What has worked 15 years ago, or even last year, will probably not work anymore. Hiring a restaurant consultant will help you start on well-defined branding and marketing strategies to help you meet your overall restaurant business objectives. The landscape of restaurant business is continuously being transformed by the advent of digital marketing strategies. Considering the rigid competition and the data that says: “There is a 60% failure rate of restaurant businesses, it is vital that you get your marketing strategy perfectly suited for your goals.”
Restaurant Marketing Templates – Easily Edit, Print or Share Digitally
We have taken into consideration all the ideas, tips and requirements when starting a restaurant business. To help you further, we have made in-depth sample restaurant marketing templates available for you.
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Planning
Planning your own restaurant business forces you to learn and explore various phases of restauranting. You will also learn a lot about your competition and the market.
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Restaurant Marketing Plan Template
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A restaurant marketing plan must support your restaurant strategy and objectives. It must also be aligned with the restaurant values. The restaurant marketing plan template will help you define and structure what your restaurant offers.
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Strategic Marketing Plan Template
The strategic marketing plan identifies everything: Who your target customers are , how to reach them, and how you will retain your customers so they will repeatedly come back to you. Our strategic marketing plan template is the perfect roadmap to follow for your restaurant business to be successful.
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Marketing Action Plan Template
Your restaurant marketing action plan should have the following components: a pricing technique, advertising, digital marketing, and media strategy. We have a ready made yet editable restaurant marketing action plan template.
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Social Media Marketing Template
Before diving into the world of social media, you must have a solid strategy making sure your social presence is effective. The social media marketing template will guide you with your online activities like establishing what your goals are and how to achieve them.
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Digital Marketing Plan
This is a type of plan that is made once you have decided to use digital marketing for the marketing of your restaurant business. It is carefully planned for what type of marketing strategy to employ. Although there are many people online, this needs careful planning for you to hit the right target.
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Opening Marketing Plan
Your restaurant will gain recognition in their local areas over time, as shoppers passing by the storefronts come in for visits and talk with friends and family about the restaurant. To begin, a new restaurant has to establish a distinct impression to attract attention. Marketing plans for restaurant openings bring together advertising strategies.
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Consulting Marketing Plan
There are four cores in the marketing strategy for consultants, namely: awareness, convert, close, and delight. Here, it is important that your marketing plan is realistic. Hiring professional consultants is in fact worth the investment. They are professionals who can handle all your restaurant business marketing requirements leaving you unworried hence focus on other business needs.
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Restaurant Launch Marketing Plan
The restaurant’s launch marketing strategies must be well underway to promote the grand opening. that will leave a good impression to first- time customers.
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Banquet Hall Marketing Plan
Banquet hall marketing is quite different from typical marketing. Your target customers should be defined: Couples wanting to get married, businesses for meetings and groups that lead fundraiser events or banquets. You should include visuals because with banquet halls, people want to see what they will be getting.
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Delivery Service Marketing Plan
The creation of a marketing plan for a delivery service can help you spread the word about the service you offer, hence, you can build a client base quickly and efficiently. The delivery service marketing plan must describe the complete and integrated process on how to deliver a specific marketing activity.
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Franchise Marketing Plan
Here, timing play a very important role. The franchise marketing budget must be optimized aggressively at certain times of the year. The franchise marketing plan must outline specific marketing activities and to generate leads out of those marketing activities.
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Budget & Cost Tracking
Undeniably, budget and cost tracking is one of the most difficult tasks in project management. Tracking costs is an ongoing process that include the detailed estimation of costs, establishing controls, the setting of agreed budgets, and control of costs against that budget.
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Restaurant Marketing Budget Template
This restaurant marketing budget plan template, will help you manage and spend your restaurant marketing budget wisely. While at it, it is important to think about having the right message, targeting the right customers and timing as important elements when selecting which type of marketing strategy.
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Cost Analysis of Market Research Methods
Examining the costs associated with each marketing strategy to assess its profitability is important. Cost analysis of market research methods is a strategy that is applied in marketing where the costs associated with selling, storing, advertising and distributing of products to particular buyers, are scrutinized. Make sure to include all the costs and all the benefits to properly quantify them.
