Restaurant Marketing

If you own a restaurant then you will find these restaurant marketing tips very helpful!

Online Restaurant Marketing Ideas

Social Media

• Ask your customers to like you on Facebook, follow you on twitter, etc.
  • This will help build the authority of your business and website, which in turn, will help you rank better in the search engines.
• Make it easy for them to leave a review on your website.
  • 90 percent of guests research a restaurant online before dining—more than any other business type.
  • 92 percent of consumers read restaurant reviews.
  • 33 percent would never eat a restaurant with less than four stars.
• Have great images of your food on your website, Pinterest, Facebook, Google My Business, and any other social media accounts will help with your restaurant marketing.
  • People respond and are attracted to images first.
• Lacking social media accounts? Add them! Especially Facebook and Google My Business they help the most.
• Make your Facebook Ads and Google Ads appear only in front of people within your location so you don’t waste any money.
  • Digital channel sales are on pace to reach 30 percent of total sales for US restaurants by 2025.
• Don’t have Facebook Ads or Google Ads? Check out your budget and possible ROI then consider it.
  • Digital channel sales are on pace to reach 30 percent of total sales for US restaurants by 2025.
• Share any positive news about your restaurant on your website, social media accounts, and print out to put on your restaurant wall.
  • This will help with brand awareness and get the word out faster about your restaurant.
• When you make posts to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts make sure you time it right. Do it just before lunchtime.
  • Timing is everything! Strike just before lunch-time when hunger strikes!

Reputation Management

• Encourage reviews of your restaurant. Especially Yelp.
  • 90 percent of guests research a restaurant online before dining—more than any other business type.
  • 92 percent of consumers read restaurant reviews.
  • 33 percent would never eat a restaurant with less than four stars.
• Respond to all reviews online.
  • 90 percent of guests research a restaurant online before dining—more than any other business type.
  • 92 percent of consumers read restaurant reviews.
  • 33 percent would never eat a restaurant with less than four stars.
• Put a monitoring system in place like Google Alerts that lets you know whenever anyone mentions your business online.
  • Why? To take care of reputation management in case someone says something harmful about your restaurant so that you can defend yourself.
  • Why? To thank people who rave your restaurant online and tell them of new menu items, specials, upcoming events, etc.

Website Improvements

• Don’t have a website? Get one! Too many pluses to having it and too many minuses to not have one.
  • 57 percent of guests that read reviews viewed restaurant websites before selecting where to dine.
• Monitor the traffic on your website so you know what you have to tweak to increase business and learn what they are interested in.
  • You can recognize growing trends and find out exactly what visitors like about your restaurant the most.
• Add a map with easy directions at a click on how to get to your restaurant. (Most searches are done on mobile phones)
  • 52 percent of all worldwide online traffic was generated through mobile phones, up from 50 percent in the previous year.
• Take orders online.
  • 60 percent of U.S. consumers order delivery or takeout once a week.
  • 34 percent of consumers spend at least $50 per order when ordering food online.
  • Over 80 percent of restaurants are turning to technology—like online ordering, reservation and inventory apps, and restaurant analytics—now more than ever to help them run their business successfully and efficiently.
  • Read more ordering statistics below
• Utilize food delivery apps.
  • Over 80 percent of restaurants are turning to technology—like online ordering, reservation and inventory apps, and restaurant analytics—now more than ever to help them run their business successfully and efficiently.
• Utilize coupons and discounts apps.
  • No kidding right? But you can do this online as well!
• Create a sign-up newsletter on your website to let people know of upcoming events, new menu items, and specials.
  • It has been proven that keeping in touch with your customers helps keep them coming back.
• Collect testimonials and display them at your restaurant and on your website. Videos are the best, Audio is second best, and written are 3rd best.
  • 90 percent of guests research a restaurant online before dining—more than any other business type.
  • 92 percent of consumers read restaurant reviews.
  • 33 percent would never eat a restaurant with less than four stars.
• To help with your restaurant marketing add a blog to your website where you can share information such as specials, upcoming events, share recipes, trivia, etc. to help get your restaurant’s name out there.
  • 86 percent of Millennials will try a new restaurant after seeing food-related content online.
• Display what you serve by adding an online menu to your website.
  • Over 80 percent of restaurants are turning to technology—like online ordering, reservation and inventory apps, and restaurant analytics—now more than ever to help them run their business successfully and efficiently.
• To help your customers more you can add an online reservation to your website or website app.
  • Over 80 percent of restaurants are turning to technology—like online ordering, reservation and inventory apps, and restaurant analytics—now more than ever to help them run their business successfully and efficiently.

Digital Restaurant Marketing Ideas

• Purchase banner ads on local websites in your area like the newspaper, chamber of commerce, and other websites that relate but are not in competition with you.
  • Digital channel sales are on pace to reach 30 percent of total sales for US restaurants by 2025.
• In March 2014 Google started showing menus in its search results.
  • Do you have your online presence in place so that your menu pops up in front of the searcher?
• If you have events like music, give-a-ways, benefits for those in need, etc. at your restaurant film it and post it online.
  • The more you spread the word the more customers will come.
  • Add social sharing and likes to your events posted.
• Start a contest online
  • Nothing helps with brand awareness and gets people talking than a good contest.
• Do you have a POS (point of sale) like Square that collects customer email addresses? Send them discounts for being frequent customers.
  • Customers keep coming back if you offer the coupons in exchange for the honor of trying out your restaurant.
• To make your restaurant appear on people’s phones while using Google Maps while they are traveling use Google My Business and Submissions.
  • Also, make sure that your restaurant address is on every page of your website. This helps too.
• Search for food bloggers and invite them to visit your website and blog about their experience.
  • 77 percent prefer peer reviews versus critic reviews.
• Make sure your restaurant address, phone number, and other important info are accurate online by utilizing a program like Moz Local.
• Use mobile ads to help your restaurant pop up in front of traveling people while they are searching for something to eat.
  • 52 percent of all worldwide online traffic was generated through mobile phones, up from 50 percent in the previous year.
  • Digital channel sales are on pace to reach 30 percent of total sales for US restaurants by 2025.
  • Add an image of food in your ads. They will attract more attention than just the name of a restaurant.

