There are hundreds of restaurants within a small area but not all of them earn the same profit and not all of them have the same number of customers. Here are 20 ideas to get new customers in your restaurant business.
Why do some restaurants attract more customers while others attract fewer?
Apart from good food and a perfect location, there are numerous reasons responsible for a successful restaurant business. The world has changed over the last few years; Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have taken over the global village, but still due to new technologies and increased competition, expanding your restaurant’s customer base only through social media might be challenging. Restaurant owners can use a variety of strategies to advance their businesses by utilizing both the internet and offline worlds.
1. Take Beautiful Pictures
Isn’t the menu the main attraction for your customers? Shouldn’t you have incredibly attractive images of the food on your Digital Menu? Purchase an HD camera, or get the photos taken by a professional. Use these photos throughout your digital channels—on your website, on your social media accounts, and in other places to make people want what you have to offer.
2. Offer Online Ordering
Who has the time to eat out these days? Sadly, there aren’t that many. You should have an online ordering option on your website if your restaurant offers takeout or delivery. Not to mention that taking calls at your restaurant wastes the time of your staff. Allowing customers to place food orders directly from your website will make everyone happier. Accepting online payments will make the procedure even simpler. Consider setting up your account with an online ordering system for restaurants such as Ferrypal.com. FerryPal offers 0% commission and FREE listing for the first year.
3. Prefer a Simple Website
We’ve looked at a lot of restaurant websites, and the vast majority of them provide food. You do not need that awful background music, and you do not need a complicated flash website (because it probably won’t operate on mobile). The majority of websites contain just too many distractions from the content that visitors are truly looking for. Your menu, contact details, location, and hours of operation must be visible to the users.
If you are still confused about such a service for your restaurant’s online ordering system, try out FerryPal and register in a few simple steps.
4. Share Your Recipes in A Book
This is connected to the idea of holding a cooking class at your restaurants. People don’t always eat out; therefore, you still want them to be curious about your restaurant and food when they’re cooking at home. People will remember the unique dish they had at your restaurant if you share some of your recipes, possibly in a cookbook, which is why they purchased your book in the first place.
5. Have a Smartphone in the Kitchen
Your investment will be worthwhile if you keep a reliable smartphone in the kitchen at all times. Make it simple and quick for your cooks and employees to post photos. Posting pictures online is a simple way to attract new clients and engage them with your restaurant.
6. Offer Free Wifi
Wifi is important and, in certain situations, required for many people in the restaurant. The availability of WiFi is a major factor in determining where people choose to eat. Giving customers a reason to come in is essential since they want to socialize online or even catch up on work while they are at your place.
7. Stay Active on Social Media
Given that social media is where your consumers are hanging out, it is one of the most effective marketing tools for restaurant operators. When deciding where to eat, your customers should think of your restaurant. Utilizing social media, you may interact with consumers to stay on their minds and draw them into your restaurant.
Important Links from FerryPal
8. To Tell Your Story Via Video
The great majority of internet content will eventually be video. There is simply no better way for you to encourage customers to visit your restaurant than by using a captivating video. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, but you should hire an expert to film and edit your story.
9. Do E-Mail Marketing
If you’re serious about attracting customers, you must start email marketing. With an opt-in form, you can quickly begin email collection on your website. Offer them a discount coupon for $5 or $10 in exchange for their email address. Create a newsletter with these emails to advertise your new menu items, upcoming events, and offers. Don’t spam individuals, as it will start annoying them.
10. Host a Food Tasting Event
Customers converge inside your restaurant for a novel experience when you host a food tasting event. They’ll be able to sample the various menu items you serve, and share their experience with their loved ones. A Classic word-of-mouth advertising!
11. Start Cooking Classes
People don’t eat out every night, let’s face it. However, they will be reminded of how fantastic your food is when they prepare your recipes at home, which you taught them. The secret to attracting repeat customers is to keep your restaurant in their minds.
