Four Key Blunders to Prevent When Launching a Fresh Eatery... or if You're Overwhelmed with Work
Diving into the thrill of launching a new restaurant is a fantastic feeling. All that hard work and planning is finally seeing the light of day, as you start serving and attracting customers. The excitement is real, and even better is knowing that you're bringing in money, which tackles quite a few problems.
But the question isn't why you're busy; it's what happens when the new restaurant sheen wears off, or your busy season passes? You might ask yourself, "What the hell happened?!”
Instead of wondering why things have slowed down, ask yourself, "What did we not do?" There are some vital marketing moves that should have been done even before you opened your doors. It's too common for restaurants to either overlook or forget these basic marketing strategies. Avoid being those people. Stand out as the restaurateur who sets up their business for long-term success.
Below are 4 foundational marketing moves that will pay off—and you'll thank yourself for later.
1. Ensure Clear Listings
This advice has been echoed since 2013 for good reason. People love dining out, especially the convenience of finding a restaurant nearby on platforms like Google, Yelp, Apple Maps, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Instagram, and many more. "Near me" searches can be a valuable source of new customers.
Customers need easy access to your business profile to make a reservation, place an order, and view your hours of operation and menu. Make sure that you've claimed, updated, and maintained your business profile on all those sites. That's called listings management.
There's a fantastic tool called Marqii that can take care of this for you. I recommend giving them a try.
2. Manage Your Reputation
What if a customer applauded you in person for a job well done, and you just stood there, speechless? Of course, you'd thank them, right? It's common courtesy.
Just like addressing complimentary customers in real life, you should also acknowledge and thank guests who leave positive reviews online. It's just good customer service. When handled properly, positive reviews can boost your visibility in "near me" searches.
Asking guests for reviews and responding to them is called reputation management. Ovation is another incredible tool that can make this process easier for you.
3. Capture Email Addresses
A significant challenge in this industry is attracting repeat customers. You've invested so much energy to get them in the door once, and yet your margins are slim, making it tough to justify the cost. Return visits are crucial to long-term success.
One-time visitors are common when guests walk in, dine, and leave without sharing their contact information. Restaurants place too much emphasis on followers on social media, not realizing that these platforms only share your content with a tiny percentage of your followers. You want your customers to think of your restaurant first, so you stay top-of-mind in their decision-making.
Email them. Send them a weekly newsletter filled with exciting news and updates about your restaurant. Start building your email list using methods like online orders, reservation systems, offering free Wi-Fi, having a sign-up option on your website, linking to your email in your social media bio, or an loyalty program.
CAPTURE. EMAIL. ADDRESSES.
Check out these user-friendly and affordable email capture systems:
- Online ordering (independent restaurants): BistroUX
- Online ordering (enterprise restaurants): Lunchbox
- Reservations: SmartWAIT by Milagro
- Gated WiFi: Vivaspot
- Loyalty: Spendgo
4. Act Now
Take an hour or two right now, today, or at least this week, and get these things in order. You'll regret it when you find yourself in a lull and wish you had taken action earlier.
I'm not saying that nailing the little details, training employees, and perfecting your recipes isn't important. I'm saying that this is just as important—if not more so—because, without customers, none of it matters.
Don't hesitate to ask for help. I'm here to guide you through this marketing journey. You specialize in operations. Hire a marketing professional to tackle this side of your business.
Take action now. If you have any questions or require assistance, send an email to [email protected].
- Rev Ciancio
WHAT DOES REV DO?
- I help restaurants to build guest marketing programs.
- I assist hospitality tech companies with lead generation and content marketing.
- Prioritize listing management by claiming, updating, and maintaining your restaurant's profile on platforms like Google, Yelp, Apple Maps, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Instagram, and others. Utilize tools such as Marqii to simplify the process.
- Develop a strong online reputation by acknowledging and thanking guests who leave positive reviews and by using reputation management tools like Ovation to facilitate the process more easily.
