I’m lucky to dwell in a metropolis that has a thriving restaurant scene (it’s most identified for its barbecue and Tex-Mex, if that provides you any trace). And whereas I don’t contemplate myself a meals connoisseur by any means, I used to be a meals journalist in a previous life, so I proceed to remain on prime of the newest tales and tendencies surrounding the restaurant business.
To do that, I comply with numerous eating places on social media. I additionally subscribe to their newsletters, attend their particular occasions, enter their giveaways, and join their rewards applications.
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And since my advertising mind by no means shuts off, I can’t assist however be interested by these restaurant advertising methods. How nicely do they work? Which channels do these eating places carry out greatest on? How do established eating places preserve curiosity after the grand opening buzz wears down?
To determine the solutions to those questions, I’m digging deep into restaurant advertising concepts, methods, and real-life campaigns.
Restaurant Advertising Methods That Work
I needed to get extra perception into the world of restaurant advertising, so I spoke with Rachel Ayotte, the founder and CEO of Bread and Butter, a communications company that works with hospitality shoppers.
Why do eating places of all sizes want a advertising technique? What does an efficient marketing campaign appear like as of late?
“In New York Metropolis alone, there are over 25,000 eating places, which might take the common particular person 22 years to strive,” shares Ayotte.
She provides, “With an enormous stock of choices and a comparatively quick time to succeed, folks should know your restaurant not solely exists however can also be someplace they wish to go.”
Because of this having a restaurant advertising technique is important.
If you wish to stand out on-line and convey extra folks into your restaurant, listed below are examples of profitable restaurant advertising methods and campaigns to take inspiration from.
Buyer-First Content material
An important restaurant advertising technique is to focus in your prospects. This is applicable not solely to the best way you market your restaurant but additionally to the menu gadgets and merchandise you create.
One artistic instance of that is Chipotle’s restricted version Serviette Holder, which is impressed by its prospects.
Right here’s the backstory: It’s widespread for Chipotle prospects to seize a stack of napkins to retailer of their vehicles on their method out of the restaurant.
As a substitute of reprimanding its prospects for stocking up on napkins, Chipotle created a possibility for elevated model loyalty by making a branded automobile serviette holder.
As a bonus, the marketing campaign launched across the holidays, making it an ideal gifting alternative. Every serviette holder additionally got here with a present card for a free entree to encourage prospects to go to a restaurant to “restock” their serviette provide.
Chipotle’s restricted version Serviette Holder was not solely a superb customer-inspired product, however the marketing campaign was additionally an ideal instance of social listening in motion.
By taking note of their prospects’ behaviors and what they’re sharing on-line in regards to the restaurant, Chipotle was capable of create a viral second out of it.
Chipotle’s aim on social is to “meet [their] followers the place they’re,” in keeping with Candice Beck, the restaurant’s director of social, influencers, and Web3, and this marketing campaign fully aligns with that technique.
To make use of this technique, get to know your prospects on a deep degree. Immerse your self within the platforms they spend their time on, whether or not that’s Instagram or TikTok, and make be aware of their pursuits, behaviors, and objectives.
Nostalgic Advertising
To at the present time, I can’t hear the phrases “child again ribs” and never consider Chili’s. That’s as a result of I, like many millennials, grew up listening to the enduring “I would like my child again ribs” jingle on TV and the radio.
Chili’s has tapped into its Y2K previous and created a number of nostalgic advertising campaigns this 12 months to focus on its now-adult millennial viewers.
The campaigns embody a business that introduced again the restaurant’s well-known jingle, now sung by Boyz II Males (one other popular culture fixture of the 90s and 2000s).
Utilizing nostalgia in advertising has been a preferred technique in recent times as many companies’ goal audiences are rising up. In case you’re a longtime restaurant, don’t be afraid to rehash the previous.
This might imply bringing again an outdated menu merchandise, promoting merchandise with retro branding, and even sharing flashbacks from all through your restaurant’s historical past.
Nostalgic advertising works not solely as a result of it faucets into folks’s reminiscences and feelings but additionally as a result of it serves as a reminder of how lengthy you’ve been round.
