10 Unique Restaurant Promotion Ideas That Drive Crazy Sales in 2023

Are you finding it hard to come up with new and unique restaurant promotion ideas that could drive crazy sales through the roof in 2023?

Unfortunately, it's not an easy task to get novel promotion ideas all the time. It requires a bit more time, effort, and human resources. But with the right guide, you can implement innovative ideas to promote your business and engage customers.

So, this blog goes through 10 effective restaurant promotion ideas you could follow to push your restaurant to increase sales splendidly.

Now, let’s jump right in!

Unique Restaurant Promotion Ideas

Here we’ve shared the 10 unique restaurant promotion ideas that can drive crazy sales for your business and boost profits in 2023 and beyond.

But before getting into all of this, remember that the goal of a promotion is to grab attention. It’s all about bringing in new guests and keeping those who are already regulars. Additionally, prior to applying these ideas, make sure you post engaging content and have appealing, high-quality photographs of your food.

1. Apply Local SEO Strategies

According to local SEO statistics, more than 70% of mobile restaurant searchers convert immediately or within an hour.

So, if you want more sales from your business, applying proper local SEO strategies is one of the best and most unique restaurant promotion ideas.

Local SEO Tips for Your Restaurant

• First, register your business on Google My Business
• Provide the proper location of your restaurant
• Provide complete details of your business information, including phone number, website, email, etc.
• Upload Pictures of your restaurants and dishes
• Create a business listing for your restaurant on local directories.
• Create a free account on the directories. Provide all your restaurant business information.

Local SEO helps local businesses to get organic traffic from search engines. If you apply proper local SEO techniques, you will get more searches and sales.

2. Make Your Website Engaging

A website with a unique and aesthetic design will likely have a better chance of getting a more targeted audience.

How Can I Add a Unique Look to My Restaurant Website?

• Make your website simple and aesthetic.
• Your website should have easy-to-use navigation so users don't get confused.
• Add more food-related features to your website.

You can integrate our free online ordering system for restaurants into your website, where you can have unlimited features. For example, you can customize your menu and business hours. Besides that, you have features like live website editing, a restaurant panel, an SEO-friendly dashboard, a real-time processing app, etc.

Also, you can integrate our free online ordering app to your Facebook page, iOS, or Android. This unique restaurant promotion idea will help you get more sales and earn the trust of your customers.

3. Go Viral

Everyone wants to be viral on the internet. So do businesses. Going viral gives more exposure to your business because you can capture your customers’ attention. Ultimately, this unique restaurant promotion idea drives more sales.

Ways to Go Viral on Social Media Platforms

• Upload a food challenge. Whoever wins this challenge will win a significant amount of money.
• Build social media hype with your innovative dishes.
• Create some powerful Facebook marketing strategies for restaurants.
• Brainstorm unique, memorable, and appealing ideas to get your audience's attention.

4. Special Discount Offers

Pick any day or event and create any unique discount offer that resembles that day or event.

Restaurant Promotion Message #1:

On March 17, we honor St. Patrick.

That's why coffee is only $1.50 at [your restaurant name]

Restaurant Promotion Message #2:

Leprechauns don't exist.

But our special pasta offer is unbelievably real!

Just $10.

5. Hashtags are Saviors

Hashtags are a great way to connect with customers and create conversations. Using proper and popular hashtags for your restaurant business will help you reach more audiences and increase your social impressions. More audience means your restaurant business is getting more views. Ultimately, you will be visible to thousands of people. Moreover, it encourages your existing diners to share their photos at your restaurant. They will post about their experience on socials and attract new customers for you.

So, use proper hashtags on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to get more sales.

6. Connect with Influencers

Social Media influencers have a lot of followers. Therefore, they can aid you in escalating your brand awareness and reach a wider audience. This will build trust and credibility with your potential customers.

You can take full advantage of social media influencers by asking them for promotions. You can also collaborate with them in their videos or invite them to your restaurant to give them a free meal. That will provide you with great exposure. So, make sure that you find an influencer similar to your target audience. 

