Running a successful hospitality business in today's competitive market can be a challenge, but a strong promotional strategy can make a significant difference. As a team of current and former hospitality professionals, we'll outline five restaurant promotion tips tailored to help hospitality business owners attract more customers and increase revenue.  

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1. Embrace the Power of Social Media

You may already know that social media is a game-changer for restaurant promotions. Online platforms can increase your reach exponentially. Here are a few ways to leverage social media:

a. Engage with Your Audience: Share nice images and reply to comments.

b. Run Contests and Giveaways: This creates excitement and drives shares.

c. Promote Special Offers: Limited-time special deals are effective at driving more eager customers.

d. Collaborate with Food Bloggers and Influencers: Food bloggers can naturally reach onlookers trying to find new places to eat or visit.

Learn more about social media content ideas for your hospitality business: 4 Social Media Content Ideas for Restaurant Owners: How to Reach More Customers Online (hospitalityinnovations.app)

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2. Loyalty Programs and Rewards

Customer loyalty programs can encourage repeat visits and gamify the experience to make it exciting for customers. Consider these strategies:

a. Punch Cards or Digital Loyalty Apps: A physical punch card or digital app can help give people an extra reason to choose you over the competition, especially if you offer appealing rewards.

b. Birthday and Anniversary Specials: Complimentary desserts or discounts on their day helps to make them feel valued.

c. Exclusive Events for Members: This encourages new loyalty program members and builds a community around your business.

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3. Creative Menu Innovations

An enticing menu is a key component of bringing in your customers, of course. Try these ways to keep it fresh and exciting:

a. Seasonal Menus: Create seasonal menus that feature fresh ingredients from that time of year. Check out our other articles for seasonal menu inspiration in various seasons.

b. Chef's Specials: Frequently-rotated specials keep customers coming back to check what’s new.

c. Tasting Menus: Set menus with a variety of dishes can increase the average check while providing a memorable dining experience.

You might be interested in: 5 Seasonal Menu Trends for Fall 2023: Autumn Food & Beverage Inspiration (hospitalityinnovations.app)

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4. Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing remains a classic and cost-effective way to reach your customers. Here's how to use it powerfully:

a. Build an Email List: Find unique ways to collect email addresses for your list, like through participation in other promotions.

b. Personalized Offers: Use customer preferences and past orders to send curated offers, making them more enticing.

c. Regular Updates: Stay top of mind with regular updates filled with menu updates and offers.

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5. Collaborate with Local Businesses

Partnerships with nearby business can escalate your reach by sharing their customer base:

a. Cross-Promotions: Collaborate with other businesses, for example by featuring each other’s offerings.

b. Discounts for Employees: If employees of nearby restaurants receive discounts, they may be encouraged to tell their own customers about your business.

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The hospitality industry is highly competitive and can be overwhelming. With the saturation, it is a challenge to find ways to stand out while balancing all of the other tasks necessary for success. We hope that you can implement some of these strategies to stand out just a bit more among the competition.

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If you found this helpful, be sure to subscribe to our email list where you can get notified when we post new articles that can help you manage your hospitality business. We send emails infrequently (about once a month).  

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As you learn more about how to manage your hospitality business in the digital age, we’d also like to recommend you take a look at Hospitality Innovations.  

This web/mobile app can save you loads of time and money by streamlining and automating your inventory, ordering, and reporting processes. Learn more here.  

If you’re interested, feel free to schedule a free 1-on-1 demo here!  

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