Restaurants, Part II: 10 Tips to Get Travelers
So you’ve decided you want to attract the traveler to your restaurant? Below are ten tips to help you reach and attract travelers.
Travelers discover restaurants in many different ways
- Create a website. Your website doesn’t have to be extensive or expensive. Create a simple 5 page website with your logo, an attractive photo and contact info. Include directions or a mapquest link, your business hours, whether reservations are needed, and what credit cards you accept. Indicate children’s, senior’s or specialty menus (vegan, kosher or other). Mention if you have a full bar, serve local wines, it’s BYOB or you use local products. Ideally, your menus would be posted. This helps capture travelers researching restaurants in advance as well as meeting planners and secretaries looking for group reservations
- Join your local Visitors Bureau, Tourism Alliance or Chamber. In addition knowledge and networking, your membership fee should include a presence on their website which they optimize to attract travelers.
- Partner with like-minded businesses. Businesses that make referrals to others targeting the travel market enjoy mutual benefit but also serve travelers better by sending them to traveler-friendly businesses.
- Look for packaging opportunities. “Packages” that bundle travel opportunities such as an overnight stay, attraction tickets and a dining experience are a hit with travelers. You exchange a small cut in per-meal revenue for a bump in business. Pilch & Barnet offer an interesting article on travel packaging.
- Advertise. One of the first things a traveler does after s/he unpacks is decide where to dine. Local media such as newspapers seldom reach the traveler. Travel publications and In-room media such as Travelhost Magazine are the best ways to put your information directly into the traveler’s hands at the point of decision.
- Don’t ignore social media. Online restaurant reviews can help or hurt you. Travelers read such sites as Tripadvisor.com. Google your restaurant and see what’s being said. Set up a free Facebook account and ask loyal patrons to recommend your restaurant in order to influence what’s being said.
- Start a blog or invite a local food/travel blogger to dine. Blogging takes dedication and time. If you enjoy it, great! Talk about new recipes, new wine that’s arrived, upcoming events, etc. … But if you’re not into it, invite a popular restaurant or travel blogger to dine with the understanding he or she’ll write a review. Many travelers pre-plan their travel online and look at blogs as well as websites.
- Court the hotels. Invite the GM, Concierge and/or Front Desk crew to lunch occasionally. If they know your food and service is good, they’re more likely to recommend your restaurant.
- Focus on Customer Service. One of the best ways to get more travelers is to overdeliver to the ones you have. Travelers love sharing “a find” with other travelers and travelers’ word-of-mouth is a strong tool.
- Set up a travel corner. Stock it with maps, calendars of events and lists of things to do locally. Most of these things can be obtained for free from your local visitors bureau or Chamber. If you serve the traveler well, they will tell others and more hungry travelers will arrive at your restaurant’s door.
The more of these tips you use, the more likely you’ll be to reach and attract the travel market which, according to a study done by the National Restaurant Association, typically contributes an additional 15% – 40% to your bottom line, depending on your type of restaurant.
QUESTION: Have you discovered other successful ways to attract travelers to your restaurant?
If you found this article helpful, you may want to read Restaurants, Part I: Why Market to the Traveler and Restaurants, Part III: 8 Keys to advertising to the Traveler on this blog.
Tags: food and travelers, marketing to the traveler, reach the traveler, restaurant marketing, serving the traveler, travelers and restaurants
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
