Captivate your diners with a unique story and consistent branding.

According to one industry expert, 54% of diners visit the same restaurant over and over. There are several reasons for this, including your food, your pricing, and your customer service. Yet, they also frequent your restaurant because of your story and your unique identity.

The restaurant industry is wildly competitive, and you want to give diners a reason to visit your restaurant. You want to make them feel like they’re part of something bigger. You can do this through your story and your branding.

In this article, we look at how to tell your restaurant’s story through branding. Consider this your guide to captivating diners and setting your restaurant apart from the competition.

Why Tell a Story?

You may wonder about the importance of your restaurant’s story. Your brand is more than just a color scheme and a logo. Your brand is the whole experience you offer. It includes what people experience and feel when they’re in your restaurant. (tweet this)

Your story and your brand are what lift your restaurant above others and make it a destination for customers.

Your story encompasses the most enticing history and mission of your restaurant.

What is Your Story?

First, you want to make sure you and your staff understand your story. Every restaurant has one, and the first step is to identify it. Think about some of the following things when crafting your story:

• Why did you start your restaurant?
• Do you use family recipes that have been passed down through the generations?
• Is there a specific cuisine or cooking style you and your chef employ? Why?
• What are your goals? Do you want to create a community gathering place? Is your restaurant designed for families or nine to fivers? Or is it something else?
• What are your values?
• Who helped you start your restaurant?
• Is there a long history? For example, has it been around for decades?
• Are there any challenges you overcame to open your doors?
• What makes your restaurant unique? For example, are you a farm to table restaurant? Do you offer an extra special chef that entices customers?
• Do you have a distinctive ambiance? For example, do you offer food from a specific country and decorate your restaurant so people feel like they have traveled there?

Take some time to write down your answers to these questions. This will give you the framework you need to tell your story.

Now, let’s look at how to craft and tell your story through branding to captivate diners and cultivate loyalty.

Tell Your Restaurant’s Story Through Your Branding

Now that you know your story, you can craft your brand identity to help tell it. This includes your logo, color scheme, typography, overall tone, and much more.

Restaurant branding shapes the very identity of your restaurant, so it’s very important and should work seamlessly with your story. (tweet this)

Your brand identity is how your current and future customers see and experience your restaurant. For example, if Susie tries to explain your restaurant to her coworker, James, what is she going to say?

Branding encompasses everything that a person feels about your restaurant, and if they’ve eaten there, it involves their memories, too.

The Important Aspects of Branding

When thinking about your brand identity, think about the following:

• Your visual identity includes your logo, your color scheme, the style of your restaurant, your fonts, and your brand voice.
• The atmosphere and ambiance of your restaurant – this includes things like your lighting, your background music choices, the décor, the style of furniture, your place settings and cutlery, and even how your restaurant smells.
• The dishes you offer, their presentation, where you get your ingredients, and how you lay out your menu.
• The style of customer service you offer, the uniforms your staff wear, and how your team interacts with your customers.
• All of your marketing – how do you communicate with people? What is your brand voice, the graphic style of your imagery and video, and the text on your menu, website, email marketing, and social media accounts?
• Your website – this is often the first point of contact for potential customers. So, it’s crucial that your website effectively communicates your brand story. Your website design should be an extension of your restaurant’s branding. Use your chosen colors, fonts, and imagery to create an inviting online atmosphere. High-quality images of your dishes and the ambiance of your restaurant should be included. Consider posting behind-the-scenes shots to tell a powerful story and engage visitors. In addition, make sure your “about us” page tells your restaurant’s story. Use your blog to deepen your relationships with your customers further by sharing more of your brand narrative.
• The social media accounts you use should also continue to tell your restaurant’s story by staying true to your branding.

You can use all of these things to tell a brand story and evoke a specific feeling for your customers. It’s important for people to remember what your restaurant looks, smells, and feels like. You want them to have an emotional bond that starts with your cohesive story and consistent branding.

Final Thoughts on Captivating Diners

According to one branding expert, “80% of consumers say consistent branding increases their trust in a business.” When diners trust your restaurant, they become loyal repeat customers and brand ambassadors.

With this statistic in mind, along with what you learned in this article, you are ready to tell your restaurant’s story through branding.

Combining your story and letting it tell itself through your branding can help you captivate your diners and foster lasting connections with them. It can also help turn them into brand ambassadors, sharing their experiences with an even wider audience.

Your restaurant’s story is a powerful tool to differentiate your restaurant in a crowded market.

By thoughtfully communicating your narrative through your brand identity, website, social media, and dining experience, you create a rich tapestry that invites people to engage more deeply with your restaurant.

Finally, you can ensure every customer who dines with you walks away with a story to tell. So, ensure that your restaurant’s story leaves a lasting impression and brings them back time after time.

Is your website ready to tell your restaurant’s story? Is your branding strong enough to set you apart? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a website for you that tells your restaurant’s story through branding and sets it apart in your community. Your website is the centerpiece of your online marketing, and it needs to look and perform well, too. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand for your restaurant and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your new business using website data! 

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Patrik Michalicka and Caroline Attwood on Unsplash

Data is king. Use it to grow your restaurant by fine-tuning your website.

There is a saying by Thomas Redman, known as the “Data Doc,” that says, “Where there is data smoke, there is business fire.” So, if you want to light your marketing on fire and grow your business, data analytics is a must.

In our digital age, data is knowledge, and knowledge is one of the keys to success. (tweet this) We look at what your restaurant website’s data can tell you and how you can use it to drive customers to your restaurant.

What is the Point of Website Analytics?

Your website’s data analytics helps you process, track, and understand how people use your restaurant website. When you understand this data, you can optimize your website and improve the overall user experience.

Here is some of the information you can learn about your website:

• How many people visit your site each day.
• Where your website visitors come from.
• What pages they visit.
• The path they take once on your website from page to page.
• How long they stay on each page.
• How long they stay on your website before bouncing off.
• If visitors stay on your most important pages.
• The number of people who leave after visiting only one of your website pages.
• The most popular pages on your website.

