If you’re a restaurant owner looking for information on How to Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant, you’ve come to the correct spot. This article will go into great depth on that question. So, How do you Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant? Let’s take a look.

How To Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant? 

How to Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant? Use targeted marketing campaigns and host compelling events.  Don’t underestimate the power of Social media. A Good Restaurant POS can help you create a loyalty program and keep in touch with your customers. Great service will help, too.

In this post, we’ll go into great detail on how to provide excellent customer service and many other tips that drive huge traffic to your restaurant business.

13 Steps on How to Drive Traffic to Your Restaurant?

Marketing is one of the biggest problems encountered by restaurant operators. You can bet you’ll struggle to make the money you desire from your food services without the relevant advertising and promotions.

In some instances, having a fantastic location is sufficient to keep customers coming in. What if it isn’t? Can you still successfully operate a restaurant? Yes, it is the answer. No matter where you are, you can use conventional and contemporary marketing to increase foot traffic to your restaurant.

1 – Know Your Customers

Even though you may be able to identify and acknowledge some of your customers, it’s best you know each of them individually. Learn what drives them to make repeated purchases and crave your meals. Understanding why people visit your customers repeatedly, what they think of your service, and how they behave when purchasing can affect the restaurant’s food traffic and engagement. 

You may be able to predict future purchases from patrons by being aware of their specific purchasing patterns. Additionally, it might help you offer them discounts or other benefits to get them to visit your restaurant more frequently.

You get to keep clients happy and get new ones to buy from you by identifying which are faithful and on the verge of leaving. When your clients are pleased, they are more inclined to recommend your business to friends, which can increase foot traffic.

2 – Have a Seat…Outdoors

Take your seats outside to attract more people. Outdoor seating serves as a “live advertisement,” whether in the form of sidewalk café tables or casual picnic chairs. People passing by in their cars or on foot can already see themselves sipping sangria on your ideal patio. You’ll enhance sales in addition to foot traffic: According to a study by Fast Casual and Simmons Research Group, outdoor seating increases sales by an average of 33%.

3 – Use Targeted Marketing Campaigns 

Targeted marketing strategies can improve foot traffic and behavior after you know who your clients are and what they desire. For instance, you could send Susan Richards a deal for $10 off on Pepperoni Thursdays if you know she frequents your restaurant three times each month on the weekends. This incentive could persuade her to stop by again and increase foot traffic on a lazy day.

You have a greater possibility that guests will return to your restaurant when they are approached at the appropriate moment based on their behavior.

4 – Create a Customer Loyalty and Referral

Devoted clients seek to be appreciated. The client is more inclined to revisit and patronize your restaurant if satisfied.

Find out what a devoted client means to you. Look at how frequently people visit your restaurant and how much money they spend there. Give your most devoted clients incentives and rewards after you identify them to get them to come back more frequently and bring others.

When launching a loyalty program, some restaurant owners are cautious. They are concerned that providing too much would hurt their income and return on investment. If appropriately used, targeted campaigns and customer behavior can help you reach the right customers at the right time and ensure that your program continues to generate a profit.

5 – Host Compelling Events

Involvement in your neighborhood community might help you attract new clients and spread the news about your business. Speak with neighborhood businesses interested in hosting a panel of business owners or local NGOs seeking a location for their upcoming fundraising event.

Building a relationship with your neighborhood will boost foot traffic by bringing in new consumers, whether working with a group or organizing your event. Get inventive when planning your events, and ensure they reflect your target audience and distinguish you from your rivals. Utilizing non-customary occasions or festivals can also be an excellent strategy to distinguish yourself from competitors.

6 – Red Carpet Nights 

Are you surrounded by traffic and pedestrians in the downtown area? The red carpet should be spread out to attract more people. How? Read on. Order a step-and-repeat banner with your brand and an indoor/outdoor red carpet runner. (Step and repeat banners, which only cost approximately $200–$300, are what you see behind celebrities on Hollywood red carpets.) Passing people can take selfies in the vicinity of your red carpet. Give them a coupon after that, and then invite them in for dinner.

7 – Clever Sandwich Boards 

It can be the simplest way to enhance foot traffic (and social media mentions). Get a sandwich board with a chalkboard and write a clever sentence and a fantastic deal. Want some inspiration? We’ve got you. View this gallery of absurd sandwich boards, including ones that read “Soup of the Day: Whiskey.” You can adopt the same strategy with movable lettering on a sign if your restaurant is on a busy street without sidewalks.

8 – Instagram-worthy Exteriors

Just add a few potted palm trees after painting. You’re outside the nearly-beige millennial pink tint. On Instagram, selfies with “pink and plant” backdrops are viral.

Every two years, if you commission a mural from a talented artist, multitudes will gather to take photos and enter the space.

