An idea of starting a restaurant seems to attract many, but it’s not a cakewalk. Many new restaurants fail in their first year as they were not able to survive in the biz world. To sustain in this industry is tough as sustenance is not granted. But, you can prolong the longevity of your restaurant by adopting the right measures.
Here are a few marketing tips that can help you to run a successful restaurant:
- Engaging the customer:
It is important to interact with customers. It is seen globally that restaurants, where chefs and staff interact more with their guests witness regular visits. Many startups fail as they are unable to identify their target customers. When people visit these places, they don’t feel connected and get easily distracted.
- Staff:
You need to value your staff as they get your business. Hire a group of staff who is loyal to you and abide by the rules and standards of your restaurant and are looking for a long term association. Treat them nicely, reward them, encourage them and be empathetic so that they serve your guests with their full hearts. Also, train them well and make them knowledgeable about the food menu items.
- Create USP:
Create your own USP, so that people love to visit your restaurant and spread the word about you.
For instance, you can create your signature dish, theme, a star chef, which lets you stand out from others. All the successful restaurants have their own USP in terms of themes and dishes, etc.
- Try cost-effective strategies:
Running a restaurant will cost you rent, staff salaries, food costs, electricity, and other bills. But, you need to find ways to reduce these expenses.
For instance, you can hire temporary staff and keep your permanent staff for peak-hours. Many restaurant owners are opting for Cloud kitchens or Ghost Kitchens to save their exorbitant rent.
- Choose the right location:
Location plays a significant role in the successful running of a restaurant. First of all, identify your potential customer base and then finalize the location.
Look for a place which is easily approachable, has parking ample parking space. Don’t go over the top and take care of your budget too.
- Join Technology Bandwagon :
If you want to run a successful restaurant business then you need to be tech-savvy. Stats show technical features that are popular among customers are online reservations(36%), free wifi(23%), online food ordering apps (19%).
Moreover, 81% of restaurants are currently using POS( Point of sale ), 68% offer wifi, 37% accept online orders and 32% mobile payments. Restaurants are getting their hands on several technologies and one out of them is a POS system.
With this, you can manage your day to day operations like inventory, staff scheduling, cash flow and more. It automates the tasks and reduces error.
- Social Media:
Make everything of your restaurant “instagrammable” as your guests would first love to see your food, your decor, happy faces over the net before choosing you.
So, you should focus on real-time photos and videos, this will create a buzz about your restaurant. Let them be part of your restaurant and encourage them to share your food pictures on their social media.
- Keep Licenses:
You require various licenses to run a restaurant, such as a shop & an establishment license, food business operator license, food standards & safety act, employee rights act, etc. If you don’t follow the legal route and your restaurant will more likely close.
Below are the examples of two restaurant giants & how they have established their business on a larger scale:
McDonald's has grown its network and set their business in 35,000 locations in more than 100 countries. They maintained their consistency like you go to any part of the world, you're going to have similar experience and taste everywhere.
Also, they built a strong rapport with their customers which helped them to survive in their difficult times. They were first to introduce drive-thru to the people who prefer takeaway while they drive.
Moreover, they kept in mind the nutrition of the people and introduces several healthy options. In 2006, it became the first fast-food restaurant to provide nutrition facts on their packaging.
For Starbucks there was no looking back after their first store in Seattle, now the chain has close to 24,000 stores worldwide. Starbucks provides its guests with a great ambiance. Even if you are alone, you don’t feel awkward as the whole place seems cozy.
Starbucks promote customer-centric culture and see business from the eyes of their guests. They follow the same color scheme, chairs, and tables worldwide. Moreover, they are fast, energetic and friendly. They call your name mentioned on the cup before handing you a cup of coffee.
You can take inspiration from these restaurant giants and always come up with innovative ways to be different from your competitors. So, focus more on your customers and find out what are their likes and dislikes.
Also, implement the above-mentioned tips to join the bandwagon of the big restaurants.
The team of experts at marketing eats understands that there is so much noise out there that it seems difficult and confusing for you to cut through it all.
Hence, Marketing Eat's restaurant marketing services in melbourne make use of the latest strategies to entice new customers into your restaurant.
Restaurant management deals with effective ways to streamline the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.As the owner of the restaurant, it is imperative that you work on the skills and strategies that you follow.
This new guest settles at the lesser-priced $15 burger because he couldn’t decide out of the 8 burgers that you are offering.Fix: Limit the menu options and boost customizationRestaurants have high sales when they offer 7-10 items per menu category.
Things move at a fast pace and the worst thing any manager can do is to take an instant decision to resolve the issue.The fix: Stay consistent by adopting a reliable restaurant management systemYou have to be proactive and stay ahead of the curve instead of being reactive.
Take good care of:Staffing needsMenu changes and updatesInventory managementCustomer trendsUpdating technologyAll this can be done with the help of the online restaurant management system at one go.3.
Your focus as a good restaurant manager should be retaining your already existing regulars so that your profit keeps thriving.The Fix: Promote Your Loyalty ProgramThe best way to ensure that they keep coming back is to reward their loyalty.
A 2017 Bond Brand Loyalty depicted 81% of customers would love to visit your restaurant and order if you have a great loyalty program.Offer special points to the existing customer when a customer joins the loyalty program with his referral.
The food delivery sector is booming thanks to technologies.
Moreover, with most of the people who prefer to order online, it keeps on increasing and shows considerable potential globally.
That’s why if you are in the restaurant industry, it’s imperative to adopt new technologies that will help you to rank among the competitors.
Currently, many restaurants are using independent food delivery apps that help them to expand market share and increase sales volume.
Not only does it help them to offer a valuable new service to their customers, but also they harness the benefits of modern e-commerce.
Unfortunately, there are lots of highly competitive food delivery services that are ready to deliver food.
