If You Don’t Market Your Restaurant To Appeal To Food Bloggers Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later
Customers are the lifeblood of any business. Take away the customers, and you’ve got basically nothing going for your restaurant business. So how do you attract more customers? Referrals. It’s the name of the game, which is something that came to mind while I was watching TV the other day.
A few days ago I was watching National Geographic in my living room. I couldn’t sleep. So I turned on the TV and found this Nat Geo program where they featured food bloggers from different parts of the world. The Food Lover’s Guide to the Planet – I think that was the name of the show. In the program there was this food blogger from Vietnam who stalked the night streets of Hanoi in search of authentic Vietnamese-style noodles called Pho, this Hong Kong blogger who led a double life—an office worker during weekdays and sick female steamed crab lover and blogger on weekends. Then there was also this blogger who moved all the way to France to rediscover the country’s distinctive taste for desserts. Then they would come home and write about their food experience on their blogs over a good ol’ cup of coffee.
An idea suddenly hit me. These good folks are out looking for food to write on their blogs. As a restaurant owner, why can’t you be the one who gives them something to write about?
In fact it sounds like a pretty good idea.
Make time to sit down at your computer and search for popular food bloggers in your area. Blogging is mainstream these days. Especially if you live in a big city, there should be at least one or two food bloggers residing in your area. Then send them a personal message inviting them to stop by your restaurant for a free lunch or dinner. Being food enthusiasts, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind entertaining your invitation.
When they arrive, come out and offer them a personal greeting. If it isn’t a busy night, have your head chef chat with them while your waiters serve the appetizers. It’s always a nice touch to have them offer food advice to your head chef, and vice versa. Afterwards serve the main course and make sure everything is done right. Designate a dedicated server to your guest if possible.
As I said earlier, one way to attract more business is through referrals. What better way to do just that than to get in the good graces of a food blogger? One of the bloggers I mentioned earlier, the one who lives in France, his website gets around five to seven thousand hits a day. If you could get a similar blogger like him to write positively about your restaurant, isn’t that worth the price of a free meal?
Get the Internet talking about your restaurant by appealing to food bloggers in your area.
Share your tips on how to attract more business online by leaving a comment after this post.