6 Tactics You can Use Right Now to Outsmart Your Restaurant Competition

In the current economy, competition in every type of market is fierce. People are clinging to the little bit of money they have, so it’s vital for every business whose goods are outside the necessities spectrum to better both their direct and indirect competition. For restaurants, you need to know your competition well and do everything in your power to outsmart them. The six tactics below are sure to give you the leg up indispensable to current and future success.

1. Welcome the Tourists

It doesn’t matter if your restaurant is in a small town miles from the nearest interstate or tucked snuggly into a big city’s high end district. Travelers will be interested in stopping and eating if you give them a reason to and the means to find you. Take the time to read travel guides such as AAA Travel Destination Guide, Michelin Guide, Fodor’s Restaurant Guide. Get in touch with the publishers and request being listed or for them to review your establishment. Offer up lots of information if they do, give them pictures and touch on why your place is unique.

2. Be a Super Unsubtle Spy

Don’t be afraid to get to know your competitors. Eat there and see where they are lacking, and be sure that you fill in those gaps in your own service. Or if you don’t want to spend the money, loiter as stealthily as possible near their entrance, asking their recent diners questions about their experience. Getting this sort of intel can help you bring you’re a game up a notch or two more. Invite their customers to try your place, and offer a small incentive for their opinion when they do.

3. Sweet Talk a Mutual Supplier

If you can approach your competition’s customers who have no loyalty to you then you shouldn’t have any problem approaching a mutual supplier. After all, you are their client. Ask them about what grades, qualities, or quantities your opponents are using. Even ask them about marketing or promotions… they may or may not know, but its worth an ask! Use the information you get to compare your own products, marketing and processes. Consider chatting with the supplier to get a great deal if you need to do some upgrading to contend.

4. Curbing to Families

Unless you are a bar, this tactic is vital. Any restaurant whose clients may have children need to curb exceptionally to them. An average of 56% of diners are families. As a parent, I can tell you that deciding where to eat out with my children takes many things into consideration before deciding. How crowded or spacious a place is, the noise level, the availability of something to entertain my girls, and how friendly and kind service is to my little ones are the things I think about before spending my hard earned money. It’s about the experience and how uncomplicated it is. Your restaurant can cash in on this if you make your eatery even more family and user friendly than your contenders.

5. Make it healthier

More and more, consumers want to be aware of what they are consuming, its origins, and whether or not it is good for their body. If you can sacrifice saturated fats, artificial coloring, or processed and pre-prepped foods without sacrificing taste, you can outweigh the competition in your shared community’s mind. Revamp that menu and tell everyone who’d be health conscience. Contact local weight loss and physical rec clubs and establishments. Put up fliers, inform trainers and coaches, and offer to cater a party or give out offers for their members. Soon you’ll be hurdles beyond your competitors.

6. Run a Promotion

This tactic may be the biggest home run yet. Promotions can be done for a numbers of reasons – you have new store hours, there’s a new product for the Spring coming out, you have a lot of one item and you want to run a special. Promotions are sure fire ways of outsmarting your competition because it is unique to YOU. Air Ad Promotions can help you create the perfect promotion to outsmart and outmaneuver even your friendliest rivalry. It’ll make your restaurant stand out and maybe even make your competitors jealous!

Your restaurant deserves to be valued and enjoyed. But you can’t do that without knowing the competition and doing everything in your power to be better. Have you used any of these tactics in your eatery? If you do so after reading, please tell us how it goes in the comments below or contact us through our website form.