The Restaurant Growth Playbook

Stock image of restaurant chef and owner by Popmenu

You’ve got amazing food and hospitality. Let’s make sure everyone knows about it. This playbook is filled to the brim with easy tips and best practices used by thousands of restaurants to increase revenue online and on-prem. Consider it a checklist for growth paired with delicious real-life examples you can use for inspiration.

Ready to dive in?

What's inside: Choose your first course

Navigation panel that says "Entice guests and grow reviews"

Navigation panel that says "Increase online orders and profits"

Navigation panel that says "expand your guest contact list"

Navigation panel that says "Automate marketing"

A navigation panel that says "Track ROI"

A circle shaped navigation panel for different sections of the page

Scope Review Benchmark Reco Agreement Button Text

First and foremost, be easy to find.

Make Google your biggest promoter.

When people look for a place to eat, they go to Google. If your restaurant shows up on the first page of search results, you're more likely to catch their eye—which is especially critical when dining options abound. Here are a few best practices to get more people to your website and through your door:

Serve up fresh and dynamic content

When it comes to search, Google ranks websites based on volume of relevant content. Because interactive menus treat each dish as a separate page, you have multiple pages for Google to consider. A PDF only gives you one page.

Connect your Google Business Profile

Linking your Google Business Profile to your website ensures that your address, phone number, and hours of operation are always up to date on your Google listing.

Popmenu google search engine with Winking Lizard Tavern client.

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Google likes websites that perform well...so make sure your site checks the back-end boxes that matter the most:

Speed

Security

Accessibility

Mobile-friendly

“Getting a website and appearing on Google has helped a lot, especially when appealing to younger demographics. We've had some folks who have been vacationing in Hilton Head since 1980 just finding us for the first time.”

Linda Prosser | Co-Owner, Alfred’s Restaurant

Be the obvious choice for guests.

Competition for guests is fiercer than ever—make sure you're giving guests everything they're looking for to make their dining decision easy.

Make your menu visual and responsive.

Guests eat with their eyes first. Include photos with every dish.

Ensure your menu entices on all devices: 80% of guests visit restaurant websites from their phone.

Dishes with photos receive 2x more orders and 4x more reviews.

Speaking of reviews...let's use your raving fans to drive more revenue.

57% of consumers say that reviews are a top reason they choose a restaurant. The number one reason? Photos! (Ahem...see above.)

Make reviews easily accessible on YOUR website.

Promote great reviews on social media and via emails and texts to create buzz.

Respond to reviews in a timely manner.

PopTip! More reviews on your website and Google Business Profile means higher rankings in search results.

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The number one way to gain more reviews? Just ask.

Incentivize guests to leave reviews with a special offer or discount.

Prompt guests to share reviews through website popups, social media, email, and text promotions.

Create a contest to see which staff can get the most reviews.

Print QR codes on table tents to encourage reviews while guests are still at the table.

Answer the phone!

This one may seem obvious...but restaurants lose revenue to unanswered phones all. the. time. Guests want answers to their questions before they make a dining decision—and they're okay if you use AI to do it.

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There are a number of AI tools that can be used to answer calls 24/7 with custom responses and send links for orders and reservations.

Kapow Noodle Bar in Florida used AI phone answering to field 89,000 calls and, in turn, saved nearly 1,000 hours for staff. The AI tech sent more than 22,000 links for reservations, generating an estimated $1.6 million in revenue.

Kapow Noodle Bar mobile website by Popmenu

Grow your guestbook.

Myth: Guests don't want to share their contact info. The reality? 80% of guests are willing to provide their email to receive info on special offers, events, and updates from their favorite restaurants.

Here are a few ways you can easily capture key info:

Create automated prompts across your website that promote the benefits of signing up.

Invite guests to become a VIP on social channels and table tents.

Entice them to join with a special offer.

PopTip! Automatically ask guests to join your VIP list when they submit reviews or order online, so you can collect their contact info for ongoing marketing.

Be smart about how you work with third parties.

Use third parties to introduce yourself to new guests.

Third-party ordering and delivery services are a great way to reach new guests. However, the commissions that these services charge often eat into your profits. Encourage guests to order direct to minimize those losses:

Add an "order direct" sticker to your third-party order packaging.

Incentivize direct online ordering with a small discount.

Add reservation links to your website.

Taking reservations is a huge way to grow your business and your guestbook....but be smart about it. Embedding links to reservations not only reduces the cost per reservation for you, it also makes the experience easier for guests—meaning they're more likely to grab a table.

Coppa Osteria website homepage reservation by Popmenu and OpenTable

PopTip! Most reservation websites like OpenTable host the menu on your listing. To save yourself time updating menus across reservation platforms, integrate your reservation system with your website and menu management tool—so when you make updates to your menu online, it updates across your reservation listings as well.

Keep online orders on your own website (as much as you can).

Own your guest data and 100% of your online ordering revenue.

Two-thirds of consumers order takeout at least twice a week. Let them know they can order directly from your website with promotions on social channels, emails, and texts. Because when guests order directly, you not only get all the profits, you get all the juicy data on their preferences and behavior for ongoing marketing.

When third parties own the data collection process:

Name

Phone number

Delivery address

When restaurants own the data collection process:

Name

Email address

Past orders/order history

Phone number

Review history

Delivery address

Order frequency

Birthday

Allergies

PopTip! Want to offer delivery to your guests but don't have the extra staff or infrastructure? Take advantage of DoorDash's network of drivers and offer delivery for a standard flat fee.

Make online ordering easy and integrated.

When's the last time you ordered from your own website? If it's a clunky experience, guests may opt to use a third-party site or order from another restaurant.

The majority of online orders are placed via mobile devices (PDF menus are hard to read). Make sure the mobile experience is just as good as the desktop.

Integrate your POS with your online ordering system to ensure accuracy.

Connect online ordering with your marketing tools, so you can invite guests back again and again.

Made $150,000 in online sales in 3 months.

Generated $500,000 in direct online orders, saving $150,000 in third-party fees.

“We want to give customers as similar an experience online as we can give them in our physical location. I think that really comes down to the eCommerce side of things...it's becoming more and more important to our business and being able to do all that within one platform is incredibly advantageous.”

Joel Keller | Chief Operating Officer, Henri's Bakery & Deli

Be consistent with marketing.

Hot take: Even the best guests can forget their favorite restaurant. Why? (Great question.) When you aren't consistent with your marketing, you create gaps for other restaurants to fill. Help your guests take the guesswork out of where to eat with regular and relevant information.

Make it personal.

Whether it's saying "thank you" for a review or offering a birthday reward, your guests love a little somethin' special in their inbox. Use what you know about guests (like their favorite dishes and dining preferences) and other data to create marketing materials that hit the spot!

Reward regulars for their loyalty with an automatic email that sends whenever they spend a certain amount.

Create timely offers tied to preferences to drive orders and reservations.

Lift Bistro email example of returning dish by Popmenu

Steam Boys generated over $18,000 in revenue with automated rewards.

Automated Emails

Automated messages triggered by follower engagaement.

Your open rate is 36.1% higher than industry average.

18,885

Delivered

55.8%

Average open rate

$18,480.66

Pop ordering revenue

Hampton Social instagram post and Popmenu client

Promote your restaurant across channels.

Use your website and popups to promote specials and events.

Post to social media consistently.

Need ideas? Highlight popular dishes, standout reviews, exclusive offers or upcoming events! There's plenty of content inspiration to take from your menu and website.

Don't forget on-premise offers!

Automate whenever and wherever possible.

How do you know what to send? Or when to send it? How do you catch a guest’s attention at the right time? Well...automation helps.

Automatically send emails and texts based on guest preferences and order history.

In 18 months, GIOIA sent 49 emails (39 sent automatically) to one guest, resulting in 101 orders and $5,700+ in revenue.

Consider AI tools that can instantly create marketing content for you—but beware of generic messaging.

PopTip! Not all AI tools are considered equal. Chat GPT is a great place to start when dabbling in AI-generated content, but if it's not rooted in your data, you're likely to get a generic Taco Tuesday-type message. There are better tools out there that pull info from your website and menu to create truly custom content.

Shameless plug: Popmenu's AI Marketing is one of those tools, producing a monthly calendar of pre-crafted social posts, emails, and texts that are specific to each restaurant.

The Metropolitan American Diner & Bar drove big results with a little help from AI.

3x monthly marketing impressions and revenue.

67% increase in monthly traffic to reservation page.

25% increase in overall monthly website traffic.

“It's a massive time-saver. I wouldn't do [marketing] myself if it weren't for the AI planner.”

John Gabriel | owner, The Metropolitan American Diner & Bar

Track it all to determine your next move.

Monitor results in real time.

Now, we know the word "data" can conjure images of mind-numbing spreadsheets. Look for tools that provide easy-to-read, actionable findings that can help you determine 1) whether your marketing efforts are working and 2) what to do next.

Key questions to ask:

How many people are coming to your website? What actions do they take?

Is your list of guest contacts growing?

Which marketing messages and channels are producing the most revenue for you?

Which days and times are orders spiking or dropping off?

Lift Bistro mobile email example by Popmenu

Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie identified Monday and Tuesday as slow ordering days, so they created a 35% off discount deal for Monday and Tuesday for the summer.

The result: they earned nearly $20,000 in revenue from an offer in just one month. Bonus: Monday and Tuesday are now their busiest ordering days.

That's a wrap

With this playbook, you now have all the tools to boost your restaurant's visibility and profitability. By applying these best practices and drawing inspiration from real-life examples, you're poised to elevate your business and ensure your exceptional food and hospitality delight even more customers.

About Popmenu

As a leader in restaurant technology, Popmenu is on a mission to make profitable growth easy for all restaurants. Digital marketing, online ordering, and on-premise technologies headline a powerful product suite infused with artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and deep data on guest preferences. The company consolidates tools needed to engage guests, serving as a digital control center for more than 10,000 independent restaurants and hospitality groups in the US, UK, and Canada. For more information, visit popmenu.com.

AI in Restaurants: Why it's booming, how it's being used, and real-world results

What's inside

Is artificial intelligence (AI) becoming a real thing in restaurants? According to Popmenu’s 2024 study of 362 U.S. restaurant operators, 79% have implemented or are considering AI for everything from taking orders and preparing food to business operations and marketing.

Pairing nationwide research with tasty real-life examples, this report explores the market dynamics accelerating AI adoption, how the technology is being applied online and on-premise, and the impact on operators and guests. The report also dispels popular myths, identifies pitfalls to avoid, and shows you how to grow your business automatically.

Let's get started.

What is AI anyway?

Why AI is playing a bigger role in hospitality

Benefits of AI, according to operators

How restaurants plan to use AI:Calls, reservations, and orders Marketing Business operations

Popular AI myths

Methodology

First things first, what is AI anyway?

In simplest terms, AI is technology that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. Think answering phones or managing a waitlist, for example.

In the case of Ruby’s Jamaican Kitchen, AI is exercising creative muscles. Owner Bridgett Richardson works 18 hours a day to make authentic food from scratch and run her restaurant—which leaves little to no time for marketing. One day, she saw a mad rush at lunchtime and couldn’t figure out why they sold out of a less-popular dish, brown stew, in under 2 hours. Bridgett later learned that her husband began using an AI tool that automatically creates a full month of emails, texts, and social posts based on the dishes, reviews, and events on their website. That day, the tool promoted brown stew in a text to guests.

What’s more, once the technology launched, revenue from Ruby’s Jamaican Kitchen’s marketing efforts jumped from an average of $2,000 per month to $6,300 in February and then doubled from there.

A bar graph that shows the growth of Ruby's Jamaican Grill's marketing impressions and online ordering with AI Marketing

Why AI is playing a bigger role in hospitality

There are three key reasons why more restaurants like Ruby’s Jamaican Kitchen are looking to AI to support their business:

Labor issues

AI is helping restaurants to bridge a labor gap that continues to impact service and drive up payroll expenses. Restaurants reported a 34% average increase in labor costs in 2023, an issue exacerbated by ongoing minimum wage legislation. Today, 60% of operators are having a difficult time filling jobs and 39% have lost revenue opportunities due to a shortage of staff.