Knowing and understanding this data can help you make good marketing decisions. You can test your pages, revise them, and then test again to see if your data improves.

Now, let’s dive a little deeper into your analytics so you can review your restaurant website’s data.

What Metrics Should I Measure?

When using an analytics tool like Google Analytics, there are three things you may notice right on the screen. Those are Visits, Unique Visitors, and Pageviews. These are the who and how of the “hits” to your website.

While these are important metrics, they don’t necessarily tell you the quality of engagement on your restaurant website. You can only learn quantity from this data.

While this data is important, there are several other data points to measure that we look at next.

Who Are Your Website Visitors?

It’s important to know where your visitors are coming from. Analytics can tell you the following:

• If a visitor is new or returning.
• Is your visitor local?
• What type of device did they use to look at your website? Was it an Android or iPhone? A desktop or cell phone?
• What browser they used to surf your website.

Knowing this information can help you craft the right content for the people who do land on your website. For example, if too many of them aren’t from your area, then you need to add more local information to your website to draw the customers who will actually eat at your restaurant.

Data is the key to making informed marketing decisions.

What Did the Visitors Do When They Were on Your Website?

For example, you may notice that no one visits your online ordering page. This might lead you to discover there is an issue with the page.

You can also learn how many pages people visited and how long they stayed there. If everyone seems to bounce off the same page, you may need to rework that page.

Once you know how many people only look at one page and nothing else, you might ask yourself if your site is hard to navigate or unappealing.

You also want to study your bounce rates. They are only concerning if you don’t understand and use the data.

For example, if you notice the bounce rate on your home page is 65%, that may not be worrisome if they just landed there for your location or phone number. If your online menu pages have a 65% bounce rate, that may indicate an issue.

Don’t look at your whole site’s bounce rate. Look at individual pages to learn the most valuable information. (tweet this)

Where Did Your Website Visitors Come From?

This data is really important as you build out your marketing strategy. There are several sources website visitors come from:

• Direct Traffic
• Organic Search
• Social Media
• Referral
• Paid Traffic

With this data, you can decide where to put your money for paid ads. You can also learn where you might need to improve your search engine optimization to increase your organic search traffic.

When Did They Arrive on Your Website?

Another helpful piece of data concerns when website visitors land on your restaurant site.

Was there a spike on a certain day of the week? For example, you had 500 people every day except Thursday, which showed 1,000 visitors. You can look at what made that happen.

Did you share a blog article or send a special promotion through email or SMS marketing? Did your paid ads spend more that day?

Whatever you learn, you can use it to increase traffic on other days of the week, too.

How and Where Did They Spend Their Time?

From your data, you can learn about the most popular pages on your website.

For example, do people spend a lot of time on your dessert pages? Or do people look for your location pages more often?

Once you know your most popular pages, you can make sure you have the best content possible and a strong call to action.

Where Did They Drop Off?

This is another vital data point.

Take a look at your funnel reports, see how they move from page to page, and learn where they drop off.

For example, do they drop off on your reservations page? Or do they leave it on a particular menu page?

There may be a perfectly valid reason for drop-offs. You may also need to revise your website page if it’s difficult to read or navigate.

Final Thoughts on Your Restaurant Website’s Data

You can use the data mentioned here to learn if your website is engaging, easy to navigate, and meeting your website visitors’ needs.

The goal of your restaurant website is information, conversions, and, ultimately, sales. Using your data, you can make website improvements to improve your bottom line and gain conversions and sales.

Is your website ready to help your restaurant succeed? Have you looked at your restaurant’s analytics? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a website for you that has the right keywords to land you at the top of search engine results pages and bring guests to your doors. Your website is the centerpiece of your online marketing, and it needs to look and perform well. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand for your restaurant and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your new business using website data! 

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Lukas Blazek and Jack Finnigan on Unsplash

Customers appreciate the ease of making online reservations to avoid wait times.

Today’s restaurant guests are busy, and they demand convenience and speed. This is where your online reservation system comes in. It provides your diners with convenience and efficiency right from their smartphones or computers.  

You’ll find you can revolutionize your customer experience while filling your tables more consistently by adding an online reservation system to your website. The benefits to your customers and to your restaurant go hand in hand.  

Let’s look closely at the importance of online reservations and easy booking for your restaurant. 

You Provide a Better Customer Experience

As a restauranteur, you know the importance of customer service and an elevated customer experience. This extends from the minute a customer lands on your website to their last interaction with your staff as they say goodbye after their meal. 

What better way to impress your customers and simplify their experience with your restaurant than with online reservations and easy booking?

With more than 65% of customers visiting your website directly to make a reservation, it’s never been more important to have a robust booking process right on your website. 

Online reservations meet your customers right where they are, allowing them to book a table at any time, from anywhere, and on any device. This also helps your customers make plans in advance.

In addition, your customers no longer have to sit in your lobby area waiting for a table. Their reservation is guaranteed, and they are much happier, loyal customers when they can make a reservation and avoid a lengthy wait.  

What’s more, your staff can customize your customers’ dining experience based on any information they provide during the reservation process. For example, you might ask if it’s a birthday, anniversary, or work dinner. You can also find out if the customer has a special request or even a dietary restriction. 

With an online reservation system, you can meet and exceed your customers’ expectations every time. 

Customers are happier when they can make a reservation and avoid long wait times.

You Have Better Table Management

Managing your tables on a busy night is an art form, and it’s key to a positive guest experience. What’s more, table management is key to the profitability of your restaurant. (tweet this) If you aren’t turning over tables, you aren’t bringing in as much revenue.

So, with easy online booking, you optimize your seating and turn tables over at a regular cadence, so you maximize your profits. 

With the right software, you can seat more guests by optimizing your layout and mix of tables and table sizes. This ultimately also helps reduce wait times while using your tables efficiently each shift.  

