How To Make Your Restaurant Popular: Proven Strategies

Having a steady stream of regular and new customers is paramount to your restaurant’s success in this competitive industry. It involves using proven restaurant customer acquisition strategies, and this is what you’ll learn here.

This guide explains the different ways to get more customers in your restaurant. Keep reading to learn about the effective strategies that help attract and build a loyal customer base.

Understanding Restaurant Customer Acquisition

Restaurant customer acquisition refers to the strategies you use to attract more customers to your establishment. It starts with making people aware of your eatery and ends with them becoming diners.

The first step in how to attract customers to your restaurant is understanding your audience. This affects who you target and the strategies you implement. You can do this with customer segmentation, which is essentially grouping customers based on demographics and preferences.

It is also important to consider the customer acquisition cost. This is how much you have to pay to get a new customer.

Let’s move to the next section, which shows the restaurant strategies you should use to attract customers.

Building a Strong Online Presence

If you don’t have a strong online presence, your customers will see your competition first instead of your restaurant. Use these tips to build your digital footprint and make it easier for your customers to find your eatery.

Optimizing Your Restaurant’s Website

It’s no longer enough just to have a website for your restaurant — you need to optimize it using these tips:

• The design needs to be on point, i.e., it should be responsive and look professional. Responsive means the website adapts automatically to varying screen sizes of your customers’ devices.
• There should be a logo, and the color scheme should match your branding.
• The images should be high-quality and load quickly. You can compress the pictures to reduce the file size without compromising image quality.
• It should be easy to navigate and provide all the information your customers need from you.
• Provide up-to-date menus, contact information, restaurant location, and operating hours. Offer customers the option to make reservations on your website.
• Use restaurant search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to increase your website’s rankings.

Utilizing Online Ordering

Customers love convenience, so you should give them the option to place orders online. Besides, it can increase your revenue, as more people can order from your restaurant. There are two ways to attract new restaurant customers:

1. You take orders through your website. Since it’s your website, you can keep the prices the same.
2. You join food delivery apps. While this is easier because these third-party apps handle everything from pickup to delivery, it comes at a cost. As a result, you will have to increase your prices to account for how much these food delivery apps charge.

Google Business Profile and Local SEO

When people hear about your restaurant, one of the first things they’ll do is search for your eatery online. With a Google Business Profile, you can ensure patrons get accurate information about your restaurant easily.

When creating your profile, provide as much detail as possible because this is what people will see. It adds your business to Google Maps. Furthermore, you can edit the information on this service.

Local SEO is essential because it affects your visibility in search results. List your restaurant in local directories and incorporate relevant keywords customers use. For example, join TripAdvisor and claim your listing.

You’ll also want to make sure you have loads of positive reviews so people see positive social proof for your establishment. Using a handy tool like a QR review generator can help with this.

Social Media Engagement

According to Statista, there are 5.24 billion social media users. In other words, social media is where most of your audience is when they’re online. Take full advantage of these platforms to draw attention to your restaurant. So, how to attract more customers to your restaurant with your social media account?

Make sure you post about your restaurant regularly. This can include images of your dishes, introductions to your staff, decor, and more.

You also have to engage with your followers. Host polls, go live, reply to comments and direct messages, and share relevant posts from your customers. The more you engage, the more people will see your content when you publish it.

Marketing Strategies To Attract Customers

The next step in how to get more customers in your restaurant is to use the following marketing strategies.

Promotions and Discounts

How to bring more customers to your restaurant after you build your online presence? Restaurant promotions and discounts are always an instant hit. Moreover, they give people one more reason to order from your eatery instead of your competitors, increasing brand loyalty.

For instance, offer happy hours when your pub’s business is slow or discounts on bundles to increase the check size. Since these offers come with a time limit, your customers wouldn’t want to miss these deals.

Customer Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty programs are great because they encourage guests to return to your restaurant. They also increase revenue and improve brand loyalty and recognition.

You can have a point-based system where guests earn points per visit and check size. They can redeem these points to get a discount or a free dish of their choice. Another option is to use a punch card, which rewards your guests the more they visit your restaurant.

There’s a tiered loyalty program where customers get better benefits as they reach higher tiers. You get to set the conditions guests need to meet to join each tier.

Encouraging Reviews and Building Reputation

Reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor significantly impact customers’ perception of your restaurant. Furthermore, people look at reviews when deciding to visit your eatery or the cafe on the opposite street.

Encourage your customers to leave reviews, as this builds your online reputation. Ask guests for reviews when they’re leaving your restaurant. You must also keep an eye on these reviews and respond to them, especially negative criticism.

Learn how to defuse situations and offer solutions to compensate your guests for their experiences. This will show that you care about your customers’ experiences and want to improve your service.

Introducing Gift Cards

Gift cards will get more people to come to your restaurant in order to redeem them. Moreover, these cards are another revenue source for your eatery because guests pay for them upfront. You can offer these vouchers on your website.

Promote your gift cards because people love gifting them, especially for occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.

Sell Branded Merchandise

When you become popular in your neighborhood, capitalize on the fame by introducing branded merchandise. It can be one of your business verticals and generate additional revenue. Furthermore, it increases awareness about your restaurant.

Enhance Sales With Upselling Techniques

Upselling convinces your customers to buy expensive dishes and beverages from your restaurant. When it works, it increases the check size.

For example, when guests order a pizza, you can ask them if they want extra toppings or cheese. You can even offer a dip to complement the dish. Teach your staff how to upsell without coming off as pushy or salesy.

Make Creative Email Offers

People receive tons of emails from businesses. So, how can you get people to open your emails? You get creative with the offers you provide via email. Here is an example — if you know it’s a customer’s birthday, you can give them an exclusive discount.

