One of the major aspects of a new business is attracting as many customers as possible, which is easier said than done because we can all agree competition has never been more fierce. Serving the best food in the world won’t matter if people don’t actually know about it. You need to go the extra mile to attract new customers so that once they get a taste of what you have to offer, they’ll come back for more.
If you are really good at what you do, they’ll bring their friends with them once they come back. Making them fall in love with the food is a piece of cake, it’s getting them through the door that we need to address. If you are looking for cool, fun, and definitely efficient tips, then we’ll teach you how to attract customers to your restaurant.
Take Incredible Food Photos
Everyone loves mouth-watering food and one of the best ways to have people come in and relish those phenomenal dishes you create, you need to entice them. Nothing works better than photos that actually capture the essence of those dishes. Get yourself a nice camera, invest in some professional photography skills, and master the art of food porn.
Better yet, why not just hire a professional to do it for you. Fix up the restaurant decor and capture the most stunning shots. If you take it a notch higher and offer a discount for customers who share the photos, you’ll get twice as more customers. Win-Win
Optimize for Local Search Engines
What is the one thing you notice a majority of people doing in a restaurant apart from eating? Browsing through their smartphones of course. This is something most people spend a third of their day doing, which makes it one of the easiest places for them to find you.
Optimize your website for both standard and local search engines and make it easy for people to find out. Once they search for restaurants nearby, yours’ will be among the top restaurants listed and voila, new customers for you.
Offer Free Wi-Fi
If you want to know how to attract new customers, free wi-fi is an incredible way to do it. Wi-fi plays a major role in determining where a customer chooses to eat, and if you offer it for free, customers will come flocking. Whether they just want to socialize or finish up on some office work as they grab a bite, free wi-fi is an amazing marketing tactic.
Be Active on Social Media
Social media is hands down one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use because this is where a majority of your target audience is. You need to be in their line of sight and in their minds when they get hungry. Upload photos in real-time so they can see what’s going on in your restaurant and engage with them on a personal level.
Offer Online Ordering
A lot of people don’t have the time to eat out and like having food delivered to where they are. If you offer takeout and delivery in your restaurant, then online ordering is a wise approach. Again, most people spend a lot of time on the internet and prefer sending emails or texts instead of making phone calls.
Keep your website simple enough and easy to navigate, make it mobile responsive and accept online payments to make the process seamless. This is simply one of the best restaurant promotional ideas.
Show Sporting Events or Host Live Music
So many people like going to places where they can catch a game and if your restaurant is one of those places, you will not only attract new customers but have loyal customers. You’ll be having groups of people eating and drinking for several hours.
If you want to know how to attract customers to try entertaining them with some live music. Go the extra mile and promote some local talent and this will not only attract people in but give you an event to promote.
Offer Birthday Gifts
You are probably doing email marketing for your restaurant so when customers sign up to your newsletters, offer them special gifts on their birthdays. Send them an email during their birthday and offer them a special coupon for free food. It could be a free appetizer or dessert, but it will certainly entice them to choose your restaurant.
Host Wine and Cooking Classes
If you sell wine in your restaurant, a wine tasting even could be the answer to your prayers. People always look forward to trying new experiences and they’ll appreciate you for giving them a chance to taste different types of wines. Wine tasting events will attract customers that would not normally be there and you’ll have a chance of showing them what they are missing out on.
If you don’t sell wine, you can start a cooking class and show people how to make the delicious food they eat at your place. Every time they cook the recipe in their homes, they’ll have you in mind and will likely come back again.
Implement both of these ideas in your restaurant and you will see how they are both effective restaurant promo ideas.
Reward Loyal Customers
Loyal customers are the backbone of your business and even more important than new customers. You want to ensure they keep coming back and once they do, appreciate them for it. Have a loyalty program where you even get to know your regulars on a personal level and offer them discounts.
This will show how much you care about them and the experience they have in your place. Partner up with online food apps or offer online stamp cards to show you really appreciate loyalty.
Take Customer Reviews Seriously
A lot of people depend on reviews to gauge the quality of service and bad reviews will ruin your reputation. Offer great food, and even greater customer service so that your online reviews will shine bright. Positive reviews will easily bring in new customers and give you an edge against your competitors.
Local reviews will also improve your local SEO and make you visible to more customers. Strive to have incredible customer reviews on Google+, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, all of which will impact your website ranking on search engines.
Food Blogger Outreach
Most industries right now have influencers and they tend to have a very huge impact, For restaurants, food bloggers can be the difference between an empire restaurant and a full house. Invite them to your restaurant, give them an offer they can’t refuse, they show them a good time once they come over.
Ask politely if they could give our restaurant a review and share their experience on their blog. This is one of the most amazing restaurants promotional ideas that could seriously put you on the map. Even though you may not blatantly ask for a positive review, offer them impeccable services then ask for an objective review at the very least.
These are Your Answers on How To Attract Customers to Your Restaurant
Now you know how to attract customers to your restaurant and they work whether newly opened or existing. You can implement some or all the tips above and collectively, you’ll be bringing in more customers from all around you.
Read more on our blog on more tips for getting more customers to visit your business.
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