During the pandemic, the no dine-in rule led to a decline in customers for the hospitality industry.

While the restrictions still hamper recovery in the sector, many people are eating out and ordering takeouts from restaurants and fast-food chains. Restaurant penetration started increasing in December 2021, peaking at 69%, with one in ten consumers visiting a restaurant weekly.

As a restaurant owner, you need to devise strategies to attract customers. You can also find ways to increase hotel bookings and improve your business revenue during recovery. Here are four tips to help you attract new customers to your venue and keep the existing clientele:

Use Loyalty Programmes

Loyalty programmes are crucial for attracting new customers. You will be giving back to your loyal customers and encourage new customers to come back regularly. During the pandemic, consumers changed their shopping and eating habits. If you can build on consumer loyalty, you can turn one-time customers into regular clients. Research shows that loyalty programme members spend 12% to 18% more in a restaurant than non-members. Your loyalty programme should be designed to suit your customers to get positive results. It should also be easy to sign up and redeem rewards.

Optimise POS Systems

Restaurants can maximise sales by optimising point of sale systems. While a point of sale system is mainly used to process payments, it collects data useful for expanding your business. For instance, you can use the POS system to gather customer feedback. From the information, you can find the best-selling items on the menu and advertise them more. You also gain information on ways to make your promotions profitable and gain an advantage over your competitors.

Maximise Social Media Marketing

Social media is useful for attracting new customers. Even if you already have a social media presence, you need to increase your fan base and engagement. You can use promoted advertising and keep the page up to date by showcasing various items on the menu. Tantalising food photos tempt your followers. You can also run contests and use hashtags to encourage your followers to reshare the photos and create product awareness.

Optimise Restaurant Menus

A study recently revealed that 53% of diners preferred a personalised menu that meets their likes and dietary requirements. Many restaurants are increasing customisable options in their menus despite declining menu items. For instance, chain restaurants reduced their menu to 64 dishes, a 20% decline from 2019 menus. The proportion of items tagged as customisable has increased by 46%. Increasing customisable options in your menu attracts customers with special requirements and preferences.

Conclusion

The above strategies can help you attract new customers to your venue and retain your existing clientele. However, you should ensure the strategies align with your business model and involve your staff in the expansion plan.

As always, we are here to provide information on point-of-sale systems and how you can grow your restaurant. Contact us to learn more. Call us at 1800 778 340 or email [email protected] for more information.