Are you having a hard time filling certain roles?

No

Yes

Have you lost revenue opportunities because you can't fill open roles?

No

Yes

Lack of time

A byproduct of the labor gap is the need for operators to juggle even more responsibilities, often putting other priorities on hold. When asked what they would focus on if they had more time, operators ranked training and developing staff highest (62%), followed by planning and executing marketing (58%), and tracking business results and strategizing on how to grow (47%). By automating functions, their “to do” list shrinks.

What do you wish you had more time for at your restaurant?

Train and develop staff

Plan and execute marketing

Track business results and strategize on how to grow

Manage budget and inventory more effectively

Greet guests and check on tables

Recruit new staff members

Create or evolve dishes

1 in 4 operators wish they had more time to actually cook.

3
‍

Budget-conscious consumers

Competition for guests has intensified over the last several months as a prolonged struggle with inflation tempers their spend. Although restaurant industry sales remain healthy, consumers today spend 30% of their individual or family food budgets on restaurants each month, on average, down from 40% in May 2022. Operators are not only competing with each other, they’re also competing with refrigerators at home.

Percentage of consumer food budgets that are spent on restaurants each month, on average

40%

2022

30%

2024

“The restaurant sales pie is getting smaller. We all need to take a bigger bite. If you're not using tech and data and analytics to drive and re-engineer your business, you're already at a disadvantage.”

Eric Peterson restaurant owner and Popmenu client

Eric Peterson | VP of Operations and Partner at Fado Pubs, Inc.

Benefits of AI, according to operators

While tech companies are only scratching the surface of what’s possible for AI, restaurant operators say there are tangible benefits already at play in terms of revenue and profitability, quality and speed of service, and better experiences for staff and guests.

Icon of talk bubbles with a heart and thumbs up inside

90%

Make my day and my staff’s day easier

65%

Increase margins and profitability

Icon of a hand holding a plant that has a coin growing out of it

61%

Increase revenue

54%

Reduce errors

Icon of a hand holding a covered serving dish

53%

Improve speed of service

Icon of five stars, signifying positive reviews

49%

Improve the guest experience

How restaurants plan to use AI: calls, reservations, and orders

Operators say they are open to using AI to help them in a variety of ways, including keeping guests engaged and staying on top of ordering needs:

75%

Answer questions on my restaurant website/app

62%

Answer phones

31%

Manage tables, reservations, and waitlist

30%

Take in-person orders

Dos Salsas, a 3-location restaurant in Texas, used AI phone answering to field 41,000 calls with custom responses and save 308 hours for staff. The technology, which promotes specials and instantly sends links for orders and reservations, helped generate $440,000 in online sales and book 5,800+ reservations for the restaurant.

Local’s Pub & Pizzeria in Wasilla, AK, saw a 132% increase in online orders within 90 days just by answering the phone more often (with AI tech).

“Do guests prefer to interact with a human? Of course, but if one isn’t available, they still want answers to their questions. They still want to place orders and make reservations. AI makes sure restaurants don’t lose revenue opportunities—and in a market where you have to fight for every guest, it’s a good ally to have in your corner.”

Brendan Sweeney | CEO and Co-founder of Popmenu

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How likely are you to encounter a robot chef or delivery driver?

14% of operators are considering AI for food preparation while 16% are considering drones for delivery.

How restaurants plan to use AI: marketing

When asked to identify their biggest marketing challenges, the most common responses among operators were “I don’t have time” and “I don’t know what to say.” From building marketing calendars and copywriting to understanding customers better, operators are finding value in AI’s ability to consistently and automatically promote their restaurants to guests. The majority are interested in adopting AI to:

74%

Create marketing content

68%

Automate marketing messages to guests

Icon of an index card with an illustrated photo and contact details

64%

Gather information on guests’ preferences

79% of operators would rather edit marketing content instead of create it from scratch.

Earlier, we shared how Ruby’s Jamaican Kitchen uses AI to create a month’s worth of emails, texts, and social posts that are specific to their brand. Fado Pub & Kitchen, located in Dublin, OH, implemented the same tech, stating that it used to take them 4 to 5 days to build their marketing content each month. With AI, it takes less than 2 hours.

Restaurants are using tech to stay in front of guests and personalize messages based on preferences and behavior. GIOIA Pizzeria in northern California has collected contact information and preference data for over 15,500 guests and earned more than $200,000 in online ordering revenue through targeted marketing. One guest received 66 emails (45 automated) and spent $8,100.

“It lets us fill out the details on our customers so we can fine-tune our messaging. It helps us learn about our client base. You can actually have information on the things people love and the things people can’t stop ordering.”

Kaitlyn Kolacy | Director of Operations, GIOIA Pizzeria

How restaurants plan to use AI: business operations

As operators contend with heightened competition, labor headaches, and high food costs, more are considering AI to monitor demand, spend and return, and guide business decisions:

57%

Analyze business performance

45%

Manage inventory and purchases

40%

Schedule staff

38%

Determine demand-based pricing

33%

Predict peak ordering times and corresponding popular dishes

With the help of automated performance tracking, Tunji Junard, CMO and Co-founder of Steam Boys in Tennessee, sees how marketing campaigns influence website traffic and sales, so he can double down on efforts that have the largest impact. Using these business insights, Steam Boys generated over $61,000 in online sales through a special offer strategy.

“It has been super easy for me to create offers for all locations and see individual locations that might benefit from a more specific deal. It saves so much time and effort on my end.”

Tunji Junard | CMO & Co-founder, Steam Boys

The same tech has helped the owner (and sole marketer) of Ocean State Sandwich Company drive over $70,000 in online sales while creating more time back to focus on other priorities.

“[Automation] has freed up my time to get more creative in the kitchen, to make sure everything is organized and ready for the day, and it’s helped me get better at marketing my restaurant.”

Eric Handwerger | Owner, Ocean State Sandwich Company

Popular AI Myths

All of the success restaurants have seen with AI might make it sound too good to be true, so what are some of the biggest hesitations some operators might have when it comes to implementing this new technology?

Stock image of annoyed restaurant customers by Popmenu

Myth: Guests won’t like it

Busted: Consumers widely report openness to engaging with AI at restaurants, especially if the alternative is no service or outreach.

Stock image of AI being complex by Popmenu

Myth: AI is complex

Busted: Many tools are designed to be incredibly user-friendly. Some have you speak to it like you would another person, others run off the push of a button.

Stock image of frustrated restaurant owners by Popmenu

Myth: AI is expensive

Busted: While the most effective tools are going to come at a cost, the returns restaurants see from their use of AI are often well worth the investment.

What to be aware of:

When weighing AI solutions, consider how well they integrate with and learn from your existing systems. While free solutions like ChatGPT might be helpful for brainstorming, without extensive information from your restaurant it’s likely to pump out generic copy that sounds similar to everyone else using the tool (Taco Tuesday, anyone?).

On that same note, recommendations from AI are only as good as the data that goes into it. Limited or incomplete data on guest interactions, campaigns, or ordering trends (courtesy of disparate systems) can compromise the quality of business analysis and recommendations.

Psst…Popmenu offers AI solutions that connect seamlessly with your online ordering system and website, incorporate billions of guest data points, produce custom content, and track results in real-time.

That's a wrap

The restaurant market is more competitive than ever, and operators are short on time and resources. Adoption of AI technology will continue to grow as operators look to mend labor gaps, attract more guests, and make their business more efficient and profitable. The majority of operators (70%) expect AI to become a staple in restaurant operations in the future…which may not be too far away.

Methodology

Popmenu conducted an anonymous survey of 362 U.S. restaurant owners and operators from April 5 to April 26, 2024. The survey included single-location and multi-location restaurants of all types across regions.

Popmenu also conducted an anonymous, nationwide of 1,000 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and older, from April 16 to April 17, 2024.

About Popmenu

6 Things Diners Wish Restaurant Owners Knew…About Online Ordering

During the course of a seemingly endless pandemic, consumers developed a healthy and sustained appetite for online food ordering—along with higher expectations around speed, efficiency, and ease of use. (They want their pizza and they want it pronto!).

Tolerance for clunky online ordering experiences, especially on mobile devices, has declined…a lot. Half (49%) of consumers say they will move on and order from a different restaurant if they encounter a PDF menu on a mobile device, up from 30% two years ago. And that’s just for starters.

To help restaurants navigate digital demands and capture more sales, Popmenu conducted a 2023 study of 1,000 U.S. consumers. The end result? Six insights that can help determine how positive the online ordering experience is for customers and how lucrative—or not so lucrative—it is for the business. Turn the page to find out what diners really want.

They want to order directly from the source.

While third-party marketplaces provide a wide range of dining options, consumers are keenly aware of higher commission fees from third parties and the benefits of ordering directly from local eateries. Three in four (76%) prefer ordering from a restaurant’s own website.

PopTip

Keep as many orders on your website as you can. The more you can maintain direct interactions with guests, the more you can control the guest experience, and the more data you can capture to remarket to them for future business.

Do you prefer to order directly from a restaurant's website or third-party delivery app?

24%

Third-party app

76%

Restaurant's website

Many are interested in ordering more than food…on the rocks.

In addition to feeding their appetites, online guests are looking to quench their thirsts: 67% of consumers are more likely to order from or visit a restaurant if they can see their beverage menu online. That includes soft drinks and spirits of all varieties (we’re looking at you, Margarita, and your buddy, Mai Tai).

There is a nice profit margin associated with alcohol and, when you mix alcohol to go with direct ordering, that gives you the perfect profit cocktail (see what we did there?).

PopTip

Whether it’s cocktails or mocktails, make sure you feature your beverage menu prominently on your website to boost sales.

PDF = DOA

The majority (87%) of consumers typically place online orders with a mobile device and, as mentioned earlier, half of them will order elsewhere if they encounter a PDF menu. PDFs can be difficult to view on a desktop, let alone a hand-held device where you have to pinch and expand the image. Plus, they do little to help your website traffic.

PopTip

Make your menus interactive and scrollable to help diners discover their next favorite. Restaurant tech providers can help you to set up your menu so that each dish is recognized as a unique page by search engines like Google. So, when someone searches for “seafood near me” or “best tacos in town,” it will bring up more content for Google to consider. This will help you rank higher in search results and drive more traffic back to your site…for free.

Do you typically order food on your desktop or mobile device?

13%

Desktop

87%

Mobile Device

No photos, no reviews, no service.

Aside from hard-to-read menus, no pictures of food and no reviews of the restaurant or specific dishes are among the biggest pet peeves for consumers when ordering online. This is a sensuous business—it’s all about sight, smell, taste and ambiance. So, why convey that through static text that doesn’t properly showcase the burger of their dreams? And why rely on third-party sites to collect reviews vs. providing a way for you to directly receive them and ultimately control what is posted?

PopTip

Dishes with photos receive twice as many orders and four times as many reviews. If possible, include a photo of every dish featured on your website to increase your chances of converting traffic to paying customers. And provide a way for guests to submit feedback online so you can share rave reviews on your own website.

A bad online ordering experience (or worse, nothing at all) will cost you.

Also topping the list of pet peeves is when consumers have to call the restaurant to order because there is no online ordering capability on the website. Not only do consumers get annoyed, 56% said they will immediately move on to another restaurant (they’re “hangry” and they don’t want to talk to a human!). This is up from 40% in 2021, by the way. If it’s a poor online ordering experience, you’ll get some takers, but 42% of consumers said they will order from somewhere else instead. Another 23% said they will still place an order, but probably won’t come back anytime soon.

PopTip

Providing a great online ordering experience doesn’t have to cost a lot of money and can be implemented quickly. Plus, you get all the juicy insights on guest preferences and ordering behavior to encourage repeat transactions that you don’t get with on-premise dining.

What are your biggest pet peeves when ordering food from a restaurant online?

43%

Menu doesn't have photos

38%

Menu is hard to read

33%

You can't order online, you have to call the restaurant

31%

Have to order from a third-party site

25%

Can't find reviews of the restaurant or specific dishes

If a restaurant doesn't have a good online ordering experience, what do you do?

