Here’s the bottom line. If you’re not on a wait Friday and Saturday night, and close to full the rest of the week, something is wrong. You can have a great chef cooking some of the best food in your city, but if there’s no one there to taste it, you’re wasting your time, your staff’s time, and most importantly – your MONEY.
We know it’s frustrating. Not knowing how to get new customers or to get old ones back in the door. Maybe you’ve tried leaving flyers or running facebook ads, but haven’t seen the success you were expecting.
Fear not! Corkscrew Agency is throwing you a freebie today! We’re going to go over a few key things you can do (and the best way to do them) to get more customers in your bar or restaurant.
Flyers – but not just any flyers
These have to be smart, targeted and distributed professionally – aka don’t leave them on a windshield. The best flyers are well designed, have a simple message and offer, and show your address and contact info. Don’t leave only your menu and don’t leave flyers too often. People will get annoyed and they will cut you out of their life slash dining routine.
Offer Discounts (If you’re a casual establishment)
Everyone likes saving money. And if they know they can get something at a better price than what it’s worth, it is extremely attractive to potential patrons. 20 - 25% off is enough for people to notice, but a free app never hurt anyone either.
Happy hour = hopping bars
Hopefully, if you’re an alcohol friendly establishment, you’re already offering a happy hour in order to bring in guests during the slow hours. If not, start offering drink and appetizer specials in that weird 4-6pm time of the day. More than likely if patrons are having a good time at happy hour, they’ll go ahead and stay for dinner.
Partner with local businesses and influencers
Plenty of local businesses bring in catering for lunch. If you can beat the price of their partner, there’s a good chance they will start using you to provide the meals. Plus, for any big events, companies will often look to offer food to attendees.
On the other side of things, it can be smart to offer food related influencers free food or drinks in exchange for a post or two on their Instagram page. It’s about as cheap as PR gets. For higher profile influencers you may need to throw a little money at them, but the value is hard to beat.
Send emails to customers
Remind your customers you exist by sending regular emails. Offer discounts or freebies, let them know about any news happening with your establishment and just invite them to come back and see you. Email should be well designed and include a personal touch, so customers really feel like your talking to them as a person, not a faceless business.
These are some great starter strategies to start bringing in more customers to your bar or restaurant. Don’t want to mess with marketing by yourself? We don’t blame you, and we’re here to help. See why Corkscrew Agency is the premier choice of restaurant marketing agencies in Dallas and beyond.
Comments