Holiday Greetings (and other ways to boost restaurant sales)

I've said it before, and folks like Jeffrey don't like it a lot but the numbers prove him wrong, that putting butts in seats, regardless of how you do it, has long term value. Spike trial, show 'em how good you are, treat them right, invite them back - get them more often.

You can't have frequent customers until you have customers. Many a post has been written about why this is and why it's not crack, and you can continue the discussion at our local store marketing forum, but for now let's just figure trial / frequency pairs that modify behavior and boost sales. Now might be the only time for a while that people loosen their purse strings. Time to grab a little share.

- Free catering for 5 people. It's a sampling of your service at a time when businesses are ordering catering for larger groups. It's pretty common to hear "How much if we have 20 people?"

The result is a 25% discount to someone who wasn't already a customer, but now will be long term. You can't take percentages to the bank.

- Free app to groups of 4 or more (increase party size). No restrictions on this - only struggling businesses and tight-wads put parameters on this kind of hospitality.

- Black Friday = Triple Punch Day. Frequency punch cards are crack if used incorrectly, but GOLD if you do it right. This does it right - don't let people eat somewhere else on the day they are most likely to blow their budgets!

- Every customer for 3 days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday after T'giving) gets a bounce-back coupon: BOGO with a 7 day expiration. If they're in your place twice within 7 days this time of year, more power to them.

- FREE dessert tray with every catering order. You've heard of loss leaders? You make it back. I promise.

- Gift Cards - you can sell $20 worth to someone (a stretch for some fast casual places) OR you can sell 10 - $5 cards to someone who has a lot of people to buy for (people for whom they'd rather not buy)

Think like a customer, not like an owner / manager.