Innovative Food Marketing With Digital Menu Boards
The ongoing pandemic has induced many restaurants, particularly the QSR’s, to innovate on their food offers and market them effectively on their digital screens.
When restaurants closed down during the lockdowns, their suppliers and vendors closed down as well. Therefore, many restaurants were left with unconsumed stocks which they could not return and had to bear the losses. In fact, the entire food delivery chains, from the raw material suppliers of meat, fish and vegetables to the delivery vans and trucks, who bring these supplies into the restaurant, were laid redundant. The entire logistics function had closed down.
As the restaurant business and their vendors re-opened in July/August 2020, all of them realized that the dynamics of the restaurant business has changed. Given the restrictions in indoor dinning with social distancing, fresh seating arrangements outdoors, mask-wearing, sanitization of all and sundry, the restaurateur was compelled to review his business.
Meanwhile, the preferences of customers too have undergone changes. While the pleasure of indoor dining could not be whittled away, online ordering, take-away, and curb-side food orders have rapidly gained momentum in the last few months.
We at DS Menu have been keenly observing the developments unfold in the restaurant industry in the last few months and as we deeply empathize with the fraternity, we bring forward the following tips, which we hope will assist in resuscitating their businesses.
Tips on Effective Marketing with Digital Menu Boards
Enhanced Importance of Digital Screens
With limited seating arrangements indoors, the need to entice the motorist cruising past your restaurant is all the more crucial. Therefore, your digital screens should announce your take-away and curb-side offers effectively. Attractive designs, colors and appetizing graphics should do the trick, without much content.
Focus on Up-sells, Combos and Popular Items
Devise a lean menu with few items which can sell well. A running video or a playlist highlighting your popular items such as up-sells and combos will create demand as customers will be looking to snack quickly in these times.
Efficiency and Faster Table Movement
Given the social distancing norms and limited seating arrangement inside the restaurant, the efficiency of your staff in taking orders quickly, conveying the same and coordinating with the kitchen, becomes a cardinal point. The quicker the entire serving process happens, the faster are the chances of table turnovers, and you can get more customers even with a limited seating capacity.
Look to Increase Your Working Capital
At the end of the day sufficient cash at hand is crucial for running the business and for the purchase of the following day’s stocks from your vendors and suppliers. Therefore, innovate on fresh food items which you feel the customers would prefer, and sell them at a profit. Even if this means moving slightly away from your regular menu.
Have An Effective Pricing Strategy
You could devise a food spread consisting of both fast food and single item meals like steaks, seafood dishes; Mexican dishes such Burritos, Tacos, and Fajitas; Italian dishes such as Lasagna, Stuffed Macaroni & Pasta. The burgers and pizzas will give you the volumes while the meal items will give you the margins.
Social Media Marketing
As you re-open, reaching out to your customers is imperative. And for this, effective promotional and advertising strategies are imperative. Post your menu on Facebook and Instagram and place your marketing messages on all online platforms, including food apps and restaurant apps. Urge people to come. Communicate. Go beyond business.
Promotions In The Neighborhood
Place banners and standees on street junctions and cross-roads within a one mile radius of your restaurant. Announce you’re re-opening. Design graphics of your most popular items. Convey eagerness to serve the best quality food/snacks at an economy price. And of course, assure patrons of all safety measures taken by your restaurant.
Encourage Business Tie-ups
Since most businesses have lost much during the pandemic, it is natural to assume that they will help each other as they re-open. Hence, your restaurant can tie-up with local manufacturers and advertisers whose products/brands you can display on your digital screen. It’s a win-win situation for both. The advertiser gets a captive audience and you get to make some money on the side.