The restaurant industry is booming and for some proprietors profits are going through the roof. However, that truth does not translate for every restaurant owner since the food business is also one of the most competitive in existence. Therefore, restaurant owners have to always think of ways to attract new customers and keep the existing ones loyal to their den.
In fact, market analysis has shown that a whopping 70% of new restaurants go kaput within the first three to five years of launching themselves. On the flip side, 90% of restaurants that manage to make it past the five-year mark stay open for more than ten years.
This only means that the difference in surviving in the business lies in your restaurant’s ability to attract a steady stream of patrons and beat the lull that most restaurants face at different points in their course.
Also, most entrepreneurs tend to assume that once the restaurant is open, all they need to do is serve a great menu and customers will eat out of their hands. However, the fact is that to be successful in the massively competitive restaurant industry, you have to be proactive and preempt situations in-order to play to your strengths.
Besides food, another equally important aspect that is going to get you stamped in your customers’ memory is how vibrant, lively, fresh, trendy, dynamic, and durable your restaurant interiors look. So, designing your restaurant smartly to ensure that your place looks stylish, serviceable, and well maintained as opposed to being run down after a short period is one of your trump cards that will help you stand out and make yourself noticed.
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Apart from this, we’ve listed other 5 actionable, budget-friendly and simple tricks to lure more customers to your restaurant.
1. Do Your Promotions Traditionally and Digitally
Foodies need to know about you and although traditional advertising still works and word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing techniques, and should never be under rated, you also need to explore new avenues. These days, customers are more tech-savvy and are almost always glued to their smart phones. So, use search engines, social media, and consumer review sites to advertise your restaurant so that you have a visible, viable, consistent, and sustainable online presence that will help you reach out to more and more customers and bring in more business to your restaurant.
2. Host Unique Events
Nowadays, just about any restaurant is hosting wine tasting events, live music events, private parties, etc, which are popular and should be taken advantage of. However, it’s also time to think out of the box and host different events, such as instead of cooking classes, host a workshop with your restaurant interior designer to educate young enthusiasts about the elementary aspect of designing a restaurant, or you can team up with local business owners that deal in anything useful to restaurants like upholstery, cutlery, merchandise, artifacts, etc and have them showcase their goods as well as you cater specially priced menu items on those days that may pique the interest of the guests that arrive.
3. Free Wi-Fi
Who doesn’t like free internet and though some skeptics claim that you’ll only have freeloaders eating into your business whilst whiling away their time. These assumptions are mostly incorrect. Statistical data has shown that 62% of diners 1 spend a longer time at restaurants with free Wi-Fi. More surprisingly, is that of these customers, at least 50% of them spend more money than they would have at an establishment without free Wi-Fi services. Also, you can play smart and leverage this service to beat the lull and slow periods of the day where nearly every restaurant experiences low sales.
Another way to keep business steady during off peak hours is by offering variable pricing such as happy hours, kids eat free specials, senior citizens discounts, etc that can help restaurants meet the decreased demands. You can also announce free sampling of your newest dish on the menu to upsurge the curiosity of food connoisseurs.
This is also the time to build loyal customers by gifting loyalty cards that offer discounts that is not a one off but say spaced out for 6- 7 visits. So, every visit will increase the discount marginally but a customer feels that he or she is getting more and more discounts for the next seven visits.
4. Create Niche Places in Your Restaurant
Generally speaking people are suckers for things that make them feel privileged. So, satisfying this temperament can really score you some brownie points; especially, if you have this covered in your restaurant’s theme layout. For example, reserving a small but a safe play area for kids or toddlers while their parents eat their meals or constructing a special smoke zone in your floor space that allow customers their nicotine indulgence without having to leave the premise completely. Going the extra mile might just be your ticket to set your cash register ringing.
5. Invite Local Institutions to Enjoy the Day Out
Reaching out to your local prospects can also go a long way in building a loyal customer base. You can host schools, colleges, or even corporates and customize the menu as per the clientele you are catering to along with playing a special movie, live sports on television, a special cooking class or a cooking competition to up the excitement level and also give you an opportunity to showcase your restaurant’s USP.
Be Creative in your Outlook
When it comes to finding ways on how to attract more customers to your restaurant, always remember that apart from food that are several other aspects of a restaurant that you can capitalize on to market it. Of course, you also need to be aware that you may attract a lot of customers but you should ensure that your place mesmerizes them to want them to come back for more. Designing your restaurant to look jaunty, lively, luxurious, cozy, comfortable, and functional will go a long way in making your restaurant a talk of the town. If you’re looking to start a new restaurant or spruce up your old one, we at Sprinteriors can help you achieve that. We have helped a number of clients in the restaurant industry improve their presence and amplify the number of customers that dine at their establishment. For more information on interior designing, contact us today!