42%

I'll order from another restaurant

38%

I'll call the restaurant

18%

I'll deal with it and order online

23%

I'll order, but probably won't come back anytime soon

If a restaurant doesn't have an option to order carryout/delivery online, what do you do?

44%

Call the restaurant

56%

Move on to another restaurant

They are willing to pay online ordering fees…within reason

Living in a largely digital world, consumers have become more accustomed to processing fees associated with online transactions. This includes purchases from restaurants. The key here: everything in moderation. High online ordering fees that jack prices up 30% won’t fly, but two-thirds of consumers said they’re willing to pay at least $1; 39% are willing to pay $2 to $4.

PopTip

Whether you are processing orders on your own website or are working with a third party, it’s important to know how much the transaction is ultimately costing guests (and you) so you can determine where it’s appropriate to absorb the cost or split a portion of it.

How much are you willing to pay in fees when ordering food from a restaurant online?

5%

A fee that is less than $1

10%

39%

$2 to $4

15%

$5 or more

24%

I'm not willing to pay any fees

7%

I don't pay attention to service fees

Conclusion

Methodology

Popmenu conducted a nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers in April 2023. The survey was anonymous and included representative samples of consumers ages 18 and older across geographies.

Advanced Restaurant Marketing for Beginners

Intro

Did you know....78% of restaurant operators say they’re unsure what to do next when marketing isn’t working. Half are only somewhat confident in their marketing efforts, while 1 in 4 are not confident at all.

Consistent marketing is key to driving more guests through the door, but who has time when you're juggling multiple hats and priorities? And, if you don't know what's working in the first place, coming up with the right game plan can feel, well, overwhelming.

So, how do you get smarter with marketing without working overtime? We’re glad you asked!

If you’re new to restaurant marketing, we suggest you download our Beginner’s Guide to Digital Marketing for all the basics of getting started!

Thinking like an advanced marketer

Spicing up your marketing doesn’t mean spending more of your time or more of your budget. In fact, making your marketing sizzle really only requires nailing three key ingredients (think of them as your secret sauce!):

Be intentional with data

Automate whenever and wherever possible

Create a technology ecosystem

From guest engagement to operational adjustments, data drives everything…or at least it should.

Minimize the guesswork…and start using data to cook up success and guide what’s next.

Capture more than just an order

While earning revenue from guests is priority number one—you do run a business after all—it’s not the only thing you should be aiming to capture from them. The value of information is powerful, especially when it comes to marketing.

Having guest data not only enables you to stay in contact with emails, announcements and promotions, it also allows you to get more personalized with what you’re sending.

By knowing a guest’s favorite dishes (like the roast beef sandwich), dietary preferences, and even the special occasions they celebrate, you can tailor your messaging and offers to them.

We know “data collection” can sound like a scary concept, but there are a number of ways you can easily capture critical info:

Encourage guests to submit a review for a chance to win $500. When they leave a review, they leave their email too!

Similar to reviews, capture guest info when they like an individual dish or place an online order.

Exclusivity goes a long way…entice guests into becoming a VIP follower to receive special offers, secret menus, and more.

Pssst…all this data capture can be done automatically, but more on that later…

The best part? Guests don’t mind sharing…no, really!

79% of guests are willing to provide their email to receive info on special offers, events, and updates from their favorite restaurants.

The proof is in the…pizza

The potential value of a single guest

In 18 months, GIOIA sent 49 emails (39 sent automatically) to one guest, resulting in 101 orders and $5,700+ in revenue.

“[Popmenu] lets us fill out the details on our customers so we can fine-tune our messaging. It helps us learn about our client base. You actually have information on the things people love and the things people can’t stop ordering.”

Kaitlyn Kolacy | Director of Operations, GIOIA Pizzeria

GIOIA keeps guests hungry for more with automated and customized messages—earning $897,000 in commission-free online ordering in 2022.

When we look at data holistically, we can better track how every touchpoint and guest interaction translates to orders placed and revenue earned.

‍Does a 5% offer on a slow day drive more orders? What about an email inviting guests to make a reservation for happy hour?

‍When we can better answer questions like these, we can replicate what’s working and iterate on what isn’t.

Data that drives decisions

Did you know…52% of operators aren’t using data to guide marketing?

While the term "data" may seem as dry as an overcooked Thanksgiving turkey, it's actually the secret ingredient that adds flavor to your marketing efforts. It holds the answer to the burning question: "Is what I'm doing actually working?"

‍In the Beginner’s Guide to Marketing, we talked about the different ways to measure channels like website, email, social, ordering and POS. It's time to bring all that delicious data together to create a mouthwatering map to marketing success.

Getting started with the numbers

Questions to ask your data:

First, ask: Which dishes are fan favorites?

Then: How can we highlight those dishes to entice people to order?

First, ask: What days/hours are the slowest ordering times?

Then: How can we drive more revenue during those times or adjust other operating costs when we’re slower (like reducing number of staff scheduled)?

Online Ordering Overview

Shameless plug…Popmenu provides this data AND makes it easy to read!

Marketing Overview

First, ask: Do I know how much of my revenue can be attributed to marketing?

Then: If not, what tools do you need to start connecting marketing activities to revenue?

First, ask: How does marketing influence online ordering?

Then: Identify what made those messages stand out and experiment with future efforts.

Put it into practice

Start looking for patterns in the data. Do you have a day of the week with an ordering slump? Try creating an offer or setting a campaign to entice guests to order during that off day and turn your least profitable day into your most profitable!

3 ways Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie used data to drive business

Ramp up the slow days

Libby’s identified Monday and Tuesday as slow ordering days, so they instituted a 35% off discount deal for Monday and Tuesday for the summer.

They used data to earn nearly $20,000 in revenue from an offer in just one month. Bonus: Mon & Tues. are now their busiest ordering days.

Consolidated tools to save

The restaurant replaced their dollar-based loyalty program with an automated offer for a free appetizer that was already performing well.

They used data to consolidate costs while continuing to engage and reward guests.

Focused on quality over quantity

Libby’s evaluated the number of emails regularly being sent to guests and found they could send fewer emails without impacting open rates or marketing revenue.

They used data to be more mindful about the frequency of guest outreach without compromising revenue.

Lean on automation whenever possible.

61% of restaurant owners said they spend 3 hours or less on marketing per week.

Automate data capture

So we know the importance of guest data; and earlier we showed examples of how it can be collected. We also hinted that data capture can be made easy with automation…here’s how:

VIP popup

Create a VIP popup on your homepage that promotes the benefits of signing up. You can even sweeten the deal with a one-time offer like 5% off their first order!

Interactive menu

With a dynamic menu, every interaction a guest makes with a dish—a like, a review, or a reminder to try—automatically prompts a VIP follower sign up.

Online ordering flow

The online ordering process is a great place to grab an email and phone number for marketing down the line. Guests automatically become followers when placing their first order.

Automate emails

How do you know what to send? Or when to send it? How do we catch a guest’s attention at the right time? Well…automation helps.

Think about what happens after you make a purchase online—a “thank you” email lands in your inbox right? Then two days later, you get another one gently encouraging you toward another purchase. These emails are automatically triggered to send based on your browsing and purchase behavior. Guess what, the same can work for restaurants!

Automate emails

Remember that guest data? Your marketing tools use that info (like new VIP signups, dish likes, and past online orders) to send personalized emails automatically—so every new VIP follower gets a proper greeting, every order they place is followed by a reminder to leave a review, loyal guests earn rewards, and a previous guest receives a special offer inviting them back to dine at your restaurant again.

Ocean State Sandwich company uses automated emails to welcome new VIP followers, celebrate birthdays, encourage new reviews, and inform guests of restaurant happenings.

The restaurant has netted nearly $42,000 in online ordering from their marketing efforts, with $17,000 of that being driven by automated emails.

That’s $17,000 in revenue without lifting a finger.

Automate content creation

1 in 4 restaurant operators never send marketing emails and texts to guests. Why? 35% said they don’t know what message or visuals to use and 32% said they don’t have time. Sound a little familiar?

As the usage of artificial-intelligence (AI) continues to grow, so do automation capabilities. In fact, AI can actually help build content for you—so you can reserve your creativity for the kitchen.

Automate content creation

How it works:

AI-powered marketing tools pull from newly posted reviews, upcoming events, popular dishes and recently added menu items to recommend content.

AI generates (and re-generates) caption recommendations in seconds.

All that’s left to do is edit (if you want), approve and schedule.

Create a technology ecosystem.

Make the most of your marketing efforts, automate more personalized outreach, and be more efficient with connected tools.

The key ingredient: connectivity

We know data is the number one driver of personalization, automation and efficiency, but how do you ensure your data is detailed enough? The answer is in the connectivity of your technology.

Having a single tool to manage your website, marketing, ordering (and more...) is the secret ingredient to elevating your marketing game. It unlocks valuable insights about your guests and helps provide a clearer picture of what marketing activities are leading to orders, which need a trip back to the kitchen, and which should be sent to the chopping block.

Plus, automation and AI can only take things off your plate if the systems have enough insights to learn from. By leveraging connected tools, you provide the vital data and context that these systems need to whip up informed recommendations.

The bottom line:

The more connected your tools are, the more you can learn about your guests…and the more you learn about your guests, the more successful you’ll be at connecting with them and their appetites.

Other tools to advance your marketing.

Use the phone line to highlight events and specials, keep waiting guests engaged, and put your website to work—the modern day of marketing extends beyond just email, text and social media.

Ring in more revenue and reservations

What’s one thing most restaurants all have in common? A phone ringing off. the. hook.

Tech-savvy restaurants are leaning more on automated answering services to handle the influx of calling guests. Marketing-savvy restaurants are using the automated phone answering as an additional marketing channel.

“Popmenu AI Answering allows us to tell those new menu item stories, new promotional items stories, and features that we’re doing at the store.”

Martin Bekkedala | Vice President of Operations, Burrito Gallery

“Hello, thank you for calling The Black Cat Bar & Grill. Join us this weekend for a tequila tailgate and sip on one of our famous Peach Margaritas. How may I help you today?”

Turn phone calls into marketing opportunities

Is your patio open?

Do you have live music tonight?

Can I place an order?

How late are you open?

I want to make a reservation.

Speaking of waitlisting

With custom greetings and responses, you can highlight upcoming events, special offers, new dishes, and send links to revenue-driving actions like reservations, online ordering and waitlisting.

Stop wasting your wait time

Your waitlist should do more than just help organize a list of names. A good digital waitlisting tool helps capture guest data, encourages guest engagement and upsells, increases table turnover, and drives more reviews to the menu (more data, hello!).

The best part? Almost all of it is automated, triggered by a few keystrokes from your host stand.

"Our guests really enjoy the digital waitlist—it definitely helps keep them engaged while they’re waiting for a table…guests are texted a link to the menu while they wait so they can browse beforehand and then they’re texted again after they’re seated, encouraging them to leave a review. We’ve seen a major increase in reviews from that."

Tracy Bryan | Marketing Manager, Winking Lizard Tavern

With an optimized website, GIOIA shows up as #1 on the results page for the search “best pizzeria in Hayes Valley”

Your website is the SEOcret sauce

The website is often overlooked as a marketing tool; but when it comes to its ability to capture new guests straight from the search bar, your website is key. Yep, we’re talking Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO is what influences your website’s position on results pages when guests search for things like “best pizza in Hayes Valley.” Put simply, optimizing for search helps your restaurant attract more people who are more likely to order from your restaurant.

Put it into practice

An important thing to remember about SEO, you will not be at the top of search results overnight. It takes time, engagement, and persistence to rank well in search engines; but there are some key factors to ensure your website is made to Google’s order:

Provide a mobile-friendly experience
Highlight key information like hours and location
Host different types of content (i.e., images, text, links)
Stay up-to-date with fresh information (e.g., new reviews, menu updates, etc.)

Websites that check all these boxes usually get placed higher in search results, attracting more guests to the website—all without cutting into time or spending a dime.

