If you own a restaurant, work in the industry, or simply enjoy a night out at your favorite eatery now and then you’re bound to notice the basic marketing gears grinding away. A large sign or two posted out front, a handful of media ads, and an engaging Facebook page are pretty standard stuff when it comes to restaurant promotion. Many restaurants stop once they’ve covered the basics, and in doing so bypass a whole world of marketing opportunities that can build relationships as well as revenue.
It’s not missing out if you don’t know it exists, so we’ve uncovered a handful of food related marketing opportunities for you that often go untapped.
Menu revisions. It’s simple, can be done mostly in house (minus printing costs), and can literally change how people view your establishment, but revising and rebuilding your menu can be something most restaurant owners don’t even think about. Slight repositioning of top selling items can see those items increase in sales. Placing more expensive plates next to less expensive dishes can make the latter seem bargain-priced and prompt customers into an order. Dropping dollar signs from menu pricing can help put your patrons more at ease when scanning your offerings. Mix things up and see what works best for your restaurant.
Town-renowned happy hours. The renown surrounding your happy hour doesn’t need to stop in your city or town, but making yours the best in the surrounding area definitely has value. Think outside the box of $2 drafts and discount appetizers and electrify these few magic hours to surprise and impress your customers. Get the buzz going by serving top shelf liquor at well prices or inventing and perfecting killer appetizers you can’t find anywhere else.
Treat your tenders. After work try treating your bartenders and servers to a free drink. This may be counterintuitive and prompt an “if I give away drinks I’m not making money,” but paying for an off-the-clock shot or cocktail every now and then is an excellent way to encourage your employees to stay and invite friends. Turning an otherwise slow night into a hopping scene could be as easy as encouraging your staff to bring their friends in for a night out.
Cater and Deliver. If you don’t cater or deliver you may already be behind the curve and not know it. Buying a few catering supplies can be fairly inexpensive and open up a whole new area of revenue for your restaurant. Weddings, corporate meetings, company outings, and family reunions are only a few get-togethers that could use your business’ catering capabilities. Offering a delivery service is another great way to reach out and bring back customers. If you’d rather not take on the responsibility of your employees driving during business hours try hiring a delivery service to transport your food for you. Most only ask for a small fee. Additionally, as an unconventional networking opportunity catering and delivery give you access to countless potential customers.
Spread the knowledge of how to cook well. You don’t have to give away your trade secrets, but hosting a regularly scheduled cooking class is a fun way to let your customers get in on the action. Focus on pushing the culinary arts envelope has created an entire foodie frenzy, and letting people know you share the passion by showing some of your technique helps fuel the flames.
Go underground. An exciting trend that’s been popping up in the restaurant circle has been the notion of offering “underground” dining experiences. Serving one-of-a-kind plates and saving the secret location’s address until hours before an event can create mystery and exclusivity for those who attend. The media will love it and your customers will enjoy the adventure.
Offer speed meals. In the fast paced eat-when-you-can corporate world workers often have little or no time to grab a bite for lunch. Give your restaurant the upper hand by offering quick meal guarantees. “Serving lunch in 10 minutes or less” goes a long way in the eyes of time-conscious customers. It doesn’t require extra restaurant equipment or additional training, just a dedication to service and a staff that you can trust to perform.
Customer pricing. An interesting idea that some restaurants have tried is letting customers pay whatever they feel their meal was worth. This doesn’t mean throw your prices out the window, but instead maybe pick one day a month and advertise your unique pricing plan for that day. Granted, you’ll have customers who pay less for their lunch, but you’re also likely to have customers who overpay and make up for underpaying patrons. But pleasing current customers is only part of the value. Media coverage and word-of-mouth thrive off these kinds of atypical, experimental approaches and can help attract new customers.
Brand your best sauces. While the paperwork involved in selling a signature sauce may be a bit daunting, bottling up that scrumptiousness can be a superb source of extra revenue. If you’ve got an established brand logo you can slap it on the bottle for an advertisement on countertops, in cupboards, and in the hands of customers. Giving samples of your sauce away for free to get people in the door, or back in the door, is a great tactic.
Feed foodies at festivals. We see food festivals pop up nationwide on a regular basis. Renting space and setting up a booth is easier than you think and can get your food into the mouths and bellies of people who might never visit your restaurant. Another excellent networking opportunity, frequenting food festivals can be invaluable in the connections and call-backs you’ll uncover. Try giving out a coupon every time you sell something from your booth that prompts people to seek out the source.
This is only skimming the surface when it comes to innovative ways you can market your restaurant. There is an ocean of information out there that deals with fun technology, trendy design ideas, and think-outside-the-box success stories. We just started with the food side of things!
About the Author
Andrew Call provides blog insights regarding restaurant management and marketing at The Back Burner, which is written by the employees of Tundra Specialties, a company specializing in restaurant supply, parts, and a wide variety of food service equipment and sundries.
