10 restaurant promotion ideas that win customers and boost sales

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Most restaurateurs got into the business because they are passionate about food, not because they’re experts on social media marketing strategies or building a loyal customer base. Unfortunately, being a restaurant owner, like any other job, puts you in the position of having to do things you may not want to do. Coming up with restaurant promotion ideas is an intrinsic part of the restaurant industry, whether you like it or not. If you have loftier dreams than just staying afloat, learning about restaurant promotions is imperative to your restaurant’s success.

In this article, we’ll take a look at various ways that you can promote your restaurant. From classic incentives to modern SEO hacks, we’ve got you covered. Read on to find out how you could get a wave of new customers walking through your doors in no time. Some of these restaurant promotions require minimal effort, and some won’t even cost you a cent!

1. Reach out on holidays and big events

People have been using the holidays as restaurant promotions long before the dawn of the internet. Word of mouth, local newspaper and billboard advertising, or handing out flyers brought swarms of customers through the door come St. Patrick’s Day or Thanksgiving. Now, online restaurant marketing is a whole lot easier and potentially free, too!

• Take advantage of social media marketing and set promotions for holidays and events to boost sales
• Keep a robust email marketing list to promote giveaways and special menu offerings based on certain special occasions like the Super Bowl, Mother’s Day, and Valentine’s Day
• Consider takeout promos and special offers for major sporting events if your venue is at all sports-friendly
• Incentivize online ordering during the post-holiday slow period

2. Get out there with a food truck or pop-ups

Investing in a food truck is a major restaurant promotion. With your restaurant name in huge letters on the side of a food truck, you’ll have a mobile billboard to take to special events—and you’ll be able to serve your food, too! Now, you have a portable restaurant that’s making you money and advertising your base of operations at the same time.

However, this marketing idea can be expensive for smaller operations looking to expand beyond their establishment. So, you can toy with the idea by promoting pop-up events at other restaurants and friendly businesses to introduce your restaurant to new customers.

• Getting to new venues with a food truck or a pop-up restaurant event will help build brand awareness
• Be sure to promote your location and the specific event via social media
• Show up at local events like music and arts festivals to tap into as broad a crowd as possible
• Make sure your brand identity is on point with your logo, signage, and artwork

3. Draw customers in with deals

This tried and tested marketing tool is used across almost all public-facing businesses. That’s because, put quite simply, it works. People love to feel that they are saving money, and well-marketed deals can turn bargain-hunters into repeat customers at your restaurant.

• Advertise limited-time offers to create a sense of urgency and the fear of missing out
• Make freebies your friend: Consider offering a free dessert, appetizer, or drink with a meal
• Offer prix fixe menu specials
• Happy hour can draw in customers during slow periods earlier in the day, while a reverse happy hour can turn quiet nights into busy, fun ones
• To follow trends, consider adding a tasting menu that allows customers to sample a range of dishes and mix up the dining experience

4. Catch their eyes online

Social media posts allow you to make connections with an infinite number of people, businesses, demographics, and countries. So, what to do with all this untapped potential in social media marketing campaigns?

• Keep your social media marketing efforts fun: Create social media contests like caption competitions, photo competitions, or trivia to drive audience engagement.
• Make the most of all social media platforms: Use Instagram, Facebook, and Yelp to their full extent. Take inspiration from TikTok’s popularity and post lots of videos, even if it needs to be on Reels post-ban.
• Advertise special deals and new menu items via influencers and bloggers to drive sales.
• Feature your staff and your kitchen in short-form video to create a personal-feeling promotion strategy.

5. Show some love with loyalty programs

Loyal customers should be rewarded for their regular business. It’s only right to help out those that are helping you, plus it provides more incentive to keep them coming back. This restaurant promotion technique works well for restaurateurs who own multiple businesses and for well-established restaurants with just one location.

• Customer loyalty programs can now be customized and high-tech in the form of a unique app
• AI loyalty programs can function as a CRM and be a core part of your marketing plan, helping automate delivery of special offers via the app and email
• Drive repeat business by making your loyalty system valuable: Prizes should be enough to make customers care, like a free meal or gift card
• Introduce first-time customers to your loyalty program to encourage repeat visits

6. Pair up with other local businesses

Partnering with other local businesses can help build a support network across industries and introduce potential customers. Consistent partners for restaurants can include local breweries, florists and decorators, and art galleries, for example.

• Offer discounts for the consortium: If customers bring a receipt from your business to another or vice versa, they can receive a percentage discount
• If pairing with other restaurants, consider buying produce in bulk and making specials out of seasonal offerings
• Link your restaurant website to other businesses and have your partners do the same to drive web traffic

7. Open up your kitchen

Unless you have an open floor plan that allows customers to see into your kitchen, some may be curious what’s going on back there. Inviting select customers and influencers into your kitchen to see what goes on behind the scenes can build yet more loyalty and encourage people to evangelize your establishment.

• Offer exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses into your cooking process, including the creation and introduction of new entrees
• Know your target audience: You won’t want to crowd your kitchen, so keep the invitation exclusive and special-feeling
• Make sure your chefs and other back-of-house staff are on board with the idea (key!)

8. Offer cooking classes for loyal customers

Taking the above idea a step further, restaurants can offer cooking classes to customers—for example, those who have won a social media contest can be invited to the restaurant itself to learn from your pros in the kitchen. On the other hand, doing this online can reach a potentially large audience.

• Make a fun and interactive activity that can be shared via social media posts
• Ensure this event takes place on a quiet day of the week and not during business hours
• Livestreaming cooking classes and taking audience questions from the stream can reach an unlimited number of people

9. Put a charity center stage

Supporting a local charity is both a solid act of kindness and a good way to build your brand. Consider taking an evening where all proceeds go to the charity of your choice and partner with them to promote the event.

• Make the event special with entertainment like live music
• Invite local media like newspapers and TV stations to attend
• Consider partnering with the charity long-term to stay involved in your community

10. Make restaurant promotions easier

Promoting your business shouldn’t dominate your workday. After all, you’ve got a restaurant to run, and that’s a tough enough job on its own. Fortunately, promoting your restaurant won’t take huge chunks of time and effort. You could even give the responsibility to your front-of-house manager or employ an outside agency for professional support.

You can also take it slow by focusing on one big idea at a time, whether it’s amping up your holiday promotions, using a food truck to put your restaurant on the map, enticing customers with deals or loyalty programs, or building your online presence.

Finally, you can promote your restaurant by updating the technologies you use. Yelp Guest Manager allows you to take charge of your FOH management and can support your team by handling reservations, allowing customers to check themselves in, providing sales data and metrics, and allowing for a fully customizable service area. Restaurants that start using Guest Manager experience up to 2X the traffic on their Yelp Business Page.* 

Get a demo for a head start on your FOH management today.

*Yelp Internal Data 2021. Based on average results from a sample study of restaurants that purchased Guest Manager for at least 90 days (in Q2-Q3 2021) versus the 90 days prior to making a purchase. Results may vary.