It’s time to answer the many e-mails I’ve received concerning how to increase sales in your restaurants on an individual basis. Here’s the way I did local store marketing when I was in the trenches. (Some of this you have heard before and some you have practiced, but here it is in one place.)

Let’s make the assumption that your basics—quality, service, cleanliness, and value—are OK. If not, fix them quick. You can’t increase sales if it takes 30 minutes to get a clean fork, the place looks like a gym, and it...