Month: September 2019

Experts Have Spoken: 4 Ways To Lure Customers Back Into Your Restaurant

 

Experts Have Spoken: 4 Ways To Lure Customers Back Into Your Restaurant

Turn first-time diners into loyal regulars with these proven strategies.

 

Introduction

Why is it that despite having amazing staff, great food, and positive guest relations, repeat customers aren’t coming back as often as you’d like? What’s missing, and how can you turn things around?

Thankfully, top restaurateurs have shared their experiences and marketing techniques to help you transform first-time visitors into loyal guests. Here are four expert-backed strategies to get started.

1. Create a Family-Friendly Atmosphere

A family-friendly environment can significantly boost your business. Here’s how:

  • Consider having a Sports Bar that’s family-friendly during the day and caters to adults in the evening. This way, you target two demographics.
  • Engage children with interactive food options, such as letting them roll their own pretzels, as Southerleigh does. Parents appreciate activities that keep kids occupied.
  • Extend the inclusivity to pet owners by offering amenities like complimentary water bowls and a spacious patio.

2. Focus on Local Ingredients

Using local ingredients not only supports the community but also creates a unique appeal:

  • Offer local craft beers on tap, like Marlene’s at Sevastopol Station in Des Moines, Iowa. Customers value businesses that prioritize local producers.
  • Consider brewing your own beer or creating seasonal menu items with local ingredients to keep guests intrigued and returning.

3. Leverage Social Media

If your restaurant isn’t using social media, you’re missing out on potential customers. Here’s how to make it work:

  • Create a fun, photogenic atmosphere to encourage social media sharing. For example, Chop Shop in Chicago updated its patio with black-and-white murals, perfect for Instagram posts.
  • Focus on food presentation. Des Moines restaurants combine local art with delicious food for a memorable experience.
  • Utilize email marketing alongside social media to keep customers engaged. However, avoid overposting to prevent turning customers off.

4. Expand Your Kitchen and Mind

To attract a broader customer base, think outside the box:

  • Offer take-out lunch or dinner services for busy customers looking for alternatives to fast food.
  • Include dietary restriction options, such as gluten-free and vegetarian dishes. This not only accommodates individual diners but also entire groups who may have specific dietary needs.

Conclusion

Retaining customers requires effort and creativity. By creating a family-friendly environment, supporting local ingredients, leveraging social media, and embracing new ideas, you can build a loyal customer base and thrive in a competitive market. Implement these strategies and watch your restaurant flourish!

 

© 2019 Cameo. All rights reserved.

 

Managing a Restaurant Online: Do’s and Don’ts

Despite the importance of the local community for all restaurants, we still can’t underestimate the value of an online presence. When looking for a nearby restaurant, the first thing people do these days is open their mobile and search Google or Bing.

We understand that the whole online world can seem a little daunting, but the little effort required can work wonders for our marketing strategies. Today, we’re going to talk about the four biggest do’s and don’ts for your restaurant online!

DON’T: Pay Without Tracking

Firstly, why spend money on advertising and then ignore the results? If you aren’t tracking your spending, how do you know what works and what doesn’t? If you’re to improve your online marketing over time, you need to learn from successes and failures.

DO: Claim Your Google Listing

As we noted in the introduction, more customers than ever are looking to Google to find local businesses. With a simple search, they will find local barbers, supermarkets, and restaurants. However, what many businesses don’t know is that the Google listing isn’t automatically assigned. Instead, you need to claim it.

After you go through the verification process, you’ll have control of the information provided by the listing. Now, when people search for a nearby restaurant, not only do you show but they see the information you want them to see.

DON’T: Feel the Need to Give Away Free Stuff

Just because somebody had a poor experience in your restaurant, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to give away free food or credit. When dealing with complaints online, it’s normally enough that you’re even acknowledging the complaint and then providing a gracious response.

In fact, offering something for free can sometimes seem as though you’re ignoring the real issue. For consumers, they like to feel supported and you can do this by taking note of the review and addressing their concerns. Even if somebody orders online once a week and you never actually meet them, their loyalty is just as important so address these negative reviews.

DO: Be Positive at All Times

Leading on from the previous point, it’s possible to gain exposure and attract new customers by publicly addressing good and bad reviews. Although many people worry about prospective customers seeing poor reviews online, we believe it actually provides an opportunity to show professionalism. With a measured response, perhaps a reason for the poor experience, and then a suggested course of action (a way you’re improving the service as a result of the review), it shows you care about what you’re doing in the community.

Even though customers want a positive experience, they also understand that mistakes happen because we’re all human. Address the mistakes, be honest, and show that you’re willing to improve.

Customers Would Like To See Four Minor Changes In Restaurants

It’s important that you serve your restaurant patrons food they’ll rave to friends and family about, but that’s just half your battle in being a successful restauranteur. Your customers may have some gripes that you never even considered being an issue. Fixing those problems could lead to a better customer experience for them and others in the future.

Believe it or not, your choice in music, menu design and other things play a huge role in how customers feel about your restaurant. What are some issues your customers could be having a problem with?

Menu Design

You may have the best chef in town, but how are your patrons going to know it if they have to hunt for the choice on the menu? Most people spend no more than 110 seconds on the menu, which means you need to grab their attention fast. Be sure to focus on the menu’s appearance and structure, using eye-appealing images and food values that resonate with them.

Color Scheme

Did you know that the color red causes people to get hungry? It’s why many fast food restaurants use the color in their logo designs. However, according to research, the color red shouldn’t be used in a restaurant’s décor. Instead, colors like brown, green, yellow and orange fair better in a consumer’s eyes. You want the ambiance of your restaurant to mesh together – to make it where consumers want to come back to the business. 

Reuse Your Marketing Plan

It’s important that your marketing plan gets brought back out, as you want to go over it with a fine tooth comb to ensure everything is working like the plan laid out. You can also devise some new strategies to include in the plan. 

If you’re not using social media, you’re missing out on some potential customers. If you do have social media, but they’re rarely used, consider hiring the services of a freelance social media marketer to assist you in keeping the content fresh.  You also want to ensure your website remains current (add your menu to it, so people will know what kinds of foods you serve before they come to your restaurant).  Always use clear, colorful pictures to lure them in. 

The idea is to stay engaged with your current customers and lure in some new ones.

Use The Right Technology 

Technology can give you a leg up in the restaurant business, bringing customers back to the restaurant even. With a restaurant POS system, you can attain more information on your customers such as their phone number, email address, etc. These tools will provide you with usable information.

POS systems can let you know which menu items are the most popular and bringing customers back. They can let you know which servers are able to upsell. They can also let you know what the most recent foods your customers are ordering, so you give them an even better experience next time around.

When it comes to repeat business, you want a person to leave happy, so they’ll want to come back and will tell their friends about the experience.