Marketing a Restaurant: A Guide for New Business Owners

Acknowledge Potential Struggles

Before we dive into the strategies, it’s important to understand the challenges of marketing a restaurant. One of the most significant struggles is competition. With so many restaurants in the market, it can be challenging to stand out and attract customers. You’re competing against the other eateries in town which means getting creative with both messaging and presentation is key.

Another struggle is the constantly evolving landscape of the restaurant industry. Consumer preferences and trends are continuously changing, and you need to stay up to date and adapt to new strategies to remain relevant. Making sure any advertising efforts don’t become stale over time is critical – if customers don’t feel like they’re seeing new content often enough they may move on to the next new thing.

When approaching any kind of advertising project there are several steps that must be taken before anything else happens:

1. Research & Analysis – Gather information about potential markets (target audiences), trends & competition by using available resources like surveys, focus groups etc.
2. Establish Objectives & Strategies – Set goals & specific plans on how each will be achieved while staying within budget constraints
3. Develop Creative Ideas – Brainstorm concepts & create visuals associated with them (posters/flyers etc.)
4. Implementation Plan – Outline scenarios connecting desired results back to actionable next steps detailing timeline projections & expectations (i.e. launch date)
5. Monitoring & Adjustment Process – Record data regularly regarding performance & continuously adjust approaches until best results are achieved.

Marketing Approaches to Help You Stand Out

1. Create a website and social media presence: In today’s digital age, utilizing interactive online platforms is crucial. Use these platforms to showcase your menu, specials, events, and promotions. You can also share photos of your food and interact with customers.
2. Offer discounts and promotions: Everyone loves a good deal. Offering discounts and promotions can attract new customers and keep existing ones coming back. Examples include happy hour specials, loyalty programs, and coupons.
3. Host events and get online: Hosting events, such as live music nights, themed parties, or charity mixers that benefit the community and bring people together, is an excellent way to attract customers and create a buzz around your restaurant. Promote these events through social media and your website. Utilize online interaction to engage with customers and keep them engaged. Invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so people searching nearby restaurants come across yours first.
4. Partner with local businesses and charities: Collaborating with other businesses and charities in your community can help you reach new customers and create goodwill. For example, you could partner with a local brewery to host a beer pairing dinner or donate a portion of your profits to a local charity. Depending on your location, creating exclusive offers targeted toward specific groups such as students, seniors, families, etc., can be a great way to engage with your community and foster repeat business.

How Franchising Can Help

Buying a franchise can give you access to critical support when it comes to marketing your restaurant. Franchise owners often benefit from a well-established brand and marketing strategies that have already proven successful. The franchisor may also provide tried-and-tested support and resources to help you market your restaurant, as they have already seen certain methods and approaches working effectively for other franchisees.

However, it’s important to note that you will still need to adapt these strategies to your local market and audience. As a franchise owner, you’ll have more restrictions on how you can market your business, but you’ll also have access to a network of fellow franchisees who can offer advice and support.

Since franchisees are required to contribute to marketing and advertising funds, the marketing plan developed by the franchisor should be comprehensive and ongoing. As the franchisee, you should expect expert guidance on the types of marketing and community outreach programs designed to set your course for success.

Look for franchisors who go beyond Opening Day to provide ongoing marketing support for franchisees to not only establish themselves as business leaders but maintain continued success within their communities. At Wayback Burgers, we have a team dedicated to both local and national marketing support focusing on both traditional and digital marketing tactics.

Building sales with a burger franchise takes effort on many levels – from running your business day-to-day, to strong local marketing endeavors, to prioritizing the steps to take to give every customer the best possible experience every time they step through your doors. The Wayback Burgers marketing team, with the help of creative agencies and public relations firms, will assist you by creating national marketing initiatives and hyper-focused advertising campaigns to help build awareness about your business.

And of course, never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth advertising through diners who have had a wonderful, memorable experience and want to spread the word to their friends and neighbors or an online review.

Choose an Ideal Partner

By creating a website and social media presence, offering discounts and promotions, hosting events, and partnering with local businesses and charities, you can attract new customers and keep existing ones coming back. And if you decide to invest in a winning franchise like Wayback Burgers, you can benefit from an established brand and marketing strategies, as well as a continuous network of support.

Ultimately, while all of these marketing endeavors are beneficial and can bring in new and sustainable business, the most important thing to focus on is running a restaurant that stands out from the competition that people want to keep returning to. With a commitment to quality, made-to-order food options, Wayback Burgers has what it takes to help you stand out from the competition for years to come.

Wayback Burgers has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to marketing a restaurant. To learn more about franchising opportunities with Wayback Burgers, get started.