Is your restaurant sitting empty on a weekday night? Don’t know how to get people in the door? It is easier than you think. Hire a full time social media consultant to help build your buzz. Every customer should become a social media opportunity. You should be offering discounts table side for people who like your Facebook page, follow you on Twitter or comment on your website among other various tasks. Of the things you can offer as incentives are a free desert or appetizer, up to 5 to 10% off of their bill, a free gift or drink. By doing this you are now gaining access to people you know come to your restaurant and spend money. By getting them involved via social media you can now connect with them and give them reasons to come back.

One of the things you can do when you have developed a following of your loyal customers is reach out to them on a daily basis with a daily special. Take a picture of a special dish to get their appetites wet, then offer it as a one day special at a special price. Even if you don’t make a big profit on the dish, you can make money on other aspects of the visit, including the other person that person brings. As we all know, most people don’t go out themselves, so usually where there is one customer, there is two, three or four more. Remember, an empty restaurant isn’t making money at all, you have a better chance of making money if you have people inside the restaurant.

The only reason I mention this is because of some of the things I have seen that have bewildered me. The example I am thinking of is a day I went to pick up some sushi for my wife, the first restaurant I went to was closed during the prime lunch hour during the week. The next restaurant I went to was packed to the brim with customers. They were so busy that they were turning away customers because they were at capacity with waiting list times up over an hour. I am dedicated to my wife so I tried a third place. I walked into this third restaurant which was beautiful but empty and I couldn’t understand it. The last place I went to was packed and here is another restaurant one plaza down and it is empty. I was curious as to why this one was dead and the manager said the big boss didn’t want to run lunch specials or discount their food. They wanted to maintain a high class image, it seemed that the owners ego was more important than the profitability of his business.

In this economy people are looking for good food at an affordable price. You can give people what they want, keep your business busy and still be profitable. Utilizing social media intertwined with discounts and giveaways can dramatically improve the traffic flow to your restaurant. If you are interested in more tips and tricks give us a call. We always want to hear from our readers and offer a free strategy session to small businesses.