You Can Accommodate Larger Parties

No greeter likes to see a large group of people walk in on a busy night, hoping to be seated. If there is an extended wait time, people get grumpy, and your lobby becomes congested.  

With an efficient online booking system, you can manage large groups and plan for them. This way, you aren’t hustling around trying to assemble tables in an already crowded restaurant. (tweet this) You can calmly set the space aside so it’s ready for your diners without disturbing your in-house guests. 

Plus, large groups tend to look for reservations, and if you don’t offer them, they’re likely to go somewhere else to eat.

You Have Data to Analyze

You’ll find another perk of online reservations is that you can get insights and data to fine tune your operations and make staffing decisions.  

Simply analyze your reservation patterns, and you’ll soon see trends as well as the preferences of your customers and peak periods. This affects your bottom line and helps you ensure your restaurant is staffed appropriately.  

With data at your fingertips, you are also nimbler as you create marketing strategies, plan your menu, and decide on quantities of food to order. 

A solid reservation system also integrates into your point of sale (POS) system, so you have even more data at your fingertips. You may even find you can forecast your revenue as well as average check amounts.  

Inventory, staffing, and marketing are all simplified with online reservations. 

You Encourage Customer Loyalty

With easy online booking, you show your customers you value their time and want to provide them with the best experience online and in your restaurant.  

Your customers want convenience, and when you give it to them (along with great food), you are more likely to improve your customer retention rate and your bottom line.  

Plus, with a reservation system, you can capture your guest’s information such as birthdays, anniversaries, and their favorite foods. This helps you market to them and encourage their repeat visits.  

It’s a good idea to implement a reward system along with your online reservation system to “seal the deal” and improve your customer loyalty.

Final Thoughts on Online Reservations and Easy Booking

Allowing your customers to make their reservations online gives you a competitive advantage. It also helps more people dine at your restaurant because you can fill your tables more efficiently.

So, you can see the benefits are many for both your customers and your restaurant.

When you offer online reservations, you show customers you are modern, you care about their time, and you want to provide an easy way for them to dine with you when it works for their schedules.

You increase customer retention and satisfaction, and you also bring in new customers.

Ease and efficiency are key in the digital world, and your online reservations will improve your restaurant’s profitability, customer experience, and bottom line.

Is your website ready to help you succeed with online reservations? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a website for you that has the right keywords to land you at the top of search engine results pages and bring guests to your online reservation system. Your website is the centerpiece of your online marketing, and it needs to look and perform well to increase your online orders and reservations. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand for your restaurant and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business!  

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Priscilla Du Preez and Alena Plotnikova on Unsplash

Avoid these restaurant website mistakes to shine over the competition.

Your restaurant website is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s your most pivotal piece of digital marketing. It is the beginning and end of your marketing strategy. Your website brings you business, informs people, and showcases your menu.

As such, you want to take very careful care of it. To help you, let’s uncover the restaurant website mistakes to avoid.

Your Navigation is Confusing

Think of your navigation as the roadmap to your website. The last thing you want is for people to struggle to find what they are looking for. (tweet this)

First, you want to categorize your pages and arrange them with a hierarchy. This makes it easy for people to get from one spot to another. Here are some solutions to navigation issues:

• Keep your main navigation at the top because this is where people expect to see it.
• Use a different color for your links or make them bold so you differentiate them from plain text.
• If you are using sidebars, make them noticeable.
• Make sure your navigation is mobile-friendly.

Clear navigation reduces user friction on your website. Keep your navigation clear and open, and avoid crowded spaces where people struggle to figure out where to go.

The bottom line is that your navigation is a roadmap and the backbone of your website. If yours is messy, fix it today so users don’t struggle to find what they’re looking for.

Your Website Isn’t Mobile Friendly

Many of your users visit your website on their mobile phones, so it’s essential that it is mobile friendly. Your website visitors should not have to pinch and zoom to find what they’re looking for.

So, ensure your site adjusts to multiple screen sizes, from smartphones to tablets to laptops and the largest computers.

Test your website in all browsers and devices to make sure everything looks good.

Your Website is Slow

Slow-loading websites frustrate Google’s algorithm, and because of this, your website may not show up prominently in Google search results.

In today’s digital age, you can’t afford to have a slow website. In addition to Google issues, you may find that if your site takes more than two seconds to load, users are going to move on to another restaurant website.

Attention spans are short, so you want to do everything you can to speed up your website. Here are some tips:

• Reduce the size of your images.
• Host videos on YouTube.
• Compress files.
• Use a caching plugin.
• Delete unused plugins.
• Minimize the use of unnecessary scripts.
• Regularly test your website’s speed to see where you stand. Look at the recommendations and implement as many as possible.

Make sure it’s easy and intuitive to locate your online menu.

Your Site Doesn’t Use the Right Tags

We touched on navigational hierarchy, but there is another hierarchy to your website as well.

This comes in the form of your heading tags and sizes. For example, each page should only have one H1 tag. This should be the title of your page, and thus, it should be a larger font.

When it comes to H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6 tags, you can use multiples of these, but they should make sense. For example, H2 is the next largest size from the H1 tag, H3 gets a bit smaller, and so on.

You can also use different colors and even fonts for the different tags.

By separating these clearly, your readers can tell what’s most important.

Your Site Lacks Contrast and White Space

You want to make it as easy as possible for people to read your content. If your colors are too dark, or there isn’t the right contrast, people can’t see your words. (tweet this)

In addition, poor contrast makes it difficult for people with visual impairments to read your text. With bad contrast, your site also looks unprofessional.

To fix it, make sure you have a high-contrast color scheme. For example, that means dark text on a very light background or light text on a very dark background.

In addition, you want to make sure you have white space. You don’t want a cluttered website. Your goal is a clean design that is easy on the eyes. Use padding between your columns, text, and images. Allow space to let your content breathe.

White space on your restaurant website lets you highlight the most important information while making it easy for people to digest.

You Don’t Balance Your Copy

Every website needs content. This is what Google uses to learn about your website, and it’s how your website visitors learn about your restaurant.

