Ken Burgin

Restaurant Marketing

3 New Restaurant Marketing Opportunities in November

With business turned upside down in the pandemic, we need every excuse for a party or promotion. There are three from the retail space that can easily be adapted for restaurants and cafes in November – just add imagination and stir! Hopefully, you have a buildup for Christmas parties, but there’s no reason not to add these three extra promotions as a booster.

Singles Day Restaurant Marketing – 11 November

Think of it as the opposite of Valentine’s Day – this is a chance for everyone else to have fun. It’s an unofficial Chinese holiday for people who are not in a relationship, and it’s rapidly become a major shopping event!

  • Dinner for One or a Party for One? Have special deals available, and this time singles don’t get the small table up the back!
  • Special treats, cocktails or desserts just for singles – along with the theme of indulgence that’s part of Singles Day fashion shopping.
  • Emphasise bright colours, positive spirits and self-care – this is a time when you don’t have to share your food! Our friends at Canva have plenty of Singles Day design ideas.
  • Amp up your music tracks – it’s not hard to find lots of Spotify entries using the word ‘single’.
  • Turn it into a week – no reason not to have it through the weekend that follows.

One thing to keep in mind, 11 November is also Remembrance Day in many western countries, marking the end of World War 1. This is not usually marked by restaurants, but there may be comments from older customers – are you about to break the mould?.

Black Friday Restaurant Marketing – 24 November

Retailers use Black Friday for crazy, never seen again deals – it’s OK to do a big discount, because it won’t be repeated. What can you throw into the mix?

  • Decoration – slightly spooky, and there may be some props left from Halloween a month before. Our friends at Canva have plenty of Black Friday design ideas.
  • Extra points for loyalty customers, or a double discount when they order online.
  • Mix online and offline deals, to encourage awareness of online sales.
  • Sell events and specials that land after New Year – the $90 voucher is only $45 today, and can be used in January!
  • Promote Christmas gifts at very special prices – buy your Christmas Gift Cards now, and receive an extra $20 card for every $100 card your purchase.
  • Move the merchandise – the t-shirts that haven’t sold, offered at a crazy price.
  • Add community support – ‘for every customer we serve tonight, we’re also donating $5 to the local animal shelter’.
  • Link the day through to Cyber Monday – there will be more crazy but different deals after the weekend!

Cyber Monday Restaurant Marketing – 27 November

it’s all about selling and ordering online, with special deals for customers who make the switch – for most of them, ordering or paying online is second nature. Make this a second bite of the cherry from Black Friday deals but now it’s online only.

  • Gift card deals like the ones for Black Friday, but slightly different.
  • Run a Monday Night Trivia online event – start a tradition, here’s the easy way to set it up. Use questions from the chef, barista and bar staff, plus a twist of humour.
  • Our friends at Canva have plenty of Cyber Monday design ideas for use on social media, newsletters and posters.
  • Promote Christmas shopping from your merchandise and food box deals – delivery in December but you must pay today.
  • Free gift wrapping and special envelopes for Gift Cards – grab red envelopes from OfficeWorks.
  • Deals to book an event for an off-peak evening – it’s discounting without being tacky.
  • Run a social media contest or lucky draw, designed to get leads – use Facebook and Instagram to reach out.
  • Treasure Hunt on your website – find the hidden clues on different pages and first 10 people who fill in the entry form (easily done with Google Forms) win a prize.
  • Exclusive deal for email subscribers – send a special newsletter in the morning of Cyber Monday.
  • Use scarcity and FOMO (feat of missing out) – today only, then it disappears!
  • Do a last hour promotion then stick to the closing time – use text messaging to push these, it’s all part of the frenzy.
  • Share about your online management: online rostering, kitchen management, bookkeeping, customer ordering apps, online ordering of supplies, social media activity and website development. Talk about how this has developed over the last 2 years, and the benefits for accurate information and more productivity – people love to hear about ‘behind the scenes’ in restaurants and cafes, it adds to your credibility.

🤚 Check the weekly discoveries on Hospo Reset – information & inspiration for restaurant, cafe & foodservice operators.

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