7 Overlooked Marketing Tips Every Restaurant Needs to Consider
Most restaurant owners have probably dabbled in the basic elements of a restaurant marketing plan: email marketing, website optimization & local SEO, social media marketing, paid ads, and reputation management. If you're unfamiliar with these foundations, check out our essential guide to restaurant marketing strategies.
But today, let's dig deeper. Let’s explore some innovative yet overlooked restaurant marketing ideas—strategies so unique straightforward, you'll wish you'd adopted them sooner.
1. Add a Recommended Items Feature to Your Online Menu
Upselling is no stranger to the restaurant industry, but have you optimized your online menu to do the same? This feature recommends additional items to customers based on their current cart, a simple yet effective strategy to boost sales.
You can go high-tech with machine learning or stick to budget-friendly options like Toast's POS system, which lets you add modifiers to your menu items. This way, you can suggest a drink, appetizer, or dessert to go with their main course, enhancing their dining experience while keeping your profit margins healthy.
2. Ghost Kitchens: The Unseen Potential
Ever heard of a ghost kitchen? No, it's not from a horror flick. It's a kitchen solely dedicated to fulfilling online and delivery orders. This model is designed exclusively for online and delivery orders, offering a whole new revenue stream without complicating your existing operations. A ghost kitchen lets you experiment with your restaurant marketing plan by testing new menu items and messaging under a different brand.
3. Strike a Pose at Your Selfie Station
Customers are already sharing their dining experiences on social media. Why not make it a feature? Designate a selfie station complete with unique, on-brand props, and backgrounds. This translates into free social media marketing for your restaurant. Be sure to create custom hashtags for increased brand visibility.
4. Special Events: More Than Just Happy Hour
Events can be the spice of life for a restaurant. Promoting the event will give you something to talk about across your restaurant social media marketing strategy.
Trivia Nights: Cheap and cheerful, these can get people in the door and create regulars.
Themed Nights: A '70s disco evening? A tribute to classic movies? Creativity is your only limit.
Charity Events: Partner with local organizations to do some good and get good PR at the same time.
Food and Drink Pairing: Think beyond wine and cheese. How about craft beers and artisanal burgers?
5. Get With the Seasons
Utilize seasonal ingredients—especially local ones—to keep things fresh. Offer lunch specials that rotate with what’s in season, and you’ve got a recipe to improve your customer retention.
6. Partnerships: More than Just a Buzzword
Local partnerships can provide a dual promotional platform. Team up with nearby farms for fresh, seasonal menu items, or collaborate with adjacent businesses like bookstores or gyms for unique package deals. Local influencers can also be valuable partners in your restaurant marketing plan.
7. Tap into the Home Dining Trend
People are eating at home more than ever. Meet them where they're at — sell at-home meal kits for some of your most unique dishes to earn some extra dough (pun intended). Stay at top of mind with your customers and offer virtual cooking classes.
Now What?
We know, running a restaurant is demanding. Juggling between operations and executing your restaurant marketing plan can be daunting. That's where we come in. Check out our affordable pricing packages designed for busy restaurateurs like you. We’ll handle the marketing; you cook up the magic.