A restaurant's success may rest on its regulars, but the only way to get repeat guests through the door is to continuously attract new people. This process is known as customer acquisition, and it doesn't happen on its own. While some new diners might discover your business by chance, most of the time you'll need to be strategic. This post gives you some suggestions on how to attract customers to your restaurant, so check out the 13 tips below.
What is restaurant customer acquisition and how does it work?
As you strive to get your restaurant's name out there through various marketing initiatives, you should also be measuring how many new visitors those initiatives bring in. This allows you to calculate your customer acquisition cost, so you can assess how much money you're spending for each new individual who orders from you — and this insight enables you to make better business decisions.
Calculating your restaurant customer acquisition cost looks something like this:
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) = Marketing Costs / Net New Customers
Determining whether a customer is "new" will require paying close attention to who's transacting with you. Remember to factor in all the costs for any given marketing initiative. If you ensure your initiatives have specific, trackable metrics, you can calculate your CAC more accurately. Preferably, you can track, via a customer database, an online ordering system, or a loyalty program:
Unique names and addresses
Unique credit card information
Unique loyalty program signups
With DoorDash Online Ordering, a brandable online ordering system for your website, you can track all of the above and more, to make data-driven decisions based on customer data.
Why attracting new customers to your restaurant is so important
When you win new restaurant customers, it yields tangible benefits such as increased sales. But it also brings intangible benefits such as greater brand awareness — which can be more valuable, although sometimes difficult to quantify.
Also, a busier restaurant with a solid online footprint may compel even more people to visit. And this virtuous cycle of generating increased business can open doors to all sorts of new opportunities, from diversifying your menu items to launching new locations.
13 proven strategies for attracting customers to your restaurant
There are many different methods you can test to introduce your restaurant to new guests. See which ones are right for you.
1. Boost your online presence
The majority of potential guests are going to look you up online before they place an order with you, and social media plays a particularly important role, with 74% of customers turning to social media to guide their dining decisions and 68% looking at a restaurant's specific channel before trying it out.
So wherever your restaurant shows up online — from your Google My Business profile to your website to your social media channels — make sure your hours, address, and URLs are up to date. And create, post, and share content constantly. Businesses like Table 51 in Montreal are making the most of TikTok, which is the go-to channel for 30% of Gen Zero when seeking new restaurants.
2. Optimize for local restaurant SEO
The Google My Business profile is a fantastic tool for local searches. Follow the example of Gott's in San Francisco, and enhance it with information including your dine-in, takeout, menu, and delivery options.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is important for your website, so include keywords relevant to the cuisine you serve and the areas where you operate. This way, when people are looking for a place that makes their favorite foods near their neighborhood, you're featured near the top of their search results.
3. Cultivate positive reviews
Once you establish your website, Google profile, and social media presence, engage with customers via online review platforms. Encourage existing customers to review your business on Google, Yelp, or TripAdvisor. Make a habit of responding to reviews and queries — especially negative ones — with a positive, on-brand message.
4. Focus on decor and ambiance
A memorable online presence can start with a memorable physical presence. Don't just give your guests photogenic food — provide a photogenic in-person dining experience. Captivating artwork, a retro neon sign, or a bold statement piece can serve as a talking point that generates buzz for your business.
5. Offer promotions
You can attract new restaurant customers through promotions, and call attention to them through your social media and paid ads. If you have an online platform like DoorDash, you can create campaigns and promotions directly in the app and they'll be shared with your target audience.
If you already partner with DoorDash, try out different promotions designed to bring in new customers, such as offering deals on first-time orders.
If you're new to DoorDash, explore the Merchant Portal to understand not only the types of promotions you can use, but how to measure them.
Are there specific demographics in your area that represent untapped potential? When the team at Coyo Taco realized that some of their suburban locations were near colleges, they ran a 15% promotion during finals month and saw a 33% increase in week-over-week sales and 27% increase in new customers.
6. Create a loyalty program
There's a reason why 67% of restaurants offer loyalty programs — incentivizing people to dine with you is profitable. And while loyalty programs might be geared toward your existing guests, people who enjoy your loyalty program are more likely to recommend your restaurant to others.
7. Build a mouthwatering menu
Whether you use a secret sauce on your breakfast sandwiches or infuse fries with truffle oil, highlight your menu's biggest crowd-pleasers as a way to stand out from competitors. Then, take high-quality pictures of them. This is all part of menu engineering, and for Gen Z customers, great food photography ranks among their top five reasons for trying a new restaurant.
With DoorDash, you can easily add menu photos in the Merchant Portal, and request a free photo shoot for your menu items.
"I have my menu with pictures and it has increased my sales like crazy."
8. Host special events
Feature an up-and-coming band or an evening of wine pairings with a guest sommelier, or show the game on the big screen and offer features on certain beverages. After all, people will stay longer and order more when they're entertained. There's no end to the types of special events and experiences you can curate at your restaurant, so look at the holidays and occasions in your calendar and get creative.
9. Offer online food delivery
One of the most effective ways for restaurants to reach new customers is partnering with a technology platform to offer food delivery. This grants access to huge numbers of potential new guests — like at Kokomo in Vancouver, where implementing DoorDash led to 20,000 new orders.
"From a business perspective, [using DoorDash] is a no-brainer. We’ve driven $500,000 in incremental sales since joining DoorDash. It’s an honour to serve so many new customers."
You can also turn your own website or social media pages into online ordering hubs with DoorDash Online Ordering. The customers interact with your brand, but behind the scenes, DoorDash handles all the delivery logistics on your behalf and you only have to pay a small payment processing fee per order.
11. Take a data-driven approach
Analyze your restaurant data for food trends and customer insights. You can use this information to adjust operations, update menu items, and develop a targeted marketing strategy, which can then inform your email marketing campaigns. And according to the 2024 Diner Trends Report, 53% of diners cite email as their preferred way to hear from restaurants, and 58% are willing to open restaurant emails for special discounts and promotions.
DoorDash's Merchant Portal, a free service included with a DoorDash partnership, allows you to analyze detailed sales reports for specific time periods and understand the habits and preferences of both new customers and loyal regulars. Other potential data sources include your POS system, social media activity and online reviews, and website traffic.
12. Consider free wireless access
Free WiFi is a much-appreciated asset for today's increasingly mobile and digital workforce, and a surprising number of prospective customers will make dining decisions based on where they can get internet access. Not to mention, when your guests are online, they'll stick around longer, and they can seamlessly post on social media to leave you a review.
13. Collaborate with local businesses
Restaurant partnerships with other merchants in your area can be extremely effective. They have their own customer bases, and cross-promoting with you is beneficial for everybody. A great example is how Radical Road Brewing Co. in Toronto complements their beverage menu with food from Mean Bao nearby. But you can partner with all kinds of businesses: hotels, wineries, boutiques, farms — the list goes on.
Winning new customers is vital to your business success
You know your food is incredible, and so do your loyal guests. The difficult part is getting other people to see it — or taste it — for themselves. That's why customer acquisition is so important, and it's why these 13 strategies can help boost business and drive growth for restaurateurs.
