In the same way, a restaurant owner can plan ahead by considering things like how hungry people are, what their social lives are like, and what sort of entertainment options they have in their neighborhood area; so too can an entrepreneur start to layout a business plan while considering factors like how much money they’ll need to get started, whether or not they will hire staff as well as assess potential risks. Like most plans, however, it’s also important to consider potential challenges. Assumptions may be best laid out on paper first before setting up shop so one has a better idea of what direction to take things if challenges arise during the planning stages. Just like any other idea in the process of vetting, some ideas only work at face value and others need more consideration before moving forward with them.
Before you go about doing that though, first know a few rules about restaurant promotion. They are as follows:
- Know Your Customer Base – Don’t just launch your marketing plan without doing some research & market analysis on your potential customers. Find out what their age range is and how far away they live from where you want to open up a restaurant. Figure out what days/time people are most hungry for food when considering breakfast, lunch, and dinner – then create an affordable menu around these times at different price points (hopefully without being too frazzled). Make it easy for your customers to visit by making the place convenient for them to get to or by creating a fun promotion that will inspire them (and others in your area) to come!
- Look at Your Business Challenges – sometimes the biggest challenge in a business comes from within the organization or employees themselves. While this may be tough to get past at times, it’s important to not single out just one person specifically. You need to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself and help your staff remain productive with just as proactive determination and purpose as you yourself possess – if not more!
- Revenue or Press? – The ultimate aim of your unique restaurant promotion ideas should be to get more press than profit. Why? Because the long-term benefit of more press coverage is that it will bring in a greater number of customers for you and your business than would otherwise come alone. Not to mention that this could attract ideal clients for your brand. Utilize your social media along with other resources including niche food blogs, websites, and magazines to spread the word about “your” new and flourishing business franchise!
- Know Your Margins – When you’re figuring out what to offer on your menu, it’s imperative to know that the prices and margins are in line with your costs. You will likely have to hire a professional to help you figure this stuff out, or use software that will show you how profitable each item is between the cost of ingredients, length of service time, and other factors.
Here are the best unique restaurant promotion ideas:
1) Leverage a Bigger Event
If your restaurant is located in the city, there is a significant probability that large events are hosted there all year. This is an excellent time to launch your unique restaurant marketing ideas and offer meal discounts if they plan to attend a local concert or big movie event. By doing so, you may observe an increase in consumer traffic of at least 7%, but it may be more. Even if it does not increase, assuming your usual income is $10k per day, you will have received an additional $700 for it! It might also be $2k more.
2) Celebrities & Charities
You also may host a fundraiser for your local charity or fire station by inviting a major name or a local celebrity. Choose a celebrity whose costs are within your financial range, and while you will contribute the profits of the day’s earnings, it won’t be too awful because you will strengthen your restaurant’s reputation and get more customers as a consequence. It’s a sensible investment that’s well worth the money you’ve put into it.
3) Vacation
Another strategy to advertise your restaurant is to give away freebies and presents at important events or holidays. Choose a holiday, or even a specific holiday announced by the town or city where you conduct business, such as St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, the city’s Foundation Day, or anything similar, and give your customers discounts or freebies. You will undoubtedly attract more consumers than normal and profit handsomely as a result.
4) Loyalty Offerings
Long-term consumers will appreciate a loyalty card, which will encourage them to return to your business. They may even bring their family and friends with them, encouraging them to become loyal customers so that they, too, may receive loyalty cards.
5) Bundling and Fixed Price Offerings
This is one of the greatest unique restaurant marketing ideas since it allows you to match your top-selling and least-salable inventory products. You’ll be able to get rid of most of the things that aren’t selling well while also giving your menu favorite the attention it deserves. Make sure your offers don’t go below the break-even point, otherwise you’ll lose money.
6) Get Them in the Doors
There may be things on your menu that don’t sell well because they require several customers to consume them. You’ll need to re-offer it at a reduced price to a specified number of individuals who are prepared to include it in their order.
7) Down Time
In other situations, your restaurant will have quiet evenings, and your employees and other resources will be underutilized, forcing you to repurpose them in a way that will benefit your business. Make an offer with a limited window of opportunities, such as a promotion that is only accessible between 5 and 7 p.m. each day. This will result in a brief influx of consumers, making your team more helpful.
8) Community Events
Participating in community events will help your business gain exposure to a large number of individuals, many of whom will become customers! It may be anyone: a family whose home was burned down and needs additional finances in addition to their insurance; a local football club in need of financing; or a youth organization wanting to generate funds for a community project or whatever. Here, exposure is vital, and the more exposure your firm receives, the better.
9) Buy in Bulk & Upsell
Have you ever gone to a great area and found something you truly enjoy and want to buy more of? This is true for every type of business. Someone will eventually stroll into your restaurant and declare that your avocado shake is the nicest thing they’ve ever tasted! You can guarantee they’ll return for more, so provide a discount for every 5 or 10 glasses they buy. You’ll not only earn a recurring customer, but you’ll also see sales volume as you’ve never seen before.
Last but not least, new menu releases and shop branch openings are on the horizon. Giving your firm a big discount or an eat-all-you-can deal can give it the boost it needs. This, like the other techniques on this list, will bring in new clients and, more importantly, turn them into loyal customers. Before reaching out to new individuals, it’s critical to first create a strong consumer base.
