographic and lifestyle. When a restauranter in Dallas, Texas chose to market his brunch to provide a fun experience but upscale, his message was wrong (Lumen Learning, 2020). As a result, he attracted a different demographic in which he was not pleased in their behavior and they were not welcomed as a guest in his restaurant. Kevin Kelley, Restaurant Owner of True Kitchen and Kocktails has a conflicting message with his marketing strategy for his weekend brunch. The various definitions previously explained show how this type of marketing can create a mix of all types, including the women that chose to twerk in his establishment. The music selection, “Throw that a%! in a Circle” (McCarthy, 2020) as a song played at the brunch from the disc jockey, also played a role in this event at the “trap brunch”. Mr. Kelley’s message must be clearer as well as everything associated with the brunch which includes the music. If the goal was to provide a classy environment for black people to dine in, then all things associated should follow suit.

References

Beats, C. (15 July, 2018). Hip-hop Slang and Lingo: What does “trap” mean? Quora, Inc. https://www.quora.com/Hip-Hop-Slang-and-Lingo-What-does-trap-mean

Lumen Principles of Marketing. (n.d.). Module 13:Promotion:Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC). https://courses.lumenlearning.com/clinton-marketing/chapter/reading-defining-the-message/

McCarthy, A. (2020, 30 November). True Kitchen Owner Issues Lengthy Response to Viral Twerking Controversy. https://dallas.eater.com/2020/11/30/21751584/true-kitchen-kocktails-dallas-owner-kevin-kelley-response-twerking-controversy