Social-Pushed Content material
In my expertise, eating places that prioritize social media of their advertising technique are likely to generate numerous on-line buzz.
An instance of a restaurant that creates social-driven content material is Austin-based El Arroyo. Despite the fact that El Arroyo is a Mexican restaurant, you gained’t discover any footage of meals on its Instagram.
With virtually 700K followers, the restaurant is as a substitute identified for its real-life marquee signal that shows cheeky jokes and ideas, usually submitted by followers.
The account shares an image of its signal with a brand new message day by day on Instagram.
El Arroyo has constructed a big following round its each day signal, giving its viewers one thing to look ahead to seeing — and sharing — day by day.
The restaurant additionally makes use of its signal to tie in present occasions or make main bulletins. For instance, when the hit Netflix present, Queer Eye, was filming in Austin, El Arroyo partnered with the solid to generate buzz.
If you wish to use social media to drive site visitors to your restaurant, create one thing shareable. This could possibly be a mural or an indication that individuals wish to take footage of or a singular menu merchandise that may stand out within the feed.
Signature Model
After I consider a restaurant with a signature, distinct, and memorable model, the primary place that involves thoughts is Taquero Mucho.
The Austin-based restaurant is understood for utilizing the colour pink in the whole lot — from its decor to its margaritas — even the tortillas are pink.
Pink is splashed throughout its model imagery, making it unmissable on-line and in social media feeds. The colour pink usually evokes a sense of playfulness, optimism, and femininity, that are all phrases I’d use to explain Taquero Mucho.
Creating a robust model is a good way to make your restaurant memorable, as a signature model basically markets your restaurant for you.
Model Partnerships
“One in every of our favourite and only advertising concepts for eating places to maximise consciousness is a partnership with a like-minded model to faucet into their viewers,” shares Ayotte.
Ayotte says it is a low-lift method to attract on what you have already got — an incredible restaurant and an incredible menu. You may “leverage that by one other model that shares the same ethos and has entry to prospects the restaurant may not,” she notes
An instance of a profitable partnership Ayotte’s workforce developed and executed was between the dessert model, Girl M Confections, Netflix, and Pearl Studio prematurely of the discharge of the extremely anticipated musical Over the Moon.
To rejoice the discharge, Girl M created a mooncake lantern. As soon as the partnership was able to be introduced, Ayotte’s workforce reached out to media and influencers to share the information, in addition to samples of the mooncake lanterns.
“The partnership was a powerful success,” Ayotte remembers. “It [resulted] in an enormous bump in gross sales for Girl M [and generated] over 1.7 million impressions and 19,804 complete social engagements.”
10 Restaurant Advertising Concepts for 2024
Primarily based on the methods above, together with extra perception from Rachel Ayotte and my private encounters with restaurant advertising that works, listed below are ten restaurant advertising concepts and greatest practices to do that 12 months and past.
1. Construct a easy but efficient web site.
Whether or not I’m looking for a restaurant close to me on Google or I’ve found a brand new place by Instagram, my subsequent step is all the time to take a look at the restaurant’s web site. Having an internet site to your restaurant is a necessity.
“Even when a restaurant has the most effective service and greatest meals on the planet, visitors want a technique to discover out info and join in a roundabout way,” states Ayotte. “In our expertise designing web sites for eating places, we emphasize the necessity for recurrently up to date, user-friendly codecs that make it straightforward for visitors to see the menu, hours, location, and how you can make a reservation.”
What we like: The excellent news is you don’t must have web site improvement abilities to construct an efficient web site. “Eating places don’t want a massively complicated web site to achieve success,” says Ayotte. “An internet site will be comparatively easy if designed nicely.”
2. Handle and replace your Google Enterprise Profile.
Along with their web site, one other factor I instantly check out when looking for eating places is their Google Enterprise Profile.
Your Google Enterprise Profile is the profile that pops up on the fitting facet of the display when somebody searches for your small business. This snapshot of your small business creates a primary impression to searchers who wish to see what sort of meals to anticipate and what the environment is like.
