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Six Ways To Attract New Customers To Your Restaurant


Without new business, your restaurant won't be able to grow.� You need a constant stream of new customers to replace those you lose as a result of customers relocating, switching jobs, or changing dining habits.� Here are six strategies for getting more customers through your doors.

1.�Market Your Restaurant In Hotel Rooms
Business travellers and people on holiday may not be familiar enough with your town to know where to find an excellent meal.� You can give them a hand simply by doing some hotel room marketing.� Talk to hotels within your three-mile radius area and ask if you can place menus and advertisements in their rooms and lobby area.� Some hotels have a "Nearby Attractions" list which they provide for their guests.� You can ask to be added to the list.� When guests get hungry and start trying to figure out where to eat, you'll be one of the first restaurants to come to mind.

2.�Form A Strategic Alliance With Event Venues
After a concert or sporting event, people are hungry and want to eat.� Remember that people sometimes travel a long distance to come to these events, so they don't want to travel home on an empty stomach.� One venue in the United States showed a nearby restaurant's advert on all of the venue monitors between concert acts.� After the concert was over, that restaurant was packed with concert goers.� You can do your part by promoting upcoming events of that venue at your restaurant.

3.�Enter Contests
One of the biggest ways to get some media attention and, therefore, to attract new business is by winning a contest.�� For example, enter your chef in a cooking contest.� Read restaurant publications and browse the Internet to find out about any contests you may be able to enter.� If all else fails, create your own contest and invite local restaurants to participate.� Then, even if you lose, you'll still generate great publicity and get new patrons in your door.

4.�Sell Gift Certificates
Your loyal customers may want their friends and family members to give you a try.� Provide them with your gift certificates, so they can buy these as presents for loved ones.� A gift certificate allows the recipient to try your restaurant completely risk-free since they usually don't have to pay anything for the experience.� Plus, each gift certificate serves as a referral to your establishment.� Make sure your gift certificates come in flexible amounts so that buyers have the freedom to decide how much to spend.�

5.�Give Samples Out At Busy Locations
Send your food on the road if you really want to lure in new customers.� Go to locations that have a lot of human traffic, such as shopping centres, supermarkets, parks, etc, and offer samples of some of your most tasty food to everyone that passes by.� When they stop to take a sample, give out a menu, business card, or a coupon so that they'll know exactly where they can go in order to taste more of your scrumptious food.

6.�Offer "Happy Hour" Specials
At the end of a hard day, many workers want to relax and unwind before heading home, so invite them to your restaurant for some "happy hour" specials.� Drink specials and low-price finger food buffets are both good ideas.� You could also have Frequent Diner cards for happy patrons so that after so many drinks they receive a free drink or a discount on their meal if they decide to stay for dinner.� Inform all local businesses about your offer.

Copyright � 2004 Habiba Abubakar and Emprez.�� All rights reserved.

Habiba Abubakar, a.k.a. Restaurant Marketing Diva, is the author of�40�Proven Strategies For�Attracting A Continuous Flow Of New Customers To Your�Restaurant.��Habiba helps restaurant owners and managers who are struggling to attract more customers and are finding it hard to build customer loyalty.��Be sure to sign up for�your�FREE�copy of her revealing report, FOUR Things You Can Do To Skyrocket Your Restaurant's Profits In 90 Days or Less.� Just go to�http://www.emprez.com.��

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