What is the best way to promote a restaurant?

There are many ways to promote a restaurant and the task itself can seem daunting.  Owning a restaurant doesn’t mean that local customers will come, and it is important to adopt new procedures and policies to also keep your customers and staff safe.  So here are some top tips to help you on this journey for your business.

·         Every business needs a website.  You can create a great website as this will be the way many people nowadays find out about your business.  It can show all of your social media links on here too.  Show your restaurant off with great images and make it enticing to your customers.  You can also add your menu and reviews on here too and people can see how great past customers found your restaurant and food.  You can also add a newsletter sign up box so that you can keep your customers up to date with any new items you are offering and special offers that you run.

·         Make sure your menu is up to date at all times and shows all the right prices and food that you offer.  Also make sure it is easy to read especially on your website.  An updated menu that is fresh and has a new look about it will keep your customers coming back for more.

·         Be active on social media.  A lot of people set up their social media accounts and post the odd post and then they are not active on there.  Be social on social media and interact with people.Social media to concentrate on are Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.  Use hashtags to gain more people to see your posts and join in with any local groups that can be of benefit to your restaurant.

·         Measure your success on social media by using measurement tools such as Google analytics.  This will show you how your marketing is going, and you can see what works and what doesn’t.

·         Food ordering services are a great way to get your food out to people that cannot come to your restaurant.  If they can also order online this would be a bonus.

·         Create attractive and enticing menus to deliver.  Make sure your website and social media links are on these too.  Have great images to showcase your food.

·         Create attractive signage to your business for passing trade.  This is a great way to get people in from the street.  Make sure it looks professional as first impressions always count, even more so with businesses.  Signage can be in the form of signs advertising your business but also additional signage such as a board on the pavement to draw more people in to your restaurant, these could show offers you are running or a certain dish.

·         New ideas will keep your customers coming back for more.  Are there unique services and products that you can come up with? Special promotions always work well with customers.

·         Make sure your images are bright and make the food appealing then these will stand out best on social media and your website. 

Make sure you are using data to help guide your day-to-day and bigger picture decisions for your restaurant. Let’s explore some helpful analytics you should be tracking to ensure you are adapting to maintain the success of your business.