There is a fine line between not enough copy and too much copy.

You want to ensure that there is enough content to contain your keywords and to inform search engines about your restaurant.

At the same time, you don’t want to overwhelm your website visitors. So, if you have a lot of text, be sure to break it up with heading tags, bullet points, images, and video.

Your copy should aim to inform and engage your website visitors. Since it’s a restaurant website, the copy should also describe your menu items and your restaurant.

It’s also a great idea to incorporate a blog on your website. This is a great way to get regular fresh content on your site while also providing more engaging information to your website visitors. A blog is also a great tool for SEO.

Final Thoughts on Your Restaurant Website

Did you know that people are 84% more likely to stay on a well-designed website than a poorly designed one?

You can improve the overall experience on your website by considering these restaurant website mistakes to avoid. Implement some of these easy solutions to take your website to the next level.

Finally, check your Google Analytics and your page speed on a regular basis. Keep your website optimized, and you’ll watch your restaurant grow.

Is your website ready to wow your visitors? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a website for you that provides the pivotal spot for your digital marketing. Your website is the centerpiece of your online marketing, and it needs to look and perform well to increase your online sales. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand for your restaurant and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! 

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Sergey Zolkin and Jay Wennington on Unsplash

Google is one of the top review platforms, so make sure to increase your reviews, here.

Did you know that trust is key for restaurant customers? And did you know that nearly 75% of diners say they trust a restaurant with positive reviews over one without?

With this staggering statistic, you can see how vital restaurant reputation management is to your business. To help you with review management tips, let’s look at 10 secrets to online review success.

#1: Understand Their Importance

The first step for many restaurant owners is to first understand and appreciate the importance of reviews. How people decide where to eat and subsequently interact with your restaurant is vastly different than it was just 10 years ago. (tweet this)

Your customers can interact with you on your website, social media channels, and review sites before they ever enter your door. Moreover, they can share their experience with your business with everyone they know (and even some they don’t) right on the internet.

It’s never been more important to have a wealth of reviews for your restaurant because it affects decision-making.

The challenge is getting reviews and keeping them mostly positive. That all starts with your customer service, restaurant culture, and your food.

Five-star reviews are vital. Negative reviews aren’t the end of the world because everyone gets some. The key is making sure you have enough good reviews to outweigh the bad ones. Keep in mind that you need four five-star reviews to offset just one one-star review and maintain a four-star rating.

#2: Make It Easy to Leave a Review

The best way to get reviews is to make it easy for people to leave them. You do this by knowing your customer base.

Would they prefer you email them or text them for the review? You can’t expect your customers to search out Google or a review site, so you want to make it easy for them by meeting them where they are. Provide them a link and ask them to tell people about their great meal with you.

#3: Ask for Reviews Through Text

While you can send an email request for reviews, you’re more likely to get a review when you ask through text.

By texting your customers a review link using SMS, you make it super easy for people. It will take them just a few minutes, and they can share the review.

In addition, train your customers to request reviews. This way, when you send your text, your customers will already have reviews on their radar. Your employees can say something like, “I’m so glad you enjoyed your email. When you get a text from us in an hour or so, would you mind leaving us a review?”

#4: Respond in a Timely Manner

When someone does leave you a review, you want to respond to it immediately, whether it’s positive or negative.

For example, if someone leaves you a positive review, you’ll increase their customer loyalty by acknowledging their review right after they leave it. On the flip side, if someone leaves you a bad review, you want to try to diffuse the situation as fast as possible.

#5: Create a Plan for Negative Feedback

In the case that you do get a negative review, you want to be prepared. Every restaurant will get a negative review, whether the customer is right or not.

So, while you should tailor your response, you want to have an empathetic template in place so you can respond quickly.

When responding to negative reviews, remember that you are not only responding to the reviewer but also to potential customers who are eager to learn how you handle bad reviews. (tweet this)

Aim for those five-star reviews, but know that four-star reviews are great, too.

#6: Respond to Every Review

Another important tool for online review success is to reply to every review about your restaurant.

Sometimes, businesses forget about responding to reviews. Yet, by always responding, you set yourself apart from the competition.

Put someone in charge of responding and create a basic template for them to follow. Make sure they reference things from the review, so all of your replies are unique.

This is your chance to show the digital world you care about all your customers.

#7: Be Authentic with Reviews

Some businesses take the easy route and pay people to leave them reviews. You don’t want to do this. Potential diners can spot reviews that aren’t authentic. While they may mistrust the reviewer, they may also mistrust your restaurant.

Online review success means getting reviews from solid customers.

#8: Time the Ask Right

When asking customers for reviews, you want to time it right. For example, after someone dines with you, wait an hour or so and send a text message asking for a review.

You don’t want to ask them too late or too early. How do you know what’s right? Test the timing to see which time frame works best for the audience. Then, you can set up your automation to send review requests.

#9: Provide Top Notch Customer Service

The best tip for online review success is to provide excellent customer service and food people want to return and eat repeatedly.

Train your staff on an ongoing basis to provide customers with excellent service. Every customer touchpoint is important to your overall success.

Great service is key to getting those five-star reviews. Exceed your diner’s expectations, and you’ll find that people are more likely to leave you a positive review.

#10: Share Reviews on Social Media

Once you get some reviews, you should share them on your social media platforms. This will get your reviews in front of even more people and broaden your reach.

It also gives potential customers the social proof they may need to make the trip to your restaurant.

Get creative and use imagery to share your reviews with the best quotes. In addition, for happy customers, ask if they would be willing to do a video review. You can use this on social media and even on your website.

Finally, on the review posts, ask others to share about their experience with your restaurant and tag others who might love your food.

Final Thoughts on Online Review Success

Online reviews can help grow your restaurant. Your positive reviews are what get new people in your door and keep current customers coming back.

So, you want to use these review management tips to build customer loyalty and trust.

You can and should leverage all your positive reviews. Display them on your website, your social channels, and even on posters in your restaurant.

