Menus, menus everywhere

Does anyone know how to get local restaurants to stop putting menus on doors? We've called and told them not to do it, but they obviously don't care. I'm sick of picking up menus from hallway floors and under the doors of vacant units two or three times a week. The only thing I can think of is somehow nailing them for illegal solicitation, but that seems extreme. We can't be the only community that deals with this. How do you handle it?

I've had great success with contacting all of the local restaurants and letting them know that due to a strick no solicitation policy I'm unable to allow them to leave menu's on the doors of my units. HOWEVER, if they are willing to drop a supply of them off to my office, I'd be more than happy to include them in my resident move in packets. I'm in a rural area so hitting all of the local ones is easy for me. However if this is a larger metropolitain area, I'm sure you have a lot of repeat "offenders". I think giving them this option will allow them to meet their "marketing quota" by still being able to say they delivered to the "#of units" at your complex. Then let them know any time they update thier menu to just give you a call and let you know when they will be dropping them off. This has worked great to keep my halls/doorways clean and I've recieved positive feedback from my residents that they like me including all of the local dining options for them (ESPECIALLY when Pizza is the typical go to for move in night and this gives them other options).

If you have a courtesy officer (or an "in" with a local police department may work as well), have them deliver a stern-ish letter that you've typed. In the letter outline your no solicitation policy, etc. Let them know that you will be forced to prosecute if such actions do not cease. The letter along with the uniformed delivery person with a spit polished badge has been effective for me in the past.

Good luck!

If you have a community newsletter and have the ability to 'charge' for ad space; offer them an introductory discount as an alternative to doing door to door. Accept a supply of their menus/current coupons to have in the office and include in your move in packets.

Explain that you do not want door to door advertisements because an advertisement on a vacant unit door for more than a couple of days is an invitation for a criminal act as a sign that the unit is either vacant (inviting potential squatters) or an occupied unit with the resident out of town for whatever reason (inviting burglars).

My biggest problem is churches going door to door to either speak to residents or leave flyers. If you allow one, you must allow all in order to avoid fair housing issues. If you have a local interfaith group seeking donations of used clothes/canned foods/etc., that is okay because it is an interfaith group. I have called churches before and asked that they not only stop posting, but return to retrieve what has been posted; but not without explaining why.

Here's what I did when I worked in a Chicago property on the north side. Create a simple letter that says you have a "posting fee" for each day a flyer is distributed on the property. We had a lot of restaurants that distributed once a week. Their address is usually on the flyer. Enclose an invoice for $50 with your letter. Do it every time they distribute. I thought this would stop them, especially when I called to collect.

Guess what? SOME OF THEM BEGAN PAYING IT!

After that, I thought, well, we can just pick up the flyers. Some businesses stopped, and some kept paying, and I kept a spreadsheet so I could identify new ones. I had to laugh--we never intended it to be a profit center.

The restaurants have to supply you with the distributor. If they won't, estimate the time it takes to pick them up of your property times the number of employees you had to use and multiply that by $65 and include trash disposal; maybe an $1800 invoice. Now create an invoice for trash removal and send it directly to the restaurant, the distributor and the corporate office. They will call and ask about the invoice. You tell them you'll waive it one time but in the future you will not. Keep a file of the offenders and documents all conversations. Make sure the community has a no soliciting sign displayed. Works every time

post a no-soliciting policy! Then report them to the better business bureau every time it is violated! (Although, my residents kinda like getting coupons!)

I had no-soliciting signs at every entry & if they posted, I would call & tell them to come pick them up bc it was unprofessional of their business to violate the no-soliciting posts and to subject our company to the costs of labor that would be incurred to clean up after their business. I also told them our residents hate the solicitations and would throw them on the floor and that would not give a good impression of their company with their flyers trampled on down our hallways. Usually they were very apologetic & sent someone right away to clean up

Could you approach the restaurants and offer to link to their menu (and maybe a resident special) from your website, in exchange for stopping the fliers? Take it online, then use that as a selling tool to both the restaurants and your residents.