It is no secret that restaurants are being threatened by the rise of food delivery services such as UberEats and JustEat, but there is still a lot of room for growth in the restaurant industry. As a result, many independent restaurants are having to find innovative ways to attract new customers—whether they be long-term regulars or first-time diners who are searching for somewhere new to try out.
But there's more competition than ever before—and it's not just about keeping up with the latest trends or dishes on the menu anymore. If you're going to succeed in today's environment, you have to make sure that your customers can find you—and communicate with you—easily no matter where they are or what platform they prefer using.
So what’s a restaurant or coffee shop owner to do?
Coffee Shops & Restaurants can't rely on traditional advertising methods alone to get new customers, but there are many other ways to reach them. Having a website and social media presence is vital. You'll want to make sure your site has everything people need to know about your business, from the hours of operation through how you take reservations or if there are any menus online.
Then create an email list so that when you do send out communications (such as reminders about specials), it's easy for customers to opt in.
Beyond that, loyalty programs work well with coffee shops and restaurants because they offer benefits like discounts or freebies based on frequency of visits and amount spent at the establishment over time. You can also use coupons and referral programs; with these options, current customers will bring in new ones as long as they have something worthwhile to gain by doing so. Finally, try getting listed on sites like Ubereats and Just Eat—these allow restaurants who don't have brick-and-mortar locations find clients who are looking for delivery options around town—people who might otherwise never visit!
The main thing is to make it easy for customers to find you and then give them a bottomless well of reasons to keep coming back.
The main thing is to make it easy for customers to find you and then give them a bottomless well of reasons to keep coming back. With the advent of smartphones, having an online presence has become essential. If you don't have one, get one! It's free and easy to set up a website for your restaurant or café. Set up social media accounts as well.
There are many ways that technology can help you communicate with customers: email newsletters, text message notifications, online ordering websites and apps like Seamless (which I use all the time).
It’s up to you to create great online experiences that help them find you through search engines, get information about your menu, hours and location and make reservations or takeout orders.
When you have a great website, it means you are more likely to earn their business and loyalty. And when they find you online, they will be able to quickly navigate the content on your site, read about your menu items, hours and location and make reservations or takeout orders.
Research shows that 80% of people use Google to help them decide where they’re going eat while 83% of customers who search for local businesses read reviews before making a purchase.
Use technology that makes it easy for customers to communicate with you, either by calling or making reservations online. Communicate with customers by sending out messages on social media when you have new dishes or drinks on your menu or when you’re doing something different like live music nights or special holiday events.
Use technology that makes it easy for customers to communicate with you, either by calling or making reservations online. Communicate with customers by sending out messages on social media when you have new dishes or drinks on your menu or when you’re doing something different like live music nights or special holiday events.
At the end of each meal, ask if they enjoyed their food and ask them if they would recommend the restaurant to friends and family. Thank them for coming in and remind them what time they can come back in again without paying any entrance fee!
Make sure customers have an incentive to come back again and again with something as simple as a loyalty card where they get a free sandwich or dessert after 10 purchases.
Your goal is to get customers to come back, so you need something that will entice them to do so. Loyalty programs and referral programs are two great ways of doing this.
Let’s say you have a restaurant that offers free food rewards when people spend money at your place of business. You could do it in the form of a punch card where they earn one free sandwich after every ten purchases they make or if they give out coupons for an appetiser when customers refer friends who become new patrons themselves.
Conclusion
To sum up, we’re entering an era where restaurants will have a lot more competition than ever before. If you want to succeed in this new world, the key is to use technology to create great experiences for customers and make it easy
If you are wondering where to start, and would like some advice, schedule a free consultation with one of our digital consultants for further guidance. All you need to do is get in touch!
Yours sincerely
Blu Zetta Digital Solutions