Attracting new customers to your restaurant may seem difficult, but there are so many different ways to bring in new customers. Some customers come into your restaurant more than once a week, once a month, or they’re visiting from afar and want to check out the place.
1. Offer free wifi
This allows customers to come in without worrying if they can receive phone calls or check up on emails, some may be coming on their lunch break or after work. 53 percent of diners said they’re happy to sit alone at a bar, cafe, or restaurant if free Wi-Fi is available. This ultimately generates repeat business and customers will come in again. 62 percent of businesses reported that their customers spend more time when wifi is offered, which means more sales. The longer stay encourages customers to refuel on coffee or food throughout the day, especially if they’re working. This also helps out parents so their children can play games to keep distracted with their phones or iPads until the food comes out.
2. Get to know your regulars
These are the customers that are loyal to your restaurant and remain coming back. It’s very important that they are always taken good care of and treated as family. The best thing to do is make conversation and get to know them, this way next time they come in you can ask them about their family and what they did over the weekend.
3. Show sporting events
If your restaurant has more than one TV, you should try to encourage a sports crowd to come on down and watch the games at your bar or even sit in a booth to watch the games. This motivates customers to come in and sit, drink, and eat at the bar while enjoying a game whether it’s hockey, football, baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, etc.
4. Provide live music
This is a great way to enjoy time with your family or a group of friends and listen to some music while eating great food. Live music can enhance your restaurant’s atmosphere, create a friendly environment, and encourage more people to check out the restaurant. It will also be good because customers will see that you support the local music scene. It’s also a way for customers to spend more because they may be finished with dinner but want to listen to the band, so they’ll go up to the bar to get another drink.
5. Email marketing incentives
Being on the email marketing list there should be some incentives so more people want to join. Many people back away from being added on an email list because they don’t want those pointless emails every day. However, if your emails provide incentives such as coupons, discounts, free dessert on your birthday, weekly update of events being hosted at the restaurant, then those are different. Put me on that list! This ensures that the customers will come back to your restaurant. It will also allow new customers to see why it’s important to be on the email list to receive those same incentives.
