Restaurant Marketing Strategies

In This Guide We Unlock the Recipe for Restaurant Marketing Success

Whether you’re a seasoned restaurateur or just starting out, these 13 practical marketing tips will help you attract new customers, retain existing ones, and grow your business.

Plus, we’ve included examples of useful resources to help you implement these strategies effectively. We also introduce you to our customisable and versatile dough range that you bake fresh in your restaurant, saving you time and money. Let’s dive in!

Make a Trade Enquiry

Let’s save your restaurant time and money by using Suprima’s dough products. Contact our team at Suprima Bakeries today.

Restaurant Marketing Strategies – An Overview

Before we dive into the details, here is an overview of the restaurant marketing ideas we think have the most impact:

• Build a stellar online presence
• Optimise for local SEO
• Engage with influencers
• Leverage online food delivery platforms
• Run targeted social media ads
• Implement email marketing
• Host engaging events
• Collaborate with local businesses
• Implement loyalty programs
• Engage in local sponsorship
• Ask for restaurant reviews
• Monitor and analyse performance
• Partner with Suprima and bake fresh with our dough range.

• WordPress. WordPress offers a user-friendly, versatile, and customizable platform for building restaurant websites and blogs. Its extensive themes, plugins, and community support empower users of all skill levels to create feature-rich, visually appealing, and functional sites without the need for extensive coding knowledge.
• Wix. Wix provides an intuitive website builder with drag-and-drop functionality, enabling you to create professional-looking restaurant websites quickly and easily. It offers a wide range of templates, apps, and hosting services, making it an ideal choice for beginners and small businesses seeking a hassle-free website building experience.
• Squarespace is another drag and drop website builder. Squarespace offers an easy website building experience with many stunning restaurant and cafe templates.

Invest in professional food photography to entice visitors. Did you know that a strong media presence is important for your restaurant? According to a study by Social Media Today, 30% of millennial diners actively avoid restaurants with a weak Instagram presence. So, leverage social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to engage with your audience, share mouthwatering photos, and promote events.

Popular social media management tools include:

• Hootsuite (schedule and publish content to all of your social profiles, track effectiveness in real time)
• Sprout Social (an all-in-one social media management platform).

Optimise for Local SEO

Ensure that your restaurant appears in local search results by optimising your website for local search engine optimisation (SEO). Include location-based keywords in your website’s content, meta tags, and headings.

An SEO strategy for your restaurant may include the following elements:

• Submit your restaurant to local business directories
• Setup your Google My Business profile
• Ensure your contact details are clearly visible on your site
• Publish your menu to a page on your site
• Reach out to local food blogs and lifestyle publications to try and get backlinks or mentions from their sites.
• Publish blog content that you think your customers will be interested in. Perhaps unique cooking techniques, unusual ingredients or limited time menu items. Be sure to hyperlink to relevant pages on your site for a good SEO boost. Check out our blogs here and take note of how we link back to relevant product pages!

Engage with Influencers

Partnering with influential food bloggers, vloggers, or social media influencers can introduce your restaurant to a wider audience. Invite them for a new menu launch, celebration or an exciting event you are planning. Offer the influences something of value in exchange for an honest review or social media coverage.

Their endorsement can greatly impact your brand’s visibility and reputation.

Useful resources:

• Use influencer discovery tools like BuzzSumo
• Check out influencer marketing platforms like Upfluence where you can find influencers & identify brand ambassadors.

Leverage Online Food Delivery Platforms

Capitalising on the growing trend of food delivery can expand your customer base.

Register your restaurant on popular delivery platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Grubhub. Offer exclusive promotions or discounts for online orders to attract more customers and increase your revenue.

It’s important to point out that when offering a delivery service, you’ll have to balance the cost of delivery service fees with your own profit margins for the menu items ordered. If you can comfortably handle the additional work while making a profit, this could be a good option for you.

You get exposure to new customers who may not visit your website or know that you’re local. So, if you aren’t yet offering delivery services through one of the main delivery apps, you may be missing out on customers.

So, if you aren’t yet offering delivery services through one of the main delivery apps, you may be missing out on customers.

Run Targeted Social Media Ads

To reach a broader audience, invest in targeted restaurant social media marketing.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to define your target audience based on location, interests, and demographics. Create visually appealing ads with compelling offers to capture the attention of potential customers.

