Welcome to my course on how to market your restaurant like a boss. In it I will teach you everything you need to market your restaurant successfully, and make the most out of your business. Bookmark this page for easy access and Subscribe to me on YouTube for more marketing tips and advice.
probabCompeting With Your Local Restaurants Online:
If you want to smash your competition online you’re going to have to put in a lot of time and effort, but trust me, it will be worth it in the end. I’m not just going to just help you a little with this: If you do everything I teach you here, you will drive your competition into madness and destruction and hear the lamentation of their significant others! I’m talking decimation, obliteration, soul rending destruction. Which ultimately means more sales for you.
Getting Found On Google
No I don’t mean for just your restaurant name. You need to be found in your local area for your name, your competitors names, anyone in your niche, and more, and you can dominate them really really easily. Here’s why:
- Your rivals are not going to be doing stuff like this unless they have read this blog or are CRAZY good at marketing.
- This takes a lot of time, and it will break most people if you push it to it’s limits.
- What I will be teaching you is not unknown, but it’s not normal in the world of restaurant marketing. That is to your advantage!
So how are we going to dominate like a boss?
By Writing Blogs:
Restaurants have many advantages in the blog space, they have a place to take pictures, make food, and they can even earn additional money: I’ll get into that later though.
What Kind of Blogs Should I Write For My Restaurant
You want to focus on Two kinds of Blogs when you are writing for your Restaurant:
- Blogs about Your Food (Full Blogs)
- Recipes for Food in Your Niche (Micro Blogs)
A Full Blog is what I call a blog with a lot of information. I like to use at least 1500 words in order to ensure the blogs are powerful enough to rank whilst featuring natural flow of the language. So my setup for a full blog for your restaurant would be like this:
- Pick one of Your Dishes and Write 1500 words about it. Talk about the quality of your ingredients and go into detail about it’s history. Where was the dish made first? What traditional skills are part of it’s crafting? The value of using fresh herbs, health benefits etc. Go over 1500 if you like. Go crazy. The word count for this Course (which is in blog format) is way over 2x that and that’s why it will rank on Google and is probably why you found it!
- Add A Small list of similar dishes. Link to the Blogs you wrote on them, or go back and link to your new blog from older blogs.
- Add information about your restaurant to the bottom of the blog, include the address. Try not to copy and paste this from previous blogs, it’s detrimental to your ranking power!
- Link the first time your Restaurant Name is used to the home page.
By doing this: You will be establishing yourself. Think of it this way: When a search engine scans your site, it will be picking up information on the dish you have. If your competition is NOT doing this, and they have an ordering system or menu on their website, it’s just a small mention of a dish, whereas, you have this, and you also have a huge amount of information on the dish. You will be regarded as the expert in the field compared to your competition. You don’t need to know how it works, you just need to do this and wait a few weeks or months for the result.
A Micro Blog is a smaller blog. I save these for Recipe Blogs. These can just be a few hundred words. There are so many advantages to recipe blogs, I can’t go into them all here but in simple terms, they are not designed to bring people in through search engines. They end up being ranked by search engines because they have high viewer retention despite the lack of words. Recipes are great because you can actually compete with other restaurants in your Niche by not even serving the same food they do. This is what makes you LETHAL.
You can learn to blog like a boss in this course I’ve written on the subject:
This is a playlist, so you can go back and forth by clicking the small playlist icon in the top right hand corner. Do everything I teach you here and you will dominate like never before!
Additionally for Recipe Blogs
I accomplish crazy things using Recipes, so Check out this Short Tutorial if you want to totally dominate your competition. I give you a basic rundown on how you can even make a bit of money with affiliate marketing whilst thrashing your competition. Squeeze every last penny!
If You Want To Utterly Destroy Your Competition…
Here’s my best tip for eradicating your competition in a way that will aggressively compete with your enemies. Only use this if you want to win every time.
