Eating out in droves

Aussies love to eat out

After months of lockdowns and reduced dining capacity in restaurants and cafes, Australians are now starting to dine out with greater frequency.

Restaurant and Catering Australia have stated that in NSW, diners spent 10% more in October this year when compared to October 2019.

At a time when international travel is still off the cards and interstate travel is just now opening up, it is obvious that Australians are starting to enjoy some additional freedoms. And the hospitality industry is one of the major benefitters of this behaviour shift.

To take advantage of this trend, while still keeping social distancing, sanitising procedures and COVID-19 check in requirements in mind for all your customers, you will need to ensure that all your staff keep up to date as regulations hopefully continue to ease. Inside this tight structure you need to make sure that your customer experience is what they are looking for.

Restaurant and Catering Australia boss, Wes Lambert, stated "People are eating out more, instead of going overseas they're consuming food and beverages".

My own personal preference is to eat in outdoor venues and by their popularity it is obvious that I am not the only one who is thinking like this.

Australians dine out in droves

On Shore Cafe Brasserie, Dee Why Beach

Tips to market your restaurant

1. Make sure you have claimed your Google My Business page

2. Run Google and or Facebook ads

3. Set up both Google and Facebook to allow re marketing to people who have already visited your online presence. This is usually a much cheaper cost than finding new customers.

4. Set up Facebook Pages and an Instagram account. Allow customers to upload their own images and add comments.

5. Once you have customers, make sure you have some way of asking them for their contact details, including their email address and mobile number and perhaps birthday and anniversary dates. Remember give it to everyone at the table, not just the person paying the bill.

TIP: Did you know that promotion messages sent as a text have an open rate of 90% or more. It is by far the most effective way of communicating with your regulars. If bookings seem slow for a session a quick SMS message to your contact list, perhaps advertising a chef's special, might be all that is required to turn a potentially slow night into a busy one.