You and I know there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different loyalty programs ranging from punch cards to complex point programs. But you want to rack up revenue and not rack your brain on figuring out how to make them work or whats best for your restaurant. The goal of a Bounce Back offer is to invite customers from your busy periods to return during your slower times creating a more even revenue stream and increasing bottom line profits…
The Restaurant Customer Bounceback Model
Starbucks has used this strategy effectively to push afternoon and evening sales for years. You get a coffee in the morning and printed on your receipt is an offer to return the same day and get $1 off your next purchase.
There are only three ways to increase revenue for your restaurant.
- New Customers
- Current Customers spending more money per visit
- Current Customers Returning more often
A well-executed Bounce Back offer can achieve 2 of the three while creating good will with your best customers.
Restaurants that are busiest during lunch can offer a free appetizer for dinner within the next seven days. For those who peak during dinner hours, offer a free cup of coffee during breakfast to diners who stop by for an earlier meal within a week.
If weekdays are typically busy, then offer a weekend special. Or if your Saturday and Sunday meals are the hottest times, then choose another day to offer a free item.
It’s Easy to put this Restaurant Marketing Concept to Work
1. Create a free offer with no strings attached.
FREE offers get the most activity. Some customers will only take the free item, but don’t worry. There will be enough increase in returns to offset the small chance of that happening. My testing has proven that offering a free dessert at dinner time will get around 3 times more redemptions than offering a price or percentage discount and only about 1 in 20 will come in just for the free dessert.
2. Create expiration dates.
This gives customers a sense of urgency to return and protects you from having to redeem one of these offers a year from now. Print the offer on the receipt which can easily be setup in most POS systems. For more impact, you can create a card with pictures and promotional language on it. Then stamp the card with a date stamp when handed to the customer or require the original receipt to be with the card to receive the discount.
3. Point out the offer to the customer.
Train the staff to say, “Thank you, Ms. Jones. Here’s your receipt. You’ll notice we’ve included a reward for you. If you come back within a week during for dinner, you can get a free _________.” Of course, you fill in the blank.
I hope you can see how one easy-to-implement offer can bring in a bunch of customers!
Next Steps…
Get more tips for attracting a flood of customers into your restaurant and discover ways to be more profitable and achieve goals like increasing sales by 13.9 percent in ONE WEEK by clicking here!
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