It is no secret that the restaurant industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 10% of U.S. restaurants closed permanently since the global pandemic was declared in March 2020.
As the pandemic rages on with new variants, vaccine boosters, workforce challenges and staff and customers with varying levels of comfort being in public spaces, restaurants have shifted their operating models and tried to develop new ways to increase sales.
Maybe your sales are back where they were pre-pandemic or, maybe, you are looking for restaurant promotion ideas to get your old customers back and attract new sales. These eight swag ideas for restaurants are just what you need to build excitement.
Restaurant Promotion Ideas During COVID
1. Sweeten the deal for dessert orders. Dessert is a great way to increase overall spend per visit, and coupons are also a great way to get people to come visit you again (or order to-go). Offer those who are signed up for your text, email and social media a free reusable wheat utensil set when they order dessert. Consider adding dessert to the cost of their meal (or even dessert-only orders)—this can help boost the total sales for each order, in turn, boosting your sales during the promotional period, making it a great restaurant promotion idea to use during COVID.
2. Gifts with in-app and online purchases. Help your already stretched-thin staff by pushing more customers to order online and through an app instead of by phone. While many people have adopted in-app and online ordering to help customize their orders, help get more of your customers onboard with online ordering by offering a free lunch bag to those who order online instead of by phone. Make it an exclusive offer for the first 25 orders to add a little FOMO (fear of missing out). This is a promo you can consider offering more than once, especially since the potential to get a freebie may help to sway people to order from your restaurant.
New Restaurant Promotion Ideas
3. Family bundle meals with a side of a free tote. Family-style meals are becoming more and more popular. Consider packaging up a few of your top-ordered items into a family or party pack (such as wings, pizza, dessert and a 2-liter of soda) and then promote your new family-style offerings with a free reusable tote. The promo will help boost sales, and you’ll get free brand awareness every time your customers use their totes at the grocery store, farmers’ market or to carry supplies to and from work.
4. A glass tumbler with a gram-worthy saying. The “I did it for the ‘gram,” mentality is not going away anytime soon. While there are some true fans and foodies, there are also a fair share of customers (and potential customers) who aren’t there for the experience or the food, but rather for the photo or video to get new likes, comments or follows on Instagram (or TikTok, YouTube, etc.). Consider a selling a glass tumbler (or giving it away with certain purchases or after a certain number of visits) with unique and creative sayings. The glasses will give customers something to strive toward (pushing them to make more purchases) and will also give you free publicity when they post photos of your merch on their social media platforms.
Restaurant Anniversary Promotion Ideas
5. Coasters to remind them of you with every sip. One-time use coasters are common at many establishments, and are very useful, so why not keep the usefulness going with something they can take with them? Branded coasters are a great restaurant anniversary promotion idea because they are a useful gift that keeps your brand visible in their home.
6. Make your customers walking billboards with a T-shirt giveaway. Whether you want to celebrate a milestone anniversary, or you celebrate each anniversary in business with a new design, T-shirts make a great giveaway for restaurant anniversary celebrations.
Creative Restaurant Promotion Ideas
7. Give them something functional and unique. If you are looking for a giveaway that will get them talking or is something they haven’t seen before, consider the wristband with a keyring. It’s almost like a mini lanyard, and can be branded to keep your restaurant top of mind.
8. Stay top of mind when they are hungriest…in the car! Driving home from work, running errands, toting the kids to and from practices and more can lead to tired, cranky and hungry drivers (and passengers). A car phone holder will keep your brand top of mind when they are likely too tired to want to cook after work or errands and would much rather pick up a meal to-go from their favorite restaurant. Brand it with your logo, phone number and website for bonus points to make it even harder to resist ordering take out.
The desire to support local businesses and eat a delicious meal have not wavered during the pandemic. Help your customers—and potential customers—do both with a little added incentive of a freebie (or two) when they order. Make your giveaway last longer than a free food item by offering a branded giveaway and turning your customers into walking billboards for your business. Work with a restaurant promotional item specialist at MARCO Promos today to customize your order— just start a chat or call us today at 1.877.545.9322.
