Using popular food bloggers or influencers is not the only way to create an impression or buzz about your new restaurant. This is especially applicable if you are trying to make its presence felt within your local community.

5 Effective Ways New Restaurants Can Make Their Presence Felt in the Community

To make your new restaurant’s presence felt in the community, you have to take on some more effective marketing approaches. Let us explore four such effective strategies you might want to ensure to make your restaurant business successful.

1. Cater to the Local Taste Buds

The $1 pizza in New York City is iconic not only for its taste but also for its astounding price tag. Whenever you are in Philadelphia, you have got to have their cheesesteak.

And whenever you are visiting Maine, you cannot stop yourself from enjoying some Maine lobster.

The food in these places either originated there or was simply made famous by its residence. For your restaurant, you too have to think somewhere along those lines.

Cater to the taste buds of your locals. You can always go for a different style or type of cuisine, but make sure locally popular dishes get a lot of attention on the menu. Keep the locals happy, and your restaurant will take off in no time.

2. Become a Place Where People Can Chill

You should always have a coffee shop or bakery where people can drop by and enjoy an hour-long conversation over some coffee or drinks. Such setups should be there even if you are running a fine dining restaurant.

Fine dining can sometimes feel intimidating. In contrast, a coffee shop or a part of the restaurant dedicated to regular fast food will feel much more friendly and comforting.

There is a reason why Starbucks is so popular among the masses, and it is not because of their coffee. Rather it is the vibe that the place provides its customers.

And while you do not have to follow the exact Starbucks model, you can take some inspiration from it, and think of ways to create a “chill” environment for your customers.

The chill vibe will also help bring in younger customers to your place. And they will gladly talk about your restaurant in their social media accounts if they enjoy the experience. That in itself is a marketing trick you must capitalize on.

3. Provide Free Delivery Services

Provide free food delivery service in your community if it is feasible. While delivering, make sure you use proper packaging.

Use personalized address stamps for your restaurant on the packaging to help spread the word about your new restaurant. Such ink-based custom stamps are very popular. You can opt for a variety of designs, or set up a custom design of your own.

Even if you cannot afford free delivery, the charge should be minimal at least for the first few months or the first year. Your local customers will feel special if you give them the idea that you are providing free delivery exclusively to them.

4. Avoid Setting Up a Themed Restaurant

Say you set up a Harry Potter-themed restaurant inside Warner Bros. Studios. Not only will fans feel as if they were inside the actual Harry Potter world because of the restaurant, but the surroundings outside will help fuel the feeling too.

Warner Bros. made Harry Potter, and you are eating inside a themed restaurant that is located in that very place, possibly with more Harry Potter-themed stuff outside the restaurant.

That is the only instance themed restaurants will work. You cannot expect to make a profit by setting up a similarly themed restaurant in a town or place that has nothing to do with Harry Potter. The hype might be there at first, but it will not last long.

Things will backfire if you fail to provide quality service. Hence, it is always a wise choice to avoid setting up such themed restaurants unless you have a very valid reason for it, preferably something that fans of the specific theme can relate to.

5. Social Media Marketing is Still Important

You cannot ignore social media marketing if you want your business to take off. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are vital for any type of marketing campaign.

You have to find a way to make your restaurant’s presence felt there as well.

Initially, you can avoid TikTok as gaining recognition through that platform will require you to bring in influencers and food bloggers. Focus your efforts on Facebook and Instagram at first. You have to ensure two things while you do so.

The first is of course good quality pictures. The pictures need to showcase the ambiance of your restaurant. People need to look at these pictures and think to themselves, “Oh, this looks nice.

Maybe I will give it a visit.” Apart from that, you also need to include high-quality pictures of the food and drinks in your restaurant. Appeal to your customers’ eyes, and they will surely visit you to have a taste.

Alongside the regular posts, you must also use these platforms for announcing special offers, discounts, or events at the restaurant. For a more community-focused approach on social media, you can organize different events on special occasions.

These events should highlight some of the most popular festivities within your community among others. It can be a way to bring everyone together and also get some promotion done for your new restaurant.

Conclusion

Once you have done all this, and you are somewhat popular within the community, you can then start thinking of expanding your reach. Aim for a city or statewide recognition first before planning to open more branches throughout the country.

The restaurant business is never easy, especially in situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is quite fulfilling and profitable if you can do it right, and implement the proper marketing strategies.

___________________________________________________

Some other articles you might find of interest:

Make your business rock with these business plan writing skills:

Startup’s Guide to Write a Business Plan

Would you like to know how investors value a startup?

How Do Investors Value a Startup?