"The website helps showcase the menu items we are most known for and we continually create new content on the site with the dynamic menu. We currently do not invest in any paid advertising, so the SEO-driven website helps us to gain more visibility in our market.”

Tracy Bryan | Marketing Manager, Winking Lizard Tavern

Welcome to your handbook for the holidays.

As the leaves turn brilliant shades of orange and gold, and a slight chill enters the air, you know it’s that special time of year again. Diners are eagerly seeking October frights, November bites, and December delights… and your restaurant can be their go-to destination for it all.

This holiday season isn’t just about spreading joy—it’s a golden opportunity for your restaurant to earn more revenue. Guests are excited to embrace the festivities, and they’re on the lookout for memorable experiences and enticing discounts to make celebrations even more special.

In this guide, we offer a season-spanning feast of tips, technology tools, and inspiring success stories that will equip your restaurant for the months ahead (and beyond). From growing your sales to helping staff manage the holiday rush, this guide has everything you need to be merry.

First things first: Diners want holiday experiences.

While you may already offer some elements of the holiday wishlist to the right, the key to holiday success lies in how you position these offerings as unique “holiday experiences.”

For example, rather than just providing offers to guests, framing the offer as an “exclusive Cyber Monday deal” or “a gift to our loyal customers” taps into the emotional connection consumers have to the festive season and can serve as that extra push to get them to place an order with your restaurant.

What makes guests more likely to visit a restaurant during the holidays?

70%

31%

28%

27%

24%

Special offers

Holiday events

Live entertainment

Holiday-themed meals

Game day events

No tricks—just treats!

While finding the best way to engage with guests over the holiday season can feel overwhelming, there are plenty of restaurants who have already carved out success using a wide variety of events, special menu items, and game day promotions. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here, take a look at our list of treats that have proven to help restaurants earn additional revenue while providing guests a memorable experience.

Pop Tip: Once you’ve identified the opportunities you want to capitalize on for the holiday season, create a promotional calendar to make it easier to schedule marketing communications and keep your staff organized.

Sporting Event Watch Parties:

Making your restaurant the destination for guests to root for their favorite teams is a great way to earn repeat business. The best part? It can be as simple as making sure you have the right cable channels and turning on your TVs.

Brixx & Barley takes their game-day celebrations a step further by hosting tailgate parties at Metlife Stadium and letting guests pre-order tickets through their online ordering.

Prix Fixe Dinners:

Exclusive dining events can help your restaurant earn some extra revenue—plus it creates an exciting opportunity for your kitchen staff to flex their creative culinary skills!

Henderson & Kane hosts a four-course dinner that pays homage to Dia de los Muertos. Their chefs create a menu featuring authentic flavors with a modern twist. Guests can purchase tickets through their online ordering.

Live Music and Entertainment:

A rotating calendar of local talent is a sure-fire way to entice guests to visit for the holidays. Don’t feel limited to just music though, you can also feature comedians, movie nights, karaoke, and trivia!

Thai One On regularly features local musicians for guests to enjoy. In some cases, they even sell tickets to earn revenue from these events.

Festive Decorations:

A little decoration can go a long way to dazzle guests for upcoming events and celebrations.

The Union Kitchen hosts a Taylor Swift brunch with trivia, a charity raffle, and music from all of the Eras soundtrack. To really sell the experience, they decorate their restaurant with balloons, sparkles, butterflies, and more!

Holiday-Themed Menus:

Special menus or menu items are a great way to attract diners seeking seasonal delights. It can be as simple as a clever rename of a fan favorite dish or as complex as crafting a menu with classic holiday offerings.

Poogan’s Porch features Thanksgiving classics like herb-roasted turkey, sage, sausage & cornbread dressing, whipped potatoes and more to satisfy guests’ holiday cravings.

Holiday Events:

Whether it’s a grand party or an online ordering event, making your food the centerpiece of guests’ holiday celebrations is a great way to ensure your restaurant is a part of their holiday traditions.

Flora Mexican Kitchen is hosting their annual Halloween party with a 5-course meal, open bar, and live music to ensure guests have a spooktacular time!

Offers and Discounts:

Providing a special discount to incentivize guests to sign up for your email list or to earn a revisit from a loyal customer is a win-win! Your guests enjoy holiday savings and you earn repeat visits from your biggest fans.

Hummus & Pita co. invites guests to place an online order with an enticing 15% discount on their first order. To maximize visibility and drive more orders, they have a message about the offer pop up on the homepage of their website.

Gift Cards:

Selling physical and digital gift cards provides diners a thoughtful and convenient way to share the joy of dining at your restaurant, and can be a reliable revenue boost during the festive season.

For Small Business Saturday, Lucy’s Pizzeria encourages diners to stock up on cards for the holiday season by offering a free $5 for every $25 spent on gift cards.

Marketing and promotion.

Much like assembling a delectable Thanksgiving feast, a successful holiday season requires a spread of carefully crafted offerings to entice your guests. It’s not enough to simply host exciting holiday events and promotions, you have to actually invite guests over! Fortunately, you have a cornucopia of online tools at your disposal to spread the word and generate excitement for all your holiday activity.

Get the most from your website.

Pop Tip! Use your website to bring in new guests.

Boosting your restaurant’s holiday success means attracting fresh faces to your website. Craft distinct pages for each menu item to expand your digital presence. This helps search engines like Google serve up your offerings to potential hungry customers.

Shameless plug: Popmenu does this and more to improve your website’s performance and bring in new customers.

Last year, Phat Eatery hosted a Thanksgiving online ordering event, featuring seasonal dishes like beef rendang wellington, honey-glazed turkey breast, and ginger sake cranberry sauce. Yum!

These tasty offerings earned the restaurant $16.5k in online ordering revenue from one event, with guests spending an average of $210/order.

That’s a 190% increase in ticket size over Phat Eatery’s average online order.

Offers

Diners are hungry for discounts and special offers this holiday season.

While a discount initially means smaller order value, it can go a long way to entice new and repeat guests. Plus, encouraging guests to sign up for your email list to join a loyalty program can improve customer retention and grow revenue in the long term.

Just check out some stats from restaurants who are already using offers.

Provided guests a $6 discount

Earned $17,000

Guests who redeemed an offer are 3x more likely to place multiple online orders

Provided guests a 15% discount

Earned $24,500

Guests who redeemed an offer are 2.7x more likely to place multiple online orders

Provided guests a 30% discount

Earned $260,000

Guests who redeemed an offer are 1.4x more likely to place multiple online orders

Email marketing

Email marketing remains one of the top ways to connect with and market to your guests.

In fact, 60% of consumers said they want to hear from their favorite restaurant at least once a week.

A holiday calendar featuring promotional offers and exciting events will make stuffing your emails with valuable content easy.

Email marketing success with Henri’s Bakery & Deli.

In the 2023 holiday season, Henri's leveraged email marketing to promote their festive pastries and baked goods for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. These emails earned the bakery $30,800, nearly double what they earned them in 2022.

Pop Tip! Get tools that work together to see how your website brings in new guests.

Having a single tool to manage your website, marketing, ordering (and more…) is the secret ingredient to seeing real results from your holiday efforts. It unlocks valuable insights about your guests and provides a clearer picture of what marketing activities are leading to orders and which should be left on the chopping block.

Another shameless plug: Popmenu has first-party online ordering, website management, and a robust marketing suite all included, so you can easily see how your digital tools work together to earn you online orders all season long.

Another way to “Pumpkin Spice” up your marketing efforts is through social media marketing. In fact, 73% of consumers said they are more likely to visit a restaurant if they see a promotion on social channels.

Using social platforms to showcase decorations, seasonal dishes, and operational updates for the holidays can inspire guests to visit your restaurant—and makes it easy to invite their friends!

Plan your content with Artificial Intelligence.

Product peek: Popmenu’s new AI Marketing product automatically plans your content calendar, suggesting and creating unique emails, texts, and social media posts based on guest behavior, new reviews, upcoming events, new menu items, etc.—all that’s left to do is edit (if you want) and approve.

‘Tis the season…

The holidays are the season of bustling tables and hungry diners. As guests cozy up in your restaurant to celebrate the joys of the season, it can be difficult to orchestrate the perfect dining experience while your restaurant is so busy.

That’s where on-premise solutions come to the rescue, helping restaurants conquer the chaos and make the holiday season a time of merriment for both customers and staff alike.

Holiday phones are ringing…

Hand-in-hand with the special menus and events you’ve planned for the holiday season come questions from guests, and lots of them. Tech-savvy restaurants are leaning more on automated answering services to handle the influx of inquisitive guests to allow staff to focus on in-person diners.

Product peek: Popmenu’s AI Answering automatically answers questions using information from your website, and texts diners a link to make a reservation or place an online order to ensure guests who call receive the best possible service without pulling your staff from in-person guests.

Turn phone calls into marketing opportunities.

“Hello, thank you for calling The Black Cat Bar & Grill. Join us this weekend for a holiday party and enjoy spiked cocoa and honey-baked ham. How may I help you today?”

With custom greetings and responses, you can highlight upcoming events, special offers, new dishes, and send links to revenue-driving actions like reservations, online ordering, and waitlisting.

A little automation goes a long way.

The power of automated phone answering.

In 4 months with AI Answering, Local’s Pizza & Grill automatically fielded 4,900 calls, saving their staff over 42 hours on the phone.

With the help of the tool, Local’s increased their monthly online ordering revenue by 162% from 2022 to 2023.

Guests’ holiday wishlist

$6,113

$16,043

Before Answering

After Answering

Put the pen and paper on your naughty (wait)list.

Give guests (and yourself) the gift of a better waitlisting experience. A good digital waitlist will capture guest data, encourage guest engagement and upsells, increase table turnover, and drive more reviews to the menu.

"Our guests really enjoy the digital waitlist—it definitely helps keep them engaged while they’re waiting for a table…guests are texted a link to the menu while they wait so they can browse beforehand and then they’re texted again after they’re seated, encouraging them to leave a review. We’ve seen a major increase in reviews from that."

Alisha Binkoski
Marketing Director, Kelly Companies

Final thoughts

We’ve covered a lot in this guide, but just remember these three points to help you run a memorable and profitable holiday season at your restaurant:

Be intentional with your holiday planning to get the most out of guests during the season.

Use marketing to collect guest contact data and maximize your potential earnings.

Technology can automate and streamline on-premise operations to ensure a delightful experience for all.

And, if you ever need an extra hand, Popmenu’s team of restaurant marketers is ready to help you build your strategy, create content and execute across channels. Learn more about our Boost team at

popmenu.com/boost

About Popmenu

As a leading innovator in restaurant technology, Popmenu is on a mission to make profitable growth easy for all restaurants. Digital marketing, online ordering, and on-premise technologies headline a powerful product suite infused with artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and deep data on guest preferences. The company consolidates tools needed to engage guests, serving as a digital control center for more than 10,000 independent restaurants and hospitality groups in the US, UK, and Canada.

For more information about Popmenu, visit popmenu.com

The Complete Guide to Restaurant Hiring & Staffing

Restaurant Hiring and Staffing:

More Complicated (and More Important) Than Ever Before

In 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the annual employee turnover rate for the restaurant industry had reached 75 percent—the highest it had been in five years.

That was in 2018, and we don’t need to tell restaurateurs how much has changed since then. The COVID-19 pandemic turned the restaurant industry on its head, exposing long-buried cracks in the system and completely flipping the script when it comes to hiring and staffing for restaurants.

With an unprecedented labor shortage that has wreaked havoc on restaurant sales—and continues to dominate industry headlines—something we already knew has become even clearer:

The agility, performance and growth potential of a restaurant is closely tied to the strength of its talent.

In fact, a nationwide Popmenu study of 415 restaurant owners and operators found that 71 percent lose $5,000 or more per month due to the labor shortage. 37 percent reported losing $10,000 or more per month. It’s clear that finding (and keeping) talented employees can be a challenge for restaurants—even though it’s one of the most important parts of running a successful business. Ready to learn how to recruit and hire the best?

