It’s relatively easy to organize a cafe, but the fact of opening a restaurant is not a guarantee of success. Profit will come only if people constantly come to the institution. Therefore, all novice restaurateurs are tormented by the same question: "How to attract customers in a cafe?".
If there is a person who can answer this question in one phrase, then do not believe him. The promotion process is quite complicated and lengthy, it requires a scrupulous approach to the selection of almost everything - from the clothes of the waiters to the location and menu.
How to attract your visitor
Most often, the lack of guests affects institutions oriented to a wide range of visitors, that is, universal ones. Modern people are very spoiled and, even if someone looks into such a cafe, it is most likely because everything was taken in his favorite place. A person will not remember what the place was called and will react very mediocre to the range of dishes and service. To avoid this, it is necessary to make an accurate portrait of the client and orient the institution in accordance with his requests.
There are several ways to determine your target audience:
- Based on the existing features of the room (layout format, location, etc.).
- By choosing from the category of available options. Choose what is closer to you in spirit, because the better you understand the audience, the easier it will be to create the necessary conditions for it.
- Revision of the pricing policy of the cafe.
- Monitoring incoming guests and determining the category that most often comes in: for example, employees of neighboring offices or students.
Outdoor advertising and entry design
Not sure how to attract customers in a cafe? For places of this kind, external design plays a huge role, since it is it that helps passers-by to identify your institution. To attract the attention of potential guests, you can use the following tools:
- The main sign. It should have a beautiful design and must contain the name of the cafe. The sign should be located in such a way as to fall into the field of view of those passing by, in the dark it must be highlighted.
- Additional signboard. It is placed on the front door or next to it; it is recommended to hang it at eye level.
- Pointers. If the cafe is located in the courtyards, then noticeable and understandable signs should lead from the main road to it. The passage to the establishment needs to be cleaned and good lighting installed.
- Showcase and window decoration. Most often, the window openings in the cafe are left without decor, so as not to obstruct the view of the guests. But this zone can be used much more efficiently, for example, by placing models of dishes from the menu in it. This will allow people to pass by, awakening sudden impulses to go inside.
- Light installations. A very simple and effective way to decorate the interior of the cafe, and you can use this technique both inside and outside.
- Unusual sculptures. This is a great option in cases where the cafe is located on the ground floor, and there is no way to arrange a showcase or facade.
- Summer terrace. For this purpose, you can build a terrace with a separate bar and sofas or just set tables with umbrellas.
Comfort and service
For quite a long time, the restaurant business in Russia practically did not consider such categories as guests as young families with children and people with disabilities, thinking that they did not visit the cafe. Today, the situation has fundamentally changed: many of them lead a fairly active lifestyle, engaged in their own business or freelance, so restaurateurs must provide them with a decent level of service, which will allow them to bypass competitors.
For visitors with children, it is worthwhile to develop a special children's menu with popular dishes, purchase several high chairs, make a small but safe area for games and offer a free heating service. This will undoubtedly attract new customers. For people with disabilities, it is necessary to install a ramp at the entrance, and to equip a special bathroom in the room and start several copies of the menu in Braille.
Standard ad campaigns
So how to attract customers in a cafe? In order for new visitors to appear in the establishment, it is necessary to inform others about what positions are on the menu and what is your pricing policy. To do this, you can use the classic promotion options:
- Leaflets on which in the cafe each visitor is brought one free dish or drink.
- Message Boards.
- Banners, posters and lightboxes.
- Cafe advertising on radio and television.
- Advertisements in elevators.
- Barker - a person inviting to visit an institution.
Attracting Visitors Online
The role of the Internet in people's lives is growing rapidly every year, so this effective channel of promotion cannot be ignored. If you correctly approach the issue of attracting customers through a global network, you can reach a large audience of potential customers who live in remote areas.
First of all, you need to make a website, because in the modern world you just can’t do without it, this is a kind of online cafe visiting card. In order for the resource to attract guests, it should become a kind of showcase with an ideal layout, beautiful design and a convenient feedback form. In addition, the site can be used as an online store or product catalog, hold contests, surveys and more. Such simple ways to attract new customers are increasingly giving greater efficiency than classic marketing moves.
In addition, it is worth using other modern methods of online promotion:
- Collaboration with bloggers and YouTube.
- Order positive feedback on specialized rating portals.
- Entering a business card of a cafe with an address on all major cards - Google, Yandex and Wikimapia.
- Launching viral videos on the network (a fun and funny video about supposedly unplanned events at the institution).
Do not know how to promote a cafe? The most effective way of promotion, which will increase the popularity of cafes, is promotion on social networks by the guests themselves. In order to attract them to this process, you must do the following:
- Opening access to a Wi-Fi network, that is, make the Internet network free.
- Organization of an interesting photo zone for guests in the interior of the cafe. Highlight a small area in the room for people who like to be photographed, and beautifully design it. Updating should be done regularly, about twice a month.
