The goal of any restaurant business is to achieve long-term growth. Realizing that growth is no easy task. It requires innovation, dedication, and the ability to capitalize on trends.
There are several strategies that restaurant owners can implement to help their restaurants grow and thrive for years to come.
Work on Your Restaurant Marketing Strategy
The key to success with any business is marketing. Restaurant marketing can make or break the future of your business.
Conventional marketing for restaurants is still effective. Direct mail, print advertising, newspapers, flyers, and other offline marketing strategies can still drive foot traffic through your door.
But modern restaurant marketing should also include digital marketing, which includes:
- Social media marketing
- Local search engine optimization (SEO)
- Blogging
- Influencer outreach
- Optimizing your website for mobile
- Launching an email marketing campaign
- Gathering online reviews
Marketing is the only way customers will find out about your business, so make a real investment in it. Dedicate the time and budget to promoting your restaurant.
Invest in Your Staff
One of the most overlooked aspects of growing restaurants is staff. Your employees play a crucial role in your success and growth. The customer experience begins the moment they walk through the door. If your staff isn't on point and providing the best possible service, guests are unlikely to come back.
Invest in training to ensure that your employees are serving customers promptly and professionally. Staff should be trained each time you change your menu, whenever there are changes to sanitation practices, or if you implement new technologies.
It's important for staff to be on the same page when it comes to customer service procedures and how to use the technologies you introduce to the restaurant.
Taking steps to improve restaurant service now and in the future will help you achieve long-term growth.
Offer Online Ordering
Does online ordering increase sales? Yes. If you aren't already, it's time to implement an online ordering system.
Why?
- 60% of consumers in the U.S. order takeout or delivery once a week.
- Since 2014, online ordering has grown 300% faster than dine-in traffic.
- Customers that place online orders will visit restaurants 67% more frequently than customers who don't.
Restaurants have a few options for online ordering. They can use a third-party service, or they can implement their own online ordering platform through their website or mobile app.
Using a third-party system is convenient, but you may have to pay a fee or give up a percentage of your sales using this system. Implementing your own custom system will have a higher upfront cost, but it will save you money over the long-term. Having your own system will also allow you to maintain a better direct relationship with your customers.
Implement a Loyalty Program
How do restaurants retain customers? They offer loyalty programs. Loyalty programs are a great way to increase restaurant revenue because they give customers an incentive to come back.
The most popular and successful chain restaurants all have programs that allow customers to earn points and rewards for dining at their establishments.
How can you make your loyalty program a success?
- Go digital. Customers don't want to carry around another card. If they leave their card at home, they have no way of earning points and rewards. Customers will always have their smartphones with them.
- Keep it simple. Don't implement a laundry list of rules and exceptions. Make it easy for any customer to join and use your loyalty program anytime.
- Train staff. Make sure that your staff understands how your loyalty program works and how to implement it into their service. Staff should also understand how points are redeemed and entered into the POS system.
- Promote your program. Give customers FOMO (fear of missing out) by showing them what they're missing with your rewards program.
Implementing a loyalty program is one of the many ways to increase sales in a restaurant, but it's also one of the most effective if you have a strong customer base.
Build Your Mobile Presence
Long-term restaurant strategies should include building a mobile presence. Having a strong mobile presence is a great way to increase restaurant sales because most of your current and potential customers are already on mobile.
In fact, most people now use their smartphones to access the web. Up to 70% of web traffic is now on mobile devices.
How can you build your mobile presence?
- Make sure that your website is mobile-friendly
- Develop a mobile app
- Make sure that you're active on social media
- Track engagement through special mobile-only offers
Boost Your Table Turnover Rate
How can food businesses increase sales? Sell more food. The simplest way to sell more food is to increase your table turnover rate. You don't want to rush customers through the door, but you don't want to give them a reason to linger either.
What restaurant strategy can you use to increase your table turnover?
- Keep your staff on schedule. Make sure that you have sufficient staff to cover all of your tables. Have staff take drink orders quickly and bring over the check promptly after guests are finished with their meals.
- Offer a more compact menu. Offering a limited number of items on your menu will help simplify the ordering process, help customers make their decisions more quickly and encourage them to move along when they're done.
- Change your restaurant layout. The way you arrange your furniture and tables can get diners in and out quickly.
- Use technology to save time. Employ mobile POS systems that make it easy for customers to pay with a credit card right at the table. This way, servers don't have to waste time going back and forth to run credit cards.
Placing restaurants in a busy area can also encourage a high table turnover. If you're still in the planning phase or are looking to add more locations, choosing a busy location can keep customers moving through the door.
The right long-term strategies can help your restaurant grow and thrive. These are some of the most effective ways to increase sales and get more customers through your door, but they will require a consistent and long-term commitment.