Restaurant Promotions
Restaurant promotions, whether
daily, weekly, or monthly are great ways to show customer appreciation and
bring in some extra business at the same time. Promotions can range for a
nightly happy hour to an annual customer appreciation day, with drink and dinner
specials.
Happy
Hour
Many restaurants with a
bar or lounge area offer happy hour specials during the week. Happy hours are
geared toward working people, to entice them to stop in for a drink after a
long day at work. Along with reduced drink specials, many restaurants offer
inexpensive or free appetizers such as chicken wings, taco bars, or chips and
salsa.
Live
Music
Offering live music on a
certain night of the week is a great way to bring in extra business. Music can
range from local bands playing in the bar or pub to a live jazz or piano player
in the dining room. The music should fit your restaurant theme and cater to
your core customer demographic. If you have a quiet, upscale restaurant with a
majority of customers in their 40s, 50s or older, a loud rock band is probably
not going to go over well. However, if you have a restaurant and pub in a
college town, that same band might bring in loads of local students.
Open
Mic Night
If you want to offer
some sort of entertainment, but don’t want to pay for it, offer a “open Mic”
night. Locals are invited to sing, play musical instruments, tell jokes, or
read poetry. You may be surprised at how many people show up for these local
nights. Along with aspiring entertainers, many of their friends and family will
come out to support them, and have a drink and an appetizer or dinner. Slower
mid-week nights, like Tuesday or Wednesday are ideal for an open mike night.
Two-For-One
Specials
Twofer, as we call it at
our restaurant, offers customers two entrees for the price of one. To keep food
cost under control, offer a special two-for-one menu, with a limited selection
of entrees. Or rotate the menu, offering different dishes each week. Because
two-for-one specials are geared toward the budget-minded customer, avoid offer
pricey items, such as lobster or large cuts of beef. Simple menu items, such as
chicken pie, baked haddock, and stuffed pork chops all have low food cost, and
are popular dishes with diners.
Contests
Everyone loves a contest
and the chance of winning a free gift. Contests are better suited for
restaurants with a pub or bar, but there is no rule that you can’t have one in
your diner, bistro or café. Contests can range from naming a new dessert dish
to winning the weekly football pool. Prizes can be something as simple (and
inexpensive) as a gift certificate for a free meal to cold hard cash. Free
t-shirts, if you carry them, mugs or other restaurant related retail items also
make great promotional gifts.
Sport
Night Specials
Running special promotions during various sporting seasons is
another way to get customers into your restaurant. Again, this is more ideal
for a bar or pub. Monday Night Football, a Superbowl Party, or the World Series
all offer untapped sales potential. Offer special drink and dinner discounts
for those events.
Article by: Maria
Working happily with National Merchant Services
Happy Processing!!!
Article source: http://restaurants.about.com/od/marketing/a/promotions.htm
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