Highlight your success, and you’ll find you get even more customers in the door.

Is your website ready to host your online reviews? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a website for you that provides the pivotal spot for your digital marketing. Your website is the centerpiece of your online marketing, and it needs to look and perform well to increase your online sales. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand for your restaurant and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! 

 Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Diane Helentjaris and Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Meticulously go through your menu on a regular basis to refine it regularly.

Does your restaurant feel stagnant? Is it time for a change, but you aren’t sure where to start? Your menu is a great starting point to refresh your restaurant and excite your customers.

Take your menu to a new level by changing things up to really maximize your sales. You can do this, and we’re going to show you how.

To help you, here are five tips for revamping your menu.

#1: Decide How You’ll Change Your Menu

When it comes to revamping your menu, that doesn’t necessarily mean throwing everything out and starting over. You can and should keep your best-selling items. (tweet this) Ditching the poor sellers and creating new crowd favorites is the way to go.

As you work through the process of changing your menu, you have four choices to consider:

• You can fully change your menu. This means reworking the entire thing and starting over from scratch. This isn’t for everyone and should be undertaken after some research. For example, if you have a farm-to-table restaurant, you may change your menu seasonally, so this works for you. Or, if you are restyling your restaurant, you may feel like changing your entire menu is appropriate.
• You can simply add some new items. You can do this on a weekly, monthly, seasonal, or even quarterly basis. By adding some new items, you drive your customers to try new things. This can also add some extra style to your menu and give people something to look forward to.
• You can replace menu items. Again, do this carefully. You definitely don’t want to replace your stars (high profit, popular dishes) or your plow-horses (low profit, popular dishes). You can, however, consider replacing your puzzles (the dishes that only a few people like, but are popular). You can and should replace your dogs (low profit and unpopular dishes).
• You can completely redesign your menu. This is where some menu engineering comes into play. It involves some creative content and new professional photography. You want to hire a pro to do this for you. In addition, if you have items that aren’t performing as well as others, consider writing a new description, changing the name, or even moving the item to a new position on your menu.

#2: Take New Photos

One of the most important things you can do to revamp your menu is to take some new professional photos. It’s important to hire a pro to take your photos to make sure you get the lighting correct.

Because most people are visual learners, your imagery plays an important role when your customers decide what to eat. For example, you want to make sure you add photos of your most profitable items. Along with descriptive text, you may find you boost your sales of that menu item just by highlighting it in a better way.

Test this over time and see if adding beautiful photography encourages people to order your highlighted items more often.

Maximize your menu with creative verbiage and imagery.

#3: Get Creative with Your Text

Hire a wordsmith to help you with your descriptive text for your menu items. You want enticing text that leaves diners with their mouths watering. (tweet this)

Think about terms that really describe your food, like fresh, organic, and savory. If there’s a “story” behind the dish, include that in the description, too.

You are appealing to their brains, their stomachs, and their emotions when crafting your creative text.

#4: Highlight Special Items

You can also spend some time each month updating your menu with seasonal ingredients. This is a great way to highlight new items that you bring out during the different seasons or holidays. For example, you might highlight fresh, organic lettuce in March and freshly dug sweet potatoes in September.

In addition, you can revamp your menu with new feature items or limited-time-only items. This might be with a new menu, or you can just add these items to a stand-alone menu with special items on it. This encourages people to try them and fall in love.

#5: Pay Attention to Travel Patterns

Are you familiar with how a diner’s eyes view a menu? Typically, they read your menu from the top right-hand corner. So, put your highest profit items in this corner.

You are gently manipulating people into ordering your highest-profit margin items. So, put your most expensive dish in the first place. You can add more affordable but highly profitable items around it. So, either way, you’re increasing your revenue.

Many people will order the first dish they see, so do take advantage of menu placement and how your customer’s eyes travel.

Final Thoughts on Revamping Your Menu

Competition is tough in the restaurant industry, so you want to always be thinking ahead about what you can do to not only overcome the competition but stay up to date on trends in the food industry.

One of the best ways to maximize your profits is by revamping your restaurant’s menu.

You want to analyze your menu items on a regular basis.

• Make a plan for adding items at particular times of the year.
• Look at items that are underperforming.
• Is it because they don’t taste good, they’re too expensive, or they’re buried in your menu?
• Evaluate your food costs to see which items can stay and which should go.
• Look at your text and your photos. Would it make you want to eat the item?
• Review your color scheme. Is it warm and inviting or outdated and tired?

With some of the tips here for revamping your menu, you’ll soon find that your menu really shines and entices your diners.

Is your website menu ready for an upgrade? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a restaurant website for you that provides the perfect spot for your amazing menu. Once you’ve revamped your restaurant menu, we can add it to your website. You will be amazed at how fast your online orders increase with your fast, well-performing website and revamped menu. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! 

 Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Spencer Davis and Jessie McCall on Unsplash

Your website is the digital gateway to your bistro, so it should reflect your brand well.

Does your website feel like it should be left in a digital graveyard? Is it less than appealing to your bistro customers?

In our digital world, websites are continually evolving, and you don’t want your website relegated to the dumpster out back. Because your website is often the very first look at your bistro, you want to make sure you are presenting your restaurant in the best light.

After all, first impressions matter. It’s vital to keep your website fresh, fast, and relevant. In this article, we look at six signs that your bistro’s website is ready for a refresh.

#1: Your Traffic has Dropped

Do you monitor your website traffic on a weekly basis? Do you study the numbers month after month and year to year?

The goal of your bistro website is to attract visitors who will either place an order online, make a reservation, or stop by your restaurant. If the number of people visiting your website has taken a nosedive, it might be time to refresh your bistro’s website. (tweet this)

Perhaps your website is too slow, or perhaps Google’s algorithms don’t find it useful.

While there are many reasons your traffic might drop, it is important to review your SEO and your web design to attract new visitors.

