3 Ways Restaurants Can Generate Revenue In Today’s Market (Easy Ways)

This period has been quite challenging for most of us and particularly for people running local businesses that rely on foot traffic. With all the restrictions on in-house dining, restaurant owners have to get creative and think of unique ways to generate revenue in today’s market.

This is the time to engage your customers online and to ensure that you boost awareness around your delivery and take out offers. Whatever approach you are going to take, you need to ensure that you keep your business going strong during this weird time that we’re in. Here are three tips that I believe could help your restaurant generate revenue during this crazy time.

Create classes and teach people what to do 

Share your recipes for your favorite menu items on social media, people will appreciate it since most families have to prepare their meals and they’re looking for ideas on what to make.

Restaurants have taken very interesting approaches to this. One particular restaurant promotes and distributes meal kits throughout the week and then offers online classes via Instagram live on how to use these kits at the end of the week.

This way, they keep in touch with their customers, sell their meal kits, and generate engagement with their customers. Not to mention these restaurants are making money during this period, therefore they can take care of their bills and other requirements.

Another popular chef I know plays dress up and teaches kids how to make pizza on zoom, he dresses as the Darth Vader. Think outside the box, get creative, and try new ways to keep your customers engaged. Engaging kids like that will have them running to your restaurant once they are allowed to dine in restaurants again.

Ghost kitchens

Right now several countries and cities have prohibited in-store dining because of the COVID-19 outbreak. This has put new pressure on restaurants to focus on delivery, take-out and of course, restaurants have to master their online operations.

Restaurants can use the SEO of popular food sites (third-party platforms) to get discovered. You don’t even have to change your menu; you will sell what you already offer. One restaurant I know creates a NEW restaurant inside his existing restaurant (I know sounds confusing. Watch this video for a deeper explanation) Once people have ordered from you through the popular site, ensure that they are aware that you offer these particular salads and other items to keep them coming back. 

Through this, restaurants can operate several locations inside their existing brick-and-mortar location. It is a great way to keep making some revenue during these times of uncertainty. 

Set up a convenient market for people to buy things from you 

I have seen a restaurant implementing “markets” to sell items from the restaurant on a simple online flier. It is not complicated at all, just sell them the same way you would with your prepared take-out. The Ledger restaurant created “Ledger Basket” and creates a weekly flier with the items they have available for sale.

Play smart and combine the materials with tutorial videos to enable your customers to recreate the dish to enable them to have a fantastic meal experience from the comfort of their homes.

Doing this,  you’ll be able to generate some income even if you can’t have guests in your restaurant and when this is over, they will come flowing into your restaurant. 

Conclusion

These are crazy times that we have no choice but to endure. As a restaurant owner, you have to play smart to ensure that your restaurant keeps going strong even in the face of the pandemic. I believe that the above tips are going to do you a lot of good for your restaurant.