In the restaurant world, the website has often been neglected, but with the recent arrival of the pandemic, many restaurateurs have regretted not investing a little more in this tool. Today, a restaurant’s website remains a formidable lever for success. Think about it: you’ve got a tool that works for you 24 hours a day, is always functional, never tires, and could significantly increase your income. So how can your restaurant’s website increase my sales? Let’s take a look together.
How can my website grow
Today, it’s very difficult for a restaurant owner not to have a website. For some years I’ve known restaurants without a website. There were also those who had a website, but neglected it completely. And of course those who said they didn’t need a website. Time has proven them wrong. There are many reasons why a restaurateur should have a website.
Firstly, it is often the first contact people make before deciding to visit or book with you. The latest statistics show that for 80% of people, a restaurant ‘s website is important. It’s all about turning visitors to your website into loyal customers. That’s why it’s essential to make a good first impression. More and more people are asking before they go out to eat. Some will use social networks, others will go directly to your website.
They’ll want to know who you are, what your philosophy is, review your menu and, above all, the prices. Don’t be afraid to mention your prices. I’m currently working with a customer who didn’t mention his prices on his website. A displayed price can win you not only several new customers, but also orders if they can’t come to the show.
What information should my restaurant website contain?
We quickly glimpsed some of this information, such as the price. We know that the price represents the restaurant’s image. When someone wants to find out more about your services and menu, the vast majority of them will ultimately base their decision on price. It’s for this excellent reason that you need to have worked out a pricing structure that will enable you to increase your sales and loyal customers. We’ll look at all this in a future article.
The menu is another important factor. Your menu must be structured, clear and easy to read. I insist on the description of the recipe and the quality of the photos, which is not always up to scratch. You can’t improvise yourself as a photographer. The visual aspect of our menu alone will give people an idea of your establishment. Remember, you eat with your eyes first. But photos aren’t just about your menu, they’re also about the interior of your restaurant. You need to enhance your design, your dining room and your kitchen. The kitchen is an element of confidence for your future customers in terms of hygiene. It’s often neglected, because, let’s face it, it’s not always well maintained. All these elements will trigger an emotion in your potential customer and make him want to get to know you better.
Your website, a communication tool to boost your sales.
You could publicize your events. People are always looking for new activities to do, new restaurants to discover, special occasions to enjoy at a particular time. You’ll also need to enter your address, of course. But in addition to the address, perhaps mention that it’s easy to park. That the restaurant has parking facilities. The times when it’s easiest to find a parking space. Don’t hesitate to tell your future customers about the nearest metro station, bus line or stop to your restaurant. Catering is all about service, service and more service. Then push this one even further. You’ll stand out from your competitors, but above all from your customers.
One part of your site could gather information on your customers’ recommendations and comments. This way, visitors to your site can read the comments and make up their own minds. This could lead to an additional flow of customers.
How can I use my restaurant website to generate even more sales?
Your website can also be a significant source of income. Implementing revenue-generating services through this channel could make a big difference to your establishment’s profitability. What are the possible solutions?
You could implement a pre-order system. People order, reserve and pay for the product through your site. You could let them choose the time they want to pick up the product. This could help you in your production, but above all reduce the amount of downtime in a day. You might decide to set up a newsletter. This newsletter would promote your services, new products or contests. Above all, the newsletter helps you build customer loyalty. Don’t forget that in our business, as in others, building customer loyalty means ensuring that your customers continue to buy your products and services on a regular basis. They provide an economic cushion for your business. Another very important point.
If one day you decide to sell your business, it’s not the value as such of your equipment and other furnishings that will surely be worth very little over time. Today, what’s valuable is the number of subscribers and loyal customers you’ve built up over time, which will enable you to sell your business at an excellent price. Having a potential of and a database of 10,000 customers is worth its weight in gold. The mistake many restorers make is not to work with this database.
We’ll come back to the positive aspects of having a website in a moment.
How can your restaurant’s website boost sales?
In conclusion:
Don’t hesitate to invest in a profitable website. This will not only increase your visibility, but above all generate revenue. The key is to diversify your sources of income.
