Restaurant Promotion Ideas

One such website was the restaurantmarketing.net (I think they have changed their address cause when you type it goes to www.nightclub.com). There are still some promotional ideas and also some bar management ideas there.

Below are some ideas I've got from them through the years.

1. Bounceback Gift
This is a good idea when you normally have a slow month after a busy month.
Prepare small envelopes that contains a 10% or 20% discount on their meal, a free dessert or entrée or even a RM100 gift certificate. You can put in a lucky draw bowl and let the guest (who dines a certain amount) pick one. The vouchers is valid for the next month(the slow month).If you are running a chinese restaurant,you can put the vouchers in angpow (red packets) envelope and distribute them during the Chinese New Year period. The guest can claim their prize next month.
This will then increase your clientele on a slow month.

2. Frequently Diner Passport
This can be used if you have daily buffets or brunches.Create a passport or something similar, where everytime a guest dines or spends a certain amount, the service staffs stamps the passport. If they collect say 12 stamps they can perhaps get a free buffet or brunch depending on your outlet. You can also put the guest picture and mailing address on the booklet.

3. Employee Marketing Challenge.
Create vouchers and pass to your staff. Have them sign on the back of the vouchers. Let them distribute the vouchers to any one they want.The vouchers can be discount for purchase for a meal. Give a prize to the staff that has the most vouchers coming back to the restaurant. This makes the staff feel important and also if he/ she wants to win a prize he needs to give to people that he/she knows will come and dine.

Our chef saw this idea being used by a pastry franchise and suggested to me. We printed a picture of a cow holding a sign with words like have u tried our double cut beef. We put the cutouts at strategic places (be careful if you need to place outside, don't get in trouble with the law). On the menu and entrance poster we placed a picture of the cow next to the picture of the dish. We received quite a number for the beef orders.

Added on the 25th May 2009

This was used when I was working in a small beach resort. Our guest normally spends their day on the beach or sightseeing returning only in the early evenings. I created doorknobs with the special of the week. It was Italian Week and we were serving Italian Dishes with ala carte prices. We went around and hung the doorknobs in the afternoon so when the guest came back, they will be sure to notice the doorknob and read it. We received a lot of orders for the Italian dishes especially on the first day that we put up the doorknob. The picture is just a sample of what the doorknob should look like.

Added on the 18th July 2009

This we did to attract guest to our ramadhan break fast buffet. I created flyers to look like Police Summons. (it was not exactly the same) The summons gave the bearer a 20% discount on a single bill upon presentation of flyer. First of all you need to get the permission of the local authorities. For us it was the police. We did this with conjunction with a drive home safely campaign as it was the time when everyone goes back to their hometown for the Eid ul-Fitr festival. The police was doing road blocks to distribute flyers on road safety. We were there giving out our this flyers together with their safety campaign leaflets. We also gave out mini hampers with dates and goodies in it for every ten cars that were stopped. Well with this we received a 20% increase on patrons. We even did a parking summons, which we placed on parked cars. This got a lot of attention when the owner came to his car. With normal flyers they just glance at it. With this they read thru and some laugh or smiled. We also had some calls for reservation saying that they were summon to our buffet dinner.

A management resources center. The products here was put together by Andreas Breitfuss and his team to help those people in the restaurant industry.
You will find resources ranging from Menu Design to Staff Training. There is even a 60 days money back guarantee. Andreas Breitfuss has a lens here which I have placed on my recommended reading on the righthand side. To know more about their products just Click here

If you are like me. I hate seeing pieces of servittes, paper or coasters placed under my restaurant tables, so as it doesn't wobble. Use this simple and effective method. Slice wine corks and place them below the legs of wobbling table. Your table won't be wobbly, won't have unsightly paper sticking out from under it and your guest will be happy to enjoy their meal. Customer satisfaction is another good marketing strategy. Keep some on standby.

Top Secrets to Successful Restaurant Operations

What I have found is that the success of the restaurant is not only the food, its more than that. Its financials, staffing, layouts, equipments and food costs. If you want to succeed in the restaurant business, want to learn the secrets and paths, techniques and strategies that will get you there, this is the guide for you.
To know more Click Here!