Restaurant Email Marketing: All you need to know!

Restaurant email marketing is about increasing sales and customer loyalty. You need to develop a strategy that will help you build your email list, engage them with relevant content, and of course, convert them into paying customers.

Collect Email Addresses

For restaurant email marketing, there are several methods restaurants can use to collect customer emails to build their email list:

• Signup Forms - Have signup forms at the register, host stand, or on your website. Offer an incentive like a discount, free item, or contest entry for signing up. Make it easy for guests to join.

• Contests - Hold contests and sweepstakes that require an email address to enter. These could be done onsite, on social media, or your website. Advertise the exciting prizes to encourage signups.

• Loyalty Programs - Launch a loyalty program that customers join with their email. They can earn points, get special offers, and receive rewards. Tie the program into your POS system if possible.

• Reservations - Request email addresses when booking tables online or over the phone. Add them to the mailing list. Train staff to also collect emails at the host stand.

• Receipts - Print an invitation to join the email list at the bottom of receipts. Offer a discount for signing up online.

• Website Popups - Use popups or slide-ins on your website to collect emails. Offer a coupon code or deal for joining.

• Wi-Fi Access - Require an email signup to access free Wi-Fi.

Collecting customer emails through various touchpoints will allow you to grow your list and keep guests engaged through targeted email campaigns. Offer clear incentives and make joining easy to maximize signups.

Segmentation

Restaurants can segment their email lists in various ways to send more targeted, relevant messaging to customers. Here are some segmentation strategies to consider:

• By customer type - Segment your list by new customers, regulars, VIPs, etc. Send welcome offers to new diners, and special perks or early access to events for regulars and VIPs.

• By order frequency - Group customers who visit daily, weekly, monthly, or rarely. Use this to determine promotional frequency and avoid over-messaging infrequent diners.

• By menu preferences - Segment by customers who tend to order breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, etc. Send emails showcasing relevant menu items.

• By dietary preferences - Create segments for gluten-free, vegetarian/vegan, or other dietary needs. Send options tailored to them.

• By location - Segment by neighborhood to showcase specials at certain locations.

• By special occasions - Group customers by birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and send custom offers.

• By demographics - Segment by age group, gender, family status, etc. to fine-tune messaging.

Proper list segmentation allows restaurants to deliver content matched to customer interests and behaviors. This helps increase engagement, clicks, and sales from email campaigns. Test different segments and continue optimizing over time.

When can you send emails to your customers?

 1. Coupons, discounts, and latest menu items

Restaurant email marketing is a great way to keep your customers up-to-date on the latest menu items, events, and specials. It's also a great way to generate new business by sending out discount codes, coupons, or invitations to special events.

2. Order Confirmations

After a customer places an order through your website, mobile app, or other digital platform, send an automatic confirmation email recapping their purchase. This serves multiple purposes:

• It acts as a receipt so customers have a record of what they bought. This is especially useful if the order is for takeout or delivery that the customer won't receive right away.

• It shows the customer their order was received and is being processed. This provides peace of mind.

• It gives you another chance to promote items the customer might have missed. You can include recommendations based on their purchase or current promotions.

• It helps with accuracy by allowing the customer to verify their order and contact you if anything is wrong. This prevents problems down the line.

• It enables customers to save your email as a contact, making it easier to reach you later.
  

The confirmation email should recap the items purchased, quantity, individual pricing, and total amount paid. Include estimated wait times or delivery times so customers know when to expect their orders.

If customers create accounts when ordering online, also give them the option to access their order history. This lets them view past confirmation emails all in one place.

Sending order confirmations provides excellent customer service while also giving you another channel for marketing and engagement.

 3. Customer Satisfaction

One of the best ways to boost customer satisfaction and build loyalty is by sending feedback surveys via email. These provide an easy way for diners to quickly share their experience after their meal. The survey should be short and simple, asking customers to rate their overall experience, food quality, service, restaurant ambiance, and likelihood to recommend. Provide an open response box for additional comments.

Make sure to carefully review the survey results, taking note of recurring complaints, service issues, or dish feedback. Use this insight to implement targeted improvements at your restaurant. Follow up on any particularly negative reviews by reaching out to the customer and addressing their concerns. A personalized response and corrective action go a long way in recovering customer satisfaction.

Sending timely email surveys allows you to monitor shifting customer sentiment and nip potential problems in the bud before they escalate or get posted online. The feedback loop also shows customers you value their input. This helps foster brand loyalty among patrons who feel heard.

At last, it is amazing to know that these days you can find restaurant marketing automation platforms that can help you with email marketing. They can provide you with restaurant email marketing templates that you can customize as per your needs and send engaging emails to your customers and potential customers.