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Call Sales: +1 (833) 437-3835
James La Forte | April 10, 2023 |
Restaurant owners who rely on foot traffic don't need to be told that the increase in remote work which began in 2021 has negatively impacted them.
However, it's not just restaurants that are feeling the remote work pinch. In addition to restaurant traffic data, research has shown major cities are losing between $2,000 and $5,000 in revenue per year for every remote or hybrid worker.
That adds up quickly and it has caused many businesses to scramble to replace those lost customers and revenue.
So what can businesses do to increase restaurant traffic and fight back against this trend that is impacting their bottom line?
In this article, we'll look at a few key strategies restaurants can focus on to try to recapture those customers and keep the ones they have.
Despite people working remotely when it comes to the office, workers are still having face-to-face meetings in other locations. This can be during business travel or simply to collaborate on specific projects.
This trend is a shift where instead of meeting in the conference room at the office, workers are meeting at local restaurants or shops to discuss business.
You can take advantage of this shift by making sure your restaurant is friendly and inviting for those having business meetings or collaborating.
Whether a restaurant is large or small, it can have something to offer those looking to meet and do business.
Many of these changes don't require much of an investment at all, and some require no additional financial investment. Be creative though, and when you do make changes, make sure to let customers know via signage or promotional messages.
While remote work has changed foot traffic, many companies are now shifting to hybrid work models. This means that workers still come into the office a few days a week, generally to collaborate or attend meetings.
Companies are offering perks for these meetings as a way to attract workers and lessen the blow of having to come back into the office after being away for so long. Providing food and drinks for workers who need to come in makes the hybrid model more appealing.
That means many companies are having these meeting days for hybrid work catered by local restaurants. By making your food available off-premises with solutions like catering, you can drive order volume even if the foot traffic never reaches your physical store.
If you don't currently offer catering, consider expanding to reach these new local offices which are now ordering food on a regular basis when their hybrid workers show up for meetings.
Even if you don't offer full-scale catering, a targeted advertising campaign letting local offices know you can deliver to them and provide custom ordering can still bring in business.
Think of adding menu packages that serve a specific number of people and create advertising materials, either printed or on your website to promote them to local companies and office managers.
You’ll want to reach the decision-makers who are coordinating these events, so this will likely be office managers or those coordinating the meetings or events. Remember, they are looking for solutions as a package that can be easily ordered with minimal effort or coordination.
If you do secure new customers in this way, make sure to communicate to your new customers that your restaurant is also available for meetups using the tips given in the previous section.
Hopefully, you've been running a loyalty or rewards program for your restaurant. These are a great way to not only maintain your customers but also to stay connected with them.
If you've let your loyalty program slide a little, dust it off and start sending out promotional messages to your list of customers.
Those customers may not be coming downtown to work anymore, but they likely still travel to do other things. Let them know you are still eager to serve them.
If your restaurant was highly dependent on office workers, you probably had business hours to match their schedules. This may have meant reduced hours on weekends or evenings.
But depending on your location, evening or weekend traffic may still be good. This is especially true if you are located near shopping or entertainment centers.
Consider trying different hours, such as evenings or weekends. Do some research first as this suggestion is highly area-dependent. If your area is a ghost town at night or during the weekend, this obviously won't help.
But investigate the area and possibly speak to other local business owners to determine if there are high traffic times that you can take advantage of to secure new customers.
Once you've decided to implement any of these changes, you have to let potential customers know about them.
Of course, if you run a loyalty program or any type of email or SMS contact list, let your existing customers know of any positive changes via those methods.
Next, consider signage within your restaurant to let customers know you are now available for meetings or catering to local offices.
Finally, use targeted, local paid advertising to reach new potential customers and alert them of the changes to your restaurant.
If you've made any changes to your seating arrangements or catering options, consider securing some new high-quality photography to show off the new menu items and seating changes. These can be used in your marketing and go a long way toward explaining your changes better than words can.
Despite reports showing restaurant traffic down, things are starting to shift in the other direction.
We already mentioned how hybrid work is starting to gain popularity among large and small corporations. This is happening in almost every city, so every restaurant needs to be ready to leverage this new hybrid environment to make up for the losses of the last few years.
So while things may have trended in the wrong direction for many restaurants, there seems to be new light at the end of the tunnel.
However, trends have changed and things likely won't go back exactly to how they were. Instead, you will need to adapt and adjust to succeed in this new environment by seeking out new avenues of customer acquisition and growth. Using the suggestions above is a great way to start and fuel some of your own creative ideas for the future.
The good news is, there are opportunities if you look for them. Just be creative and make sure to take advantage of them early.
When restaurants built from the ground up start to face adversity due to economic factors beyond our control, it can be easy to feel discouraged and lose that drive and eagerness that made its operators successful.
Flexibility—whether through engagement strategies, operational approaches, or even technology—has always been key in helping restaurants weather their proverbial storms.
Now is the perfect time to rekindle the drive and innovation that made your restaurant successful in the first place. By using some of the strategies above, and implementing some of our own, you can successfully navigate these new trends and continue growing your business.
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