Running a Basic Facebook Ad
You don’t want to spend too much time setting up your Facebook Adverts for your restaurant. Whilst it can be fun looking at all the parameters you can set, Facebook doesn’t know everything about people, and what everyone likes to eat. There is literally no point focusing on certain metrics when you run your ads as a Restaurant because we all like to go out, and we all need to eat. Here’s how you set up your basic Facebook ad.
Why Facebook is The BEST Platform for Restaurants!
Facebook is without doubt the best platform out there for restaurants because it has the ability to target locally in a way no other platform does. There are so many ways you can use Facebook whereas Instagram and X (Twitter) tend to pick up a wider area audience.
Don’t Use Hashtags!
Hashtags will kill your business because you only get what the algorithm shows you in terms of your audience, and you want a focused local audience rather than a global one. If you HAVE to use a hashtag, only use the town/city name where your restaurant is located.
How to Respond to Good AND Bad Reviews
There are loads of ways people can respond to you online, and reviews are a double edged sword. On one hand, you’re getting customer feedback and they can be great but they can also make you look really bad. This is not necessarily a reflection on you or your restaurant. Sometimes, people are just being spiteful, or they are lashing out. Maybe they are your rivals tripping you up. Maybe they are bots or something else.
- Responding to Good Reviews: Don’t just say thank you. Be really nice, friendly and cordial. Make a real effort to tell someone how much you appreciate what they thought of your service. If you remember them, let them know, say: It was lovely to see you the other day, you’re always welcome! Be happy and friendly with a ‘bubbly’ personality. You know, the only personality people have on Tinder.
- Responding to Bad Reviews: I know what you’re thinking. Don’t argue, don’t go in guns blazing. This is really bad. If you do this, it will make you look worse. Instead you should try to be polite, friendly and helpful in a response. If someone has had a bad time, you want to apologise and say you are working on things, if they are being mean or cruel, you want to be friendly back, and there’s a good reason for this. When people check out the bad reviews, they will also be reading your responses. If you come across as caring, then it will be a good look at who you are as a business. A good advertisement placed in a response. Now is that not excellent marketing?
Ultimately, you should always take valid feedback on board. If someone’s Gazpacho soup arrives piping hot. You should probably look into that.
My Restaurant is Doing Well: What Do I Do?
If you’re doing well, that’s great. You should still be advertising. The reason is that – At this point in time, you have money in the bank, and you have customers coming through the door, advertising at this time will be at it’s easiest point, because you can afford it. Use the money to make sure that you have a great system in place to get customers in, invest in loyalty systems, invest in everything you will need for the times when life bites you hard. In the world of restaurants, we all have bad months, so it’s best to have things in place for the times when you will need them. That way you are going to always be ahead.
What NOT To Do:
Ok guys, we are at the point in the course where I tell you everything you should be avoiding doing and I’ll also tell you why you shouldn’t be doing it. Some of this stuff is black hat, some of it is downright useless, and some of it will absolutely destroy your business and could potentially ruin you.
Do NOT Add Your Niche and Location in Name Section of Your Google Business Profile
Oh sure, I see businesses doing this all the time, but it is strictly against the terms of service for having a business profile. Do this and you can get removed and this WILL not be restored. You can make a new profile but it will take time and it will cost you all the reviews you had. This can kill your business faster than my hairline is receding. There is one use case however when it is acceptable. This is if your business is named after a place like this: London Indian Restaurant – and that is actually the name of your business. Naming your restaurant like this is hyper weird, but it’s great for your SEO as it’ll flow naturally. But yeah, you don’t want to do this. Just have your actual business name. You put the other stuff down in your profile anyway when you’re building it.
Don’t Photograph Customers
One thing I see a lot of people doing when I’m working for restaurants is taking pictures of customers. This is a big no-no. People go out to eat not to be used on social media, and it can really cripple your business if you start taking pictures of customers. There are ways to do this in a way that won’t piss people off, but I generally don’t recommend it. By taking photographs of customers, you are alienating them, and no one wants this kind of verfremdungseffekt in their life. If you found that word alienating, it was intentional.
Tips and Tricks
Some of the great tips and tricks that will make things a lot easier a lot quicker!
