Being an accomplished restaurateur is no easy task, and sustaining success and developing further is no walk in the park. But if you take the time to establish a good team and invest in skills that will be useful for your company’s growth, you can achieve great things.
According to Datassential, most restaurants have struggled to stay afloat since the pandemic, with over 10% dropping out of the race. Still, you might want to keep your restaurant ambitions in check. If you take the time to invest in a good team and develop skills that will be useful for company growth, great things can happen!
The next time you sit by the corner of your restaurant to assess how things are going, you’ll be filled with awe. You’ll also breathe easier and worry less! Follow the tips provided below to ensure that expanding your customer base, running your restaurant with less chaos, boosting your bottom-line, and eliminating employee burnouts become a reality.
Tip #1: Digital marketing
There are two common problems that many restaurants face. One is low customer flow, and the other is a lack of customer retention. To fix the former, you need to emphasize marketing. When your restaurant is always busy, it can be hard to maintain your image and brand, making marketing even more important. For the restaurant owner, marketing often gets neglected once things start getting busy. This can result in missed opportunities, which could have been taken advantage of with a little more effort.
Assume you are a potential customer and ask yourself this, “If I am in a new location, how would I check to know the best restaurants around?” Yup, that’s right; you would check online. And not just that, you are likely to go for the one with the most detailed description of their offerings, a quick response time, and the most reviews and feedback. Aside from newbies in town, this is also the case for residents who want to try out new restaurants and menus. Marketing is your first step to drawing them in.
Digital platforms for marketing are an essential tool in the restaurant industry, so understanding them is critical. You can use platforms to reach millions of potential customers, and some of the most popular ones you can use include:
- YouTube
- Foursquare
It’s important to understand that to get exposure, you’ll need to create a profile and share relevant content on all of the platforms listed. You can also find local platforms if you’re looking for more exposure in your area. These services may offer free options, but they might charge a small fee if you want more exposure. If you’re going to take things a step further, you should consider utilizing more precise marketing and growth tools to ascertain your restaurant’s expansion.
Tip #2: Have a unique selling point
Have you ever wondered what the key to success for restaurants is? Well, it might be their menu items. While it varies from restaurant to restaurant, some of these dishes keep a significant percentage of their customer base coming back for more.
Restaurants succeed on word of mouth and reputation alone. But if you don’t have a specialty on the menu, people will be less likely to come. What do your customers know your restaurant for? If you don’t have a thing yet, start by brainstorming and cooking your perfect dish. Recommend it to your existing customers, request feedback, and implement their suggestions. When you feel that it will be a customer’s delight, announce it on all of your digital platforms.
Depending on the archetype persona your restaurant caters to, you can have other unique selling points beyond what’s on your menu. Maybe your restaurant becomes where pianists, local bands, magicians, or comedians come to entertain customers on certain days, show their talents, and step up their careers. Ensure that the entertainment you provide resonates with your customers.
Tip #3: Innovate; loyalty rewards, competitive offers, strategic partnerships
By providing loyalty rewards for new and loyal customers, you’ll be able to put a smile on their faces. A $1 difference could be all it takes to keep them coming back. It is that simple, but it is a strategy often overlooked by restaurateurs. Foursquare can be an invaluable marketing tool for your restaurant. By using loyalty rewards and a specialty menu, you can make sure to pitch your potential customers and give them a reason to come back.
Food delivery service is an excellent way for companies to reach customers who may not otherwise visit the restaurant. Competitive offers can go beyond reduced pricing on menus to include free Wi-Fi, home delivery options, curbside pickup, online order placements, etc. These services are just what your customers need to get the food they want on their terms. Online and offline, make sure that potential customers know what you offer.
You can purchase or rent a food truck and market your restaurant’s menu to new customers at local hotspots and festivals. You can also create strategic partnerships with event centers and other institutions to be the go-to food service provider when they need a food truck or catering service.
Tip #4: Quality food, quality experience.
Quality food should be a priority in every restaurant. Even if you have to cut down on budgets, never cut down on quality. Quality food draws in customers and keeps them coming back for more.
Consistency is the key to success for any nationwide restaurant chain. When customers crave a particular meal, they want to know that the taste will be just as good as they remember. When that doesn’t happen, it’s disappointing.
The experience your customers have at your restaurant is just as important as the quality of the food. Great interior design, dinnerware sets, and friendly and attentive staff will make it much easier for your customers to go to your online platforms to give you positive reviews and tag your restaurant when they share their memories on their profiles. This will provide you with more exposure and help you expand.
Tip #5: Put your finances and management operations in better hands
Do you feel like your restaurant is not as profitable as it should be? Is your current payment processing system slow/erratic and driving your employees and customers crazy? Are you having difficulties keeping track of your employees’ work schedules and releasing accurate payments when due? That must feel exhausting.
Being an expert chef and knowing how to source great ingredients and turn them into exquisite meals is one thing. Managing all other operations that surround your foodservice delivery is another thing, making maximum returns and keeping your customers and employees happy. The latter makes your restaurant a profitable business moving towards expansion. If you want to be successful in business, you must keep your finances and management in order.
If you’re finding it hard to manage your restaurant, automating your processes and bringing experts into the picture is an excellent place to start. Whether you’re looking at expanding your business, acquiring new restaurant space, or seeking additional financing, we’re here to help! This way, you can streamline and automate your processes and access services designed specifically for restaurant management from one single vendor. Simpay Solutions provides all the restaurant finance and management services you need.
Seamless automation, real-time insights, quick technical response, 30 to 50% trackable boost in efficiency and instant turnarounds are some of the benefits to forming a strategic partnership with Simpay Solutions as your payments and restaurant management service provider. Talk to our experts today to learn more on how you can exploit various restaurant management tools to expand your business.
