Here’s how to drive more footfall to your restaurant
Ok so you want to drive more customers into your restaurants – below are some tips and tricks used by many successful establishments, even well-known brands still have these tools in their toolbox!
Dish of the week:
By introducing a dish of the week you’re taking control of the long decision-making process customers go through when deciding where and when to eat out! Give your customers something exciting to look forward to every week that becomes part of their weekly schedule. Create conversations between your customers and staff to really push the establishment and key attributes your chefs possess for example, why this dish has been chosen and why it’s so amazing – a fantastic excuse for a social post!
Examples: Steak Night, Burger Night, Seafood Specials, Seasonal Offerings.
Deal day:
Draw in customers with great time-limited promotions! This doesn’t allow for time to go away and think, it’s a now or never decision. It’s proven that people love a deal, love a bargain so give them one they can’t miss – promotional emails are a great way of getting the message out there quickly to your customer database.
Examples: Dominos 2 for Tuesday, Just East’s Cheeky Tuesdays, McDonald’s wrap of the day, Free dessert with every Sunday Carvery.
Run an event:
Make your establishment stand out and make it THE place to be on evenings and at weekends! Holding events will give people more reason to go to your venue, it will also help you branch out to reach new crowds and spread your name through word of mouth. Ultimately, give your restaurant something to shout about!
Examples: Live music, Quiz night, Themed dinners, Partys, Work socials.
Get more reviews:
Reviews can make or break an establishment! Getting 5* reviews on trusted platforms will help grow interest, allowing customers to see what other paying customers have experienced will help make up their minds. Seeing reviews re-posted on socials will help push one step further towards making a booking.
Examples: TripAdvisor, Google reviews, Just Eat reviews, Blogs.
Create a loyalty programme:
Give customers more reason to come back and order more, rewarding loyalty will make your customers want to earn more points for that free drink, complimentary dessert or additional side dish. Make them feel like they are getting a bargain by ordering from you!
Examples: Nandos, Starbucks, KFC.
Website:
Is your website easy to use and navigate? Is it aesthetically pleasing? Is it on the first page of a Google search? Websites are the virtual front door to your business, it needs to be one of the first links to pop up on the Google search page and to hook the customer into finding out more about what you offer and how you’re different to every other restaurant!
Online table booking platforms:
Don’t give your customers any easy get out for not being able to book a table online in just a few clicks! These platforms need to be easy to use and available 24/7! Allow customers to choose time and dates at their leisure and remove the hassle of having to call up. Online/ App booking systems are the way forward, freeing up space and time for many establishments and creating an easy and effective system for the customers to use at their own convenience – something that we can help you with at Really Social as a provider of our very own table booking widget!
Influencers:
No, we’re not talking about celebs… but well-known local bloggers in your town or city who can help spread the word about your establishment are a perfect way to use a trusted voice to shed light on the positive interaction and experience with your brand! This doesn’t cost fortunes either with some bloggers more than happy with a free meal in exchange for exposure on their own social media platforms. You could be looking at thousands of potential new customers! Remember word of mouth is the best form of advertising.
First-time customer offers:
Give first-time customers special promotions, everyone LOVES to feel special or like they’re getting a great deal. Show off first-time buyer deals through email campaigns, paid adverts or social media posts to really grab someone’s attention! This is especially effective for takeaways.
Example: 10% off, Free drink, Free delivery.
Make your food instagrammable:
Social media is the best and easiest way to showcase your food/drinks to potential customers – so make it easy for them! We’re not just talking of an expensive feature wall but it could be as simple as some new stylish plates, a ‘wow’ dessert (like the chocolate ball that you’re pour hot sauce over and it slowly melts!). Make your food pop so everyone wants to take a photo – stand out online with customers posting videos, boomerangs, reels, stories and timeline posts of YOUR restaurant.