Let’s get started.

Source: www.bls.gov

Why Restaurants Need Great Employees

Employer Branding

Recruiting

Interviewing

Onboarding and Training

Staffing

Reducing Turnover

CHAPTER: 1

Restaurant Hiring and Staffing:

According to the National Restaurant Association, 90 percent of restaurants in the U.S. have fewer than 50 employees.

Restaurants run on small, tight-knit staffs. That makes every member of your staff vital to your restaurant’s success. From dishwashers to servers to cooks, every employee plays an important role in creating the experience you want guests to have at your restaurant.

It’s important to approach hiring and staffing like the essential parts of restaurant operations that they are. These are just a few of the reasons why restaurants need great employees to be successful.

YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF YOUR RESTAURANT

Whether they’re greeting guests as they walk through the door, answering questions and taking orders, cooking and plating meals, bussing tables, washing dishes, marking inventory, or planning the restaurant’s long-term goals—your employees do it all, and every job counts in creating a great guest experience.

YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE YOUR BIGGEST INVESTMENT

For most restaurants, labor costs account for at least 20-30 percent of gross revenue. Plus there’s the investment you make when onboarding a new staff member—most new employees actually cost a restaurant money for the first few weeks, because of the time and resources spent training them properly.

In other words, your employees are a major investment, and can heavily impact your restaurant’s bottom line. This makes it even more important to seek out the best job candidates you can find.

YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE AN EXTENSION OF YOURSELF AND YOUR RESTAURANT

As a restaurant owner or manager, you can’t be everywhere at once. Instead, you have to depend on your employees to represent you—both at your restaurant and in your community. The best employees will live out your values and be great ambassadors for your restaurant whether they’re on the clock or off.

CHAPTER: 2

Employer Branding

What Is Employer Branding?

Employer branding is how you influence your restaurant’s reputation among the workforce, which can also include your current employees’ perception of you as an employer. It encapsulates your mission, values, and work culture—and the unique benefits and experiences you bring to current and future employees.

Employer branding is a common topic in the corporate world, and it’s gaining popularity in other industries, including restaurants. It’s how the world’s best companies market themselves to attract and retain top talent—something restaurants can do, too.

Building Your Employer Brand

If your restaurant is missing an employer brand, you can start building one in just a few steps.

Decide on your core values.

Company values and culture are an inextricable part of your employer brand. That’s why the first step toward building an employer brand strategy is identifying what’s important to your organization.

There are two key things to keep in mind as you identify and solidify your values and culture:

1. Your restaurant already has an established culture and values that drive it. Talk to you current staff and capture what already exists. Pay attention to common themes from these conversations; these will help you narrow in on your values.

Tip: Try to keep your number of values to no more than four so you can be dedicated equally to all of them.

2. Respect your culture for what it is. Don’t try to be overly aspirational—that’s how you end up making promises that you can’t deliver on.

The bottom line: “Culture” is like the ambiance of your restaurant; You work with what you have (location, space) and maximize your strengths (service, decor, music, etc.) to create a great experience.

Create an employee value proposition.

At the core of every employer branding strategy is the employee value proposition (EVP)—essentially, an agreement between an organization and its employees about what each is going to provide to the other.

EVP is the balance of give and take between employer and employee—the promise of what the employer will do for the team, and what they can expect from their employees.

When creating your EVP…

Incorporate your restaurant’s mission, values, and culture.

Think about your standard offerings. These are the things that most other restaurants will be providing to their employees. Some examples of these standard offerings include:
‍
- Available shifts and scheduling flexibility.
- Accessibility for all employees.
- Employee discounts and shift meals.

Then, consider what you offer that sets your restaurant apart from others—these are your excitement offerings. Excitement offerings usually require more investment on the employer side, so, you’ll want to choose just a few to be great at providing. Some examples of excitement offerings include:
‍
- Career development and upward mobility.
- Benefits like health insurance and PTO.
- Tuition coverage.

Put your brand strategy into practice.

Crafting your EVP is only half the job—the other half is to actually practice what you preach. Remember that all your employer branding efforts will be for nothing if employees accept jobs and realize your restaurant doesn’t live up to their expectations. Rather than just say your restaurant is a great place to work, you have to actually make it a great place to work.

Tip: Choose 1-2 excitement offerings that you want to do a great job at delivering on for employees and invest in those. Treat your EVP like your restaurant menu—there’s no need to offer every dish possible, be selective and serve the things you’re great at creating.

Restaurants With Strong Employer Branding

For some big restaurant chains, it’s employer branding that helps them stand out.

Take Shake Shack, for example, which has created the “Shacksperience,” an upward career path that’s available to all employees. Using a clear visual, Shake Shack shows the direct path employees can take to progress in their careers with the company. This, along with competitive healthcare benefits and 401(k) matching, makes Shake Shack an example of investing in your workforce as an employer.

A couple other examples:

Chipotle, which has expanded its debt-free educational degree options for employees this year.

Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants promotes a “Culture of Caring,” emphasizing its commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Source: harver.com/blog/employer-branding-examples-hospitality/#ShakeShackbls.gov

CHAPTER: 3

Recruiting

Employer branding is the first step to recruiting top talent for your restaurant. Once your restaurant begins to build a reputation for being a great place to work, word will spread. You’ll find the best employees coming to you, not the other way around.

But there are other ways you can help maximize your restaurant’s success while recruiting new employees.

BE COMPETITIVE

Other restaurants in your area are hiring, too. Why should the best talent choose your restaurant over the one down the street or on the other side of town?

Employer branding plays a role in this, but it’s equally important to walk the walk—to live up to your core values and make your restaurant a truly great place to work.

LOOK FOR REFERRALS

When it comes to finding talented restaurant employees, you already have a secret weapon: Your existing staff. It’s likely they know other great employees, and can help refer them to your open positions— plus, studies show that referred candidates get hired faster and stay longer than non-referred employees. Offer incentives to your existing staff for referring great candidates, like bonuses or extra perks.

POST YOUR OPEN JOBS EVERYWHERE

When you’re hiring, make sure everyone around you knows it—post your open jobs on social media, on restaurant job boards, and even on signs in your restaurant. Be strategic about your postings; Handshake is a job platform specific for college students, Culinary Agents is a career site for hospitality-specific jobs—think about where your best employees learned about you and be sure to float your job postings through that channel. Also, don’t just set it and forget it; remember to resurface your job postings on a regular basis (weekly is best!).

USE TECHNOLOGY

Your restaurant should already have an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly website. When you’re recruiting employees, use your website to your advantage—make sure you have a clean, welcoming, up-to-date careers page where you list your open positions and make it easy to apply.

Write Great Job Descriptions

One of the hardest (yet most important) parts of recruiting the best employees is writing great job descriptions that get them in the door.

Keep in mind that the best job descriptions keep things short and sweet, while still conveying all the important information about the role. Here’s a template to help you get started.

Job Title

What role is this person applying for? In your introduction, include the job title and an attention-grabbing opener: “Want to work for a restaurant with great pay and career opportunities—and have fun along the way?”

Job Duties

List a few bullet points about primary duties for this role, and what will be expected from the person who fills it.

Qualifications

What skills are necessary for success in this role?

Don’t go overboard with this section. Try to boil it down to a few key buckets (for example, collaborative communicator, adaptable and quick-thinker, passionate and hospitality-minded).

Try to avoid listing things like, “5+ years of experience.” Research shows that adding these types of parameters can make even qualified applicants self-select out of applying for roles. Instead, list experience qualifications in other ways:
‍
- “You enjoy leading teams in a fast-paced environment.”
- “You’ve grown your skills behind the bar and are ready for a new challenge.”
- “You’ve demonstrated your ability to work on a tight-knit team.”

Compensation and perks:

All job descriptions should include information about pay. Be clear about the hourly wage or salary for the position you’re hiring for, and include any other compensation like benefits or on-the-job perks.

About your restaurant:

Briefly summarize your core values from your employer branding. Focus on what sets your restaurant apart and makes it a great place to work.

According to Glassdoor, 76% of job seekers want details on what makes the company an attractive place to work

Source: b2b-assets.glassdoor.com

CHAPTER: 4

Interviewing

Interviewing is an essential part of the hiring process. It helps you get to know your potential new hires, see what they value in a workplace, and how they might fit into your team.

Tips for an effective interview:

The 51% Rule

Meyer wrote about using the “51% Rule” when hiring staff for his restaurants. That means he gave 51% of consideration to a potential employee’s personality, and 49% to their skillset. Meyer’s reasoning is that restaurant skills can be taught, but essential personality traits—things like emotional intelligence, critical thinking, work ethic, and empathy—cannot.

76%
personality

49%
skillset

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND WHAT YOU DON’T WANT

Before beginning interviews, sit down with your management team to discuss what an ideal candidate would look like: What qualities do they have? Why are those qualities important? Also think about what you don’t want—sometimes knowing what we are not looking for helps us better identify what it is we are.

BE PREPARED

Sometimes the application process looks like candidates walking through the door and filling out an application at the hostess stand. Make sure you have printed app forms on hand (or a QR code that directs them to an easy application on the website). Also, be ready to jump into an interview with them right away. This ties back to knowing what you want; that way you’re prepared for a conversation at all times.

BE STRATEGIC WITH SMALL TALK

Small talk can be a great way to get comfortable, but try to ask questions that go a bit deeper than “how is your day going?” Ask them how they wound up working in hospitality; what they like about it/what excites them. These questions will lighten the mood and help you get to know more about them.

START WITH LOGISTICS

The first things you discuss in an interview should be compensation, scheduling, & availability. Make sure those expectations are aligned before you dive into why they want to work for you and how they’re qualified.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR RED FLAGS

Red flags are usually issues with interpersonal skills vs a lack of hard skills (e.g., knowing a certain POS system). Trust your gut when interviewing. Hospitality is the business of reading people; what you learn through your observation skills counts for just as much as what you learn from the candidate’s interview answers.

FOLLOW UP WITH REFERENCES

A candidate’s references already know about their skills, experience, and work ethic. Ask if they’d re-hire the candidate, and if they say yes, you likely have a solid hire on your hands. If the candidate has few or no references, it’s okay to trust your gut and take a chance.

Sample Interview Questions for All Restaurant Positions

The key to a successful interview is asking the right questions and then going a level deeper. There’s no need to have 15 questions lined up; have 3-5 strong questions with follow-ups that dig deeper into the candidate’s thinking, attitude and behavior.

When deciding on questions to ask, consider the STAR Method to learn more about a potential employee’s values, emotional intelligence, and skillset:

Situation: Outline a situation the candidate is likely to encounter.

Task: Describe a common task that’s part of the job.

Action: Have the candidate explain the action they’d take in that situation or to accomplish that task.

Result: Ask the candidate about the result of them taking that action in a similar situation in the past.

QUESTION

WHAT IT TELLS YOU

Why do you want to work in the restaurant industry?

We know restaurants can be a tough place to work. It takes passion and dedication to succeed. This question helps you determine whether your potential employee truly loves this kind of work.

Follow-up: Why did you choose to interview here/at this restaurant?

How did you start working in hospitality?

Hospitality is at the center of everything a restaurant does. Any potential hire needs to have a strong sense of what it means and why it’s important.

Follow-up: What does hospitality mean to you? How do you demonstrate hospitality to guests?

What is the best FOH/ BOH team you’ve ever worked with?

A restaurant’s staff has to operate as a team. This question will speak to a potential employee’s ability to resolve conflict and work well with other members of your staff.

Follow-up: What did you respect about that team? How did you contribute to fostering that positive relationship?

Who was the toughest guest you ever had to serve?

Sometimes guests behave badly, but it’s still up to your restaurant’s staff to give them the best experience possible. This question will help you see a potential employee’s attitude toward difficult guests.

Follow-up: What made them tough? How did you handle it?

Would you say you’re better at (job) than most people/than other (job) you’ve met?

Ideally, you’ll be able to hire employees who are already well-versed in what your restaurant offers. But asking this question helps you see if, even if they’re not already experts, an employee is curious and willing to learn.