You can boost foot traffic with a “standee” like this Toronto brewery. In some places, individuals may poke their heads in and take pictures of the life-size image. It might be leprechauns if you manage an Irish tavern. A pig and a cow might be present in a BBQ joint.

9 – Run Promotions 

Promotions can include courses, contests, live music, and meal discounts. More innovative ways exist to draw customers to your business, even if some deals are tried and true. 

10 – Build a Social Media Following 

Having significant social media followers makes marketing your business much better and more manageable. One of the best and latest methods to develop a relationship with your customers is through social media.

Social media events and postings are widely shared and allow your clients to communicate with one another and with you. Your foot traffic will rise as your following expands. As more people know about you, your business will be more prone to visitors.

Use original marketing, creative content, and social media competitions to engage the neighborhood. You may write, “Tag your BFF below for a chance to win a free supper for the two of you!” as a sample of a post. Even those who do not win the competition will check your social media profile, possibly follow your brand, and might even go to your restaurant.

11 – Delivering Is Key

Winter weather in many parts of the country can prevent visitors from leaving the house, so try to make it simpler for them to enjoy your meal by delivering it right to them.

Ambrose asserts that the winter is an excellent time to highlight delivery services. For instance, he said they frequently develop a brand-new specialty pizza for each significant season or for upcoming occasions, like the Super Bowl.

12 – Have the Right Staff 

Hospitality in the restaurant industry plays a huge role. Even with the most powerful marketing strategies, clients might not return if they don’t click with your team. Due to the high employee turnover rate, it can be challenging for many restaurants to find and keep top talented staff. Still, there are steps you can take to guarantee your clients consistently receive the most satisfactory experience.

Ensuring you are committed to your clients is one of the best methods to ensure that your crew is as well. Make sure your team members feel appreciated and motivated when they perform well. Ensure they are aware of it, for instance, if a client gives one of your servers a glowing recommendation.

Increase foot traffic and ensure your clients feel appreciated by hiring a happy workforce committed to user satisfaction.

13 – Keep in Touch 

Ensure that you remain in touch after a patron departs your restaurant. Make sure you remain at the top of your client’s minds by using direct marketing or social media interactions.

Knowing your clients’ habits will help you choose how frequently and when to communicate with them. Promos, deals, emails, and events can entice clients to return and recommend you to their peers.

Also, check out the guide on driving foot traffic to your restaurant. It’s packed with valuable tips and strategies to attract more customers to your establishment.

Prove Campaign Effectiveness in Real Revenue, Not Vanity Metrics

Businesses and advertisers have been compelled to use phony measures like email openings and clicks to gauge the success of their campaigns for years. But as everyone knows, the money your advertisements bring in is the evidence.

How to Drive Social Media Traffic to Your Restaurant.

As a restaurant owner, you are probably aware of social media’s significant influence on customer traffic. Even though staying on top of the always-evolving social media industry can be stressful, persistence can pay off with more customers entering your restaurant.

Concentrating on local customers is one of the simplest methods to enhance your restaurant’s internet exposure. Try these simple, quick tips below to enhance your social media presence and restaurant traffic.

1 – Target Your Posts Based on Geography 

Geo-targeting, often known as location-based advertising, is a simple and efficient way to increase the local audience of your restaurant’s social media posts. You can narrow your audience by nation, state, or city using the social media advertising platforms offered by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other websites. Regarding geo-targeting, each social media network has its unique quirks.

2 – Mentions, a Great Inter-person Promotion 

Creating a social media-based promotion where the customer may “like” your restaurant’s page or mention your post to obtain an in-store offer is a successful approach to using social media. This is a fantastic approach to encourage social media users to sample your restaurant and a fantastic tool to evaluate the success of your social media marketing efforts. When combined with geo-targeting, this can be a potent digital marketing tactic to boost restaurant traffic.

3 – Use Hashtags to Create Social Buzz 

Hashtags may bring your brand’s social media engagement and involvement to a new level. You may reach clients looking for restaurants in your neighborhood by using trending hashtags in your postings. Adding location-based hashtags to your posts, such as #NYC, #restaurantaustralia, or #downtowndenver, will make this marketing tactic effective.

Once you’ve tested and discovered your “sweet spot,” develop your distinct hashtags. A weekly promotion or a hashtag with the name of your restaurant will generate constant attention.

4 – Post Your Specials Daily

By advertising a daily special, you can persuade eager customers who follow you on your various social media profiles to visit your restaurant that day. Combining this method with geo-targeting lets you draw in a horde of hungry lunch and dinner clients.

To increase interest from potential consumers, try posting a photo of the specific meal along with your daily specials. By displaying your profile name or URL on your menus and gift cards, you can encourage dine-in guests to follow your social media accounts.

