As restaurants around the world continue to struggle for survival amidst the COVID-19 crisis, hope is on the horizon for restaurant owners, chefs, and other foodservice providers. The industry has already demonstrated its resounding resolve, transforming entire business models and modes of operations practically overnight. And, as the concepts of ‘dining out’ and ‘dining in’ continue to be redefined, restaurateurs are now re-examining their marketing strategies with the goal of attracting consumers and boosting sales despite the pandemic.
Good News for Restaurant Owners Despite COVID-19
If you work in the food and beverage industry and have made it past the corona shutdown and reopening phases, you are likely in the market for some new advertising schemes to help spread the word that you are back in business and ready to serve. Fortunately, many ‘pre-corona’ promotional activities are still relevant, while a dollop of creativity is proving to be an essential ingredient in the recipe to marketing success.
10 Ways to Generate Restaurant Revenue in the Age of Corona
Whether your eatery now takes the form of a take-out or delivery-only service, ghost kitchen, outdoor eatery, in-house dining room, drive-through operation, food truck, or mobile catering service, the good news is that the public is ravenous for restaurant service of all kinds. To best display your wares and promote your unique offerings, here are some great restaurant marketing tips for 2020.
1. Make Digital Marketing a Priority
With consumers across the age spectrum spending more time at home and online, there is hands-down no better place to advertise your foodservice than on the Internet. If your restaurant does not have an updated website or a strong social media presence, it’s time to get busy because online is where all the action is. Now is the time to experiment with media platforms or features you have never tried before, such as posting images of your eye-catching dishes and decadent desserts on Instagram and Pinterest. Learn how to live-stream on Facebook and post videos on YouTube. “How To” tutorials are extremely popular these days, allowing you to share your culinary expertise and stay virtually connected with your customers despite social distancing protocols.
And if you haven’t tried it yet, TikTok has become one of the fastest-growing video platforms of the modern era, allowing you to easily create recipe videos, conduct online cooking and baking demonstrations, and more. At the same time, these marketing opportunities will help you reach new audiences and amass a crowd of hungry followers.
Finally, do not underestimate the power of the written word. Posting fresh content online related to the restaurant industry, or to your specific niche, remains a powerful tactic in search-engine-optimization (SEO). In addition, getting customers to sign-up to your website newsletters with discount codes and prizes and then sending out monthly newsletters is yet another great way to stay connected. These newsletters can become the catalyst where you can share menu updates and food promotions, receive feedback, and keep your customers involved in your biz’ so they will come to you when they want a tasty restaurant meal.
2. Get Smart: Maximize Your Smartphone
Your smartphone, believe it or not, is one of the most powerful handheld marketing devices available to date. Best of all, it won’t cost you a pretty penny to take advantage of the technological advancements available at your fingertips. Smartphone capabilities now include video posting, photo editing, storage space for longer audio and video files, hi-tech cameras that record in high-definition, and many other capacities for successful business promotion.
3. Improve the Quality and Presentation of Your Takeouts and Deliveries
In lieu of COVID-19, takeout and delivery have become the golden standards in the restaurant ‘biz. To hang with the competition or stay one step ahead of the pack, it is important that you find ways to improve both the quality and appearance of your menu offerings. For example, go all out in highlighting your restaurant’s contactless delivery options, efficient takeout operations, high-quality food packaging, creative food presentation, and excellent menu selection and prices. Set your standards high and let customers know that you are invested in catering to their personal interests and desires.
4. Be Transparent
The corona age is rife with uncertainty; therefore, you want to ensure that your restaurant feels like a safe place for guests. With health and safety precautions foremost on customers’ minds, openly share and showcase what you are doing to keep COVID-19 away. This includes strict sanitary and hygienic practices, adherence to mandated social distancing protocols, separate tables for smaller parties, shorter queues, restaurant safety partitions, and more. To take this to the next level, consider posting live online footage of your kitchen operations, takeout activities, and other services that demonstrate the high standards you have set for both yourself and your customers.
5. Create Corona Specials
When it comes to your COVID-19 restaurant menu, you can help distinguish your offerings with cost-saving specials and innovative promotions. In fact, providing practical and fun alternatives for customers, especially for families with children, is proving to be one of the most reliable sources of restaurant revenue in these turbulent times. To cater to your customers and boost your bottom line, consider the following:
- Buy 2, Get 1 Free
- Kids (up to age 3) Eat Free
- Heat-and-Eat Meals for Takeout
- To-Go Desserts with Customized Toppings
- More-Cheese-Please Cheeseboards
- Save Big on Immune-Boosting Snacks and Side Dishes
- Hors D’oeuvres to Take Home
6. Food Subscriptions
If you’re looking for new business ground to walk on in the age of corona, consider the fast-growing terrain known as Food Subscriptions. No longer relegated to the realm of magazines and newspapers, here is how it works: Customers sign up for one of your featured ‘meal plans.’ For the duration of their subscription, you deliver their favorite foods door-to-door at regular, predetermined times. The paradigm is already proving to be a successful endeavor, earning both cash and invaluable customer loyalty.
7. Alcoholic Drinks-to-Go
Not only has corona drastically changed the way restaurants do business, but the pandemic has given rise to an entire new lexicon for bartenders and the entire alcoholic beverage industry. Due to these unprecedented times, many states have eased their laws to allow for ‘sealed drinks to go.’ In response, bartenders have donned their creative caps and come up with the likes of: Take Home Margarita Mixes, Carryout Cocktail Kits, Wine Tasters To-Go, and Blood Mary Makers. Since drinks are often high-margin sales items, this is good news indeed.
8. Food and Wine Pairings
Did you know that wine sales are up by about 66% since the beginning of the coronavirus? To meet demand, savvy restaurant and bar owners are not only selling wine by the case, they are also offering wine recommendations with their customers’ favorite dishes. These food-and-wine pairings are an easy way to cater to your customers and inject cash into your business at the same time.
9. Revamp Your Reservation Policies
If dining-in is once again a reality for your restaurant, you can market your business as a standout by updating your reservation policies. Allow plenty of flexibility for when guests can come in and offer enticing discounts for those who book in advance. Since walk-in rates have hit all-time lows since the advent of corona, this is a great opportunity to bring your guest numbers back up with improved and easier reservations policies.
10. Out-of-the-Box Takeout Experiences
If you want customers to choose your restaurant over a competitor’s, here is another sure-fire way to garner attention and get their business. If takeout is the ‘new normal,’ excel by providing takeout with a twist. Provide your diners with out-of-the box food experiences, such as an upscale meal to-go in eco-friendly disposables, along with wine or drink pairings, and a CD with a mood-setting playlist to boot.
Marketing Your Restaurant to Success
So, there you have it! 10 Best Practices for how to market your restaurant business to success during and after the corona pandemic.