This method also works when it is one of your staff’s birthdays. For instance, you offer a limited discount on your chef’s recommended dishes.

You notice a guest has not come to your restaurant in a while. In this special situation, you provide a discount so they have a reason to come back.

Enhancing the Dining Experience

Moving on, you have guests visiting your restaurant, thanks to your marketing efforts. At this point, you must look at the dining experience because this influences whether your customers will return.

Ambiance and Decor

The ambiance and decor influence people’s opinions the moment they walk into your restaurant. It should elevate your eatery’s aesthetics and complement your theme.

The lighting should make your restaurant feel welcoming. The music should be subtle and add to the dining experience.

Quality of Service

Your guests will always remember the quality of service you provide in your restaurant. Do your staff welcome guests as they walk into your establishment? How knowledgeable are your servers regarding the dishes and beverages on your menu?

You should also train your staff to resolve problems as they arise. When customers are happy with the quality of service, they’ll spread the word to their friends and family.

Offering Free Amenities

Everybody loves free amenities. You can provide free guest WiFi for your patrons to use when they’re in your restaurant.

While your guests wait for their order, provide a complementary dish, like freshly prepared bread with a spiced butter dip. If the check size is large, offer a complimentary dessert.

Showcase Your Dishes With Stunning Visuals

Your dishes should look mouthwatering when displayed on your social media account, menu, food delivery app, or website. Doing this gets your customers’ attention.

But it shouldn’t just stop there. You must also follow up and live up to your customers’ expectations when they order the dishes. In other words, you should aesthetically present your dishes. Remember, people often take pictures of food and share them on social media platforms before they take their first bite.

Incorporate Live Music Into Your Atmosphere

Live music just elevates the dining experience in your restaurant. People love listening to local musicians while they eat. Collaborating with musicians increases brand awareness and reach to their fans.

Make sure the genre you choose complements your restaurant’s atmosphere. For instance, if it is a family restaurant, find musicians who perform covers of popular songs. This way, your guests can sing along, adding to the experience.

Unique Strategies for Diverse Customer Demographics

You must adapt your strategies to fit your target audience and attract them to your restaurant. Here is how to reach new restaurant customers by personalizing your strategies.

Targeting Young Customers

Young customers use social media, so your dishes must look as good as they taste. In other words, they should be visually appealing so your guests can post them on social media platforms.

You need to understand their dietary preferences and adjust your dishes accordingly. They are also looking for restaurants that provide an experience.

Approaching Local Families

Local families are looking for restaurants where everyone can sit and eat together. This means you’ll need a kids’ menu with smaller portions. Another option is to provide a play area so parents can relax and their children can have fun.

Your restroom should have a changing room. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to keep booster seats for babies.

Catering to Busy Professionals

Time is crucial for busy professionals. You’ll need to provide meals that you can cook and serve quickly. Another solution is to have spaces where professionals can conduct informal meetings. Pricing is also key because it determines how often they visit your establishment.

You can even provide exclusive loyalty programs to professionals to encourage them to eat in your restaurant.

Plan Major Events and Seasonal Celebrations

Major events and seasonal celebrations are necessary to draw a large crowd to your restaurant.

Collaborating With Local Businesses

Find relevant local businesses and collaborate with them. For example, you can source your ingredients from nearby farms to highlight freshness and support local agriculture. Ask a food truck to set up a shop outside your restaurant and offer dishes unavailable in your eatery.

Influencer Marketing With Food Bloggers

People turn to recommendations from food bloggers when looking for new places to eat. Influencer marketing via food bloggers can ensure new customers come to your restaurant. This move can increase your visibility and boost your reach.

When looking for food bloggers, make sure they are in your niche. Working with highly engaged influencers is good because people are more likely to see the content. You can even work with smaller influencers as long as they have a good engagement rate.

Launch Cooking Classes

Cooking classes are fun and can attract more customers to your restaurant. You can even show how to make some of the dishes you serve. Ask your chefs if they want to join these sessions and share their culinary knowledge.

Facilitate ‘Meet the Chef’ Sessions

Host exclusive sessions where your guests can meet your chefs. Some guests may even post about these sessions on social media, attracting new restaurant customers. Moreover, your diners will never forget these experiences.

Run Contests or Giveaways

How to make your restaurant popular if you are a new establishment? Run contests or giveaways to get people’s attention immediately. Plus, customers can’t resist the chance of winning something.

For example, have a competition where guests need to post photos about your restaurant. You select a random post after a specific period as the winner. This guest gets an exclusive offer, like a free meal in your restaurant.

Stay Ahead by Monitoring Industry Trends

Monitoring industry trends to understand what brings customers to restaurants. Adapting to trends also provides opportunities to attract a larger audience and remain competitive.

For instance, gluten-free options are becoming popular in the US. Capitalize on this trend and add gluten-free meals to your menu.

People are reducing their sugar consumption in order to stay healthy. You can offer sugar-free beverages in response to this trend.

Wrapping Up

This guide on how to get more customers for your restaurant highlights all the strategies you should use. Try them out and see which ones give you the best results. Remember to customize the strategies to be relevant to your niche and target audience.

As highlighted earlier in this guide on how to attract new customers to your restaurant, free WiFi is an essential amenity. Beambox’s WiFi marketing services can help you turn this into a revenue stream.

Make your free WiFi a tool to collect user data and help understand your customers with our solutions. You can even incorporate your branding and provide exclusive offers to guests who access your WiFi.

Use Beambox today and transform your WiFi into a powerful marketing platform for your restaurant!

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