It additionally shows info they’re probably searching for straight away, corresponding to hours, location, and evaluations.
It’s vital to maintain your profile up to date so prospects have essentially the most correct and up-to-date info. Eating places that actively preserve this info get 89% extra calls, web site visits, and course requests, and 79% extra evaluations, in keeping with knowledge from Cellular.io.
Right here’s an instance of a Google Enterprise Profile for a neighborhood pizza restaurant right here in Austin known as Through 313:
The profile contains the restaurant’s important info corresponding to location, hours, and cellphone quantity. But it surely additionally contains issues that may assist diners make their resolution, just like the menu, service choices, evaluations, and loads of pictures.
Professional tip: You may add your personal pictures to your profile if you happen to don’t need it to solely function photos from buyer evaluations.
3. Observe on-line evaluations.
“Folks like to broadcast detrimental experiences and evaluations,” Ayotte states. “This will hang-out a restaurant for years.”
Whilst you can’t management what folks write of their evaluations, you may select the way you reply. Take the time to learn and reply to each constructive and detrimental evaluations.
Right here’s one other instance from Through 313, the pizza store I discussed above. The restaurant takes the time to thoughtfully reply to each buyer evaluate on Google, even acknowledging their suggestions when prospects share it.
Finest for: Monitoring your restaurant’s on-line evaluations isn’t solely so you may keep on prime of detrimental evaluations. It’s also possible to use buyer suggestions to enhance your restaurant service, get inspiration for brand spanking new dishes, or gather constructive evaluations as social proof in your web site and social media posts.
4. Share UGC (user-generated content material).
For me, seeing posts created by different accounts and prospects helps persuade me to strive a restaurant. That is known as user-generated content material, or UGC.
UGC establishes social proof, which is the idea that prospects are influenced by different prospects’ experiences, conduct, and proposals.
For instance, the Reel under was created by a meals influencer sharing their expertise on the New Orleans-based restaurant Willa Jean (which, by the best way, I can affirm is a good brunch spot within the metropolis!).
The restaurant shared the video by itself web page to amplify the influencer’s constructive advice.
What we like: Not solely does UGC present social proof to your restaurant, but it surely additionally offers you loads of content material to share, so that you by no means run out of issues to submit.
5. Be part of a reservation platform.
If you wish to get prospects within the door, you must make it straightforward for them to return. This usually means assembly them the place they’re, which, within the case of upscale eating, is on the reservation platforms.
Reservation platforms like Resy or Tock are nice channels for eating places to extend their discoverability and get in entrance of recent prospects.
On the client facet, these platforms are handy. Reserving platforms usually curate eating places for purchasers, organizing them into classes corresponding to “High Rated” or “Finest Brunches” so folks can navigate their choices higher.
Resy, for example, even has a class known as “Ebook Tonight” that shows openings for last-minute reservations.
Professional tip: In case you provide reservations or group eating, make it straightforward to your prospects to e book a desk by including a reservation web page or plugin in your web site.
6. Interact prospects straight with electronic mail advertising.
In 2023, I had one in all my most memorable eating experiences at Bar Marilou in New Orleans. From the library-inspired inside design to the mouth-watering bites and flavorful drinks, the expertise has caught with me for almost a 12 months.
So, in fact, anytime I see the identify “Bar Marilou” pop up in my inbox, I instantly open the e-mail simply to be reminded of my magical expertise.
That is the facility of electronic mail advertising. When finished proper, emails can be utilized to extend buyer loyalty and function a reminder of your story, your menu, or your occasions. E-mail is a technique to attain your prospects straight, whereas social media posts can get misplaced in a sea of content material.
Bar Marilou solely sends out emails as soon as a month (typically much less) to share upcoming occasions or updates. This cadence is sufficient for me since I don’t even dwell in the identical metropolis and may’t simply drop in each time I would like.
Nevertheless, you probably have sufficient knowledge in your prospects, you might ship extra customized emails relying on their places, demographic, and eating historical past with you. As an illustration, if you understand your prospects’ birthdays, you may ship them rewards to redeem on their particular days.