7. Pinterest is for Food Lovers

Pinterest is a fantastic platform for promoting restaurant businesses. Unlimited images and videos get pinned and re-pinned on Pinterest. So, take quality pictures of your food and restaurant and pin them on Pinterest. Keep in mind that these photos must have your brand name. There will be groups of people among 300 million Pinterest users who will become your targeted audience. 

8. Post Your Employee Stories

That’s a brilliant way to earn the respect and trust of your audience and stand out from the competition. This unique restaurant promotion idea will help you sustain existing customers and earn new ones via social media. On top, 88% of people trust the reviews and recommendations of their friends and strangers on Facebook. When you share your employee reviews about any of your items, it may lead to new people coming into your restaurant to try that food others were raving about.

9. Host Giveaways & Contests

Develop some innovative restaurant giveaways ideas and contests such as captioning a photo, tagging a friend, etc., and offer prizes like a gift card, a free dessert, and so on. To promote them, use social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

Hosting giveaways or contests is always exciting and motivates people to buy your products. They help your brand become more visible, gain new customers, and boost customer engagement. Although offering a prize, or a free service may be expensive, the number of participants and new prospects you get will make it all worth it.

• Share the Process

We bet you have a lot of consumers who would love to know how your kitchen operates. If it's a quieter night, offer to take them behind the scenes so they can see how it all works.

But the best way for sharing behind the scenes is not via branded photos of your menu items only. In comparison with regular Instagram posts, reels generate 22% more engagement. So, in this modern era, you can show off your menu and restaurant much better by uploading reels and stories.

Besides, with our menu ideas for small restaurants, you can uplift your menu design and content and attract new customers, ultimately helping your business soar.

In addition to the above ideas, you can ask people restaurant survey questions in order to get valuable customer insight. It will help you improve customer experience and gain repeat customers.

Closing Thoughts

Promotions are a great way to keep customers engaged and highlight your recent restaurant offerings. It doesn’t matter what your business goals are - these 10 unique restaurant promotion ideas will help get your creative juices flowing and amplify your sales!

FAQs

1. What are some proven restaurant promotion ideas for driving sales?

Some proven restaurant promotion ideas for driving sales include treating existing customers right, organizing events and contests, offering giveaways, vouchers, discounts, and BOGO deals, creating branded merchandise, cross-promoting with other businesses, asking influencers for promotion, using unique hashtags and more.

2. How can I choose the best promotion ideas for my restaurant?

To choose the best promotion ideas for your restaurant, you need to identify your target audience and its preferences along with the purpose of your promotion.

3. Can I use these promotion ideas with a small budget?

Yes. You can use the promotion ideas such as happy hour specials, limited-time offers, loyalty programs, community involvement, social media posting, etc., even when your budget is low.

4. Are there any risks to implementing these promotion ideas?

Yes. If you don’t do marketing correctly, it can put your restaurant at risk in many ways. The risks may include financial risk, operational risk, cannibalization, and brand image and reputation risk.

5. How can I measure the success of my restaurant promotions?

You can measure the success of your restaurant promotions by analyzing your restaurant sales, achievement of goals, measuring customer traffic, collecting customer feedback, tracking social media engagement, and calculating return on investment (ROI).

6. How can I make sure my promotion ideas align with my brand and values?

To make sure your promotion ideas align with your brand and values:

• Consider what kind of promotion would resonate with your target audience.
• Choose promotions that support your brand.
• Communicate your brand’s message with language and visuals that align with your brand’s tone and image.
• And most importantly, train your staff to understand your brand’s mission so they can easily interact with customers.

7. What are common promotion mistakes to avoid?

Not having a clear vision, failing to create a plan, not knowing who your customers are, ignoring your customer’s needs, not being aware of your uniqueness, not using SEO best practices, avoiding social media, straying from producing compelling content, trying to be everywhere, separating yourself from the industry, and not tracking results are some of the most common promotion mistakes you should avoid.