During a recent trip, I walked by a particular restaurant several times. It’s located right on the town square, so it’s rather hard to miss. A few things struck me as odd, though. First, the building had lots of windows, but the shades were closed all day long. Second, they didn’t have a menu or hours posted outside for people to see — not even a sign to indicate what sort of cuisine they offered. This scenario held true on weekdays and weekends as well.

Maybe they expected everyone in town to know what the place looks like inside, and to be familiar with the food, prices, and hours. Even so, this is a surefire way to kill your new business efforts. Potential customers look to these data points to make a quick judgement about whether a given venue is a suitable option. If you fail to provide this information, you might as well post a sign on the door that says “Repeat customers only”.