Do you own a restaurant that has a slow day/night? What can you do – even temporarily – to bring in people?
- Create a new entree that’s available that day only. Not a soup of the day, but something really special. Maybe you make it in limited quantities. What about a special burger? A casserole? A holiday meal? A biscuit sandwich? Seafood? Make it something that you can’t find everywhere. You ever watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network? What makes those places special is they’re just that…special. They have something unique that’s made from scratch that no one else has. Put something fun and different on your “X-night” menu to draw people in.
- What if you take X% off a popular item or items that night only? Or give a free drink with purchase?
- What about having a trivia night with prizes. You need a host, a start time and maybe drink or appetizer specials during the event.
- Establish your place as the go-to venue for meet-ups. If you’ve ever run a social club or group before, you know how hard it is to find a great small-ish place to meet. Groups and clubs are always looking for welcoming spaces for their meetings, small events, etc, and members usually purchase food and drinks while they’re there. Reach out to groups in your area, like your service organizations, book clubs, or a nearby college life office, and see if they need somewhere to meet up.
- Establish a “theme night” like Takeout Tuesdays or Back to Work Mondays. Maybe offer discounted curbside or pickup those nights. Or not. Just promote, promote, promote it.
Whatever way you go, be sure to get the word out. Advertise in the newspaper. Advertise on social media. Put up those little folding signs on each table in the restaurant letting the regulars know what’s happening.
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