Percentages Mean NOTHING To People Who Aren’t Regulars
When people know your prices, a percentage off a meal might be a good offer, but it’s much better to include the price in the actual offer when you’re doing a deal. Even just knocking off a few quid could mean more customers than offering 50% off your food because everyone is a smart spender now, and they know that prices are high so bigger percentages can look more appealing. Try it and actually earn from your offers!
Do What You Know
There is no point learning anything if you don’t put your knowledge to work. Everything I am teaching you in this course is useful. If you do it all, it will guarantee that you are ahead of 99% of restaurants out there. But you have to do everything in order to truly make things count. Do a little at a time, mix things up, sure, but don’t forget things. (Remember to bookmark this page too, as I will update it occasionally!)
Make Sure You Are Using The Right Camera Equipment
There are a load of great cameras out there. I have many of them. Here I’ll give you some advice on what cameras you COULD use for your business… and maybe, just maybe, you have something that beats ALL of them!
Make Sure Your Website is Fast and Easy to Use
Compressing large images down will really help you. Uploading smaller images helps as well. A fast loading website will help your customers navigate it and comes with a few search engine perks that are beneficial. Such as being favoured for giving a damn. So few people bother optimizing their sites. Be the one that does. Be the one that cares.
Loyalty Stamp Cards
Making a small loyalty stamp card can really help you. Loyalty cards are used successfully by loads of business people, so your restaurant should be using them too. Just put a nice tempting offer on them, and stamp them when a customer comes to visit. If you put an offer for cheaper drinks on your loyalty stamp card at all times when they have this card, you’ll often see more of them! This will also train your customer’s behaviour. Psychological marketing at it’s best!
Expanding Through Loyalty Alliances
If you’re friendly with some local businesses, you can take your loyalty system to the next level by working with them in partnership. Whenever a customer visits you or anyone else they can claim deals from being part of something bigger than your universe. This has the advantages of bringing in new customers and also spreading rewards out over multiple businesses. Yes, you may get all those customers who are getting haircuts coming to try your food, but they’ll be back for more if it’s good. It’s a great little trick for restaurants. Every business should find other businesses to work with and partner with!
Referral Systems
Definitely consider making a referral system for your restaurant. Giving people tempting offers to refer others will get them to come back and do your advertising for you. It can be a great lazy way to get your name out there without having to work for it. They can be a bit complex to set up but it IS worth it. It’s why so many people use them.
Make Sure Your Quality is Top Notch
If you want people to keep coming back, you should be using the right products for everything. Nothing is more depressing for me as a Restaurant Marketer than going in and finding poor quality products, dried herbs, and general lack of care. Upscale everything, make it so your customers keep coming back. You don’t want to run a cheap business, you want to run an efficient business that earns you money, that you sell a lot of dishes and that you get those FIVE STAR reviews coming in constantly. You’ll get this if you improve things, and if you’re already the best, stick with it! I’d love to work for you! (I have found a fossilized cat in one restaurant squashed flat between a fridge and the wall, perfectly preserved in Palm Oil. But we are not in this business to make a Damien Hirst. We’re in this to sell food.
Turn a Disaster into Profit
Let’s say a truck crashes into your restaurant, and damages your business. This is terrible. You should do what I persuaded my friend Giuseppe to do and contact the local media. Tell people about it. It’s FREE Advertising baby! Any disaster can be used to your advantage if you approach it with the right perspective!
Scope Out Food Reviewers
Make sure you scope out your food reviewers. You’ve been contacted by them before, we’ve been contacted by them as well. Some are great, but some are bad. You need to be wary of food reviewers, but the ones who do a great job are worth their weight in gold.
- Do they have a website?
- Do they have a good social media presence?
- Do they have a discernable following
- Do they do video that you can use?
Think about these things! (Remember folks, a good Instagram account for them is not going to help YOU.)
