In today’s blog post we’ll explore three key areas to consider when welcoming guests back to your restaurant.
As the world begins to re-open, many are excited for the opportunity to return to their favorite restaurant and dine on-site once again. But, along with that excitement comes fear. What are the safety protocols for on-site dining? How will a restaurant ensure the safety of guests and staff? What makes for an ultra-safe dining experience?
For restaurant owners and operators, thinking like the customer is key. If you want to win guests back to your restaurant for on-site dining, after a wildly turbulent period, there are 3 areas to consider:
- Sanitation and cleanliness
- Broadcast new safety measures
- Reach out with digital marketing
Focus on cleanliness and sanitization
To begin, the top concern for many guests to feel comfortable dining at a restaurant once again is adherence to strict cleanliness, sanitization, and hygiene standards. Restaurant diners are not only worried about their own health and safety, but the health and safety of restaurant employees as well.
“Health and safety are still the Number 1 consideration. Restaurants are fixated on cleanliness for their employees’ health, but they also want customers to feel confident and safe. Expect visible signs of cleaning throughout this year: where a cleaning cart was once an eyesore, now it’s a welcome sign that a restaurant is taking your safety seriously,” explains QSR Magazine.
As restaurants begin to offer full capacity seating, extended hours, and on-site dining once again, expect cleanliness to matter more than ever.
To appeal to safety-minded consumers, your restaurant may consider:
- Single servings of condiments and seasonings
- Single use paper menus
- Prominent placement of hand sanitizer
- Hand washing stations (for outdoor dining)
- Continued use of gloves and masks for employees
- Distancing tables
Broadcast new safety measures
It’s also important to note that maintaining high-level cleanliness and sanitization practices are only one piece of the puzzle to winning guests back to your restaurant.
In addition to strict sanitization standards, your restaurant will also need to focus on sharing these new strict hygiene and cleaning protocols with your guests. There are several essential ways to broadcast your restaurant’s commitment to safety.
Your restaurant may consider:
- Sharing your cleaning practices on your website and social media
- Posting signage around your restaurant about your hygiene efforts
- Keeping soap, paper towels, and hand sanitizer well stocked and fully visible at all times, then sharing the brands your restaurant purchases on signage and in digitial marketing efforts
- Offering more hand-free options in your restaurant, like push doors or touch-less lights and including signage to explain the new technology
Moving forward, your restaurant can help re-gain customers back on-site by focusing on the health and safety of your guests and employees, and broadcasting that dedication to safety in every format possible.
Welcome guests with digital marketing efforts
Currently, many are confused about restaurant hours, capacity restrictions, indoor or outdoor dining rules, and safety restrictions.
An easy way to inform your guests and welcome them back? Digital communication like email, an e-newsletter, or a social media post. All of these digital marketing efforts can serve as excellent ways to share your updated hours and rules with guests, along with offering a warm welcome back!
Additionally, digital communication like email, e-newsletters, or social posts also allow for your restaurant to tease new menu items, specials, or offer fun promos or coupons to entice a return visit.
Your restaurant may consider trying one of these e-marketing tactics:
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- E-newsletter – a monthly email newsletter can keep customers updated on your hours and your new safety protocols
- Email blast – remind your customers about your specials at key times like breakfast, lunch, or the 3pm slump
- Social media – use mouthwatering photos of your food to entice guests back to dine on premise
- Website – make sure your website has your most updated hours, capacity rules, and a warm welcome to new customers
Now, we want to hear from you. How is your restaurant welcoming customers back?
