Have you always wondered how other restaurants get more customers, whereas your restaurant is just not attractive enough to them? Be it a small restaurant or a large chain of restaurants, these tips are kept in mind by the owners. If you aren’t putting these into use already, then you should be.
1. Season with discounts to reason with your customers
Be it special occasions like Merdeka Day discounts or off-season discounts, always give generous amounts of incentives to your customers. Burger King offered a meal that had a burger along with a drink for as low as 6.60 RM and MyLaksa offered a free drink with any Asam Laksa or Tom Yam ala carte order to all those people who showed their MyLaksa Merdeka keychain. Happy hours are also a great option since that would be the ideal time to attract prospective customers to your restaurant or bar. You can also offer free items from your menu to the customers, as it will increase their awareness about your restaurant and also create an obligation on them, and they will want to return the favor by either buying more items or recommending your restaurant to someone who might find it interesting. Complimentary items are always kept in mind by the customers, so make sure that you offer them enough.
2. Be the restaurant that is ahead of its time (pun intended!)
By enabling pre-ordering and reservation facilities for them.Pre Ordering facility makes the process hassle-free because they won’t have to wait in line to reserve a seat in advance and their meal will already be on the table when they arrive at your restaurant. Manually taking reservations can result in a number of problems that will harm the reputation of your restaurant and are quite difficult to fix. Technology might solve most of your problems. You can create an app through which your customers will be able to pre-order easily. You can also create QR code-based menus for accuracy.
3. Create a Unique atmosphere
Your restaurant should remain etched in the memories of the customers, and for that, you may design your restaurant according to a particular theme. For example, there are cat-themed cafes like ‘Monster-A Garden’ in Malaysia and Frankenstein’s Laboratory in Indonesia. Creating themes like these makes them feel like they’re somewhere else, giving them a novel experience and remaining in their memories for a longer time. Using appropriate and attractive lighting and decor will put you in an advantageous position.Create aesthetic and photogenic corners for them so that they can click pictures for their social media. (This might turn into a shoutout as well.)
4. Organise Events and Activities
If your restaurant is a dine-in one, then you can organise events like Karaoke nights, open mics, or music nights regularly so that your customers will never have a moment of dullness. People wouldn’t mind getting entertainment along with their meals and by this, you will also be creating a place for get-togethers which will invite even more people. You can hire pros or amateurs to put on a music show, depending on your budget. People will prefer coming to your restaurant more than staying at home and binge-watching Netflix. You can also have interactive dining experiences like cook your own pot, barbeque tables, or live food preparation stations. This will be a novel experience for them.
5. Invest in Digital Marketing
To make a ‘byte’-sized impression and ‘feed’ your online presence. My Burger Lab’s charcoal buns were all over the internet, helping it gain new customers as well as retain the older ones. You can also use Meme marketing as it will allow you to establish a more intimate and emotional connection with your target customers. Meme marketing fosters a sense of inclusivity and relatability by utilizing humor and pop culture references. These elements strengthen customer loyalty and promote a favorable perception of the brand. You can also ask local food bloggers for a shoutout which will increase your visibility. This will help take-away restaurants as well. You should also consider investing in building a website, as it will attract customers from places that are far away and increase your visibility on a much larger scale.
6. Provide Top-Notch Service
You can use various psychological tests, like the Myers-Briggs test, to assess the personalities of the employees and accordingly assign tasks to them so that service quality improves. Mr. Chen Ren Yi from My Burger Lab used a similar strategy to improve sales during COVID. Ren Yi assigned duties to the employees based on their personalities using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. Ren Yi made them take this test, which helped in determining their strengths and weaknesses and categorised them into 16 general personalities. This test helped in determining which station was best for his staff. Persons who are inventive and strategic thinkers, like an architect, are a good fit for overall planning and being deployed as coordinators in MBL since they make good leaders. Staff members with console personalities—caring, well-liked in society, and willing to assist—will work as servers. Empathetic people can be deployed as servers as they will be good at understanding the needs of customers and acting according to that which might be very helpful in retaining them for a long time.
7. Use Customer Reviews and Loyalty Programs to Your Advantage
Encourage more customers to write reviews as it is valuable and will provide insight into their perceptions of your restaurant. You’ll find out what aspects appeal to them and where you have to make improvements. You won’t know whether you’re meeting the needs of your customers without this. You can also create customer loyalty programs as it will improve the experience of repeat customers and will help in retaining them. Loyal customers are far more inclined to strike up a casual chat about your restaurant, promoting it and turning other people towards you. Loyalty programs also let you collect zero- and first-party customer data
In conclusion, transforming your restaurant into a magnet for customers involves a strategic blend of innovative approaches. From giving enticing discounts, and embracing technology through pre-ordering facilities to crafting a distinctive atmosphere and hosting engaging events, the recipe for success is multifaceted. Leveraging the power of digital marketing and prioritising exceptional service further amplifies your restaurant’s appeal. By actively seeking and utilising customer reviews, loyalty programs, and insightful data analysis, you can continuously refine and enhance the overall dining experience. Remember, the journey to increased footfall begins with embracing uniqueness in discounts, themes, and events, followed by a dedicated commitment to customer satisfaction and improvement. Use these 7 tips right away and share your experience in the comments below.