Growing Your Restaurant\’s Patronage This Fall

With the fall season now in full swing, your approach to attracting customers to your restaurant must completely change. For the most part, all patios across Canada are closed for business until the return of spring, at the earliest.

Gone are summertime promotions. It’s time to welcome some autumn-based marketing strategies into the fold!

How do you plan on growing your restaurant’s patronage this fall? We have a few ideas you may wish to consider.

Launch a new customer loyalty program.

Most companies thrive on repeat business. Never let the patrons who visit your restaurant leave without letting them know how much they’re appreciated. When you combine excellent dining experiences with a show of gratitude, you can almost guarantee yourself return visits. Offer incentives such as free desserts or discounted meals on future visits to your customers. On WebstaurantStore.com, restaurateurs are encouraged to develop first-time customer programs.

“This usually involves giving away coupons that encourage customers to come back,” informs the site, “Alternatively, you can give your new customers a free appetizer, dessert, or beverage with the purchase of an entree. This is a great way of showing your customers how much you appreciate their business, and it can help set your business apart from the competition.”

Run promotions that last a minimum of one week long.

Some eateries miss the mark by offering discounts and specials only on specific days of the week. However, limiting your offers to certain days will alienate customers who aren’t available on those days. Everybody works on different schedules. Running a promotion for a minimum of one week ensures that customers who wish to take advantage can do so on any day that is convenient for them.

“Limiting your best promotional ideas to Monday to Thursday means that most customers will not be able to take advantage of the promotion,” explains Hannah on GourmetMarketing.net, “What could be an icebreaker is instead something that is forgotten because of a lack of opportunity…Putting date requirement on anything but ‘must have’ items will result in less participation.”

Enhance your mobile presence.

It’s well known that the vast majority of Canadian consumers venture online to look into the latest products, services and establishments that may meet their needs. And it’s also well known that a great deal of internet surfing occurs on mobile devices. Making sure your company website is mobile-friendly will be a key ingredient to securing a growing customer base this fall.

“It’s no secret that more and more people access the web primarily on their mobile devices,” says WebstaurantStore.com, “No matter how much time you put into your business’s website, if it’s not optimized for phones and tablets, the majority of your customers will bounce right off the page. Make sure you’re making technology work to your advantage by investing in a website that looks great and functions properly on tablets, phones, and desktops alike.”

At Canadian POS, we’re also big advocates for allowing restaurant patrons to pay for their meals at their tables. The convenience and peace of mind that comes with not having to relinquish your credit card or debit card can’t be beat. And when it comes to wireless POS terminals, the Poynt Smart Terminal can’t be beat!

For more information, call Canadian POS at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.