Sneaky Tip For Dealing With Hostile Enemy Restaurants
We all have enemies, and some of them are supremely vicious. My technique for dealing an enemy that is being hostile online is to order from them to your home address and give them a nice review. Then respond with a screenshot of your review but as your restaurant on your social media the next time they give you grief and say something salty. Be nice, polite and friendly and thank them for an amazing experience. You will leave them absolutely baffled and make them look like horrible people, ultimately reducing their urge to keep giving you grief. The Ferengi have a law that says: Sometimes declare peace, it confuses the hell out of your enemies. – What’s more, this one actually works!
Speed Hack Your Deals
You can speedhack your deals to ensure you are providing deals at the right time. There is no point in running a deal on Saturday Night when you are packed. Looking at your inventory – what sells – what doesn’t sell, and keeping an eye on this will allow you to figure out what to offer on deal and when to offer it. Keep your offers for customers to times when you aren’t busy if possible. This will help you with flow, which we will get to later!
The Value of Free Samples
A lot of people seem to think Free Samples are a con just to feed the masses at the restaurant’s expense. They couldn’t be more wrong! Whilst you may not see an immediate return on investment, you never know when someone who has tried your samples will show up and get a meal with a friend. There’s also word of mouth too, which is great! Someone might well try your samples and tell a friend that they liked your food, and that friend might come based on their recommendation. There are a lot of benefits that come from offering people the chance to try your food, so don’t be stingy. Every restaurant I have worked with that has argued with me that it’s a bad idea has been proven wrong. I will update this if I’m ever proven wrong by the way. But I’m THAT confident in the power of the Free Sample.
Use Behind the Scenes Content
All customers love to see humans behind a great corporate demon. When it comes to your restaurant, your staff are people that everyone knows, and if they are happy for you to shoot them (with a camera you maniac!) You can put them out on social media freely. Shoot the making of food in the kitchen, and take pictures of it when it’s prepared. Make the most of your social media!
Themed Event Days
So I worked with a restaurant that was in the middle of nowhere, was struggling hard and eventually moved out. But they survived thanks to Themed Event Days. Having special days when people come in or you run events. Get a singer in, a live band, run business meals, run romantic meals on slow nights. Give those people candles baby! (Fire extinguisher on standby!)
Flash Sales
Bring customers into your restaurant with a limited time offer. Limited time offers are absolutely invaluable because they utilise several marketing techniques including AIDA and FOMO. By adding a time limit, you will inspire action by bringing these together! Post one on Facebook today and get it out to your audience and see your footfall rise!
Establish Good Flow
You want good flow in your business. Things need to run smooth, and the smoother your flow is, the better your business will be. Flow affects everything from your expenses, your advertising and your speed to your mental health. Find the obstacles that get in the way when running your restaurant, and get rid of them, or find ways to make them less jarring.
Don’t Micromanage
Micromanaging your restaurant is a killer when it comes to staff motivation and morale, there are ways to improve staff efficiency, however it’s better to avoid conflict and making your staff feel awful, which could make them leave. You don’t need to be a Gordon Ramsay. You need to have a good relationship with your staff. End of the month performance reviews are great. Give 5-10 positives and just ask that staff that have problems fix the small things and work on them. People take criticism better when it’s delivered amidst complements.
Supplemental Materials
I recommend watching this course on Time Management. It’s a skill that changed my life and it can easily change yours too! 20 Minutes can change your life. It’ll be worth it! I promise! Time is the greatest asset we have, and nothing beats managing it effectively! As a Restaurant owner you will know just how valuable time is!
The Attractive Character
If you are the face of your restaurant business, you might want to consider learning about the Attractive Character. This will help you work on a persona that will help you sell food to people like you’ve never sold it before! The course is a playlist, so you can move through it by the list in the top right corner of the video.
Support Me
I am a very thirsty restaurant marketer, please consider helping me quench my neverending thirst, as I try to quench your thirst for knowledge!
Alex
Please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi if you found this helpful! Book mark this page and consider subscribing to me on YouTube
Simple Slideshow
In this slideshow, I’ll give you a few great starters (no pun intended) to get you into the value of this course. We will focus on the basics of Internal, External and Social Media Marketing. Improve your restaurant marketing with just 8 minutes of learning.
