Dinner for Two
A variety of chain restaurants have recently begun offering deals on meals intended for two people. At some of these eateries, for instance, the duo gets to share an appetizer, choose their own entrée from a list, and share a dessert when they’re finished. This might not be worth much more than the $20 it’s advertised at, but the simple idea of the great deal will get attention.
Whether it’s college students at bar tables or a family occupying their favorite restaurant booth, everyone is looking for a deal. And when they feel they’re saving money by spending a little extra, it’s a win-win situation for everybody.
Come Up with Quirky Promos
Everyone is used to promotions that offer discounts and free entrees after so many visits, but some of the best marketing ploys include quirky ideas. Jimmy John’s, for instance, once started publishing a single store address where a gift box had been hidden. Patrons and fans would then flock to the location to find it, and since they were there anyway, they’d typically grab a sub sandwich as well.
Another restaurant, Stanford’s, had a similarly quirky idea. The eatery focused more on a bar table atmosphere than anything else, so when people shared their happy hour pictures along with a predetermined hashtag, they were entered into a gift card contest. Either of these ideas are great to try out, but a restaurant attempting their own quirky promotion could cash in big as well.
Kids Eat Free
Commercial restaurant equipment doesn’t care what size a meal is; it’s going to cook it either way. This means there’s no excuse for an eatery not to offer kids’ meals on their menu. It attracts families, and it also opens an excellent marketing opportunity for those willing to have a “kids eat free night.”
While this may seem like a restaurant is giving away money, it’s all in the setup. As long as the eatery says that only one free kids’ meal can be attained per full-priced adult meal, there’s guaranteed to be an entrée sale on the ticket as well. So what if three chicken fingers and fries are given away on a $17 meal? The payoff is well worth it.
Packing every seat from the café chairs to the bar tables can be difficult, but it’s not as if there’s a shortage of great restaurant promotional ideas out there to help. Culinary entrepreneurs just need to find the strategies that work best for their eatery. And since there aren’t many trademarks on promotional ideas, there’s no harm in borrowing a few tips from the big dogs in the food and beverage industry.