A Guide To Choosing The Right Restaurant Marketing Mix

The saying goes, “You are what you eat.”

I’m not going to challenge anything about that statement. I also believe you are what you eat, and fact is I’ll go ahead and say it even applies to restaurants as well. As an operator, your restaurant marketing plans should reflect what you want your restaurant to look in the eyes of your customers.

It’s very simple logic, but one that deserves a discussion.

Here are some tips.

1. Choosing a restaurant marketing mix
Picking the right blend of restaurant marketing mix from thousands of advertising tools isn’t going to be easy. It’s like putting together a good team. Make sure your marketing/advertising efforts are complementary and work together in synergy towards your success.

Sending out coupons to one group and advertising in a high-end magazine at the same time is an example of a bad restaurant marketing mix. The move deteriorates your brand. It’s as if you’re saying, “My restaurant doesn’t deserve full price.”

2. Cater to customers
Take this to heart: marketing and promotion should appeal to the restaurant’s target market. This means giving away coupons to students if you’re operating in a college town, sponsoring local activities if you serve a close-knit community, or marketing your chef’s specialties if your clients are the rich and famous.

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Your restaurant marketing mix should appeal to a particular group that makes up your core audience.

3. Remember what you are selling
When all is said and done, a restaurant is still a business. If you can’t get the food in the customer’s mouths then it’s going to be difficult to break even.

Some restaurants bank on the overall experience than the quality of the food on their menu—Medieval Knights, Hooters, etc. But I don’t recommend it. Remember what you originally wanted to sell when you first broke into this business: the food. Work hard on creating delicious food recipes, and then work even harder to market that aspect of your restaurant.

Give customers a reason to dine at your place rather than at your competitors.

For a restaurant, nothing beats a cohesive brand image and a delicious line of entrees. If you can get this right, you can get anything right in this restaurant business. Carefully determine your restaurant’s unique characteristics and highlight them when writing your restaurant marketing mix.