3 Powerful Customer Retention Strategies for Restaurants

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February 18, 2022 Marketing

One of the greatest challenges for most restaurants is how to retain loyal customers. It’s much easier and cheaper to acquire new customers than to keep your existing guests happy.

To help you on this journey, we have made a list of 3 customer retention strategies for restaurants. These will ensure that your guests are satisfied customers who book a table in your restaurant time after time.

WiFi marketing

WiFi marketing collects customer names and contact information, as well as demographics to measure their behavior data at the location by using a physical location’s guest access point and WiFi landing pages.

You can use this data to create targeted remarketing campaigns. These campaigns will help you influence customers to increase their visit frequency and spend, as well as to measure their satisfaction.

With WiFi marketing, you can:

However, you need to understand that not all WiFi marketing platforms offer the same level of service. They simply don’t have the same technology, which leads to differences in the quality of service and ROI.

That’s why you should look for a WiFi marketing automation platform that uses customer insights and AI. If they use marketing automation to find new customers, win back lost customers, increase your customer’s frequency, and improve online ratings, they may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Keep your staff happy

An employee who feels good will perform better. This is probably one of the most important aspects of creating a great guest experience. Happy employees provide better service to your customers, while the unenthusiastic staff is something customers can easily detect and aren’t comfortable with.

It is your duty to regularly come up with different strategies to make your staff feel more valued. You can offer them benefits like sick time, paid time off, health insurance, maternity leave, and so on. Alternatively, you can organize holiday parties, employee birthday parties, and other events that contribute to strong company culture.

Keep in mind that guests prefer restaurants that treat employees fairly. So, why wouldn’t you show your guests how much you appreciate your employees by displaying employee achievements, an employee of the month, or even team gatherings on your business social media pages? A restaurant time clock can help fairly decide how much and well the employees perform and pay accordingly.

Finally, if you want your staff to provide better service, you should set clear guidelines as well as training. They should cover:

Customer’s needs;
Remembering regular guests’ names;
Eye contact and body language;
Properly spoken interaction.

These guidelines can also prove to be very helpful in the interview process. You can use them to make sure you are bringing in employees that can provide the experience you‘re aiming for.

Engage with your customers on social media

Your guests probably interact with your restaurant on their cell phones more often than they do in person. That is why you need to build a social media presence that people want to follow.

This can be done through intentional posting and a clever content plan. You can develop a strategy where you highlight team culture, food, and other aspects that contribute to the overall vibe of your restaurant.

User-generated content and engagement rules can help you make the most of your social accounts.

For instance, not every photo on your newsfeed has to be taken by you. Check what your guests are posting and where they are tagging you. Ask them for permission and repost those photos if you like them. This is a great method to engage your customers and convert them into your restaurant’s ambassadors. Moreover, it gives your customers the motivation to post.

If your customers are not properly engaged, your social media content strategy will fall to nothing. So, like and comment on any posts that tag your restaurant to encourage engagement.

Bear in mind that this doesn’t mean that you should spend hours upon hours doing this. A few minutes a day should be enough to check in on your social accounts, respond to comments and DMs, as well as like and comment on any new posts.

Also, this will improve your effort to create repeat customers. According to a recent study, customers are 22% more likely to do business with you again if they get a response to their feedback.

Summary

You have probably started a restaurant to create unforgettable dining experiences for your guests. However, you mustn’t ignore marketing because retaining customers will keep your restaurant alive.

As a matter of fact, marketing and hospitality are not as different as you may think. After all, both of them make your guests feel special.