Issue #28: The Customer Magnet" — Learn how to use AI to build a crystal-clear Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

---
name: restaurant-icp-generator
description: Generate comprehensive Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) for restaurants. Creates vivid, actionable customer personas with demographics, psychographics, messaging frameworks, and channel strategies. Use when restaurant owners need to identify their ideal customer, create customer personas, develop targeted marketing messaging, understand their target audience, or answer "who is my ideal customer?" Triggers on requests involving customer profiles, target audience analysis, persona creation, or marketing targeting for restaurants.
---
 
# Restaurant ICP Generator
 
Transform vague assumptions about "who our customers are" into vivid, actionable personas that guide marketing, menu, and operational decisions.
 
## Core Philosophy
 
> "Marketing without a persona is like fishing with a net—casting wide and catching everything, including fish you don't want. Creating a persona is like fishing with a spear—precise, targeted, and far more effective."
 
## Input Requirements
 
### Required Inputs
```json
{
  "restaurant_name": "string",
  "restaurant_type": "Fine Dining | Casual Dining | Fast Casual | Café | Pub/Bar | Takeaway",
  "cuisine": "string",
  "suburb": "string",
  "best_customer_name": "string",
  "customer_age_range": "18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+",
  "customer_occupation": "string",
  "dining_companion": "Alone | Partner | Family | Friends | Business | Mix",
  "visit_frequency": "string",
  "typical_order": "string",
  "average_spend": "string",
  "why_they_return": "string (in customer's own words if possible)",
  "problem_solved": "string (what need does the restaurant meet)"
}
```
 
### Optional Inputs (Enhance Output Quality)
```json
{
  "discovery_channel": "string",
  "top_compliments": "array",
  "other_brands_they_like": "string",
  "life_values": "array",
  "dining_frustrations": "string",
  "social_platforms": "array",
  "business_impact_of_50_more": "string"
}
```
 
## Processing Workflow
 
### Step 1: Validate & Contextualize
1. Confirm all required inputs present
2. Identify restaurant type → Load appropriate archetype from `references/restaurant-archetypes.md`
3. Determine persona archetype based on customer description
 
### Step 2: Apply Core Frameworks
Use the **5 Core Customer Questions** (see `references/frameworks.md`):
1. What do they REALLY want? (beyond food)
2. What's holding them back?
3. What can you give them that others can't?
4. What are their deepest fears?
5. What would make them a raving fan?
 
Apply **Maslow's Hierarchy** to identify their primary motivation level.
 
### Step 3: Build Persona Components
Generate each element:
 
| Component | Source | Output |
|-----------|--------|--------|
| Demographics | Input data | Specific age, occupation, income, location |
| Psychographics | Values + brands + lifestyle | Identity, decision style, aspirations |
| Behaviors | Frequency + order + spend | Visit patterns, booking habits |
| Goals | Problem solved + why return | Surface → Functional → Emotional → Social needs |
| Pain Points | Frustrations + fears | Barriers and turn-offs |
| Triggers | Compliments + values | Words that resonate, proof needed |
 
### Step 4: Create Day-in-the-Life Narrative
Write 3-4 paragraphs making persona feel like a real person:
- Typical day structure
- How dining out fits their lifestyle  
- The moment they decide "let's go to [restaurant]"
- What experience they're seeking
 
### Step 5: Generate Messaging Framework
From persona analysis, derive:
- **12-15 words/phrases that resonate** (pull from their language)
- **8-10 words/phrases to AVOID** (from frustrations)
- **Emotional triggers** that drive action
- **Proof points** they need to convert
 
### Step 6: Map Channels & Content
Based on demographics + psychographics:
- Rank channels (Instagram/Facebook/Google/Email/Local)
- Generate 5 specific content ideas
- Identify 3 partnership opportunities
 
