Starting up a restaurant is one hell of a task. The competition is very strong out there. It can be difficult to decide on a strategic location because there seems to be competing businesses pretty much everywhere.
This is why a lot of business owners are forced to take the risk and set up shop almost next door to the big names. Once you’re in this position, how do you get people to come to your restaurant over someone else’s?
Here are some hot tips for you.
Don’t have an employee standing outside
Just a quick hint, here. So many business owners make the mistake of having an employee stand near the entrance, attempting to get people to come into the restaurant. This is a mistake! When people are looking for somewhere new, they like to spend time looking at the menu or trying to see inside. When there’s an employee standing right there, it puts pressure on them. They’re more likely to just keep walking if they see someone outside.
Be reasonable with your pricing
It seems obvious, but cannot stress this enough. A lot of restaurants go bust because they simply didn’t do the necessary research here. There seems to be this assumption that everyone who goes out for a meal must have a lot of cash burning a hole in your wallet. How else to explain how of the rampant overpricing we see in many modern restaurants?
Of course, people will make assumptions about your food quality if things are too cheap. The pricing is a tricky thing to balance. Don’t underestimate the amount of local economy research you should do here.
Make your menu stand out
If you don’t have a menu for people to check out before they come inside, then you’re doing it wrong! The best way to sort this out is to use an outdoor notice board shop to get the equipment you need to put a menu outside.
Your menu needs to be different from the others in the area. Spend some time looking at the outside menus of the local competition. How can you make yours stand out from the others? What will make people walk over to it? And if your menu features options that are similar to what the competition offers, how will you make your offering more special?
Special evenings
Having particular nights of the week in which something new and exciting happens is a great way to boost business. How about live music evenings? Be sure to pick the right music. Light jazz has been a favorite here for many years, and for good reason! You don’t want something overpowering. As much as I love it, a heavy metal night might just push customers away. Not even metalheads want guitars and drums bursting eardrums while they’re trying to enjoy your soup of the day.
If you’ve identified evenings that will be a bit slower than usual, then try having special, day-specific deals. Remember to give them a name that people will remember – alliteration is a good tactic here. Taco Tuesdays? Macaroni Mondays? Fruit Salad Fridays? (Yeah, I was reaching a bit with that last one. Sorry.)
Good luck!
