How a Restaurant Doubled Its Online Business in Two Months

Posted by Tim on January 20, 2015
Recent articles about a Florida-based restaurant chain focused on how they doubled their online ordering in their restaurant in two months, from 2 to 3 percent of their volume to more than 5 percent.  Some of what they did was just good sense.  Other things were a bit more innovative.

Here are three that worked well:

  • Revamped their website.  Their new website was easier to navigate and, more importantly, the button for online ordering was moved right up to the front where visitors could find it quickly.
  • Updated Directory Listings.  Each store did a painstaking search of all the directories they were listed in, correcting erroneous info and making updates.  Google algorithms like correct, consistent information. Click-through rates skyrocketed after that information was corrected.
  • Wooed Influential People.  Food bloggers and Yelp Elite members were invited for special events and private tastings.  This resulted in a lot of buzz on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and blogs.  Some locations jumped as many as two stars in their Yelp rating.  A half-star increase in your Yelp rating can result in a 19% increase in business, according to a 2012 report by Economic Journal.  That’s worth the investment. 

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The New Buzzword

The New Buzzword

Posted by Tim on August 16, 2013

"Micro-relationship" is the bond you form with a tourist in your area visiting a local attraction. Tourism spending at restaurants in the U.S. is at an all-time high, according to the National Restaurant Association. Fifteen percent of sales at quick serves come from tourist wallets. Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants account for 34 percent of the total tourism and travel restaurant spending in 2012.

First and foremost, do what you need to do in order to show up on mobile search. Enroll in all the directories, boost your SEO budget, and keep the social media at a high level. These temporary visitors are using their smartphone to find a restaurant. You want to be at the top.

Visit the concierge staff at local hotels. Drop off a stack of flyers and menus and make sure they know you offer online ordering for either pickup or delivery

The advantage of these micro-relationships is that once someone finds your restaurant, they seek you out on their smartphone again and again during their stay as a matter of convenience. They are not familiar with the area, so they do what it easy. Not only that, but when they tell others of their destination vacation, they will often mention "that great restaurant down the street from the hotel that took online orders and delivered to our room."

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