Customer choice when it comes to menu offerings and choosing a restaurant for dining out or ordering takeout is abundant in the restaurant industry, which is highly competitive. More importantly, because of the introduction of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become more important than ever for restaurant owners around the world to adopt marketing strategies that will assist them in increasing overall sales, attract more customers to their establishment, ensure great customer experience, and keep delighted customers.
Customers who have already purchased from you can serve as your most prominent promoters. Treat them well, and they will, in turn, tell their friends and family about how great your establishment is. When they come to your restaurant, try to remember who they are, what they previously ordered, what reviews they left, and how you worked with them to make them feel welcome. You can obtain this information by consulting your customer database.
Try to make use of this valuable information to introduce them to new dishes. Such actions will help them to feel needed and valued in the community. You can also make them a couple of offers as well. When compared to new customers, restaurants generate more revenue from their regular customers. As a result, customer retention becomes increasingly important. Your regular customers will also promote you through word of mouth and by bringing in friends and family, which will aid in the growth of your restaurant's overall sales and profitability. Getting your customers to come back will always be your most significant accomplishment in business.
The menu needs to be priced carefully. While deciding on the menu pricing, you must keep in mind the menu’s food cost, your location, and your target audience. For example, if your targeted clientele is college students, your prices must be low. On the contrary, if you are targeting customers for your fine dining restaurant in a posh locality, then you can keep the prices higher.
Many people these days prefer to order food to be delivered to their homes rather than going out and indulging in a lavish meal. This makes having a marketing strategy that addresses this behavior particularly important for your restaurant business. The ability to provide online food delivery would allow you to expand your audience base and reach out to more potential customers. Using online ordering to process more orders and increase restaurant sales can be beneficial if you have a limited amount of seating space or are short on servers but have many kitchen employees on hand.
The first opportunity to upsell comes shortly after guests are seated. Before drink orders are taken, encourage your servers to describe their favorite specialty drinks on the menu. Pointing out creative cocktails may entice a customer enough to try one, even if they had originally thought of having just water. This will prevent your restaurant from having a dissatisfied customer complaint after being served.
Because of the increasing use of technology, the reach of online marketing has expanded to the point where it is pushing the boundaries of traditional marketing. Make your social media presence known, upload photos, and keep your pages and website up to date so that all your current, first-time customers and potential customers are aware of all the new additions to the menu, the latest events that your restaurant is planning, and the like. These website design tips will assist you in creating a beautiful restaurant website that will generate more orders. All successful restaurants always strive to have a person connection with their current and potential customers through online marketing.
Making the simple decision to open your restaurant and then expecting to see a steady stream of customers at your restaurant locations will be a serious misjudgment. It would be beneficial if you effectively promoted your restaurant. Although online presence helps quick-service restaurants, offline marketing should be given the attention that they deserve. The fact that many people, particularly the elderly, who are not tech-savvy, still prefer to read newspapers and pamphlets to keep themselves informed about new restaurants in town.
While the menu prices and quality of a restaurant's product are unquestionably crucial factors in attracting and retaining customers, it is obvious that providing a memorable guest experience will leave an impression on your patrons. Allow your customers to feel at ease and at home, prepare their food with care and meet or exceed their expectations on all fronts. You can delight your customers by providing them with a complimentary slice of pizza or sweet pastries. This will improve their customers' overall experience and increase customer loyalty.
Create a program to reward repeat customers. One of the most common ways to set up a customer loyalty program is to create a membership card that tracks each time a customer visits your restaurant, allowing them to work their way towards earning a free item of your choice. In many cases, providing complimentary drinks and desserts is a wise decision because they are less expensive than an entree while still making your guests feel appreciated. In your POS system, you can set up a card that tracks points earned, or a punch card that gets a new hole punched in it each time a customer comes in.
Make sure the combo you choose is simple. Choose your top-selling lunch items that are a perfect combination with one of our popular side dishes and drinks to keep it low in their pockets! The couple of burgers at McDonald's, for example, come with French fries and a cold drink so they are always close by in case you get thirsty or want something salty/bready.
Appearing on Google will help your customers locate you because it will be easier for them to do so. The fact that customers can find your restaurant on Google, from which they can call you directly or locate your restaurant on Google maps, will enhance their overall experience with you. Customer testimonials on your business page can also help you attract more customers by demonstrating your commitment to customer service excellence.
To help your customers, you can plan a comedy show, karaoke night, and invite a guest performer, all while holding events that will get people to come to your restaurant that day. To get your game in front of as many people as possible, you will need to promote the event as well. Hosting events will increase the number of regular customers you have while also bringing in many new customers from whom you can profit in the long term.
Offering special-occasion promotions is one of the best methods to gain new customers and retain existing ones. This method is commonly used, but it never fails to increase restaurant profits. This strategy will, for instance, guarantee increased restaurant sales over the Christmas season. You might consider providing complimentary rum cakes, liquor chocolates, or donuts to satiate your customers' sweet cravings at this time of year. In the world of business, complimentary products and offers always bring in customers.
Liquor has the most sales and profit when it comes to restaurants. If your target demographic is families, you should offer lower-priced non-alcoholic beverages because they are less likely to burn a hole in their pocket. An understanding of happy hour strategies is important to keeping your customers happy. Offer two beers or cocktails for the price of one. Offering a plate of nachos or any other menu items with two beers is another way to boost sales. As a result, your restaurant attracts customers who frequent your establishment during the lean hours, which results in a rise in sales. Keep in mind to use all marketing channels when promoting your offers and deals. It has been known that emails can be used to publicize discounts and sales.
Even if your restaurant is doing well, you want to increase sales. One of the easiest methods to achieve this is through upselling from restaurants. The technique of upselling means persuading customers to purchase additional items. The most used approach for restaurants to increase profits is through upselling.
Your employees must be extremely well trained for you to successfully upsell your menu items. If the wait staff does not build rapport with customers or does not understand all the menu items, no upselling technique would be successful. Another method of increasing restaurant sales is to offer free samples of the latest items you have added to your menu. Those dishes will be noticed by customers, who will be more likely to order an extra dish because of it.
Incorporate a point-of-sale system (POS) that will help you run your business, and boost restaurant sales. To allow you to know everything that happens in your restaurant regardless of whether you are there or not, your restaurant POS must be able to provide you with real-time information. You need detailed reports on the number of sales, bills, offers, and expiration dates for your food items, as well as any other relevant information. It will enable you to consult with your chef and introduce changes to your menu because of your detailed report of all your sales, which includes both the most popular and least popular items.
BNG Point-of-Sale are POS solutions that improve your bottom line. With a full selection of POS systems for bars, restaurants, and retail businesses, you'll find the right tool to grow your business with the personalized support you need. Connect with us HERE to learn more.
