Having a database is like having my very own, personal goldmine. Because I’m able to contact the people who enjoy my services, I can build a long-lasting relationship with them. I’m able to announce specials, send news and also create a dialogue that allows me to learn more about them… in a way that helps me serve them better.
The same goes for restaurant owners: by not maintaining a customer database, they’re literally throwing money out the window.
Knowing the names and contact information of customers makes marketing easier, but there is another fact about databases that 99.99% of restaurateurs don’t consider…
Having an up-to-date customer database can easily quadruple the value of your business.
If you’re ever thinking of selling the business or expanding it as a franchise, having the ability to tell the new operator exactly who eats at the restaurant and how they can get in touch with them is invaluable. It just makes running the business easier.
But what if you’re not itching to sell? There are a near infinite number of ways to work with current guests to boost profits. We’ll be talking about those in future articles, so stay tuned.
Welcome back!
January 8th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
A question hat would you do in our situation?
We are part of a family restaurant franchise in which they offered us a site which we took but since opening up this restaurant , we have found out its classed as an unsafe part of town by locals.Even though the area has been cleaned up locals are still reluctant to venture down our way.
We have a database in which we have a birthday & anniversary dates , but people still seem reluctant to come to that part of the town. 2 blocks away there are about 20 different types of restaurants who seem to do okay- yr thoughts please
January 8th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
For sections of town it can be difficult to suddenly change people’s minds. Making sure the restaurant, parking lot and areas directly near the business are clean and well-kept would help most. Also make the restaurant stand out from the surroundings by being different and inviting.
Here in Gainesville, FL there is a pizza restaurant in the industrial side of town, somewhat near a ghetto, but it’s one of the most popular places in town. It’s that way because it focuses on treating current customers extremely well and maintaining a clean business. This experience causes the customers to send referrals.
What are you doing for the customers that ARE dining at the restaurant? Making sure they get AAA treatment, great food and enjoy the dining experience would be the #1 thing to do because they’re coming in anyway.
Are there businesses nearby? You should provide menus and exclusive coupons to them, getting employees to drop by for lunch. Treat them EXTRA special because they could eat there every week! (You’ll know who is a nearby employee by the coupon they bring in.)
Consider the comment card referral system mentioned in the Restaurant Marketing Funnel report: http://www.restaurantrevolution.com/restaurant-marketing-funnel-report
Have you tried contacting people on the database? If you have birthdays and anniversaries, sending postcards to the addresses the month of those dates could help. Consider a discounted (or free) entree for the person or couple that’s celebrating. You might even make a phone call of congratulations and invite them to the restaurant for a free piece of cake on the special day. If the person is already a customer, that is perfectly legal and you’d probably be the only restaurant to do that for them.