With no set end-date in sight for Covid-19, it's important now more than ever for restaurants to figure out how to stay top-of-mind for their customers. And with so many consumers now at home and locked into their daily work-eat-sleep routine, it’s arguably harder now to obtain and maintain their attention. But alas, all is not lost! We’ve taken a look at a handful of restaurants and noticed some pretty impactful trends that are helping them during this time. Keep reading to find out what they are and if and how you want to implement.

1. Host Virtual Events

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many consumers have opted to cook more meals at home to minimize the risk and spread of coronavirus. You can use that to your advantage by meeting them where they are. By hosting virtual events such as wine tastings or cooking classes for free or at a cost to your consumers, you provide them a chance to stay familiar with all the wonderful offerings your business has all while adding value to their everyday lives. Take your cues from businesses like Sur La Table & New York’s famous Momofuku Milk Bar to figure out the best way to accommodate.

2. Share Your Recipes

Tying into number one a bit, back in the thick of the pandemic, The Cheesecake Factory got the bright idea to host a free online cooking class. Viewers learned how to make both a popular brunch and new dinner dish via the chain’s Chief Culinary Officer Donald Moore. The thing I want you to focus on here is that they shared a recipe to one of their most requested dishes. Did they fear someone else might take it and do it better? Who knows! 

But what they did know was that consumers are missing almost every little sense of normalcy during this time and that there was a way to bring a piece of it back. And it’s not just The Cheesecake Factory, other chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Chipotle, Olive Garden and more are tapping into this as well. But it’s not reserved for the big guys. If your restaurant is a favorite in your local community, your customer base would be more than enticed by this as well. The mediums to do this are about as varied as your most popular dishes and that makes this strategy all the more creative. Check out how these restaurants are making themselves available.

3. Ramp Up Your Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective, low-cost ways to stay in touch with your customers. It’s been said that for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you make an average $44 back in return. What a deal, right? Use this to your advantage and really ramp up your emails. Your customers gave you their contact for a reason, so use it! The possibilities of what to include in your email vary from business to business, but here are a handful of good ideas to include in order to implement promptly: newsletters, coupons and discounts, new menu items, recipes, gift card offers, special promotions, event calendar (virtual, of course), and so much more. The key to making these emails most effective is by adding value and a personal touch. Nobody likes useless junk or spam emails. You want them to see your email address and be excited at what’s to come. For more ideas, read this.

4. Enhance Your Loyalty Programs & Rewards

We touched on this a bit previously, but another way to keep your customers coming back for more is by enhancing your loyalty program. If you’re not familiar, a loyalty program offers those who opt-in special promotions, advantages, deals or a combination of all three. It’s usually free to sign-up, the only requirement usually being a customer's phone or email. The reason why this is a great strategy is because customers are already thinking twice about coming back to restaurants. And the only way most times to get them to make up their minds is to incentivize them. Free meals, discount days, BOGOs are just a few additions you can implement today. And if you need further inspiration, check out how these 12 loyalty programs are killing it with their customers.

5. Promote UGC

Consider this the freebie of all freebies when it comes to free marketing. UGC, commonly known as user-generated content is the easiest way to connect with your customer base while gaining more exposure. And the best part about it is, there’s virtually no cost to you. Your customers are doing the work for you. What makes this strategy stand out is the fact that UGC is oftentimes more authentic and less curated, thus invoking real reactions from real people. And by reposting it on your social pages, not only are you saying ‘thank you’ to your loyal base, you’re also letting people know you value their opinions.

Which strategy are you going to implement?