Whether or not our economy is picking up, it appears that Americans are still paying attention to their spending habits. According to a recent study conducted by foodservice consulting firm AlixPartners LLP, consumers plan to cut back on their restaurant visits by 3 percent and spend 5 percent less when dining out. The reasons include consumers’ desire for affordability without sacrificing quality, healthier food, and convenience.
What are some ways you can attract more restaurant visits?
– Healthy menu options: guests are diverse and accordingly, their preferences will be too. Many are seeking healthy menu items. Think of substitutes or additional healthy options that can fit your menu. For example, if you operate a burger restaurant, offer a turkey burger choice or even a vegetarian alternative. For traditional entrees, instead of French fries or coleslaw as a side dish, allow guests to substitute for steamed vegetables or baked sweet potato.
– Coupons: Run a promotion and advertise it via social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and yelp. Offer a deal like, “buy one entrée and get the second entrée half off.”
– Online ordering and easy pickup: How easy (or difficult) are you making it for customers to order your food? Don’t let this become a barrier to entry! On your restaurant’s website, always have your phone number easily visible on every page as well as your location. Many people love the convenience of ordering for their food online. Make a small investment in integrating online ordering for your website – there are many services who offer this for a low monthly fee.
Also, consider creating a checkout line dedicated just for phone/online order pickups. Your guests will appreciate the reduced wait times and you’ll notice the efficiency, too.
– Entertainment: Atmosphere plays a pivotal role in a restaurant’s success. Show your guests that there are more reasons to come back to your restaurant besides the great food. Choose a day of the week to showcase live musical entertainment. Throw events to celebrate holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day. You can even allow businesses or groups to reserve part of your restaurant as a location for their special mixer or meeting.
Although a full economic recovery may be slow, there are still many methods you can use to gain more customers to your restaurant! If you’d like to investigate other ways you can improve your restaurant marketing, operations or menu, contact our restaurant consultants at Synergy.