Each restaurant has its own way of marketing that they keep pretty confidential. As they should. A restaurant’s marketing strategy hugely involves their loyal customers and loyalty sharing programs. Keeping their customer list and marketing concepts as a trade secret is the only safeguard a local restaurant has to protect against theft of competing businesses. Here are some pointers:

1. It is very important to make your customers feel warm and welcome with your message
2. Customers want to feel that they have VIP status even if they don’t. Give it to them.
3. Make each customer feel like your favorite. Do this by offering them discounts or free items every so often.
4. People love food. Make this love work for your restaurant.
5. Decide what you want out of your marketing campaign: more loyalty or more reviews?
6. Get exposure at local campuses and events. The energy of a marketing campaign spreads fast with groups.
7. Get your food reviewed and featured on local magazines….get in contact with all the media managers.
8. Offer loyalty rewards. This wires your customers to buy 9 to get the 10th free. Customers love stuff like this.
9. Have specialty items to break the monotony on holidays or seasonal change. Many major restaurant chains do this. Locals should too.
10. Make sure your customers are greeted with a smile when they come in, and given incentive to come back or offer improvement when they leave. If they come in for breakfast, offer them a free dessert with their lunch when they come back, the same day. Hand them a coupon or offer that expires the same day. We eat three times a day, so why not?