How to promote a restaurant in 5 hours, days, weeks?

Sometimes you can afford a strategy that will last for years. Other times, time is running out, the competition surprises with creativity, and you start to wonder how to promote your restaurant within weeks, days or… hours. 

First, an important note: before you start your campaign, it would be worthwhile to carry out marketing audit and an overview of the local market. You can already conduct expensive activities on and off the web. However, if there is based on incorrect assumptions, it does not meet the needs of the residents. Even if your communication strategy used to be perfect in the past, take another look at it. The owners of the premises, busy from morning to evening, do not usually visit competitors' premises. For example, if you used to be known for delivery in the past, and today, after the pandemic, dozens of premises in the same district offer such a service, you need to start thinking about a new distinguishing feature.  

How to promote a restaurant on the web? 

First of all, it is better not to start thinking about how to promote a restaurant on the web after it is opened. It's definitely worth a few months in advance: 

• buy a domain, 
• start work on social profiles, 
• inform about the planned opening of local portals, 
• start advertising through Google Ads, positioning, 
• add info about the premises to the lists, registers, guides. 

When you go out with a restaurant, you won't have enough time to think about how to promote the place on the Internet. Start earlier - domain registration is ongoing, and behind-the-scenes photos of the venue opening will work as a free form of advertising. A few weeks or months before the start is also a great time to start positioning. Don't worry about it letting everyone know about your restaurant not ready yet.  

SEO campaign usually begins to bring results after a few weeks, and they accumulate after a few months. Take the time to create some interesting blog entries for the restaurant, rather than writing them later in a panic after opening. 

How to promote a restaurant in social media? 

Most restaurant owners pay the most attention to posts on their social-media channels. They are of course very important. However, when it comes to promoting your restaurant in social media, what matters most is whether on your profile: 

• the phone number and address of the restaurant are provided, 
• there is a menu and prices, 
• local and thematic hashtags are used correctly, 
• location markings are used, 
• there are clear photos of the premises, entrances, dishes. 

This may seem so trivial as to be unnecessary. However, remember if you ever browsed the restaurant's profile and quit because you weren't sure if the restaurant was open, and you couldn't find the menu anywhere?  

If you use all of the above elements correctly, you can count on organic, random movement on your profileand this way you will increase sales efficiency. More and more people treat Facebook, Youtube or Instagram as a search engine. If it's you who appears in the results when the customer enters "sushi Józefów" or "best Ramen in Krakow ”, you are one step ahead of the competition. If for this you create expressive image in social media, customers will be interested in your restaurant. For this purpose, it is worth reaching out to them with advice, as well as creating a story - narrative marketingthat will grab the crowds. It will take you a few seconds to add one post a day. Thanks to it, customers will be sure that the restaurant is open and serves the special of the day. 

How to promote a restaurant on the local market? 

Restaurateurs sometimes think that the secret to promoting a restaurant on the local market is in banners, signs and leaflets. Of course - if the place is difficult to find, make sure you are visible first, and then start promoting online. Later, however, think about how to reach customers online. More and more people, when walking down the pedestrian zone in their city, first check the list of places on social media or comparison websites like Tripadvisor, and only then make a decision. Others may have heard about your place from friends, but they'll check the internet first before they come to you.  

With such people in mind, it is a must complete your company's google listingwith opening hours and contact details. Encourage guests to leave reviews - Many make decisions based on recommendations. If all the restaurants in the area have hundreds of opinions, and yours few, then unfortunately most people will not come to them. On the local market, apart from pull advertising, an active approach to the customer is also needed.  

You can sponsor a local football team, deliver a pizza to an important event, or invite retirees or children from an orphanage to dinner. All of this will improve your reputation, and this is what counts most in the local market. 

What is the most effective in promoting a restaurant? 

There are still places that don't pay much attention to promoting a restaurant and yet have thousands of visitors. Why is this happening? Usually, a few basic conditions related to: 

• nice, competent service, 
• delicious dishes, 
• appropriate decor and cleanliness. 

Every day someone in your city goes from place to place and looks for a place where they will be able to sit comfortably and order something tasty. Unlike a hotel that we visit rather rarely, you can even go to a good restaurant every day. Some people visit "their" place several times a day ... All this is important as it determines the success of the strategy of promoting a restaurant on the Internet or in social media. If the service is unpleasant and the dishes do not taste good to anyone, an article in the local press will only remind the inhabitants of the area that it is not worth visiting a given place.  

Therefore, before you start promotional activities, think about whether you can improve something on the spot. Crew training or staff exchange, a new menu card, more careful decor - all these are ideas on how to promote a restaurant so that guests really want to come back to it. Note that after these conditions are met, synergy will occur with the other elements of your campaign, because guests delighted with the place will check news on social media and call to order a reservation.

Don't ignore one more important thing: everyone is eager to tell their friends about a delicious meal. Many will be happy to invite their partner or friends to a good restaurant, and they will ... tell their friends about it. Thanks to the recommendations of satisfied guests, you can quickly build a database of hundreds of returning customers. And that's what it's all about.