#2: Your Website is Too Slow

A slow website generally means your site is stuck in the past. And Google will not reward your website with high placement on search engine results pages if it’s too slow.

With a slow-loading website, your bounce rate is sure to be high. This means that visitors to your site lose patience for your bistro’s website to load, so they leave before ordering anything or deciding to visit you.

Now is the time to upgrade your website’s code so you can improve your page speed. Look at the size of your images and how they can hang up a website.

Make sure your website is able not only to attract but to keep the visitors that hit it. You want them to stick around long enough to learn about your bistro and your delicious food.

#3: Your Bounce Rate is Too High

We already mentioned your bounce rate when it comes to speed. However, there are other reasons your bounce rate might be high. So, you want to look at this in your Google Analytics so you can figure out how to fix it.

If your site has a high bounce rate, take a look at each individual page where there is a high bounce rate. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Have I optimized my images?
• Is my code optimized for speed?
• Is my content enticing?
• Is there a call to action?

Attend to these things and give your site a few weeks. Then, go back and see if your updates improved your bounce rate.

Refresh your website on an ongoing basis for great results.

#4: Your Conversion Rate is Low

Your bistro website should draw your website visitors in, encouraging them to take action. Yet, many restaurant sites have a low conversion rate. This means not many website visitors are turning into actual customers or placing orders.

You want the conversion, and you don’t want them to bounce off. So, your bounce rate and conversion rates are tied together.

Again, you want to look at things like your call to action, your images, your text, and your usability and ease of navigation.

#5: Your Website Design is Outdated

When did you design your website? Was it three to five years ago or even later? If so, it’s most likely time for a refresh.

Why? Website design trends change. Graphics trends change, and that includes imagery style as well as font style. If your website is outdated, it quickly tells your potential customers that they aren’t very important.

You want a bistro website that is visually appealing and inviting. It should be easily navigable and user-friendly.

In addition, your website should render well on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you need to fix it immediately.

#6: You Aren’t Collecting Emails and Phone Numbers

Are you building your email list and SMS texting list through your website? If not, you definitely should be.

One of the most important things you can do on your website is collect email and phone leads.

The ROI on both email and text marketing is huge, and when used together, you can broadcast your specials to a wide and engaged audience.

If you don’t have a spot to collect these, it’s time to refresh your website. Use incentives to grab the emails and phone numbers, and you’ll watch your lists and your revenue grow.

Ready to Refresh Your Bistro’s Website

Now that you know the signs that your website is not effective, you can start looking at ways to be engaging with your website visitors. Look for ways to grab and keep their attention and move them toward an action.

Creating a website isn’t a one-and-done. You want to make sure everything is up to date, including your menu, prices, phone, hours, and location. You also want to maintain it on a regular basis with a larger refresh every few years. (tweet this)

Your website is your digital hub, and it’s where you begin your relationship with many of your diners. A user-friendly, fast, SEO-optimized website is a must. In addition, you want professional photos, creative and compelling content, an online menu, and more.

If you’re ready for a refresh, we can help!

Is your website ready for an upgrade? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a restaurant website for you that provides the perfect spot for customers to view your amazing menu. Your website is a pivotal piece of your success, and all your marketing leads to and from your website. You can count on us to create an amazing website that presents a unified brand and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business!  

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Igor Miske and Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

It’s key to engage with your customers through their online reviews.

You can do all the marketing in the world. You can entice people with the best offers. And you can work hard to close the sale.  

Just as important, though, is using your strong, positive online reviews to leverage trust and loyalty in your restaurant. Your happy, satisfied customers are your brand ambassadors and pivotal to your marketing strategy. 

But once you have great reviews, what do you do with them? Let’s look at 10 tips for using reviews to boost your restaurant’s online following.

#1: Regularly Share Reviews on Social Media

One of the best ways to leverage reviews to boost your online following is to post them regularly on your social media accounts. (tweet this)

For example, you get a terrific Google review. Go to Canva and search for review or testimonial templates. Then, add your text and logo. If the reviewer has a profile image, add this to your Canva image.  

Once you’ve created your image, upload it to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.  

You can also direct people to your website to see more of your Google reviews. 

Regularly sharing reviews on social media is a good practice, as your followers love to see social proof that your restaurant is worth visiting. 

#2: Engage with Your Customers

Engagement is vital in the digital arena. So, you want to respond to all of your positive and negative reviews.  

Best practices suggest you respond to every review on every review platform within 24 hours. If the review is positive, thank the reviewer, repeat some of the things they said, and thank them again. Each one of your responses should be unique. You don’t ever want to use a boilerplate “thank you” for positive reviews. 

Regarding any negative reviews for your restaurant, first, talk to your team and see if they know what the review is about.  

Then, craft a careful response. Your response is important for people viewing it, as well as the reviewer. 

Your response should be kind and empathetic. Again, reiterate what they said. You might end by offering them a compassionate solution.

#3: Offer Unique Deals

Another way you can use reviews to your advantage is by offering your customers unique deals once they finish their review of your restaurant.  

This may be an incentive to help complete their review. 

#4: Use Reviews in Your Website Content

You already know that the more reviews you have, the better. They may live on places like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other sites. 

But once you have this great inventory of positive reviews, what are you doing with them? Are they on your website? 

Consider adding a page to your restaurant website for the sole purpose of highlighting your reviews. 

This is a great way to add additional social proof to your website to help convert website visitors into diners. Here are some pages you might consider adding your reviews: 

• Your home page
• A dedicated review page
• Your about us page
• On your contact page

#5: Embed Reviews with Your Menu Items

Your next step to including reviews on your restaurant website is to head to each of your individual menu items. 

The best thing you can do here is look for reviews that mention specific menu items. Then, add those reviews to your menu item pages.  

For example, if a particular customer loved your sausage pizza, add that review to that menu page.  

Fill your restaurant with the social proof of online reviews.

#6: Use Reviews to Promote New Menu Items

Are you adding new menu items to your restaurant? Have you thought about how you’re going to convince people to try them instead of their regular favorites? 

