5 Tips for Increasing Customers in Your Restaurant

There is risk involved in opening up pretty much any business but those in the food industry know more than most the challenges faced as a new business and how tough it can be to succeed. Surveys suggest that around 60% of new restaurants close within 12 months. That is a lot of pressure for anyone, but when you are relying on your business to go the distance, you need to make sure you are going the extra mile to support your success.

How can you effectively boost your customers as a new restaurant?

Run promotions

Promotions are a great way to get people in the door. Be it happy hour offers, time-sensitive set menu deals, or mid-week reductions during the quiet times, to get established, you need to entice people in the doors, and promotions are a great way of doing so.

High standards

You may serve the most amazing meals, but if your restaurant looks run down or dirty, or your team is providing a less than perfect service, then people will desert you faster than, well, a melted dessert. You need to be reinforcing excellent standards of customer care throughout your restaurant, including the decor, hygiene standards, behavior of your staff, and everything in between.

Partners

Joining partnership programs that advertise your restaurant can help you reach people who may not otherwise have known you were open. You are essentially piggybacking off an already extensive customer base by partnering with programs such as Rewards Network. 

Alternatively, partner with other local businesses for cross-promotion or collaborations where you, for example, source all of your bread from a local baker, or you use only seafood from your local fish market.

Ask for feedback

Constantly assess how you are performing by working on people’s feedback and thoughts on dining with you. We all know false reviews are rife online. Many people have been called out; however, offering customers the chance to tell what you did well and where you can improve via in-house feedback forms can eliminate most fake reviews. Be aware; nothing is stopping these reviews from appearing online regardless and how you respond is just as important as any changes you make based on feedback.

Utilize social media

Social media is no doubt one of the best ways to share your progress and meals in real-time. Have someone work the kitchen to photograph food as it leaves the kitchen and share it with Instagram Stories or Twitter. Update all of your social media accounts with new meals, new services, staff shout outs, promotions, and more.

This is a great way of engaging with people and sharing what they can expect when they head to your restaurant and the type of food you create.

Influencers in your local area can be great assets. Make sure to check out those local to you and see what they can offer you. View this as a partnership; they get free food and service in exchange for introducing you to their audience. The best influencers know their worth and what they bring to the table. They will also view this as a professional relationship and offer you the best ROI.