7 ways to get more people in your restaurant in 2025

Feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle to pack your dining room every day? You’re already fighting with literal fire under the salamander some days. You don’t need any more fights around here, right? Right.

Yes, online ordering is here to stay. Yes, guests have lots of options. Yes, talk of inflation rings in our ears. But there are so many reasons to dine in these days—and your restaurant is one of them. 

So how do we tackle the restaurant traffic crisis head-on? How do we pack the house all year round?

First and foremost, by focusing on the best-possible customer service. Knowing regulars by name (Hey, Kalvin!). Remembering their favorite dishes (hot honey wings for Kalvin!). Personalizing recommendations for each ticket (double hot honey wings for Kalvin’s birthday!).

But beyond these core strategies—things you’ve seen create valuable connection and enthusiasm with your guests—there are lots of other techniques you can implement. So if you’re asking yourself, “How do I get more traffic in my restaurant?”, here are some time-tested tips for boosting restaurant traffic in 2025:

1. Maximize (or launch) your loyalty program

First, some stats. According to the “2024 State of the Restaurant Industry” report from the National Restaurant Association, a whopping 80% of people said they would join a restaurant loyalty program if it were an option.* The same report found that nearly 100% of existing loyalty program members feel like they get “more bang for their buck” by participating in the program—and that the average order value for loyalty program members is about 10% higher compared to non-members.

So loyalty programs really do move the needle when they’re done right. And they can look like anything from a super-fancy custom app to a POS-synced tool like Toast or Square to a basic 10-visit punch card (11th visit = free beverage!). 

The big-picture goal: To help guests feel a sense of value and progress with their loyalty, using tiered rewards and beloved menu items to encourage participation and keep patrons coming back (Kalvin needs his wings, people!).

2. Add email marketing and SMS (texting)

Once you start to build momentum with your loyalty program, make sure you’re tapping into the best marketing strategies for your customers. Meet them where they are—with short and sweet email updates or SMS messages. Typically, these types of features are available with your loyalty program platform, so it’s less daunting than it might seem.

Does texting give you cringe vibes? It doesn’t have to. Think about what you’d look for with your own dining-out experiences. Share relevant specials, new menu items or exclusive promotions—when you do this, you give customers fresh reasons to visit. Just make sure you customize your messages to be brief, engaging and relevant, like this:

Hey Kalvin - It’s Wing Wednesday!

Swing by to enjoy your favorite Hot Honey Wings, half-price for happy hour until 6pm. This offer is valid on Wednesdays only. Show this text to claim. Reply ‘STOP’ to unsubscribe.
See you soon!

- Laren @ Bowinger’s Pub

✨ Pro Tip: Try adding timely updates or weather-specific messages, like campaigns that invite people to swing by on a rainy night or surprise them during a busy workday with an exciting new lunch offering.

3. Explore local partner promos & collabs

Next, we’re takin' it to the streets. (Takin' it to the streets.) We all know how much location matters when it comes to restaurant traffic. But this is about more than good parking or the sunny side of the street. When you take the time to get to know what your customers are doing before and after visiting your restaurant, you can make major moves to get more traffic through your doors.

• Are they coming from the gym down the street?
• Are they grabbing happy hour with friends before heading back to their apartment building a few minutes away?
• Are they walking their new baby around in circles until they fall asleep while having eyes-open dreams about coffee?

Chat with your customers about what they love to do in the area and how they spend their days. Or consider taking yourself on a walk or a drive around the immediate area. Basically, you want to get to know who else is movin’ and groovin’ nearby. Then, explore ways to collaborate and incentivize those business owners with unique offers or local partnerships.

✨ Pro Tip: For nearby fitness businesses, consider a healthy snack promo with a lunch purchase. For local apartment buildings, a family meal offer for couples or young families. And for those new parents, maybe a free coffee refill when they bring their own mug (also, maybe a hug).

4. Mix up your menu with seasonal specials & LTOs

Your whole menu doesn’t need to change every week, or even every season, for you to get the benefits of seasonal variety and exciting specials. Instead, keep it simple. One rotating entrée special or an unexpected appetizer can go a long way toward weekly variety. Whenever possible, fold in seasonal flavors and ingredients that customers are craving during that particular time of year.

To spice things up even more, consider fun and eye-catching limited-time offers (LTOs) that highlight the best of the season—things like curated happy hours or cozy add-ons like colorful veggie sides or soups.