One suggestion is to offer free samples to people when they visit your restaurant. Ask them if they’ll either leave you an online review or if they’ll let you video them for a few seconds.  

This way, you can use both the online review and even the video review on the product pages for your new menu items, as well as on your social media platforms and in your email marketing.  

These reviews can really help boost your menu items.   

#7: Place Reviews in Your Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most powerful ways you can reach current and potential restaurant customers.  

These folks have invited you into their inboxes. They are looking for specials, news about events, and helpful content.  

So, this is the perfect opportunity to highlight several of your reviews to boost your restaurant’s online following. You give your restaurant and your food more credibility while showing people your food is worth eating because others love it. 

Along with the reviews in your email, you can even add links so people can add their own reviews.  

#8: Use Reviews to Improve SEO

Your online reviews can improve your SEO (search engine marketing) on your website. How? 

Comb through your reviews and look at the keywords people use. Consider how people are describing your dishes in their reviews.  

By doing this, you can see terms people may use to search for items your restaurant sells. 

So, track the common and even the unusual keywords customers use in reviews, and use some of them on your website to improve your SEO. 

#9: Feature Reviews in Search Ads

Another way to boost your online following is to use snippets of reviews or even whole reviews in your pay-per-click advertising.  

You can attract more visitors to your website this way and enhance your brand recognition. 

A review in a search ad may even help people choose to dine with you. 

#10: Create Videos With Your Reviews

Video is king right now, so grab your phone and start asking customers for video reviews. 

You can share these on your website, social media platforms, search ads, and email marketing.  

Take it one step further and create a review reel that includes several different reviews. You might even include this longer-length video right on your homepage.  

Final Thoughts

Great reviews are your restaurant’s “bread and butter.” Your positive online reviews set you apart from the competition. (tweet this)

According to one source, nearly 95% of diners research a restaurant’s reviews online before deciding to eat there. That’s nearly every person who walks in your doors or orders takeout from you. 

So, there are several takeaways here:

• You need a strategy to get reviews.
• You want to respond to every review – the good and the bad. Respond to the negative ones with kindness and empathy.
• Creating a marketing strategy to use your reviews to boost your restaurant’s online following is vital.

There are so many ways you can use online reviews in your digital marketing and to boost your restaurant sales. Review management is the first step; marketing those reviews is your second step.

It’s time to get busy increasing your online reviews and using them wisely to promote your restaurant. 

At Restaurant Engine, we can create a restaurant website for you that highlights your reviews. Your website is pivotal to your success, and all your marketing leads to and from your website. You can count on us to create a website that presents a unified brand, highlighting your reviews, that works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business!  

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website? 

Get your free website consultation today!  

Images: Towfiqu barbhuiya and yeonhee on Unsplash

Your brand identity is your owner’s story and one worth telling.

According to a report by the Pragmatic Institute, you have 10 seconds to grab someone’s attention and communicate your brand and your value proposition.

The sheer amount of content on the web means that you likely have even less time than those 10 seconds to share your brand and convince would-be customers that your restaurant is where they want to dine.

This is why building your brand using your website is so important. In this article, we take a long look at how your restaurant website can build your brand to position you ahead of the competition.

What is Your Brand Identity?

Your brand identity tells the owner’s story and the story of your restaurant. It’s integral to your consistent marketing. When it comes to your brand identity, it includes the following:

• Your name
• Your logo and what it looks like
• Your website tagline
• The color scheme of your restaurant
• Your brand imagery
• The content style
• Your overall tone and messaging

Everything about your brand identity should shout out to people who you are and what your restaurant stands for. And you can definitely use your restaurant’s website to build your brand. (tweet this)

Using your website as a vehicle to build your brand is a great way to let people know more about your restaurant. You use your website to showcase your entire ambiance as well as what food and drink you specialize in.

How do you want your customers to perceive you? This is what you want to focus on when identifying and presenting your brand identity.

Now, let’s look at how your restaurant’s website can build your brand.

Your Website Establishes Your Online Presence

Once you’ve decided on your brand identity and all the elements of it, you want to share it with your community. Your first point of contact with most diners is your website.

So, you can see how your website establishes your online presence. It gives people a first look at your brand identity while introducing them to your restaurant, your food, and even your service philosophy.

Most people decide in just a few seconds if they like your brand. You know your brand identity is your vehicle for telling people your story.

Since most people land on your website before dining with you, you have very little time to convey your brand. In fact, you have one tenth of a second to form a first impression. This is why your website is vital to your branding.

The more trust you build with your brand, the more successful you’ll be.

Your Website Helps Build Trust

Another way your website helps build your brand is by trust building.

Many people will visit your website while researching where they want to eat. When you showcase your brand on your website, it should include trust-building content. (tweet this)

This could be showcasing your reviews on every page of your website. It might also include any awards you’ve received for your food. If you’re a member of professional organizations, use this on your website, too.

Your Website is the First Point of Contact

As we mentioned earlier, your website is the first chance people have to learn about your restaurant.

It’s also the place where people first meet your brand through your logo, color scheme, content, and style.

Your website also informs people about your brand by including things like photos of your restaurant, your hours, location, and phone number.

Your Website Tells Your Story

Your brand is more than just your logo and your visuals. It’s your story.

And your website is also a vehicle for this amazing story. Your website is all about the owner’s story. People want to learn why you got into the restaurant business. For example, did you start cooking at home at a young age? Did you have a specialty, then? What propelled you to open your restaurant?

Using your brand standards, tell your story.

Your Website is Always Available

Odds are you aren’t open every day, 24 hours a day. But your website is open for businesses every single day of the year.

Whether it’s a new customer or a returning one, your website is the powerhouse of your online marketing and brand building.

Anyone who wants to learn more about your restaurant simply has to visit your website. They’ll find everything they need there amid all the branded content.

Ultimately, after they’ve learned about your brand on your website, they’ll visit you and enjoy the wonderful food you offer.

