One week ago, our blog offered up some ways that restaurateurs could spice up their eatery’s menus. We suggested offering barbeque options, concocting new cocktails and sweetening up salads. Are you a restaurant owner? If so, it’s certainly wise to come up with unique ways to entice patrons to visit your establishment on a regular basis. What can you do to separate your eatery from its competition this summer? Here are three more steps!
Step #1: Advertise “Date Night” at your restaurant.
The pandemic forced us to completely rethink how we approach the dating scene. The dating lives of many people faltered. Without restaurants to go to, due to lockdowns, people found it next to impossible to spend evenings out. These days, with restrictions lifted, it’s wise to advertise that your restaurant is the perfect place to take someone on a date!
“Summer is all about celebrating love with that special someone,” insists Laura-Andreea Voicu on GloriaFood.com, “Make your restaurant the place to do that by organizing regular date nights on the terrace. Make the atmosphere romantic by decorating the place with candles, flowers, or balloons. You can even bring in a photo booth where people can take snapshots as memories of this wonderful night.”
Step #2: Sell gift cards.
For restaurant owners, the only thing better than welcoming customers to their dining rooms is welcoming them BACK to their dining rooms. Selling gift cards will do that. Arguably, there is no better recommendation for a business than when a person gives another person a gift card for it. By having gift cards sell in your restaurant, you assure both repeat business AND the ability to welcome new customers in future.
“Restaurant gift cards became more popular during the pandemic, as a way for diners to support their favourite eateries,” notes Bentobox, “But gift cards were also a smart way to drive extra revenue before the pandemic, and they will continue to serve that role moving forward.”
Step #3: Promote your drinks and desserts.
Naturally, the summertime is the hottest time of the year. What do people want when it’s hot? Something cold! Promote your restaurant’s drinks and desserts by highlighting some of your special seasonal menu items. According to Voicu, a seasonal restaurant menu can help you lower food costs and attract more people to your restaurant.
“Desserts are a quick and easy way to refresh your restaurant summer menu without changing too much,” she writes, “Case in point, ice cream. Everyone loves to enjoy a refreshing cone of ice cream in the summer. Add that to your menu and think of other ways to use it, such as creating delicious ice cream frappes.”
Do you let your customers pay for their meals at the table?
Why not use the sleek dual-screen smart payment terminal from Unity Payments? Equipped with our POS solution, your restaurant can optimize the checkout process, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty and drive revenue growth. To learn all about it, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