12. Organize Sports Activities
Many people want to go out and watch the major neighbourhood game. Why not host a viewing party there? Consider holding additional events at your restaurant during major athletic events. With a little promotion, you can draw in sizable crowds of individuals looking for somewhere to stay, eat, and drink for several hours.
13. Present Gift Cards
Although it may appear to be an outdated technique, it works. We can’t even begin to count how many times we or someone we know went to a particular restaurant only because we had a gift card. They do invite people in. Once a customer enters your restaurant, it is your responsibility to turn them into regular customers with your good service and tasty food.
14. Meet the Chef
Meeting the chef who prepares your delicious food may be a joyful and thrilling event for many of your customers. Put on a special monthly event where people can meet the chef of your restaurant. Foodies will love the chance, and some may blog about the experience. Remember to advertise it!
15. Exterior of The Restaurant
And here is the thing about the facade: the front and exterior of the restaurant have a great effect on its customers. More customers are attracted to beautiful-looking buildings, and the travellers and visitors who sometimes visit a city will fall for a restaurant that has a distinguished exterior design.
16. Expand your menu
Every restaurant serves a standard set of dishes that are common to most restaurants in the area. But what if you offered something unique? Customers may value having something unique on the table that isn’t always available in restaurants, depending on where they are. You can create your own unique recipe and make it the restaurant’s signature dish. A recipe that is unique to your restaurant and not available anywhere else is very likely to draw customers in.
17. Have a corner for kids
Families that dine out are frequently accompanied by children. Undoubtedly, they would want to keep them entertained while they enjoy the meal. It’s a good idea to have a corner for children if you want to draw in more customers because they might come for the facility, which is uncommon in the area, rather than just your food. The kid’s corner might include some swings, a trampoline, and a seesaw. You can make it your way.
McDonald’s Play Area is a perfect example of a kids’ corner available at almost all franchise outlets.
18. Aura of your Restaurant
Come out of the primitive seating position and restaurant design. Hire an interior decorator with some of your money and make your restaurant special. The atmosphere is the distinctive interior design mix that your restaurant offers. Seating arrangement, lighting, architecture, and many other factors can make your restaurant look completely different, and unique things are a way to draw more people. Contrary to common belief, a lot more people are loyal customers of attractive restaurants than of less beautiful places.
19. Get Google Reviews
For your restaurant to not only look good to potential visitors but also be found on Google, reviews are essential. People believe in online ratings, so choosing a new restaurant for a special occasion is a big gamble. If most of your reviews are positive, the more reviews you have, the more people will believe they are making a wise choice by dining at your company.
20. Get to Know Your Regulars
Finding new consumers who haven’t been to your restaurant isn’t the only goal. Making more with what you already have is considerably simpler. Knowing your regulars on a personal level will be very beneficial for your restaurant business.
Want More Customers?
The success of a restaurant is frequently only apparent from the front of the building. This popularity is mostly due to the delicious food, rich menus, and mood-enhancing décor. However, having an efficient back office is extremely important. The use of restaurant financial management software and an online ordering system, which are easy for customers to use and have a simple design, makes your job easier. FerryPal offers you an online ordering system after just a quick registration process.
- Expand your company without having to pay extra commissions.
- Commission-free online ordering can boost your revenues by up to 50%.
- Create a website that converts visitors into devoted customers and encourages repeat customers.
Go to FerryPal to get your own QR code menu for your restaurant.
To get started, navigate to https://store.ferrypal.com/create-a-free-menu and create an account.
Download our store setup guide here. FerryPal Guide to Setting Up Account – FerryPal
Once you have signed up for FerryPal.com, it’s time to create your first QR code menu!
FerryPal gives you plenty of options when creating your own restaurants QR code menu:
- Select the type of dish that will appear on each page of your menu (e.g., an appetizer or a dessert).
- Select which pages will contain each type of dish (e.g., if some pages have multiple types of dishes)
- Add information about each dish type, including its name and price
To start expanding your restaurant right away, go to ferrypal.com