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Announce
When about to announce something very important about your restaurant business, think about your restaurant’ key and unique selling points. It should include credible and reliable information that will surely capture your target customers.
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Announcement of Free Delivery Limitations Change
Informing clients ahead about changes in policies and dates will get you and your restaurant respect and will take you further in your restaurant business and life in general. Creating announcement of free delivery limitations change will help you save time, cost and effort.
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Announcement of Change of Address
Many of your contacts, the U.S. Postal Service for example, provide convenient forms both online and printed to receive your change of address. For your restaurant business, you should announce your new location as part of a press release or invitation. Have a brief notice that is accurate and timely.
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Announcement of Business Merger
Any changes in business impact customers hence the importance of sending alerts as a form of written communication cannot be overstated. The merger announcement correspondence should solidify your restaurant business’ mission. Explain the changes and provide the customer with a person to contact to help them navigate new policies and procedures.
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Announcement of New Discount Offer
Announcing the new discount your restaurant offers is an excellent idea to boost up your restaurant sales. You may come up with a professional looking discount offer board to let your customers know that you are offering attractive, discounted rates. Customers always love to get something for nothing or in exchange of lower rates.
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Announcement of New Pricing Policy
Raising prices without prior information is a sure way to lose customers hence, communicating the increase in prices is all about your methods of communication not just about the price itself.
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Announcement of Partnership Buyout
When drafting a buyout letter, you are not only notifying the other party that the former owner is no longer part of the restaurant business, but you are also notifying everyone part of it that the company is transitioning to new ownership. For small businesses, the buyout letter is also referred to as a pending buyout agreement between the parties.
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Announcement of Price Reduction
This is the exact opposite of the announcement of price increase. This announcement is sure to thrill your customers because who doesn’t like to pay less money for meals or services? This is sure to be an attention grabber and would run traffic to your business.
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Checklists
The restaurant checklists will help you become aware of essential tasks. They serve as your guide for deciding what should be happening in every area of your restaurant to serve quality meals, and operating results you expect. This is also essential for periodically reviewing your entire restaurant business operations.
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Market Planning Checklist
The very basic type of marketing plan is a checklist that includes elements required in any marketing initiative. The market planning checklist is a detailed plan with extensive information about market segmentation and competitive analysis.
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Restaurant Marketing Strategies Checklist
With all the technology alongside various marketing strategies, restaurant marketing strategies checklist should come in handy. It should not take years to build a restaurant marketing strategy. This checklist is your source of information for getting started.
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Manufacturer Analysis Checklist
Your manufacturing checklist must include product requirement documents that explain the expectations of your services and dishes, the components and ingredients and the processes of your dish, component specification and order quantities.
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Service Strategy Checklist
Planning a customer service strategy is essential to the development of a strong and stable service culture. Restaurants need to incorporate customer service into the restaurant business goals. These strategies should also be made part into employees’ goals to make sure the organization reaches customer service objectives. A checklist is necessary to be able to monitor as employees only perform at the level they are managed.
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Analyze
When you are looking to gain comprehensive information about your customers, analysis is crucial in the process to complete data analytics towards the direction of more informed restaurant business decisions.
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Competitive Analysis Template
When you decide to open a new restaurant, having the best understanding of what our competitors are doing is vital. A competitive analysis will help you communicate better with your customers. Moreover, a competitive analysis template is an especially helpful tool to help you craft your value proposition.
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Market Analysis Template
In creating a business plan, a market analysis template will you understand your market from various viewpoints. It helps you evaluate your current position and analyze your potential. Market analysis will show you the direction to take and the dangers to avoid.
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Customer Analysis Template
To make sure that your company is meeting the demands of your customers, a customer analysis is needed. The customer analysis template can be classified into business templates, competitor analysis templates, and would also highlight the importance of customer feedback.
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Competitor Analysis Worksheet
The competitive analysis worksheet will help you determine specific attributes under SWOT Analysis. It should also indicate where the restaurant is with regard to these attributes. It should also identify the attributes that are very important to the marketplace.
