Without new business, your restaurant will not be able to grow. You need a steady stream of new customers to replace the ones you lose as a result of customer relocation, job change, or changing eating habits. Here are six strategies to get more customers through your doors. 1. Market your restaurant in hotel rooms
Business travelers and people on vacation may not be familiar enough with their city to know where to find great food. You can give them a hand simply by doing some hotel room marketing. Talk to hotels within your three-mile radius area and ask if you can post menus and signs in their rooms and in the lobby area. Some hotels have a list of “Nearby Attractions” that they provide to their guests. You can ask to be added to the list. When guests get hungry and start trying to figure out where to eat, you’ll be one of the first restaurants to think of. 2. Form a strategic alliance with event venues
After a concert or sporting event, people are hungry and want to eat. Remember that people sometimes travel long distances to attend these events, so they don’t want to travel home on an empty stomach. A venue in the United States displayed an advertisement for a nearby restaurant on all monitors in the venue between concert acts. After the concert ended, that restaurant was full of concertgoers. You can do your part by promoting the upcoming events of that place in your restaurant. 3. Participate in contests
One of the most important ways to gain media attention and therefore attract new business is to win a contest. For example, enter your chef in a cooking contest. Read restaurant posts and browse the internet for contests you can enter. If all else fails, create your own contest and invite local restaurants to enter. So even if you lose, you’ll still generate great publicity and have new bosses on your doorstep. 4. Sell gift certificates
Your loyal customers may want their friends and family to give you a try. Give them your gift certificates, so they can buy them as gifts for their loved ones. A gift certificate allows the recipient to try your restaurant at no risk, since they usually don’t have to pay anything for the experience. In addition, each gift certificate serves as a reference for your establishment. Make sure your gift certificates come in flexible amounts so shoppers have the freedom to decide how much to spend. 5. Give samples in crowded places
Send your food on the road if you really want to attract new customers. Go to places with a lot of foot traffic, such as shopping centers, supermarkets, parks, etc., and offer tastings of some of your tastiest foods to everyone who passes by. When they stop for a sample, hand out a menu, name card, or coupon so they know exactly where they can go to try more of your delicious food. 6. Offer “happy hour” specials
At the end of a hard day, many workers want to relax and unwind before heading home, so invite them to your restaurant for happy hour specials. Low-priced drink specials and snack buffets are good ideas. You could also have Frequent Diner cards for happy customers so that after so many drinks they receive a free drink or a discount on their food if they decide to stay for dinner. Inform all local businesses about your offer.

Copyright © 2004 Habiba Abubakar and Emprez. All rights reserved.