Follow-up: Why do you think that? What is it about you that makes you better?

Additional Questions for Specific Positions

FOR BARBACKS AND BARTENDERS:

What do you do if you see an irate or extremely intoxicated person at the bar?

When the bar is busy, how do you decide who to serve first?

How do you make a (insert a popular but generic drink served at your restaurant)?

FOR COOKS:

What’s your favorite dish to make and why?

How do you respond when a guest sends a dish back to the kitchen because there’s a problem with it?

What do you do if the chef asks you to make something you’ve never made before?

FOR CHEFS:

What’s the first thing you would change about our menu and why?

How do you help manage food costs?

How will your influence make our food better?

FOR MANAGERS:

Tell us about the worst employee you ever worked with and how you helped manage them.

How do you handle conflicts between members of your staff?

Tell us about a time you exceeded a guest’s expectations.

FOR FOH EMPLOYEES (CASHIERS, HOSTS, SERVERS, ETC.):

A guest tells you they have a food allergy. What do you do?

What do you do if your register is short at the end of a shift?

What do you say to guests as they arrive at the restaurant? As they leave?

Tell me about a time you’ve had to work with a disappointed or angry guest.

CHAPTER: 4

Onboarding and Training

Did you know that 40 percent of employees who receive poor training leave their jobs within a year? Onboarding and training set the tone for a new employee’s time on your team. It’s important to spend this time teaching a new hire everything they need to know to perform their job well, but also helping them integrate with the rest of your staff.

These tips can help get any restaurant employee off to a strong start.

ORIENTATION

Orientation gives a new hire a chance to settle in. This is the time to collect necessary paperwork, walk them through your employee handbook, and introduce them to the rest of the team. This is also a good time to give your new employee their training shift schedule and work out any questions about scheduling and availability.

SHADOWING

Pair up your new hire with a reliable employee (preferably one who has experience in the role the new hire is filling). For at least the first week, let your new employee shadow the more experienced one, taking on more of the responsibility with each shift. Encourage them to ask questions and get to know the role as well as possible.

ACTING OUT SCENARIOS

One of the best ways to help a new hire learn their job is by acting out common scenarios with them as a training exercise.

CROSS-TRAINING

Once a new hire has mastered their position, consider crosstraining them for other jobs in your restaurant. Having a crosstrained staff creates empathy between teams and takes some of the pressure off when covering positions if another employee calls out or quits unexpectedly.

Always live your restaurant’s core values.

The onboarding and training process is a great time to let your core values shine. In everything you do, make sure you live up to those values and show new hires that your restaurant really is a great place to work.

Source: b2b-assets.glassdoor.com

CHAPTER: 6

Staffing

Since staffing costs take up 20-30 percent of the average restaurant’s total revenue, staffing your restaurant effectively can have a direct impact on your bottom line. Once your dream team is in place, it’s time to make sure your restaurant is properly covered for different seasons and shifts.

Average Staffing for Different Restaurant Types

FAST-CASUAL:

1 cashier for every 12 tables.

1 service staff for every 12 tables.

4 kitchen staff for every 50 guests per hour.

CASUAL SIT-DOWN DINING:

1 host for every 5-6 tables.

1 server for every 5-6 tables.

4 kitchen staff for every 50 guests per hour.

FINE DINING:

1 host for every 4 tables.

1 server for every 4 tables.

1 bartender for every 30-40 guests.

6 kitchen staff for every 50 guests per hour.

How to Make a Restaurant Schedule

BREAK UP YOUR HOURS OF OPERATION INTO SHIFTS

These can be 8-hour shifts, a lunch shift and a dinner shift, or something else entirely—try to find a way to create shifts that work for your restaurant’s open hours, and that won’t require you to change over staff during rushes.

DIVIDE YOUR DINING ROOM INTO SECTIONS

Every table in your dining room should have a number. Divide the numbers into sections that can be assigned to different members of your serving staff. Depending on the type of service and typical turnover time, it’s standard to assign each server 4-6 tables at a time.

SCHEDULE YOUR STAFF

This will include at least one host, and as many servers as you need to cover all the dining sections for each shift, plus as many BOH staff as you need to cook and keep the kitchen running smoothly. When scheduling, take into account each employee’s availability and needs. There’s a lot of trial and error involved here—don’t worry if your schedule isn’t perfect after your first try. Keep collecting feedback from your staff to fine-tune it over time.

CAREFULLY CHOOSE OPENERS AND CLOSERS

Openers will be the first employees to arrive at your restaurant, preparing it for whatever service lies ahead each day. Closers will be the last to leave, cleaning and making sure the restaurant is prepared for the following day.

Openers and closers should be your most trusted employees. They will set the tone for each day’s service and make sure the restaurant stays clean, stocked, and prepped.

Important Considerations for Restaurant Staffing

LEAD TIME

Your employees need enough time to plan for their work schedules. Aim to finish the schedule two weeks ahead of time so your employees can plan for things like appointments, childcare, and class schedules. This will also give you plenty of time to get a shift covered if an employee has a conflict with the posted schedule.

FLEXIBILITY

One of the things restaurant employees love about this industry is it tends to be more flexible than some— that is, the concept of a “9 to 5” doesn’t apply here.

While some employees might appreciate consistency in their schedules, they’ll also appreciate being able to trade shifts with co-workers, request time off, or pick up extra shifts for extra cash. Remember the schedule doesn’t need to be set in stone.

OVERTIME

The Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA) dictates that restaurant workers are entitled to overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours in one week (typically defined by 7 consecutive 24-hour periods). Federal law doesn’t dictate how much overtime pay needs to be, but local laws might. The industry standard overtime for hourly restaurant workers is 1.5x their normal hourly wage, or time-and-a-half.

LOCAL LABOR LAWS

FAIR SCHEDULING LAWS

Fair scheduling laws outline the legal rights of hourly workers. These laws vary from state-to-state, but may dictate:
‍
- How far in advance you need to create your schedule
- Whether you can change the schedule after distributing it
- Break time between shifts
- Break time during shifts
‍
How far in advance you need to create your schedule Whether you can change the schedule after distributing it Break time between shifts Break time during shifts

Find your state’s scheduling, overtime, and labor laws at www.dol.gov/agencies/ whd/state.

CHAPTER: 7

Reducing Turnover

Turnover is one of the biggest staffing challenges restaurants face.

The average tenure of a restaurant employee is just one month and 26 days. Meanwhile, the average cost to replace an employee in the restaurant industry is one-third of their annual pay. That means there’s a direct (and substantial) financial incentive for reducing turnover at your restaurant—a 25 percent reduction in turnover could save you more than $60,000 a year.

Why is restaurant industry turnover so high? While there are great career opportunities with restaurants, the industry has a reputation for jobs that are high-stress and low-pay, with unpredictable hours, physically demanding work, generally few benefits (if any), and limited opportunities for career advancement.

To reduce turnover at your restaurant, start by taking a hard, honest look at how those common industry challenges affect your staff. These tips can help you retain the best talent over time, ensuring your restaurant has the best people working for it—and protecting your bottom line.

Keep in mind that even if you can’t implement everything we’ve outlined, starting to address some of these challenges one at a time is a great start in the right direction to hiring and retaining great people!

LIVE YOUR CORE VALUES EVERY DAY

One way to help reduce turnover is to practice what you preach in your restaurant’s core values. Your employer branding was designed to set you apart from other restaurants and show why yours is the best restaurant to work at. But if new hires quickly discover things aren’t as great as you made them seem, they won’t want to stick around.

OFFER GOOD COMPENSATION

Notice we didn’t say “competitive” compensation. One of the biggest drivers behind the labor shortage of 2021 was workers demanding a living wage—not just a wage on par with other low-wage businesses in their area. Today, the businesses that have their pick of top talent are the ones that offer pay and benefits packages that allow their employees to thrive.

CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVANCEMENT

Another big reason employees leave restaurants is because it can be so hard to rise through the ranks. Your restaurant will retain the best talent if you offer them clear opportunities to advance their careers by staying employed by you.

VALUE WORK/LIFE BALANCE

Why do restaurant workers love the industry’s flexibility? It gives them opportunity for great work/life balance. As an employer, you can make your restaurant a more attractive place to work by recognizing that your employees want to work to live, not live to work.

REWARD AND RECOGNIZE GREAT EMPLOYEES

One way to make sure your employees always feel how much you value them is to make sure to regularly recognize them for their great work. You can also consider something like an incentive system, with bonuses or other rewards, for your best employees.

GET FEEDBACK FROM YOUR TEAM

If you’re wondering how else to make your restaurant the best possible place to work, you already have all the information you need—just ask your team. Regularly collect feedback from your employees on what could make their work experience better, and create a culture where it’s OK for employees to give feedback on things they don’t love about their jobs.

Restaurant Hiring and Staffing Are Tricky Parts of the Business…

But with the right tools and strategies, you can master them.

The Restaurant’s Guide to Email Marketing

Welcome to your guide to email marketing

Consistently communicating with guests is key to repeat business. One easy way to do that? Email marketing.

Now, we know what you might be thinking, with all the flashy marketing channels available (i.e., TikTok, Instagram, etc.) email might seem a little too simple—but, sometimes the best dishes are made with the simplest ingredients, right? In fact, email marketing remains one of the top ways to connect with and market to consumers…and just like crafting the perfect dish, there is an art to it! In this guide, we cover the basics of creating a content calendar, writing tasty subject lines and craveable content, measuring marketing success—and how technology can help with all of it.

So, whether your goals are to attract new guests, grow sales, cultivate more guest loyalty, or just share what’s new on your menu, we’ve got all the email tips you need to entice guests through the front door.

Sending emails to guests is one of the fastest, easiest, and most effective ways to grow revenue. Yet, 1 in 3 restaurants never send them.

First things first, email works…and guests are hungry for it!

79%

of guests said they are likely to join a mailing list to receive email/text offers from restaurants they like

60%

said they want to hear from their favorite restaurants at least once a week

The proof is in the…pizza

The potential value of a single guest

In 18 months, GIOIA sent 49 emails (39 sent automatically) to one guest, resulting in 101 orders and $5,700+ in revenue.

With the help of email, GIOIA earned $897,000 in commission-free online ordering revenue in 2022.

Getting started

Capture the most important ingredient…

The number one thing you need to build a successful email campaign is, well, a guest’s email.

Now, you can automatically capture (and store) email addresses and other contact info from guests straight from your website.

There are a number of ways you can easily capture critical info:

Encourage guests to submit a review for a chance to win $500. When they leave a review, they leave their email too!

Similar to reviews, capture guest info when they like an individual dish or place an online order.

Exclusivity goes a long way…entice guests into becoming a VIP follower to receive special offers, secret menus, and more.

PopTip!

Capturing guest order history and preferences on top of email not only enables you to stay in contact with emails, announcements and promotions, it also allows you to get more personalized with what you’re sending. Shameless plug: Popmenu does this automatically and makes it easy!

Putting it into action

Plan your communications

Once you have a guest’s email, how often should you reach out? For email marketing the rule of thumb is sending 2-4 emails per month, depending on the quality and relevance of content you’re sharing.

What do we mean by relevant, quality content?
Offers, new menu changes, upcoming events, live music schedules, and anything else you think guests will love! We’ll talk more about the specifics of content creation in a few pages…

PopTip!

The number one reason why people unsubscribe from emails is due to receiving too many from one sender too often.

Plan your communications

Creating an email content calendar

Planning a content calendar might sound a bit daunting but it’s actually pretty simple:

Start by looking at a calendar. Then, drop in key dates and recurring theme nights (like wine dinners, half-priced appetizer night, etc.), offers you’re running, and any operational changes you might have coming up (like holiday hours).

Once your calendar is planned out from an operations standpoint, you can layer your communications on top of it. Have a wine pairing dinner planned for Thursday, why not send an email to promote on that Tuesday? Got a great live music lineup for the weekend? Share the schedule and invite guests in!

Plan your content with Artificial Intelligence

As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow across industries, so do automation capabilities. In fact, AI can actually help you build and plan marketing content—saving time and helping to hit revenue goals without increasing manual efforts.