Check out our inspiration page for ideals on how to present and photograph food.

Useful resources:

• Social media advertising platforms: Facebook Ads Manager, Instagram Ads
• Free ad design tools: Canva, which is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

Implement Email Marketing

Build an email list of your customers and send them regular newsletters, promotions, and updates. Offer exclusive deals or birthday rewards to encourage customers to join your mailing list.

Personalise your emails and ensure they provide value to your subscribers. Check out these popular email marketing platforms: Mailchimp, Constant Contact.

Host Engaging Events

Organise special events or themed nights to create a buzz around your restaurant.

Wine tastings, live music, cooking classes, or guest chef appearances can attract new customers and keep existing ones excited. Promote these events on your website, social media, and local event listings.

You can publish your event on Eventbrite, which allows you to create your own events or restaurant nights with online ticketing tools. You can promote your event using Facebook Events.

Collaborate with Local Businesses

Forge partnerships with local businesses to cross-promote each other.

For instance, offer special discounts to customers who present a receipt from a neighbouring store, or collaborate on a charity event. This synergy can help you tap into new customer segments and strengthen community ties.

Why not consider a partnership with Suprima Bakeries as one of your restaurant suppliers? We’ve created a range of fantastic bread doughs on par with the latest artisan trends and flavours. You will produce a greater variety of products and delight your customers with your quality.

Find out more about our range of high quality dough products here.

Implement Loyalty Programs

Reward customer loyalty by implementing a robust loyalty program.

Offer points or discounts for repeat visits, referrals, or social media shares. Use customer data to personalise rewards and recommendations, making customers feel valued and more likely to return.

Check out this guide on the top restaurant loyalty app softwares.

Engage in Local Sponsorship

Support local events, charities, or sports teams by becoming a sponsor.

This not only raises brand awareness but also portrays your restaurant as an active member of the community. Display your logo or offer branded merchandise at sponsored events for additional exposure.

If you’re looking for local sponsorship opportunities, why not contact your Chamber of Commerce or local community groups and see what you can work out.

Ask For Restaurant Reviews

Reviews are important for your restaurant’s online presence. They provide valuable insights into your quality, service, and most importantly, your food!

An example of how to ask for a positive review from your customers could be: “Your opinion matters! If you’ve dined with us, kindly spare a moment to review our restaurant. Share your experience in 50 words – service, flavours, and highlights. We appreciate your feedback!” and provide a link to your preferred review platform of choice for your customer to use.

Encourage customers to leave positive reviews on popular review platforms like Google My Business, Yelp for Business, and TripAdvisor.

Monitor and Analyse Performance

Regularly monitor your marketing efforts to determine what’s working and what needs adjustment. Use analytics tools to track website traffic, social media engagement, and online reviews.

If you have a restaurant business plan in place, it’s a great idea to review it regularly to ensure you are on track with your goals. Some great ways to set and track goals include:

• Setting targets for new customer reviews e.g. Let’s get 5 new reviews this month, and then go about asking for them.
• Customer feedback. Ask your customers how their dining experience is going, what they like and also what they don’t like.
• Monitor website tracking by setting up Google Analytics. This is a great way to see how many people are visiting your site and from what source (organic, social, referral).
• Use social media analytics tools such as Sprout Social or Hootsuite Analytics to track social media metrics across all your networks in one place.

Partner With Suprima for High-Quality Dough Products

By working with us, you will produce a greater variety of products and delight your customers with your quality. Our products do the hard work and we deliver amazing high quality dough right to your doorstep.

Serve a range of breads, dinner rolls, sweet scrolls and more, all without the hassle of baking from scratch. You can bake a range of different products and extend your menu, all while using just a few customisable and versatile doughs.

Discover products and pricing for margin maximisation, productivity optimisations, and waste reduction opportunities.

So, Ready to Plate Up Success?

By implementing these 13 restaurant marketing tips, you’ll be equipped to attract new customers, build brand loyalty, and elevate your restaurant’s success.

Remember, consistency and adaptability are key. Continuously monitor the results of your restaurant marketing efforts and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Embrace the power of marketing and leverage the available resources to make your restaurant the talk of the town!