4 walls marketing restaurant
by Otilia Dobos

Most restaurant marketing strategies focus on promoting your food business on different channels to attract more customers and increase your sales.

But, did you know that you can also do 4 walls marketing at your restaurant to foster loyalty, enhance customer experience, and persuade clients to order more?

In this article, we will show you what you can do to develop your brand image between the four walls of your location.

What is 4 walls marketing?

4 walls marketing for your restaurant encompasses various efforts to promote your business that only occur at your physical location. These can be anything from a pleasant atmosphere and exceptional service to attractive promotions.

Four walls marketing will help you:

  • Create a welcoming environment for clients: that will increase their satisfaction and motivate them to come back;
  • Get customers to order more: with careful upselling and cross-selling, you increase your average check without hurting the client experience;
  • Attract positive reviews: happy customers are more likely to recommend your restaurant, both online and through word-of-mouth, to their family and friends.

6 strategies to become an expert at 4 walls marketing for your restaurant

If you want 4 walls marketing to be efficient for your restaurant, you have to put the work in and be consistent. Fortunately, these tips will make it simple for you so you can see results in a short time:

1. Train your servers to be at the top of their game

While food and menu prices are important factors for client satisfaction, client service can make the difference between a returning customer and a lost one.

Therefore, regularly train your employees on how to be attentive, proactive, and deal with every type of situation in a restaurant setting. Check out these tips for increased client satisfaction:

  • Greet customers: start the dining experience by showing appreciation to people for choosing your establishment. You can also have servers ask clients about their food preferences so they can make good recommendations;
  • Ensure speed of service: no matter if you are a quick service restaurant or a fine dining one, don’t let customers wait a long time for their order. The faster the food comes, the happier the clients. Moreover, this can also help you turn tables faster and serve more customers in a day;
  • Celebrate anniversaries: set up a budget dedicated to offering clients a free dessert when they choose to have their birthday dinner at your restaurant.

2. Use a menu that can showcase promotions

Promotions are an integral part of 4 walls marketing for restaurants as they can persuade people to spend more. There are a few ways to showcase them in your location:

  • On boards: at the entry or the top of the bar. You can use chalk to minimize the costs as you will have to constantly update them;
  • Using table tents: print your promotions on flyers and set them up on each table. While customers will instantly notice them, they can also take up space on the table and inconvenience clients;
  • Using an online restaurant menu: on-premises clients can access it by scanning the QR code on their table. When customers browse the menu, the offers will pop up at the beginning, so nobody misses them.

4 walls marketing restaurant

With QR code restaurant ordering, clients can easily take advantage of promotions as they will automatically be added to their cart once they meet the requirements. Not to mention that they can order and pay just by using their mobile device, making the ordering process faster and easier.

Check out this video that shows you how to set up on-premise ordering in no time:

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Did you know you can set up a variety of promotions in a matter of seconds? With the Promotions module from GloriaFood, adding attractive offers is simple, fast, and effective:

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Get people to spend more at your restaurant with attractive promotions Set up a variety of tried and tested offers in seconds

3. Acquire data through Wi-Fi access

Customers expect to enjoy free Wi-Fi when they visit a restaurant as they may need to browse the menu, talk with their friends or simply scroll social media in an idle moment.  You can offer them what they want, by also condition it with an e-mail subscription so you can gather your customers’ data.

Afterward, you can use your clients’ email addresses to invite them to discover how easy it is order food online from your food business. If you throw in a small promotion for the first order, you are sure to gain new online customers.

Find out how you can set all this up in minutes with the Kickstarter module from GloriaFood:

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4. Boost return visits

One of the main purposes of 4 walls marketing for restaurants is to increase client loyalty. Most people lead busy lives and can often forget about your place even if they had a great time. The key is to remind them about your place and persuade them to come back.

You can do so easily by setting up email campaigns that attract previous clients to place an order with customized promotions according to their purchasing history. Use GloriaFood to get more loyal clients:

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5. Offer customers an incentive for their next visit or order

The best way to gain a customer’s trust and loyalty is before they leave your restaurant. Therefore, you can provide them with an incentive that will persuade them to patronize your business again. Here are a few examples:

  • Let them know that you provide rewards for repeat customers: during their last moments in the restaurant, tell clients that if they come back two more times, they will get a free dessert or a discount. You can set up promos for return clients in minutes using the Promotions module from GloriaFood:
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  • Give them an online ordering flyer on their way out: if they enjoyed their food while dining in, why not inform them that they can also order your food online? Offer them a flyer with a 10% discount for their next online order. You can create one easily with GloriaFood:

4 walls marketing restaurant

  • Promote your events: invite customers to participate in your next event to provide them with an added experience. It can be anything from a music night, a trivia night, or wine tasting.

Read more: 15 Restaurant Event Ideas to Get Customers Through the Door

Persuade customers to come back with irresistible rewards Set up promotions that fosters client loyalty in minutes

6. Make it easy for guests to review your restaurant

If you do 4 walls marketing at your restaurant right, you can have clients do the promotional work for you. Reviews are currency for the food business, the more good ones you have, the higher the chance a potential client will choose your place.

Therefore, you must make it your goal to get happy customers to leave a review. Here is what you can do:

  • Have servers ask for a review after the meal: have employees politely recommend to clients to leave a good review if they enjoyed their experience;
  • Place a QR code on the table that leads to your preferred review platforms: make it easy for people to leave a review by providing a code that customers can just scan, write, and post;
  • Offer an incentive for positive reviews: for example, you can give out free chocolate brownies for every person who shows proof of a good review. The investment will be worth it when your restaurant’s reputation grows and you become a known name in the industry.

Read more: The Importance of Online Reviews for Restaurants & How to Get More

Final words

For your business to be as successful as possible, you need to have an integrative approach to promotional strategies. On top of the classic marketing, you must also try out 4 walls marketing at your restaurant to increase average check and get more loyal customers.

Learn more about marketing for restaurants:

photo of GloriaFood blog writer Otilia Dobos
Otilia Dobos

Otilia Dobos prides herself on well-documented, easy to understand and SEO-optimized content, both short and long form.