Your Website Helps with Consistent Marketing

The last way your restaurant’s website builds your brand is through consistent marketing. Everything starts and ends with your restaurant. For example, if you send out a mailer, it generally directs people to your website.

If you send an email to customers, again, it generally leads back to your website. So, you want to make sure that everything on your website is well thought out and matches your brand exactly.

Final Thoughts on Your Restaurant’s Brand

Your brand identity matters. Why? It helps customers recognize you. For example, someone tells their friend about your restaurant. This person looks at your restaurant on the internet, reads more, and decides to eat with you.

Then, both friends recognized your brand at a local craft festival. If everything you put out to the public matches the brand you used to design your website, you’re in great shape.

This means people know and recognize your restaurant and your story, and they know you provide good food.

If you’ve presented your brand well on your website, people can recognize your visuals and your focus. You aren’t a little fish in a big pond anymore. With a well-created brand showcased on your website, you are a strong brand and one recognized in your community.

At Restaurant Engine, we can create a restaurant website for you that builds your brand. Your website is a pivotal piece of your success, and all your marketing leads to and from your website. You can count on us to create a website that presents a unified brand that works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! 

 Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website? 

Get your free website consultation today!  

Images: Joshua Brown and Quaid Lagan on Unsplash

Position your website to influence your customers’ orders and watch your sales rise.

Your restaurant website is vital for so many reasons. First, it’s the centerpiece of all your restaurant marketing. Second, it showcases your menu. And third, it’s where customers can go to find out your location and your hours.  

It’s also essential because your restaurant website influences a customer’s order. Let’s look at the five ways it does this.  

#1: Your Website Helps You Get Bigger Orders

Did you know that Millennials don’t like phone calls? A company called BankMyCell did a survey and found out that 75% don’t like phone calls because they take too much time. What’s more, more than 81% of them have anxiety if they’re forced to make a phone call. 

Because of this, you’ll find that your restaurant can first help you get online orders, and second, it can increase your sales because it makes it easy for people.  

For those who don’t like to make a phone call to order from your restaurant or make a reservation, you’ll see your business grow if you offer these features on your website.  

In addition, if someone wants to place a reasonably large order, your restaurant website also influences their order, making it easy for them to order multiple items. It also takes away the possibility of mistakes your staff may make when taking phone orders.  

Lastly, according to one study, more than 60% of restaurants can expect a bump in sales when they have online ordering on their websites. People will often order more online than they would eat in your restaurant. (tweet this) There are several reasons for this: 

• People may order more because they want extra for lunch or for another meal the next day. 
• You may find that people order more online than in your restaurant because they don’t feel self-conscious about the amount of food they order. 
• They may order more because they know they can save it, and so they don’t feel guilty about wasting food. 

#2: You Can Run Promotions

Your restaurant website is the perfect place to highlight the promotions you are running each week. 

If you have a customer that is looking around for a place to eat, they land on your website, and they see you are offering a website-only special, you may find they choose your restaurant instead of the competition. 

You can also offer specials as customers bounce off your website. For example, let’s say someone places a couple of items in their cart. But then they start to click away from your website. You can then have a pop-up that offers them free delivery, 10% off, a free appetizer or dessert, or another special to entice them to stay on your website. 

You’ll find that offering a special is often enough to influence your customer’s order and get them to go ahead and place it.

Most people visiting your restaurant will have first gone to your website.

#3: Your Website Can Highlight Featured Items

Another bonus of your restaurant is its capability to highlight featured items on the front page and also on your online ordering pages. 

You might feature special menu items each day, or you might feature a new menu item. Just by highlighting and featuring unique menu items, you’ll find you sell more of them. 

Here are some ways you can use this to influence a customer’s order:

• You can highlight an appetizer or dessert to convince people to add it to their main meal.
• If you have a lot of ingredients for a specific dish you want to move, you can also highlight the item.
• Some restaurants try out new dishes. If this is you, you could showcase the menu item to get people to order it. This helps you see if people are even interested in it.

#4: You Improve the Customer Experience

You’ll notice that another way your restaurant website influences a customer’s order is by providing them with an overall fantastic customer experience. 

By offering a user-friendly, fast, and comprehensive website and online order system, you influence your customer’s behavior and show them customer service is important to you. (tweet this)

Your website engages your customers and appeals to their needs. You can also personalize their experience by offering an online ordering system that remembers previous orders and also is capable of upselling website visitors. 

For example, your site may remember they ordered a dessert and offer it to them again in your ordering system. This makes the customer feel special and improves their experience.

#5: People Can Check Out Your Menu

The last way your restaurant influences a customer’s order is it always helps them to pre-browse your menu.

For example, let’s say a couple is coming to dinner on Friday evening. One of them may browse your online menu to make sure you can accommodate them if they have special needs like vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or allergy-free. 

Someone might also look over your menu before visiting you because they are on a first date. This person might want to find the most date-friendly food to order before feeling stressed and anxious when they arrive with their date. 

The menu on your website is one of the most influential pieces of content. You want to make sure to be creative with your descriptions, making your food enticing. It’s also best practice to include beautiful, professional photos of your dishes. 

Finally, make sure to include a thorough ingredient list and nutritional information if you have. 

Final Thoughts on Influencing a Customer’s Order

With a restaurant website, you have the power of the internet. Your website is pivotal to all of your online marketing. 

It’s the place where customers can go for a first look at your restaurant as well as valuable information. 

If you want to use your website to influence your customers’ orders, you want to make sure it’s professional, updated, search engine optimized, mobile-friendly, and speedy. It should also be welcoming to everyone, and it should reflect the ambiance and mission of your brick-and-mortar restaurant, too. 

At Restaurant Engine, we can create a restaurant website for you that influences a customer’s order. Your website is a pivotal piece of your success, and all your marketing leads to and from your website. You can count on us to create a website that shows just how many people love your restaurant. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! 

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website? 

Get your free website consultation today!  

Images: Kelsey Chance and Brooke Cagle on Unsplash