Offline Restaurant Marketing Ideas

• Ask your customers to like you on Facebook, follow you on twitter, etc. in person.
• Offer samples of your food to customers to help them make decisions.
• Provide food and drink to the chamber of commerce events to get your name out there.
• Start a contest.
• Do you have a POS (point of sale) like Square that collects customer email addresses? Send them discounts for being frequent customers.
• Encourage reviews of your restaurant. Especially Yelp.
  • 90 percent of guests research a restaurant online before dining—more than any other business type.
  • 92 percent of consumers read restaurant reviews.
  • 33 percent would never eat a restaurant with less than four stars.
• Create a sign-up newsletter at your business to let people know of upcoming events, new menu items, and specials.
• Collect testimonials and display them at your restaurant by adding them to your menu and posting them to your wall.
• Create a slideshow of delicious foods and beverages on a screen behind the counter. This is easy to do if you have a monitor with a USB plugin.
• Share any positive news about your restaurant on your website, social media accounts, and print out to put on your restaurant wall and include on your menu.
• Add images of your food onto your menus.
  • An image of food will attract more attention than just the name of the food.
• Have customers enter their business cards for a drawing for a free meal, drink, coupon, etc.
• Take your restaurant on wheels and send a food truck to fairs, auctions, and other events.
• Use local ingredients? Let people know and partner with the business you get your food from.
• Offer a heart-healthy side menu.
  • 70 percent of restaurant guests are looking for healthy restaurant menu options.
• Install iPads at the booths so that customers can order right from the booth.
  • 41 percent of restaurants use, or will soon use handheld server tablets.
  • 68 percent of customers agree that the use of server tablets improve the restaurant experience.

Restaurant Marketing Statistics

Provided by Upserve Restaurant Insider.

Restaurant Menu Statistics

• 79 percent of Millennials state that they enjoy experimenting with products from different cultures or countries.
• 86 percent of Millennials will try a new restaurant after seeing food-related content online.
• 77 percent of restaurant chefs surveyed by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) identified cannabis/CBD-infused drinks as the number one trend in the restaurant industry right now.
• CBD-infused food and beverages saw a 99 percent increase in Upserve customer menus in 2018.
• Fermented foods saw a 149 percent increase in Upserve customer menus, making it the biggest trend in 2018.
• Jackfruit saw a 52 percent increase in Upserve customer menus in 2018.
• Ancient grains saw an 11 percent increase in Upserve customer menus in 2018.
• King oyster mushrooms saw a 93 percent decrease in Upserve customer menus in 2018.
• 70 percent of restaurant guests are looking for healthy restaurant menu options.

Restaurant Sales Statistics

• The restaurant industry’s projected sales for 2018 was $825 billion.
• Americans are spending 48 percent of their total food budget on restaurants, as opposed to 25 percent in 1955.
  Restaurant Digital Marketing Statistics
• 90 percent of guests research a restaurant online before dining—more than any other business type.
• 57 percent of those guests viewed restaurant websites before selecting where to dine.
• 52 percent of all worldwide online traffic was generated through mobile phones, up from 50 percent in the previous year.

Restaurant Online Ordering Statistics

• Digital channel sales are on pace to reach 30 percent of total sales for US restaurants by 2025.
• 60 percent of U.S. consumers order delivery or takeout once a week.
• 34 percent of consumers spend at least $50 per order when ordering food online.
• 20 percent of consumers say they spend more on off-premise orders compared to regular dine-in experience.
• Digital ordering and delivery have grown 300 percent faster than dine-in traffic since 2014.
• 70 percent of consumers say they’d rather order directly from a restaurant, preferring that their money goes straight to the restaurant and not a third party.
• 45 percent of consumers say that offering mobile ordering or loyalty programs would encourage them to use online ordering services more often.
• 63 percent of consumers agree that it is more convenient to get delivery than dining out with a family.
• 60 percent of restaurant operators say that offering delivery has generated incremental sales.
• Orders placed via smartphone and mobile apps will become a $38 billion industry by 2020.
• Delivery sales could rise an annual average of more than 20 percent to $365 billion worldwide by 2030, from $35 billion.

Restaurant Review Statistics

• 92 percent of consumers read restaurant reviews.
• 77 percent prefer peer reviews versus critic reviews.
• 33 percent would never eat a restaurant with less than four stars.

Restaurant Tech Statistics

• Over 80 percent of restaurants are turning to technology—like online ordering, reservation and inventory apps, and restaurant analytics—now more than ever to help them run their business successfully and efficiently.
• 41 percent of restaurants use, or will soon use handheld server tablets.
• 68 percent of customers agree that the use of server tablets improve the restaurant experience.