Restaurant Marketing Ideas - Tips to Attract the Millennials to your Restaurant

As a restaurateur, you need to please the generation of millennials as they are your potential customers. Millennials or Generation Y comprises 64% of the world population and 60% of them go for lunch or dinner once a week, so you cannot ignore them at any cost.

This year, millennials came as the largest demographic in the U.S. They are tech-savvy and have unique preferences as compared to other people. 

You need to adopt different restaurant marketing strategies to attract this age group. 

Here are some restaurant marketing ideas to reach millennials:

1. Online Recommendations: 

This generation of people is very active on various social media platforms. Millennials turn to online reviews and ratings before choosing a restaurant to dine out. Let’s discuss Google My Business or Yelp business listings. 

Google and Yelp matter a lot, as you can update your business pages with photos. You can ask customers to add reviews about your restaurant, food, ambiance, service, etc.

Furthermore, you need to make your social media game strong by updating about upcoming events, shows, offers, discounts, party photos, etc.

This lets you enhance your online presence and attract millennials as your customers.

A survey by Hartman Group suggests that 68% of millennials ask their friends before selecting a restaurant. So, you need to satisfy your customers, so that they recommend you to your peers.

2. Get Social & Promote User Generated Content:

You need to enhance your restaurant’s online presence to target this generation of people. Further, you can run contests, share high-quality food pics. Millennials love to take pictures of the food with various hashtags and post it over Instagram. 

So, you should also promote user-generated content and come up with unique hashtags and encourage your guests to share the same when they upload your restaurant food pictures.  Furthermore, you can feature your customers on your restaurant social media pages.

3. Healthy Food Choices:

Today’s youth is health conscious and love to order salads, vegetables, and other dietary food items. While salads and vegetables are being ordered and consumed frequently, young customers are also keeping track of the food they are eating. Serve them organic food, hormone-free meat, and farm to table food. 

You can use this trend as a restaurant marketing technique and also offer menu transparency by mentioning the number of calories etc.

4. Invest in Technology:

Millennials hate to wait for their food. By introducing new technologies in your restaurant, you can provide them better services. Some of the technologies that you can introduce are :

• Self-service Kiosks:

Many Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) have already introduced this touch screen self-ordering option. These kiosks are convenient to use and let your customers skip long lines to order.

• Guest management system:

With this, millennials can check waiting times and make a reservation via an app. In return, consumer apps give access to a consumer network. This way, you can gather analytics and figure out the current food trend.

• Wi-Fi :

Millennials are mostly on their phones and look out for places that offer them free wi-fi. So, if you want to increase your lunch sales, then offer them free wi-fi.

• Online Table Booking:

Let your customers choose where they want to sit. Offer an online table booking option in restaurant app, so that they can reserve their seats beforehand.

• Online Food Ordering:

Millennials are always on the go and prefer an easy way to order food and what can be best then online food ordering system. It is seen that 85% of home delivery orders are placed via Online Ordering. 

So, give your guests an online ordering facility, so that they can enjoy your food from their homes. You can also partner with delivery partners as they provide a better network of consumers.

5. Entertain the crowd:

One of the most important restaurants marketing tips is to organize events and invite famous bands or singers. Remember to update your target audience through social media, so that they can plan. 

If you are planning to organize a corporate event, then it’s better to call a stand-up comedian. On the other hand. if college-goers are your customers, then a rock band or a famous DJ is a better option. This will attract the youth, and they will show up at your place.

6. Customization:

Millennials love creatively crafting their food. They love small, medium and large portions of food, this way they get to try different food items and flavors. Keep a close eye on the current food industry trends and offer them the same but in a unique way.

If you want to ace in the restaurant industry, then you need to keep millennials preferences on the top list. These restaurant marketing strategies will help you to grow your business and attract millennials with ease.