Restaurant Marketing During the Pandemic

You’re the owner of a bar/restaurant trying to keep up your sales amidst a global pandemic. If you want to tell your customers what’s going on with your business or you want to know what your customers need during this complicated time, here are some restaurant promotion ideas for how you can improve your restaurant marketing and communications during the pandemic.

What Do Customers Want from Businesses During the Pandemic?

Short and Sweet Communications conducted market research (gathered information about consumers’ needs and preferences) through a two polls — one of more than 200 Pennsylvania residents, and the other of more than 500 Pennsylvania residents — asking them what their preferences were for eating at restaurants. Here are the results:

39% of those surveyed said they want to have a normal dining experience: sitting indoors, without a mask, and less than 6 feet apart.
12% said they would prefer to eat outdoors without masks and less than six feet apart from others.
68% of participants said they were comfortable going to outdoor bars and restaurants while only 39% said they were comfortable going to indoor bars and restaurants.

While this gives some insight, we recommend connecting with your customers and finding out firsthand what their preferences are.

First, Survey Your Consumers

A simple way to find out what your customers want is to set up a poll on Google Forms survey to ask your customers what they want directly through your page.

How To Make A Google Form

Second, Set Up A Free Google Listing To Reach Customers.

Customers want accurate information during an ever-changing time.

Did you know 97% of search engine users have searched online for a local business? Google is the most popular search engine – and you have the opportunity to use it to market your business for free. We suggest claiming your business’ Google listing on Google MyBusiness (if you haven’t already) so it’s easier for your customers to find your phone number, address, website, menu, etc. Scroll for FAQ’S (Frequently Asked Questions)!

Why should I claim my business’ Google MyBusiness?

Do you want to get more customers? Do you want new and existing customers to be able to find your business easily? Do you want to be the first business to pop up when someone searches, for example, “pizza restaurant” or “restaurant near me”? These are just a few reasons to claim your Google MyBusiness account. You can use the search engine optimization, or SEO, features that the account offers to attract potential customers to your business and ensure that your business comes up first every time someone in your area searches for your business’ Google search listing, Google map listing, or business category.

What Other Features Can I Utilize With Google My Business?

Google MyBusiness is a way for you to engage with your customers: to show them who you are, give them ways to connect with you, and most importantly, for you to see how people are engaging with your business profile.

Claim Your Business

Get Noticed By Improving Your SEO

In times like these, your search engine optimization should be well utilized and researched. Here are a few ways to optimize your SEO results!

Ways To Optimize Your SEO

Your Google Search Listing

One of the easiest ways to optimize your Google search listing results is to create separate pages on your website specific to your takeout and delivery services, your menu, and your options for eating outside (as well as any other unique services you offer). This way, when someone near you searches for “takeout near me” or “restaurant delivery near me” your business will come up and automatically has a specific page dedicated to takeout, so they don’t have to search through your website to find information about if you offer this service.

Facebook Is Key

Through our market research, we found that Facebook is the most used platform of more than 50% of survey participants. We also found that more than 72% of those surveyed preferred Facebook as the platform they use to see updates about small businesses.

Make sure your Facebook is also up-to-date with your newest menu, business hours, if you offer takeout/delivery, phone number, email, website, etc.

Keep your customers informed with any changes to your business, especially in these complicated times. If you change hours, not only update the biography of the Facebook page, but also send out a post telling your customers you won’t be open on Friday, you added a new food to the menu, you just added more outdoor seating, etc.

Harness The Power Of Social Media

Customers like to know what’s going on with your business and how you are trying to accommodate their needs. Restaurant social media marketing during the pandemic is one of the best ways to set your business apart from others during this time.

Pictures and videos of indoor/outdoor seating can help them see if they will be comfortable in your space, and pictures of new/popular menu items can draw them to the business for either dine in or takeout.

Creativity Is Key

During this time, customers are looking for creative ways to enjoy the restaurants and bars they frequented before the pandemic. Start thinking about restaurant promotion ideas and ways you can change your operations slightly while increasing your profits and business. Are you offering online ordering or outdoor dining? Here are some other ideas below.

For Restaurants

Start offering catering services for parties, weddings, etc.

Offer excess food inventory for sale as-is (like a grocery store).

Start canning/bottling your customers’ favorite wing sauces, etc.

Find a way to make your restaurants’ signature dipping sauce as a dry mix packet, where they just add cream cheese, mayonnaise, ranch dressing, etc.

Outdoor restaurants and outdoor dining are very popular right now. Setting up a few tables and chairs outside will improve your restaurant marketing to people who feel uncomfortable eating inside.

Think about converting your business into a ghost kitchen — that is, operating a takeout- or delivery-only food operation, rather than a sit-down restaurant

For Bars

Offer curbside drink services.

Offer a deal on draft beverages if the customer brings in their own growler.

Start canning/bottling your customers’ favorite drink mixes.

For Both

Start using disposable menus/utensils: if you want to stay sustainable and convenient, create a QR code menu.

Set up an apparel shop on your website for people to buy merchandise (shirts, hats, etc.) from your business.

For entertainment, employ solo acts rather than full bands to keep costs down or increase your food menu if you can’t have entertainment.

Implement (Or Start Drafting) Your CRisis Communications Plan

Every business should have plans in place for when a crisis happens. It may seem unnecessary to plan for events that you think would never happen, but I think we all can agree we didn’t see 2020 going this way. Your future self will thank you for planning ahead. Having a crisis plan ensures that you are in control of the situation and can reduce damage to your brand. In any crisis, you have the opportunity to improve a current crisis communications plan, or start taking notes to begin your first draft. After all, we all learn when we go through a crisis, so it’s important to ensure you don’t forget what you’re learning through this experience.

Request a Free Restaurant Marketing Consultation fFor Advice During the Pandemic

If you have questions about market research, SEO, Google MyBusiness, social media or anything else in the field of marketing and communications, we’re here to help. Short and Sweet Communications is offering free restaurant marketing consultations to businesses during the pandemic. Email Elizabeth to schedule a free consultation.