And yes, you can keep an eye on food costs while you’re at it. With MarginEdge’s Recipes feature, you’ll be able to monitor what’s costing you and where margins are a little more flexible, so you can create appealing specials while keeping food costs in check. Learn more about MarginEdge menu analysis & recipes.

5. Infuse photo-ready moments & welcoming decor 

You don’t need a full redesign or big spend to create a stay-awhile atmosphere. Start with the front entrance—are there simple décor updates you can make to be sure your front door and entryway are as welcoming and warm as Abuela’s house? Beyond the entrance, dried flowers and comfy pillows are a few low-cost ways to add ambiance. And for outdoor dining, don’t forget blankets for winter and umbrellas for the warmer months.

From there, check to make sure your food is as photo-ready as it is delicious. We’re all glued to our phones these days—but we can use that to our advantage. Focus on attractive plating, beautiful dishware and dishes that are particularly video-worthy, like interactive desserts or shareable apps.

And of course, if there are natural moments to invite photos of the restaurant itself, even better. Adding creative décor or unexpected moments to outdoor spaces or even restrooms are fun ways to invite guests to stay a little longer or share their dine-in experience.

6. Maximize online order & delivery returns

Online orders account for more and more of the average restaurant’s revenue. Yes, it’s ideal to welcome guests to the table inside your restaurant. But if they choose to order ahead or get delivery, that doesn’t mean they don’t love you. And it also doesn’t mean they won’t come in and stay awhile next time.

In fact, research from Deloitte’s “The Restaurant of the Future" report shows that about 60-70% of diners mix and match their experience between dine-in and takeout, depending on the occasion. So there’s lots of potential to create a great takeout experience that turns into a future dine-in one. 

✨ Pro Tip: To convert online orders more consistently, consider adding clever leave-behind cards or flyers with custom offers for takeout diners. Or, use the email signups that come out of takeaway orders to reach delivery guests and invite them to dine in the next time they visit.

7. Explore geolocation marketing to target nearby diners

This one’s more of a pro move—and it’s something we suggest testing to see if it’s right for you and your operations. You can use geolocation ads and push notifications with tools like Google, Yelp, mapping apps or social platforms to attract potential diners who happen to be nearby. And it’s like we said with the texting tip: This doesn’t need to be cringe-y. 

Basically, you can zero in on a specific area around your restaurant and set up advertising that only customers inside that area can see. By advertising on platforms they’re already using anyway, you reach them when they’re in the right spot and have the right mindset to choose your restaurant. To learn more about this technique, usually called geofencing or location-based marketing, dig into this explainer from GloriaFood by Oracle. 

✨ Pro Tip: Try a “free hot drink with purchase” promo that’s only available on colder-weather days or test “mid-afternoon pick-me-up” messaging to invite busy working professionals to swing by in between meetings on weekday afternoons (Kalvin loves wings at 2 pm!).

Bonus: seasonal tips and tricks

The tips we’ve shared so far are great year-round go-tos. But let’s circle back to cozy szn specifically. Yes, the colder months can be a tricky time for foot traffic. But with a few strategic tests, you can use this time of year to your advantage. Here’s where we’re focusing: 

Seasonal experiences & recurring community events

There’s always time to launch weekly or monthly community events, like book clubs, trivia nights or pet-friendly happy hours. Take advantage of low-traffic dayparts and tailor your events or programming to appeal to customers during colder months.

Warm-up promos

Consider hot-beverage add-ons, cozy mocktails or soulful desserts that feel like a warm hug. These simple additions can go a long way to create an inviting atmosphere and boost average order value.

Catch our October 2024 edition of The Board to learn why mocktails might be a great addition to your bev program.

Holiday packages for groups

Start promoting—and booking— your large-group parties. Holiday dinners, year-end parties and family-in-town moments are all great opportunities to invite your regulars to come in and take advantage of their favorite spot for larger group sizes. Consider fun add-ons or group-specific menu items to sweeten the deal.

Dine-in for the win

We’ve all had days when it feels like you’re hustling harder than ever to bring guests through your doors. They’re usually the same days when none of your orders are on time and the salamander’s broken. With these tips for boosting restaurant traffic, you’ll be clearing up the slowdown in no time. 

The best part: all of these strategies are actually sustainable, as long as you don’t bite off more than you can chew. Instead, focus on the ones that feel best to you—the ones you can commit to. And try doing them every single week. Test. Learn. Adjust. Keep going.

We’re rooting for you—and we’ll see you around the table sometime soon.