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:
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!).
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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!).
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:
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.
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.
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.