As we all know, everyone now lives in the digital world. Emailing, browsing, texting, tweeting, checking in, posting, commenting. This is where we spend more and more of our time and get our information. Why? Because these channels are living, breathing "places" that enable us to get real-time news, shop, engage with each other and, of course, research and talk about restaurants and food.

When it comes to restaurants, we want to know everything! Location. Cuisine. Menu. The look, vibe and ambiance. The chef's culinary point of view. Critics' reviews. Users reviews. Recipes.

What we want and what the restaurants are delivering, however, are often not in sync. The digital world offers restaurants a golden opportunity to build their brand and differentiate themselves by providing easily accessible information. They can make us feel like an integral part of the equation, instead of just another paying customer. The review or recommendation from a friend may get us into a restaurant in the first place, but the ongoing communication with the restaurant will be an integral part of us coming back. Different channels serve different purposes and reach different people. While there is clearly some overlap, here are some general guidelines.

Websites

Address. Phone Number. Menu. These are the most common things we look for. Restaurants need to make them visible, right on the home page. And they should avoid PDFs of menus, which are time consuming to download. (Note to restaurant owners: Simple HTML allows for quick page loads, easy viewing and search optimization. Coming up first in a search is key.)

Forget the Flash

Restaurants need to stop building their sites in Flash. Animation can be nice, but Flash doesn’t work on iPhones or iPads. If restaurants can't afford to produce mobile versions of their site, they should just avoid Flash all together. Photo galleries, video (HTML5 players, not Flash) and non-Flash animation (DHTML, jQuery, etc.) can create visuals that are just as compelling.

Work with WordPress

I've noticed that a number of restaurants and other food folks are building their sites in WordPress. Smart! Here's an example of a simple site that's easy to update. The home page, clean and simple, establishes the brand and offers the essential information with links to menu, reviews, Facebook and Twitter feeds, etc.

Video speaks louder than words

There's no better way to bring a restaurant kitchen to life than with a video of the chef sharing their culinary point of view and demonstrating a signature dish. Some footage of the restaurant is great to have as well; give us a virtual tour and a sense of the restaurant experience.

Email

I subscribe to a number of restaurant email newsletters. What I find most interesting is a balance between announcement of special events and cooking classes, and behind-the-scenes fun stuff, like tales of chefs taking a trip to a local purveyor or farmers market, or what goes into designing their latest menu. Newsletters are a great way to keep us interested and keep a restaurant at the top of our mind when we're planning our next night out.

Facebook

We expect restaurants to have a Facebook page. It's another good place to communicate what’s going on, and to generate invitations and promotions. It also provides an opportunity for people to give praise or constructive criticism.

Twitter

We want to know what a restaurant is up to, but we don't want the PR firm to do the tweeting. If all the tweets are promotional, we'll get bored. We want to hear about a funny mishap in the kitchen, see a photo or video of the chef making homemade sausage. Chef Brian Poe of Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake in Boston says Twitter followers helped him develop the restaurant’s signature Cinnamon Sugar Infused Vanilla Homemade Ice Cream. They've also helped him generate the restaurant's music playlist. A tweet from an unhappy customer in the restaurant enabled the kitchen to rectify the situation, even though Chef Poe was miles away at the beach!

Check-ins & Spottings -- Foursquare, Scavengr, Facebook and Foodspotting

Millions of us are now "checking in" when we dine out. Some of us do it so our friends can see what we're up to, some to earn badges or strive for Mayor status, and others to earn free food or coupons. Wolfgang Puck now has a channel on Foodspotting and an account on Foursquare so people can find out his dining and travel favorites.

However chefs and restaurants decide to engage in the digital world, it's important that they strike a balance between promotional and personal communication. It's appropriate to announce menu specials, discounts, events, etc., But it's also important to create a relationship with customers by conversing with them, getting their input and sharing what's behind the scenes. This makes them feel as if they already know you when they walk into the restaurant. Creating loyalty with open, transparent dialog will help foster what restaurants strive for -- repeat customers and dependable revenue.

Lynne Viera is the founder of Rival Marketing, an interactive marketing agency, and how2heroes.com, a how-to video cooking website featuring master chefs and home cooks sharing their favorite recipes.

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