- Creation of pages in popular social networks for various competitions for visitors, posting news, cafe promotions, publishing funny videos, informing about events and updating the menu.
- Creative decoration of dishes. This will encourage guests to take a picture of the dish and publish the picture in their own tape, from which all the subscribers of the visitor will learn about the institution. Thus, the restaurateur receives a free advertising channel.
Creative ways to attract customers in a cafe
Entrepreneurs who decide to open a cafe are most often attracted by freedom of choice, it is not in vain that the work of a restaurateur is often compared with the artist’s work, and the institution itself is presented in the form of a blank canvas. Do what you want - there are practically no rules and restrictions. Below we will describe several effective ways to attract that do not need financial investments.
Each guest is “his own”
When employees of an institution know in person and by the names of regular visitors and are ready to immediately offer their favorite position from the menu - this is a huge plus for the restaurant. Guests come to the cafe for delicious food, high quality service and comfort. If employees are always friendly, they know how to listen, and most importantly, hear the wishes and preferences of guests, then the latter will definitely appreciate it. Anyone loves to be treated with respect. For waiters, this is also a plus, since a satisfied customer always leaves more tips. The emotional component is very important: if the visitor feels that he is appreciated, he will come back again and again even if he considers the pricing policy to be somewhat overstated. And if friends ask him for advice on where to go on the weekend, he will paint your cafe in bright colors.
Talkative bartender
For many visitors, talking at the bar is a way to solve a problem, talk it out, or just pass the time. For a glass of cognac, cocktail or beer, a certain category of visitors counts on a dialogue with a worker at the counter.
One California restaurateur came up with the brilliant idea of ​​inviting every day for a rack of workers in various fields of activity. He worked for economists, builders, lawyers, accountants and other professionals. As a result, the bar became a unique place, since each visitor, having paid for one portion of snacks and alcohol, received qualified assistance. "Bartenders" were also satisfied, as they received new customers in their main specialty.
Using modern technology
Use the power of the Internet to advance to the maximum. Modern people spend a huge amount of time online, for office workers and young people it is almost the basis of their whole life and work. Invite guests after dinner to fill out a short questionnaire (from 4 to 6 questions), where at the end you will need to specify an email address and other online contacts. Explain that this will allow them to fully enjoy the privileges of receiving discounts in cafes, bonuses and more.
In parallel, launch a special project for two to three months, by the results of which it will become clear what is more interesting for guests - informing about new positions in the menu or announcing promotions and special offers.
The service of placing orders through instant messengers or a mobile application brings excellent results, so that by the time the customer arrives, the table is already fully served.
Involvement of guests in the game
A very successful marketing move that came from foreign restaurateurs - visitors are involved in the game and receive awards and various rewards at different steps. As a result, they will perceive a visit to a cafe not only as a way to eat, but also - become part of a kind of “quest”. It works as follows - for example, a person who has tasted a dozen beers in a month receives a diploma “Beer Master”, a T-shirt, cap or mug as a gift. Receiving gratitude for the committed actions stimulates the person to return again.
Another variation of the game is rivalry and a desire to become the best representative of their country, however, this option is more suitable for international bars or cafes located in resort towns. The idea is this - you can arrange a battle - who can drink more. The results are written on a pre-prepared board or table drawn on the wall, and at the end a rating of the most fun and united states is compiled. Keep in mind that the longer the action lasts, the more there will be people who want to participate and lead their people into leaders.
The most common mistakes when attracting customers
Many cafes spend huge amounts of money to attract new visitors, but do not get the desired result or very low return. After studying the statistics, the most typical mistakes of restaurateurs become apparent:
- There is no clear portrait of a potential visitor. A good leader always collects information about potential visitors and conducts a thorough analysis, the results of which give a clearer understanding of how to attract customers in a cafe, what should be a successful advertising campaign and which distribution channels will be better perceived by a particular niche.
- The staff does not develop, does not get acquainted with new optimization methods and does not take part in special trainings. In any business, it is important to constantly improve, in the restaurant business it is extremely important. The network has many interesting training programs, and the right organization of it will help attract experienced psychologists.
- There are few channels used to advertise cafes. The manager of the institution must skillfully apply all existing methods of attracting potential customers in his work. At the same time, you can combine several methods - to place active advertising on the network, distribute leaflets on the street, hold contests, post viral videos and more.
- The lack of chips in the cafe to attract customers. The institution should be different from a million others, it is important to have a unique offer, which will reflect the benefits and features.
Conclusion
A successful restaurant business is a whole complex in which everyone’s work is important, from the owner and cook in the cafe to the cleaning lady and security guard. Each of them must know their job and faithfully carry out it. Remember, promotion is only a small part of success. Delicious food reflects the skill of the chef and quality equipment, and the marketer and owner are responsible for attracting visitors, popularity and profit. Here, in most cases, nothing needs to be invented, just use the ideas tried by others in practice and yielded results. Most of them do not require large investments, and some are completely free. Do not be afraid and try!