Restaurant Marketing Ideas for Summer

Summertime is a great time for some restaurants (seasonal businesses, good locations), but can be frustrating for those who count on schools and families for their marketing ideas. Where do you market when kids are out of school? How do you find families who are still in town? How do you get in with other seasonal businesses to cross-promote?

Families are still around, but they've changed their schedules and routines. Plus, they now get information in different ways. Instead of learning of you through a school newsletter, they now get emails from parent's groups, sports leagues, and summer camps.

Some marketing ideas can be found at this link (and we hope you'll add your own), but here we discuss the theory behind it.

The activities families are involved in are like media. Instead of a DJ, a school has a principal. Instead of a TV star pushing your product, you have church leaders who give you positive word of mouth. Local store marketing is like PR, but in smaller, more local groups.

Families change their "media" throughout the year, and summer is the most obvious. Instead of hearing of new things through the PTA, they now hear about them poolside, or at day-camp drop off. Many businesses need to change their marketing tactics to adapt.

Know, too, that buying decisions change during the summer. During the school year, when kids are involved in organized activities, getting take-out before soccer practice is a balance between convenience and "a lighter meal". Kids are still active in the summer, but often with play dates and camps instead of organized activities. Now the buying decision might be more like a family picnic, or include friends of children. How much food can I get for the dollars spent might be a better message in the summer.

For some, summer means a quiet period ("everyone's on vacation"). For others, it's a chance to find new audiences (been to the library lately?) or promote other menu items. For the smart local store marketer, it's a chance to get reacquainted with your community.