Celebrity endorsement, also known as influencer marketing, is another strategy you might use to advertise your restaurant. Influencer marketing is paying well-known users of various social media sites to promote your restaurant to its followers.

5 – Post Regularly to Maintain Consistent Interest 

Regular, consistent posting is essential for your social media page to continue to have an active following. The expectation that you will update frequently increases as you obtain more followers and regular readers. For instance, if you have opted to publish every Tuesday, be careful not to overlook #TacoTuesday.

If clients like, comment on, or share your regular postings frequently, you will frequently appear in a customer’s feed. You run the danger of completely disappearing from a customer’s feed if you cease posting or your posting frequency is exceptionally variable. Your audience will look for your posts if you establish and maintain a constant social media presence. Doing this lets you connect with a big audience familiar with your locations.

6 – Respond to Reviews 

Online reviews are trendy, especially whether people have good or bad experiences. Most significantly, individuals adore reading evaluations before selecting a nearby restaurant. Pay attention to what people say about your restaurant on sites like Facebook, Yelp, and Zomato. Replying to reviews within 24 to 48 hours is a good idea.

The best way to handle bad reviews is to offer an apology and ask for a chance to make things right. Every restaurant has excellent and stormy nights, and you might be able to keep a client by apologizing and attempting to make things right. By maintaining constant communication with your patrons, you may improve the online perception of your business.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

How Do You Attract Customers to Your Restaurant?

• You can present some enticing offers to elderly family members.
• You can allow your clients to personalize their meals.
• Offer a special menu at a discounted price under a catchy name like Special Sunday Brunch. The course wouldn’t be offered on any other day without that day.

How Can a Restaurant Increase Visibility? 

Restaurant marketing is essential for bringing in both new and returning consumers. There won’t be any business if there are no clients. Making an effort to have a successful restaurant marketing plan increases visibility, boosts brand value, raises awareness, and helps your restaurant business reach a broader target demographic.

What Makes a Restaurant Popular?

The consistency of the menu, portions, and taste makes a restaurant popular. Some popular restaurants follow corporate specifications for every dish so that any chef can walk and duplicate the precise flavor. Regular consumers will feel alienated if the menu deviates from the original theme.

Changes should be implemented gradually and maintained. The customers feel appreciated and included in the company’s success story. They continue to assess consumer experiences and update their strategies, menu, and customer service methods. They accept complaints with a grin and make consumers feel so well-treated that they owe it to you to have them back.

How Do Restaurants Attract a Younger Crowd? 

One effective strategy for attracting young people is to capitalize on current trends and the hottest meals. They are the ones who are most interested in current events and popular topics on social media. Keep an eye on those things and take advantage of them through your menu.

How Do Restaurants Generate Leads? 

Expanding your restaurant business takes more than just bringing in more clients. You can retain a consistent flow of consumers coming into your restaurant without overspending on advertisements and marketing initiatives by connecting with interested audiences and existing patrons and following up with them.

The marketing strategies for your restaurant must include a lead creation strategy. Then, to attract those connections to your firm, you also need a marketing strategy for your list.

How Are Restaurants Promoted?

By utilizing a website. A lot of customers search online for new nearby restaurants. Create a website for your business and display your menu, along with a clear breakdown of the directions. To entice new customers, you may include printable coupons and offer future discounts in exchange for positive customer reviews.

How Do You Increase Sales?

Most of your clients probably use social media regularly. That means you ought to be as well. Restaurants with active social media profiles dominate their “unsocial” rivals by a wide margin. Being present where your clients are is essential.

Ensure you have an Instagram account, a Twitter account, and a Facebook business page set up. These are excellent locations to advertise your daily deals and post mouthwatering images. Get set up with a free social media management tool (like Hootsuite) once you’ve earned your certification as a social butterfly to keep track of the activity and engagement on your channels.

How Do You Increase Revenue?

Your menu should have more than just appetizers, entrées, and desserts. If your offerings aren’t earning their full potential, their deliciousness is meaningless. Do whatever you can to optimize your menu to boost sales, whether renaming a traditional menu item or positioning your highest margin items where customers will first see them.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, satisfied clients recommend your brand to others. Keeping repeat consumers boosts foot traffic and draws in new ones. On bad business days, it could seem impossible to regulate foot traffic. Still, by combining these strategies with client information, you can start to manage and boost foot traffic while fostering closer ties with your clients.

Jeff Smith is a Restaurant Consultant with over 20 years of hospitality experience ranging from server to owner and general manager.  He focuses on Restaurant POS technology as well as restaurant marketing.  Check out our world-famous restaurant resources page for a comprehensive offering of hand-picked resources and tools to help your business.  You can also check out some of our other restaurant business articles.