Product peek: Popmenu’s new AI Marketing product automatically plans your content calendar, suggesting and creating emails, texts, and social media posts based on guest behavior, new reviews, upcoming events, new menu items, etc.—all that’s left to do is edit (if you want) and approve.

Time for the creative

Create quality content

Being creative in the kitchen is tough enough, so when it comes to being creative with marketing…Imagine you’re standing at a table, what would highlight for your dining guests?

Guests want to hear information that serves them in some way.

What do guests want to see in restaurant emails?

New and exciting offerings

Special events

Unique menus or menu items

Holiday specials

Discounts/promos

Updates to operations

The anatomy of a quality email.

Eye-catching header

Appetizing image

Hook

Body text

Body CTA

Button

Pro Tip! Include offers whenever possible

Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie identified Monday and Tuesday as slow ordering days, so they instituted a 35% off discount deal for Monday and Tuesday for the summer.

The offer earned them nearly $20,000 in revenue in just one month. Bonus: Monday and Tuesday are now their busiest ordering days.

Make marketing smarter

Automate whenever and wherever you can

Automate Emails

Your automated email marketing tools use info like new VIP signups, dish likes, and past online orders to send personalized emails automatically—so every new VIP follower gets a proper greeting, every order they place is followed by a reminder to leave a review, loyal guests earn rewards, and a previous guest receives a special offer inviting them back to dine at your restaurant again.

Ocean State Sandwich company uses automated emails to welcome new VIP followers, celebrate birthdays, encourage new reviews, and inform guests of restaurant happenings.

The restaurant has netted nearly $48,000 in online ordering from their marketing efforts, with $17,000 of that being driven by automated emails.

That’s $17,000 in revenue without lifting a finger.

Measure success

Track what’s working

While the term "data" may seem as dry as an overcooked Thanksgiving turkey, it's actually the secret ingredient that adds flavor to your marketing efforts. It holds the answer to the burning question: "Is what I'm doing actually working?"

When we look at data holistically, we can better track how every touchpoint and guest interaction translates to orders placed and revenue earned. Does a 5% offer on a slow day drive more orders? What about an email inviting guests to make a reservation for happy hour? When we can better answer questions like these, we can replicate what’s working and iterate on what isn’t.

Get started with tracking

Email marketing metrics.

Taking a closer look at email marketing, there are three standard benchmarks you can track:

- Open rate: how many people opened the email.

- Click-through rate: how many people clicked on the email and took the desired action (e.g., placed an order, made a reservation, etc.).

- Unsubscribe rate: how many people opted out of receiving future communication from you.

Going deeper with data

Questions to ask your data:

First, ask: Do I know how much of my revenue can be attributed to marketing?

Then: If not, what tools do you need to start connecting marketing activities to revenue?

First, ask: How does marketing influence online ordering?

Then: Identify what made those messages stand out and experiment with future efforts.

Put it into practice

Shameless plug…Popmenu provides this data AND makes it easy to read!

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Digital Marketing for Restaurants

What’s Inside

Intro: capturing more consumer spend

Make your website (and online menu!) work extra hard for you

Discover your brand

Automate whenever, wherever you can (email/SMS/text)

Set SMART goals

Grow social media followers and engagement

Create and execute a simple strategy

Measure sweet success

People. Love. Restaurants. In fact, they love them so much that they spend 40% of their monthly food budgets on restaurants.

How much of the consumer wallet a restaurant captures is greatly influenced by the strength of its marketing. But, who has the time between serving guests, answering phones, checking inventory, paying bills, managing employees and the kazillion other things that occupy the day?

The reality is 61% of restaurant owners/operators spend 3 hours or less on marketing per week; a third spend less than 1 hour, according to Popmenu research. While 1 in 4 restaurant owners/operators have a person or team dedicated to marketing, nearly half say management and staff juggle marketing along with other duties. Another 18% say they do little to no marketing at all—which translates into a whole lot of missed revenue opportunity.

Ready to grab more of that consumer spend?

26%

We have a person/team dedicated to marketing

47%

Management/staff juggle marketing and other duties

9%

We outsource marketing

18%

We do little to no marketing

While marketing can feel time-consuming, expensive and utterly overwhelming, we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be complex, it doesn’t have to cost a lot and much of it can be automated. This guide will show you how and cover all the basics with easy tips so you can hit the ground running and quickly grow your sales.

GETTING STARTED

Discover Your Brand

Before diving into a campaign of the “i’m lovin’ it” variety, it’s important to take some time to think about your brand.

First things first, what is a brand anyway? We’ll give you a hint: it’s not your logo, colors, menu or website. Rather, it’s all the parts that make up how people think about you. A brand has many layers and, technically, your customers are the ones who own it because they experience it. But, there are actions you can take to influence desired perception and those actions start with answers to the following questions:

What is your restaurant’s mission?

Do you want to “serve the best tacos on the planet” or “provide a cozy home away from home” or aspire to something bigger, like “end hunger in our community?” Whatever it is, it should be the guiding force behind how you talk about your restaurant and everything you do from a marketing standpoint.

In the case of Atlanta-based R&D Provisions, they position the restaurant as a place “where great food and technology innovation converge for a new way of dining.” In addition to providing global cuisine with a local flair, the restaurant serves as a real-time test lab for technology to benefit the greater restaurant industry.

How do you differentiate from competitors?

What features stand out? How is your dining experience completely unique or better than anywhere else? Think an unusual dish, homemade desserts as big as your head, servers who sing or joke around with you, cult classics playing while you eat, etc.

What is your restaurant NOT?

Knowing what you don’t want your restaurant to be can help sharpen your vision: It’s upscale, but not formal. It’s nostalgic, but not kitschy. It’s affordable, but not cheap.

How would you describe your restaurant’s personality?

Is it bold and edgy, casual and fun, or classic and elegant? If your restaurant was a person, would it be more akin to Betty White or Lady Gaga?

How do you want customers to feel about your restaurant?

Whether they are dining on-premise, ordering online or checking out your Instagram, how do you want them to feel when they interact with you? Funny enough, a lot of restaurants even use their restrooms to convey their brand experience.

What does your restaurant look like, sound like, taste like, smell like?

A restaurant is a sensuous business and you want to find the right words and images to convey what guests should expect when they dine with you. A photo of a juicy steak you can taste just by looking at it. A headline extolling the virtues of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. A video of guests salsa dancing.

The Freakin Incan in Roswell, GA brings authentic Peruvian street food to life through its brick-and-mortar restaurant and food truck business. Its fun and engaging brand is accentuated by beautiful dishes and cocktails that “transport your taste buds to Peru.”

Are there other brands you admire (inside or outside the industry)?

What do you like about those brands and the way they communicate with their customers…and how can you put your own personal spin on that?

Answering these questions will help you to zero in on the right vibe and voice to attract guests and keep them craving more.

Set SMART Goals

Now that you’ve identified your brand, it’s time to set some goals. What outcomes do you want your marketing plan to achieve?

Generate business for a new location or concept

Increase dine-in traffic (i.e., get more butts in seats)

Amplify online presence and increase engagement on my website and social channels

Drive more online orders directly from my restaurant instead of third-party delivery services

Drive awareness of and sales from special events like happy hours, trivia nights and doggie brunches

Sell more pre-ordered meals or meal kits for holidays

Promote specials to drive ordering spikes

Increase number of online reviews

Turn more guests into regulars by generating a loyal customer base

Curate a sense of community among followers

Reach new clientele demographics

Keep in mind that each goal should be quantifiable and with a relatively short timeline. Start with three and keep iterating. Make sure the goals are SMART (that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) so you can check progress, shift strategies as needed and grow as you go.

Here are examples of three SMART goals and corresponding tactics for a 1-month timeframe:

Increase online orders on the slowest days of the week by 20%

How? Send 2 SMS messages per month sharing a unique offer code to guests

Increase engagement on Facebook and Instagram with an average of 30 engagements (likes, comments, shares) per post across social channels

How? Send out 2-3 social media messages per week highlighting specials, events and other news

Generate 100 covers for Sunday brunch

How? Send 2 emails per month, incentivizing guests to book early

NOW FOR THE FUN PART

Create and Execute a Simple Strategy

When asked to identify the most important factors that help them decide where to eat, 1,000+ consumers surveyed by Popmenu pointed to the following:

Reviews of the restaurant or specific dishes on the menu: 57%

Photos/descriptions on the restaurant’s menu: 45%

Restaurant’s website: 35%

Restaurant is advertising a special promotion/event: 35%

Restaurant’s social media activity: 25%

Restaurant shows up on the first page of my search results on Google or other search engines: 24%

Other: 12%

There are several channels you can use to market your restaurant—from your website, emails, SMS/texts and social media to special promotions and word of mouth. In an ideal world, you’d be making good use of all of them, but don’t try to do everything at once. Start with what feels manageable and what you think will have the most impact on your goals with a smaller amount of investment.

We’re going to discuss various marketing channels in a little more detail, providing tips, examples and fun facts to know and share. As you explore with us, keep the following “must haves” for every marketing plan in mind:

Craveability

So much of effective restaurant marketing is putting photos of mouthwatering dishes and/or cocktails in front of hungry guests.

Consistency

Marketing is not a “one and done” situation. It’s important to provide a steady cadence of communications, choosing optimal days and times. We’ll get into that later.

Automation

As guests interact with your digital assets, there are easy ways to capture guest information (very important!) and automate outreach based on their preferences and behavior (equally important!).

Measurement

48% of restaurant owners/operators use data to guide marketing, which means 52% do not. Tracking the performance of each channel against your goals enables you to adjust channels or content as needed and drive greater ROI.

Make Your Website Work Extra Hard for You

It goes without saying, your website is your prime digital real estate to attract new customers. Make it easy for people to find information and keep it consistently updated with your latest restaurant news and offers. Here are examples of promotions you can run on your website to connect with guests:

Is it Friday?

Promote Happy Hour specials with a pop-up announcement on your website every Thursday night starting at 11:59 pm. Schedule it to display on the website weekly so it’s automatically there without extra effort!

Brunch, anyone?

Display an announcement above your menu to capture the attention of folks browsing your delicious dishes. Include a clear call-to-action to make a reservation so you can be part of their weekend plans!

Events

Keep an events calendar on your website and update it with live music, trivia nights, wine tasting or anything else you’re cooking up!

Promote weekly specials through your events page

If you don’t have special events like live music, no worries! You can make events out of Taco Tuesday and other weekly specials. Add images to your event display to make it attention-grabbing.

VIP

And remember, a little exclusivity can go a long way. On your home page, invite guests to become a VIP, so they can reap the rewards of special offers, advance notice of events, loyalty points and more. Outside of someone placing an order on your website, this is one of the easiest tools you can use to capture guest information and drum up more business.

SPEAKING OF WEBSITES

A Word About SEO, Menus and Ordering

Hands down, THE most important marketing asset for a restaurant on its website, or quite frankly anywhere else, is the menu. Around 90% of a restaurant’s website traffic goes directly to the menu…and that traffic has high expectations. Marketplaces like Amazon have trained consumers to expect photos, rich descriptions and reviews when making purchasing decisions and it’s no different when it comes to satisfying their appetites.

A text-only menu or PDF menu isn’t going to cut it, especially when you consider that 49% of consumers will immediately move on to another restaurant if they encounter a PDF menu on a mobile device.

And there’s the issue of search engine optimization (SEO), which influences how high your restaurant ranks when consumers are searching for “restaurants near me,” “steakhouse near me,” etc on Google. A PDF menu counts as one page of content for search engines to track while an interactive menu can give you multiple pages and boost your rankings to page 1 of search results.

A Word About SEO, Menus and Ordering

Shameless plug…Popmenu can take care of this for you

To ensure your restaurant ranks high in search engine results and generates more traffic to your website, set up each dish on your menu as a separate page for Google and others to index. Make sure that each dish features a photo (dishes with photos get twice as many orders!) and an opportunity for guests to like, review and share dishes for social validation.

