All restaurants experience their crazy busy times and their quiet times. While owners might sometimes contemplate closing down during those slow shifts, this is problematic for a lot of reasons: not only do you irritate the few customers who come in during the slow times, who might well be some of your most loyal, but the costs involved in prepping and then shutting down and then prepping again aren’t inconsiderable, and it makes staffing a much more complex process.
Instead, restaurants usually react to slow times by trying promotions or marketing designed to change people’s habits. If your low period is in the evening and you have a liquor license and bar in your establishment, it's a great idea to position your place as an exciting nightspot. Let's face it - people are out and about, having a few cocktails, a bite to eat and some music, so why not get them to come to your place? And there's no better place than social media for spreading the word about drink specials, live bands, DJ's, and after-hours menus. As with all types of marketing, be very cautious about how you take care of 'rebranding.’
Don't Leave Your Customers Behind
One of the most important considerations for using social media to ‘re-brand’ your restaurant for a night-time crowd is to make certain you don’t alienate your existing customer base. You've got customers who have been enjoying the atmosphere and good at your place for a long time; they're following your social media and are on your mailing lists: be certain that you don't put them of or insult them by trying to be trendy in order to attract what you assume could be a younger, more affluent and louder crowd.
Watch the Promotions
If you're going to be offering two-for-one discounts and other promotions to fill your establishment, be cautious: do your finances and ensure that this kind of promotion won't ruin you financially. As an example, having a full house won't help you at all if you're losing money because you didn't mention that those two-for-one drinks did not include your top-shelf liquor.
Don’t Overpromise
If you’re not a nightclub, don’t try to be. Bringing in loud music and lighting will not only chase away anyone coming in for your food, it will make for the most awkward nightclub space on the block, and as a result won’t bring anyone in. There's a very fine line between re-doing your place for the dinner crowd and pretending to be a completely different type of business - one will work it it's done just right, and the other one will work against you.
Look at the Patterns
The best way to start is to get some data. Find out where people are going and why. Is it the food you're being beaten on? Or is everyone going other places for the music? Are foot traffic patterns different at night? This kind of information will assist you in working out how to target your social media audience without have to sacrifice every good thing that makes your establishment so special. Click here to find more about restaurant website hosting.
Basically, you'll just have to start experimenting - try something and see how it goes. Just keep in mind your existing loyal customers, and be conscious of what your staff, space, and menu can do to compete and succeed in off-hours.
Instead, restaurants usually react to slow times by trying promotions or marketing designed to change people’s habits. If your low period is in the evening and you have a liquor license and bar in your establishment, it's a great idea to position your place as an exciting nightspot. Let's face it - people are out and about, having a few cocktails, a bite to eat and some music, so why not get them to come to your place? And there's no better place than social media for spreading the word about drink specials, live bands, DJ's, and after-hours menus. As with all types of marketing, be very cautious about how you take care of 'rebranding.’
Don't Leave Your Customers Behind
One of the most important considerations for using social media to ‘re-brand’ your restaurant for a night-time crowd is to make certain you don’t alienate your existing customer base. You've got customers who have been enjoying the atmosphere and good at your place for a long time; they're following your social media and are on your mailing lists: be certain that you don't put them of or insult them by trying to be trendy in order to attract what you assume could be a younger, more affluent and louder crowd.
Watch the Promotions
If you're going to be offering two-for-one discounts and other promotions to fill your establishment, be cautious: do your finances and ensure that this kind of promotion won't ruin you financially. As an example, having a full house won't help you at all if you're losing money because you didn't mention that those two-for-one drinks did not include your top-shelf liquor.
Don’t Overpromise
If you’re not a nightclub, don’t try to be. Bringing in loud music and lighting will not only chase away anyone coming in for your food, it will make for the most awkward nightclub space on the block, and as a result won’t bring anyone in. There's a very fine line between re-doing your place for the dinner crowd and pretending to be a completely different type of business - one will work it it's done just right, and the other one will work against you.
Look at the Patterns
The best way to start is to get some data. Find out where people are going and why. Is it the food you're being beaten on? Or is everyone going other places for the music? Are foot traffic patterns different at night? This kind of information will assist you in working out how to target your social media audience without have to sacrifice every good thing that makes your establishment so special. Click here to find more about restaurant website hosting.
Basically, you'll just have to start experimenting - try something and see how it goes. Just keep in mind your existing loyal customers, and be conscious of what your staff, space, and menu can do to compete and succeed in off-hours.