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Restaurant Break-Even Analysis Spreadsheet
The break-even is the amount of sales you need over a specific period of time so as not to lose money. The basic formula for break-even is fixed cost divided by one (1) minus the variable cost percentage. Knowing your break-even point will help you analyze the risks of opening a new restaurant and will help you keep minimal goals for the existing ones.
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Track
Having as many policies and procedures in place as possible is very important because something is always going to pop up anytime. Managing your restaurant offers many challenges but the very important thing is how you keep track.
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Marketing Promotion Tracking Template
The most successful restaurants are the ones that track their promotions to know which ones work and which don’t. Tracking all aspects of your marketing promotions can help you maximize your money’s worth and make sure there is a return of investment. The Marketing Promotion Tracking Template is a tool that tracks the cost and response rate of each marketing promotion.
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Restaurant Sales Tracking Template
Restaurant sales tracking template records daily restaurant sales transactions. This template will help you track your sales transactions for easy entry into your accounting records.
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Customer Count Tracking Template
This template is a great tool for forecasting sales, estimating labor needs, and setting preparation levels. You only have to enter the guest counts for each day. To also keep track of the trends to help you identify some areas that need improvement.
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Waste/Spill Tracking Sheet
It happens that there is an unexpected rise in the weekly food or beverage costs and waste can have a significant impact on your budget. Designed for clipboards, this form provides space to record the item wasted, who was responsible, and the prices of the item as it occurs.
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Expense Tracking
Whether you are new to the restaurant business industry or an experienced one, tracking expenses is a necessity. Whether you’re keeping a count of day-to-day credits or debits to your operation, you need a system that’s easy to use.
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Gift Certificate Tracking Form
Gift certificates and gift cards are popular especially among diners searching for gifts. According to research, only about 80% of gift cards are actually redeemed. A gift certificate tracking form can help you track the gift certificates that you issue. Keeping a running balance of the number and amount of gift certificates you were able to sell as well as the number and amount that are redeemed will help you track sales efficiently.
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Agreements
Restaurant business deals done by a handshake are fine until they’re not and things suddenly go wrong. Partners change, memories fade and, people lie. This is to help you identify the terms and the conditions covered with your relationship with the vendor.
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Restaurant Joint Marketing Agreement
With restaurant joint marketing agreement in place from the beginning, you have something to point back to if something goes wrong or if miscommunications arise. This is a legal document if your legal representative wants to get involved in, or a non-legal document of good faith.
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Advertising and Marketing Agreement
This agreement is between a client and an advertiser about an advertising service that will be provided. Advertising and marketing agreement emphasizes specific services, plus how and when payment will be made. It includes how the advertisements will be delivered and excluding any content which may be prohibited.
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Restaurant Email Marketing Agreement
Effective email marketing campaigns engage and encourage customers to keep coming back. There should be an agreement for this to ensure that every aspect of the agreed service is covered. Known benefits of this campaign are: email database organization, building of own restaurant brand, and triggered campaigns.
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Social Media Marketing Agreement
The agreement has been designed to regulate the relationship between you and a social media marketing service provider or representative. This covers a range of different services such as content production, advertising, press releases and all other means of marketing service.
Tips On How to Market & Grow in Restaurant Business
In the restaurant business, there are a number of creative, tried-and-tested tips on how to market and grow to increase profit margins.
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Constitute Brand
Brand identity should be interactive, which means that actively looking for conveniences that benefit your customers will pay off. Carefully consider the parameters of price, place, and promotional needs that are linked to revenue generation.
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Be Unique and Invest in Ideas
There are plenty of unique and wonderful restaurant concepts that provide inspiration. However, it’s better if you will make yourself a case study before you venture in. There are a lot of ways to open a restaurant even when you’re on a shoestring budget. A self-catering service is a good start-up venture.
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Know What’s Trending
The trends we see which can most impact the restaurant industry come from increasing competition and technological innovations. According to 700 chefs surveyed, customers are always in the lookout for choices in the coming years.