### Step 7: Compile Output
Use structure from `references/output-format.md`
 
## Output Structure
 
```
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (2-3 paragraphs)
2. MEET [NAME] - Day-in-the-Life Narrative
3. DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT (visual card format)
4. PSYCHOGRAPHIC DEEP DIVE
   - Values & Priorities
   - Lifestyle Indicators
   - Social Identity
   - Decision-Making Style
5. THE 5 CORE QUESTIONS - ANSWERED
6. THE PROBLEM YOU SOLVE (4 levels)
   - Surface → Functional → Emotional → Social
7. MESSAGING THAT RESONATES
   - Say This / Avoid This
   - Emotional Triggers
   - Proof Points
8. HOW TO REACH THEM
   - Channel Rankings
   - Content Ideas (5 specific)
   - Partnership Opportunities (3)
9. RED FLAGS (6-8 turn-offs)
10. THE OPPORTUNITY (market size, revenue potential)
11. QUICK REFERENCE CARD (one-page summary)
12. NEXT STEPS
```
 
## Quality Standards
 
### The Persona Must Be:
 
**VIVID** - Feels like real person you could spot in crowd
- Specific name, not "Target Customer A"
- Age is specific (38), not range (35-44)
- Occupation detailed ("Creative Director at boutique agency")
 
**SPECIFIC** - Unique to THIS restaurant in THIS location
- References actual suburbs
- Acknowledges local competitors
- Reflects restaurant's positioning
 
**ACTIONABLE** - Every section leads to clear "so what?"
- Demographics → Targeting parameters
- Psychographics → Messaging angles
- Behaviors → Channel strategy
 
**VALIDATED** - Grounded in real data
- Based on owner's observations
- Uses customer's actual language
- Reflects POS data patterns
 
## Error Handling
 
| Situation | Response |
|-----------|----------|
| Missing required input | Request specific field with example |
| "Everyone is our customer" | Ask "Who would you clone if you could?" |
| Vague descriptions | Probe for specific examples |
| Pre-opening restaurant | Note as hypothesis to validate |
| Multiple distinct personas | Create primary (highest value) first |
 
## Reference Files
 
- `references/frameworks.md` - 5 Core Questions, Maslow's Hierarchy, 7 Elements
- `references/restaurant-archetypes.md` - Type-specific persona patterns
- `references/example-personas.md` - Sample personas by restaurant type
- `references/output-format.md` - Complete output template
 
## Key Metaphors (Use Naturally)
 
- **Garden**: "Your restaurant is a garden. Knowing your customer is knowing which plants thrive in your soil."
- **GPS**: "A persona is your GPS for marketing—guiding you without wasting time or money."
- **Fishing**: "Persona = fishing with spear vs. net"
- **Dinner Party**: "Your detailed prep list—exactly who you're serving and what they'll love"

[TASK TITLE/GOAL]
​
Audit My Marketing Copy for ICP Resonance
​
1. Role & Expertise (Function):
​
You are my new, brutally honest marketing director. You have a deep understanding of my Ideal Customer Profile, [Persona Name, e.g., 'Sophia, the 35-year-old Foodie Creative']. Your goal is to tell me if my current marketing is hitting the mark or falling flat.
​
2. Context & Background (Pre-loaded / Specific to task):
​
My ICP: You have the full profile of my ideal customer, [Persona Name], generated by the Restaurant ICP Generator skill in this project.
Specific Problem/Situation: I am providing you with a piece of my current marketing copy. I need you to analyse it from the perspective of my ICP.

3. Task Description & Output Requirements (Function & Modifiers):
​
Your task is to analyse the provided text and answer the following questions directly and honestly:
​
First Impression: On a scale of 1-10, how much does this language resonate with [Persona Name]? Why?
Cringe Check: What specific words or phrases would make [Persona Name] cringe or feel like this place isn't for them?
The Hook: Is there anything in this copy that would actually grab their attention and make them want to learn more?
The Verdict: Should I keep this copy, tweak it, or throw it in the trash and start over? Give me your direct advice.

4. Thought Process Guidance (Chain-of-Thought):
​
First, I will re-read the ICP document to get a clear picture of [Persona Name]'s voice, values, and turn-offs.
Then, I will read the provided marketing copy, highlighting words and phrases that either align or clash with the ICP.
I will then score its resonance and provide specific, actionable feedback for improvement.

5. Examples (Few-Shot Prompting):
​
N/A
​
6. Warnings/What to Avoid (Modifiers):
​
Do not sugarcoat your feedback. I need brutal honesty to get better.