If you run a business within the hospitality sector, then you will know how competitive it is. With more cafés and restaurants opening each week, keeping ahead of the pack is a real challenge. Even if you are doing well currently, you will always be looking at how to grow your business with more customers. This is the real secret to success within the hospitality sector – making sure that you are always doing what you can to attract more people into your establishment.
The customer is king
Whether you run a local café or high-end restaurant, getting the right amount of customers through the door is key. Doing this will naturally ensure that you make the money you need to not only pay staff but also grow as an organization. On the flip side, not taking steps to attract more and more customers will see you stagnate or be overtaken by other catering premises in your area.
Top ways to attract more customers
If you run a small business in the hospitality industry, then the below will give you some great ideas on how to connect with the public:
- Think like a customer – very often, the best thing to do is pretend to be a customer yourself and pay a visit to your café or restaurant. Focus on how the whole experience feels, right from the minute you walk up to your premises to the minute you leave. Does it make you want to eat there and come back another day? Does it give the correct atmosphere you are going for? By thinking like a customer in this way, you will soon see what needs fixing.
- Use a wood-framed chalkboard – a great tip is to use a chalkboard to advertise your services to the public. Chalkboards can be used indoors to help give character to your premises along with relevant information to diners. They can also be used outside to attract people passing by who would otherwise not know what you do or what you have to offer.
- Jazz up your façade – most small businesses in the hospitality sector rely greatly on the front of their premises to attract customers. Have a good look at yours and revamp any tired or faded bits. Consider also if the front is cluttered with too much information or if there is actually not enough. It should also be inviting and make new customers want to come in and visit you.
- Give great value for money – a very powerful way to attract more business is to offer superb value with your food and drink. This doesn’t mean that you should sell everything cheaply, but you should give good value for what customers get while still making a profit on it. When people get great value for what they spend, word soon spreads and brings more people in.
- Offer the best service possible – when it comes to operating a small business in the hospitality sector, service is a major concern. All your staff should be well-trained, fully aware of their job and professional at all times. They should provide a welcoming face when customers arrive and make them feel at home. If you offer this kind of service, then attracting new customers will not be an issue.
- Put on special events – to get new customers to try out what you offer, a special one-off event can be useful. It gives a more inviting and inclusive way for people to engage with you and find out what you are all about. Of course, the theory is that they have such a good time at the event that they come back again as regular customers. If you run a café, for example, then you could open up one night and offer homemade cake or pastries with a local band playing.
More customers equals small business success
There is no doubt that running a small business in the hospitality sector can be tough. With so much competition, you really need to do all you can to make sure that a steady stream of new customers chooses you. The above tips are a great way to do just that and will certainly give you a helping hand in marketing your business or providing a service that will attract more people in. Just remember what the core function of your small business is, and try to do all that you can to offer this to the public.