Interactive Menu

Sidebar

Winking Lizard Tavern, a multi-location neighborhood restaurant in Ohio known for their craft beer paired with savory wings and ribs, implemented an SEO-driven approach during the pandemic. Within three months, they nearly doubled their home page traffic, generated 432 reviews and captured data from over 1,800 guests for remarketing. Not bad, right?

The Results in Just 3 Months

Location Page Traffic

Home Page Traffic

Monthly Site Users

Guest Contact Info Obtained

Reviews Added to Site

Time Spent on Site (in minutes)

Before Popmenu

105k+

32k+

161k

1:20

With Popmenu

201k+

91k+

201k+

1,800+

432

2:31

In addition to having an interactive menu, it’s critical to keep online ordering on your own website as much as possible. For one, 76% of guests prefer to order directly from a restaurant’s website vs. going to a third-party provider. Second, you’re able to capture customer data and get deeper insights into their preferences and behavior—enabling smarter, more lucrative remarketing campaigns that can be automated.

Which brings us to our next tip:

Automate Whenever, Wherever You Can

Think about the world of retailers and e-commerce. The moment you engage with an item, a targeted email lands in your inbox, enticing you back to your shopping cart with 15% off your first purchase or 20% off your next order. The immediacy of that email is made possible by automation—in other words, an email is triggered to send after a certain behavior is taken by the customer.

Restaurants can work the same way; every website engagement by a new or existing follower creates an opportunity to send a message that encourages an action (e.g., place an online order or make a reservation). And best of all, you don’t have to lift a finger or even think about it. Here are some examples of where automation can help foster guest relationships:

Welcome new followers

Make sure your guests are greeted with a welcome email as soon as they opt to share their contact info through your website. Attach an offer or valuable information so that guests find immediate benefit from your outreach and want to see/taste more!

Send a Happy Birthday offer

Collect your followers’ birthday information when they sign up and extend a gift like a free dessert or appetizer when they dine in with you on their special day. Keep in mind that guests often celebrate their birthdays in groups, so give them a reason to let you host their birthday festivities.

Show your gratitude

When a guest goes out of their way to provide feedback about your business, send them a Thank You. Make sure that they know that their feedback is valuable and helps you serve them better. A sweet, thoughtful message from the owner will do the trick.

Alert guests that popular menu items have returned

Known for your special menus or seasonal dishes? Let guests know instantly that their favorites are back to inspire action.

More on Email/SMS/Text

In addition to triggers like welcome emails and birthday messages, you want to keep guests continually engaged over time. So, how often should you reach out? It all depends on what you’re offering or news you want to share, but consider these stats from Popmenu surveys:

Consumers want to hear from their favorite eateries, yet 1 in 4 restaurant owners/operators say they send emails or SMS/texts with promotions less often than once a month and a whopping 38% NEVER do. That creates a significant competitive edge for restaurants that choose to engage their guests on a regular basis.

Remember Winking Lizard Tavern and the guest contacts they captured through their online menu? Their distribution list steadily grew to over 26,000 followers and they proactively keep in touch with those guests through newsletter-style emails and other outreach to bring in more business. For example, they sent a message that pointed guests back to a special online ordering event for Thanksgiving that generated $20,000 in one day.

63%

of consumers order takeout at least twice a week

65%

of consumers would like to receive special offers from restaurants at least once a week

Should you send an email or SMS?

Both can be effective ways to reach guests—especially when the message generates immediate perks for guests—but SMS outreach tends to significantly outperform emails in terms of open rate (98% for SMS vs. ~20% for emails) and response time (90 seconds for SMS vs. 90 minutes for emails). What’s more, research shows that once a consumer joins a restaurant’s SMS program, the guest spend increases by 23%. SMS subscribers visit restaurants 44% more frequently than non-subscribers, which has a direct impact on your bottom line.

Should you send an email or SMS?

Open rate

98%

SMS open rate vs 20% of emails—that's nearly 5x higher.

Response rate

90 seconds

avg SMS response time vs 90 minutes for email response.

95%

of SMS messages are opened within 3 minutes after receipt.

45%

SMS response rate vs 6% for email.

In terms of frequency of outreach, you ideally want to send one SMS message per week with a very intentional call to action like: “Half-price apps from 4:00 to 6:00” or “Cool off with our signature cocktails on the patio.”

For email marketing, the rule of thumb is to send 2 to 4 per month depending on the quality and relevance of content you’re sharing around offers, menu items, events and other news that may interest guests.

Either way, make sure your communication features drool-worthy photos. Sometimes all it takes to bring a guest through the door is a small reminder of the deliciousness you offer.

Grow Your Social Media Followers and Engagement

If you ever wondered whether social media is a powerful tool in your customer acquisition arsenal, try this stat on for size: 73% of consumers are more likely to visit a restaurant if they see a special promotion on social channels, according to Popmenu research.

More than half of consumers follow restaurants on social media and they’re looking for a mix of content to make their dining decision. What do they say they want to see?

Photos of featured dishes/drinks – 61%

Special events – 47%

Discounts – 64%

Pictures shared by guests – 38%

Staff highlights – 28%

Reviews – 52%

Quotes from the chef – 22%

ROOH is an urban, progressive Indian restaurant nestled in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area. ROOH uses social media marketing to build brand awareness and leaves no feature of Instagram behind—which has helped them to build a following of over 18,000 and growing. In addition to striking photos of dishes and cocktails, they consistently share stories and reels and actively engage with customers through DMs and comments.

@roohsf

In this reel, ROOH partnered with a local food influencer to promote their most popular dishes and cocktails and gained over 13,700 views from both current and potential customers.

@friskiefries

Friskie Fries, known for the crispiest, friskiest fries in Rhode Island, is another great example. With over 15,000 loyal followers (AKA Friskettes), their focus on local community support, positivity and inclusivity (on top of tasty, fun food) draws continued engagement. In addition to professional photos, cheeky graphics and witty puns, they also leverage user-generated content to capture the customer experience.

Social posts can help to bring in new business, keep your brand top-of-mind and cultivate community engagement. Channels being used and frequency of social outreach often comes down to resources, but most restaurants choose to post on Instagram and/or Facebook. Thirty-six percent of restaurant owners/operators say they post on social media every day while 41% post 1 to 3 days per week.

Popmenu research found that followers are more engaged on weekdays. Aim for posts to go out on weekdays unless important information needs to be shared on a Saturday or Sunday for a specific reason.

Sidebar: More About Timing

Whichever marketing channel you’re using, consider the behaviors of your guests before deploying your outreach. Schedule your emails, SMS/texts and social media posts to engage your followers at optimal times (e.g., right before lunch time, a happy hour reminder near the end of the workday or a special offer to appease late-night cravings).

Remember, every restaurant is unique and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Test social posts, emails and SMS/texts to determine what days of the week and what times your followers are most responsive and build your marketing plan from those insights.

Measure Sweet Success

Now for the million dollar question: are your marketing efforts paying off? One key practice to keep in mind when measuring: context. Be sure to capture the “before” picture so you can accurately measure the impact of your efforts.

Website Traffic Metrics

Google Analytics reports are a great resource to help you understand more about your guests’ online behaviors:

- How many views does your website receive daily?
‍
- Is there a spike on a certain day of the week and why? Maybe there’s a popular happy hour or new press mention?
‍
- Where does your traffic come from?
‍
- What device(s) are your website visitors using to find you?
‍
- How long are your guests staying on your website?

Knowing more about how your guests interact with your restaurant online will help inform where you should invest your marketing efforts.

Social Media Metrics

In addition to tracking follower growth over time, it’s important to see how much engagement you’re receiving on each social channel:

- How many likes and shares were generated?
‍
- How many comments were made and are they positive, negative or neutral?
‍
- How many people clicked on special offers or signed up for special events?
‍
- Which posts are top-performing and which fell short? What can be replicated, adjusted or ixnayed altogether?

Email Marketing Metrics

We talked about average open rate (98%), response rate (45%) and response time (90 seconds) for SMS marketing earlier. Taking a closer look at email marketing, there are three standard benchmarks you can track:

- open rate (how many people open an email)
‍
- click-through rate (how many people click on the email and take the next best action (e.g., place an order, make a reservation, etc.)
‍
- unsubscribe rate (how many people opt out of receiving communication from you).

According to Mailchimp, the average email open rate for the restaurant industry is 19.77%, the click-through rate is 1.34% and the unsubscribe rate is 0.28%. How do your metrics stand up against industry averages? If they’re better, that’s great; keep up the excellent content! If they’re lower, it might be worth it to evaluate the content you’re sending.

Ordering Metrics

If your goals are to increase ordering volume, it’s good to have a sense of how many online orders you typically receive before you start your campaign. Some questions to think about:

- Is your promotion leading to a larger check average/stronger return on investment?

- How many orders come to you directly?

- How many come through third-party delivery services? What is the slowest day of the week?

- Does your audience respond well to offers, discounts and promotions?

- What is the most popular dish your guests order online?

Dine In + POS Reporting

Your POS system is a great resource readily available to help you understand your patrons and their purchase patterns. Moreover, your inventory reports can reflect how your marketing efforts, like promotions and specials on specific dishes or ordering events, are impacting sales goals. Metrics to pay attention to:

- What days of the week have slower dine-in traffic?

- What time(s) of the day drive the most revenue?

- Are guests coming to celebrate with you? If so, what holiday(s) or events?

- Is there a way to capture emails and phone numbers for future marketing?

As you review different metrics, make sure to check progress on meeting goals. Did you meet them or, better yet, exceed them? What worked, what didn’t and why? Continue to iterate and tailor your approach and messaging. Marketing is a constant learning process and every interaction with guests will help you find the right strategy to drive desired outcomes.

The Restaurant Growth Playbook

What's inside: Choose your first course

First and foremost, be easy to find.

Make Google your biggest promoter.

Serve up fresh and dynamic content

Connect your Google Business Profile

Google likes websites that perform well...so make sure your site checks the back-end boxes that matter the most:

Speed

Security

Accessibility

Mobile-friendly

Be the obvious choice for guests.

Make your menu visual and responsive.

Speaking of reviews...let's use your raving fans to drive more revenue.

The number one way to gain more reviews? Just ask.

Answer the phone!

There are a number of AI tools that can be used to answer calls 24/7 with custom responses and send links for orders and reservations.

Grow your guestbook.

Here are a few ways you can easily capture key info:

Be smart about how you work with third parties.

Use third parties to introduce yourself to new guests.

Add reservation links to your website.

Keep online orders on your own website (as much as you can).

Own your guest data and 100% of your online ordering revenue.

When third parties own the data collection process:

When restaurants own the data collection process:

Make online ordering easy and integrated.

Made $150,000 in online sales in 3 months.

Generated $500,000 in direct online orders, saving $150,000 in third-party fees.

Be consistent with marketing.

Make it personal.

Steam Boys generated over $18,000 in revenue with automated rewards.

Automated Emails

18,885

55.8%

$18,480.66

Promote your restaurant across channels.

Automate whenever and wherever possible.

The Metropolitan American Diner & Bar drove big results with a little help from AI.

Track it all to determine your next move.

Monitor results in real time.

Key questions to ask:

That's a wrap

About Popmenu

AI in Restaurants: Why it's booming, how it's being used, and real-world results

What's inside

Let's get started.

Table of contents

First things first, what is AI anyway?

Why AI is playing a bigger role in hospitality

Labor issues

Are you having a hard time filling certain roles?

No

Yes

Have you lost revenue opportunities because you can't fill open roles?

No

Yes

Lack of time

What do you wish you had more time for at your restaurant?

Train and develop staff

Plan and execute marketing

Track business results and strategize on how to grow

Manage budget and inventory more effectively

Greet guests and check on tables

Recruit new staff members

Create or evolve dishes

Budget-conscious consumers

Percentage of consumer food budgets that are spent on restaurants each month, on average

40%

2022

30%

2024

Benefits of AI, according to operators

90%

65%

61%

54%

53%

49%

How restaurants plan to use AI: calls, reservations, and orders