6 effective restaurant promotions that work
to attract a new & returning audience

Did you know that more than 70% of customers are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers personalized promotions?

If you’re looking for easy and practical ways to attract more customers to your restaurant, keep on reading. We’ve prepared a list of effective restaurant promotions you can start implementing today.

What is restaurant promotion and why do customers love promos?

Restaurant promotion is made up of any strategy that helps you market your restaurant to a wider audience, from special offers to social media marketing.

Promotions are particularly effective because they give customers the opportunity to enjoy the same quality food for less money.

In fact, according to the latest restaurant consumer trends, 60% of restaurant customers say they use promotional offers in restaurants. After all, who wouldn’t want a good promo?

New customers will be drawn to your restaurant because of them, while regulars will see them as your way of thanking them for their patronage.

Whether it’s free delivery on a first order or a 20% discount on their fifth order, good restaurant promotions will boost customer loyalty and encourage repeat orders.

6 effective restaurant promotions that work

1. Discounts

You may wonder: how will selling my food for less help me make more money? And you’re not the only one. It’s true that offering large discounts consistently will eventually eat into your profit margins.

However, if you mix and match your restaurant food promotions to include more than just discounts, and you make the discounts apply to larger orders only, you will be fine.

Let customers know when they come close to benefitting from a discount to motivate them to add something extra to their cart. More often than not, this will make the check larger than they initially planned.

Bonus tip: You can use this promotion, as well as all the other promotions on this list (besides free delivery) for dine-in orders as well. All you need to do is set up a QR code menu for dine-in ordering. Here’s how.

2. Free delivery

Free delivery is a simple, straightforward promotion that can entice new and old customers alike to place an order knowing they won’t have to pay for delivery, especially considering the high delivery fees that delivery apps normally charge.

If you want to use free delivery as a way to convince users to place their first order, you can mark the promotion as for new clients only.

3. Buy one, get one free

Or buy two, get the third one free. One of the most effective restaurant promotions for two people to enjoy the same dish at the price of one.

Whether it’s date night or two friends catching up, the promise of a second free meal will surely get them to click the order button.

This type of promotion goes well with food items that can be offered together at a low cost, like pizza or pasta dishes.

4. Incentivize payment method

Are you looking for creative ways to convince customers to pay for their food online? One option would be to reward that payment method with a small discount.

You never know when even the smallest discount can sway someone and convince them to pay with a credit card online instead of cash. After all, it’s no extra effort on their part, and they get to enjoy their favorite food for less money.

5. Freebies

Getting an item for free, whether it’s a drink, appetizer, or dessert, is always a treat. Freebies are perfect for big orders when you can afford to offer something on the house, or for special events and holidays such as offering a free chocolate cookie on National Chocolate Day.

It’s a good idea to make these freebies limited-time, not just because otherwise, you will lose too much money, but also because 64% of consumers buy limited-time offers when they might not have otherwise bought anything.

So, if you make it clear to customers that they can only benefit from this offer for a short period, they’re more likely to order before the time runs out.

6. Meal bundles and combos

Combos typically go hand in hand with the fast-food concept. However, more and more restaurants have started to adopt this type of promotion, especially for creating lunch menus.

35% of fast-food chain customers are more likely to buy a combo than a single burger. With that in mind, give them the option to build their own combo menu.

The most appreciated combos are those where you allow your clients to pick the items for themselves. Like “any soup/appetizer, plus any main dish, plus any dessert.” If you need to pre-define your combos, build them based on your most popular dishes.

But meal bundles go beyond simple combos. Think of family bundles, menus for two, beer plus hot wings night, and so on.

Whatever bundles you think will bring value to your customers, test them and see if they work. Besides the obvious advantages for you and your clients, bundles can be a good opportunity to entice customers to try something new from the menu.

How to set up creative restaurant promotions in minutes using GloriaFood

If you enjoyed these effective restaurant promotions and you think they’ll do well at your restaurant, we have good news. You can set any of them up in just a few clicks using the GloriaFood restaurant promotions engine.

Take a look at the video tutorial below to learn how to attract more customers to your restaurant with promos:

Attract customers with restaurant promotion ideas

Make promos, discounts, and special offers part of your restaurant marketing strategy and customers will come back to your eatery again and again. Use our promo engine to set up effective restaurant promotions like:

• Discounts on cart, selected items, or combo deals
• Buy one/two, get one free
• Free delivery
• Payment method discount
• Free item
• Meal bundle
• …and more

Get started below!