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Signature Items
Consider how you want your customers to experience your restaurant. You have to start brainstorming what your iconic dish should be.
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Give Free Samples Sometimes
Always remember that getting something for free is always a thrill. There’s a reason why some restaurants use an open kitchen, or do live cooking.
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High Quality Photos from Professionals Only
If the food or dishes that your restaurant offers look attractive on your website, it’s only natural that more customers are going to want to come and find out for themselves.
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Focus on Reputation Management
Here, strategy is key. Online reviews can do amazing things for your restaurant just make sure you claim all the profiles you can and optimize each for your customers.
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Make Packaging Interesting
It is the first impression we have about the meal, that does represent the restaurant brand. Packaging has become personal that fan bases have been huge on how customers love the packaging.
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Celebrate Events
Birthday, christening, first communion, confirmation, graduations, wedding, anniversary, company parties and events or anything else your customers may come up with, your restaurant must be willing to celebrate it with them.
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Track Data
Using data analytics to build on the experience of your restaurant staff and transform the data will make you thrive in the market and stay competitive.
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Build a Website
Don’t make your website complicated. Your website doesn’t need to answer every question about your restaurant because it can be updated anytime.
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Get Online Orders
According to the most recent studies, 69% of customers order food online through their mobile devices.
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Give More Than Expected
According to Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes Benz USA, customer experience is the new marketing. It is important that you pay attention to the little things that can make a huge difference.
Ideas to Market your Restaurant Business
While traditional marketing is still very important, the digital marketplace and technology-savvy customers remind you of the need to mix the traditional and online marketing strategies to come up with the most successful restaurant marketing.
Join Coupon or discount programs This can be a powerful weapon to converting customers to be loyal to you but be careful, because if used haphazardly, this can also damage your brand and reputation.
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Loyalty Programs
Creating a customer loyalty program is a great way to encourage customers to come back. But first, you need to determine how the program will best benefit the customer and your restaurant business, while you explore the type of rewards your customers like.
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Register for Google Business & Maintain Reputation
This is to put every online review in a nutshell so customers both existing and potential as well as competitors can check what customers are saying about your restaurant business.
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Build Email or Phone Number Base of Customers
Customers’ data are a goldmine hence should be utilized to your advantage. You can use these information to build long-lasting customer relationships.
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Use Instagram
According to research, people between the ages of 18 to 35 spend five complete days a year browsing food images on instagram. The same study said that 30% of customers would avoid a restaurant if its Instagram presence is weak.
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Reach out Local Food Bloggers and Make Them to Spread Positive Word
Bloggers have a huge following, hence, they’re a very influential form of word of mouth advertisement. You have to make sure that you impress them with your dish and superb service because they give objective opinions.
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Analyze Customer Behaviour, Take Surveys
Employing customer analytics or letting customers take surveys will give you information to capitalize on and help understand them. The information gathered is objective, such as statistics about purchasing habits, or subjective, such as consumer opinions about meals or issues.
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Hire an SEO & Rank for Local Restaurant Business Keywords
It is very important that you regularly examine your SEO techniques because it is always changing. SEO professionals can help you re-evaluate these techniques because many of them that were used last year are no longer relevant at the present
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Build a Website & do Food Blogging
It may take planning for it to be successful but for sure, your website and food blogging abilities can be monetized. You have to decide the frequency of your to posts stick to your schedule.
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Engage your Social Followers
No matter what social networking site your restaurant is more inclined to, it is important that you consistently engage with your customers. Ask them questions or feature images or photos they send you.
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Build a Mobile App & Allow your Customers to Place Orders Online
Giving your restaurant business a modern customized digital platform. Customization will satisfy existing customers and attract potential customers and help increase sales.
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Market your Restaurant in Local Communities
Whether a printed material or a take home menu, person to person selling or traditional marketing is a great way to market your restaurant in your community.
Clearly, customer engagement is more than offering discounts and specials. The competition among restaurants is tough, hence, customer engagement is really very important to build customers’ loyalty. One way to increase awareness and motivate diners to visit your place is, of course, through social media.