How To Increase Foot Traffic in Your Restaurant
As a restaurant owner or operator, you are always looking for more ways to get a higher volume of customers through your door. Here’s how to increase foot traffic in your restaurant.
Work for a Higher Table Turnover Rate
Though it may sound counterintuitive, starting with your in-house operations can make a big difference. By increasing your table turnover rate, you can have more seats open more frequently. If customers feel like you have long wait times or aren’t able to honor their reservations within a reasonable amount of time, they may not come back to your establishment. A higher table turnover rate does not mean you need to rush customers. Instead, try to cut back on the time servers spend traveling between the kitchen and the table, and look for ways to optimize your seating procedures.
Offer a Customer Loyalty Program
A customer loyalty program is a surefire way to increase the number of returning customers and build loyalty among your consumers. Encourage your servers to offer customers the option of signing up with your program when they give the check. Also, find ways to add a link or coupon to the bottom of your receipts. If managers at your restaurant walk the floor greeting customers, they can invite people to sign up at that time as well. With a customer loyalty program, you can create customer profiles, track their rewards, and send them personalized offers. Some point of sale, or POS, systems have these functionalities and can truly enhance how you do business.
Market in Online Spaces
Digital marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase foot traffic in your restaurant. With the number of people who use social media, you may be able to tap into demographics you previously couldn’t. Create a business profile with updated menus, weekly coupons, and other enticing information about your restaurant. You can also work with coupon websites and app developers to get your coupons in their system. One thing to look for and manage is online reviews. Businesses that actively respond to reviews often appear in a more positive light to those browsing online. Altogether, digital marketing can help you boost brand recognition and customer numbers by repeatedly meeting the customer in their online experiences.
Try out whichever method works best for your style and capacity. As with all new marketing strategies, the most important thing is to keep at it and measure your gains over time. With these tips for how to increase foot traffic in your restaurant, you can begin entertaining more customers within the month.