Finest for: If you wish to talk vital info or share upcoming occasions along with your prospects, electronic mail advertising is usually a extra direct channel than social media.
7. Create shareable moments.
Shareable content material is essential to succeeding on social media. While you create content material that draws and resonates with folks, they’re extra prone to share it and assist you enhance your restaurant’s on-line attain.
There are a number of methods to create moments or content material that individuals wish to share. A method is to make your dishes Instagram-worthy so prospects are compelled to take footage and share them.
Right here’s one other instance from the pink restaurant, Taquero Mucho, I discussed earlier. The restaurant creates a enjoyable new drink each month and shares it on Instagram. This one aligned with the Barbie film that premiered final summer time.
One other method is to design your restaurant in a method that’s share-worthy by creating an Instagrammable spot inside or outdoors of your area, like a mural.
8. Begin a loyalty or rewards program.
Everybody loves free stuff. A rewards program is usually a enjoyable technique to encourage prospects to grow to be frequent guests to earn free meals and drinks.
McDonald’s presents an incredible instance of how you can execute a rewards program. To encourage folks to make use of its app, McDonald’s presents prospects free giant fries once they make a purchase order.
The extra orders you make within the app, the extra factors you get and may use in direction of future orders.
However you don’t must have a elaborate app or be a big restaurant chain like McDonald’s to start out a loyalty program.
My native espresso store, Sorrento’s Espresso, presents a rewards program that’s arrange by its POS system, Sq..
Each time you purchase a drink, you get factors. 140 factors get you one free drink. (Which jogs my memory — appears like I’ve a free espresso or two ready for me!).
Finest for: Loyalty applications are supposed to reward frequent prospects. In my expertise, the rewards applications I’ve been probably to take part in are locations that I already frequent.
These applications work nice with espresso outlets or lunch spots in a busy workplace space — wherever the place you’re prone to see the identical prospects frequently.
9. Create branded merchandise.
Creating bodily merchandise or branded merchandise is a good way to let your prospects do your advertising for you.
Just like the Chipotle marketing campaign I shared above, branded merchandise is a good advertising concept for eating places with a loyal buyer base. The important thing to creating branded merchandise is to create a product that not solely displays your model however can also be one thing your prospects would get pleasure from.
For instance, El Arroyo, the restaurant with the well-known marquee signal, additionally presents a full line of merchandise that’s synonymous with its signal. The cheeky nature of the signal lends itself nicely to different gift-type gadgets like doormats, coasters, and enjoying playing cards, just like the merchandise under.
What we like: Branded merchandise is a good way to encourage prospects to advertise your model for you and enhance word-of-mouth.
10. Companion with comparable manufacturers.
As Ayotte talked about earlier when speaking about restaurant advertising methods, model partnerships are an efficient technique to amplify your model by getting it in entrance of recent audiences.
To get essentially the most out of your model partnership, companion with a model that has a special but like-minded viewers. It doesn’t even must be one other restaurant or meals model. The aim is to be launched to a brand new viewers that may profit from or get pleasure from your product.
As an illustration, if you happen to’re a small native restaurant that simply opened in your city’s major avenue, you might companion with different small companies on the block for an in-person occasion or a social media giveaway.
Professional tip: Model partnerships ought to be mutually helpful. Contemplate what the opposite social gathering will obtain in return for partnering with you while you make your pitch.
What I Realized About Restaurant Advertising
The largest factor I’ve discovered from digging into completely different restaurant campaigns and methods is that there’s a ton of room to be artistic with restaurant advertising.
There’s no proper or unsuitable method. Eating places can incorporate tendencies of their social posts or stick with publishing high-quality photos of their dishes. They will attempt to get in entrance of recent audiences by partnering with comparable manufacturers, or they’ll construct loyalty with present prospects by electronic mail advertising.
The important factor your restaurant must succeed is an internet site with the next key info:
- Menu
- Hours
- Location
- Telephone quantity
- Reservations (if relevant)
The perfect restaurant advertising technique is to grasp your model and your prospects. From there, you may experiment with completely different on-line and in-person channels to execute your imaginative and prescient and convey extra folks into your restaurant for years to return.
