The restaurant, café, and bar industries are extremely competitive.
With numerous options available, it is essential to find a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd. You may think that implementing a new marketing strategy will be a costly operation, but it doesn’t have to be. The important thing here is finding something that works for your business; this can be as simple as a few changes and tactics utilised efficiently to increase your covers.
What Are Restaurant Covers?
In the hospitality industry, the term “covers” refers to the number of customers a restaurant serves during a specific period. Unlike general foot traffic or reservations, covers provide a more precise measure of how many meals a restaurant serves. Each “cover” represents a single customer who occupies a seat and orders food.
For example, if a table of 4 has 2 sittings, it represents 8 covers.
This seemingly simple metric is an essential component for restaurant managers and owners to understand, as it directly impacts various aspects of restaurant operations, from staffing and inventory to revenue and profitability.
Why Track Restaurant Covers?
By keeping track of covers, restaurants can gauge the demand for their services, optimise seating arrangements, and enhance customer experiences. Whether it’s a bustling urban bistro or a serene countryside café, understanding the flow of covers helps in planning and executing daily operations smoothly. Moreover, it assists in anticipating busy periods, thus enabling better resource allocation.
Covers also serve as a foundational metric for analysing the efficiency of a restaurant. For instance, the number of covers can be used to calculate other key performance indicators (KPIs) such as average spend per cover, table turnover rate, and revenue per seat hour. These insights allow management to make data-driven decisions that can improve service quality, optimize menu pricing, and ultimately, boost profitability. Thus, covers are much more than just a count of diners; they are a lens through which the entire operational efficiency of a restaurant can be viewed.
Market Trends
Paymentsense’s ‘Restaurant Insights 2020’ survey did a deep dive into what diners really want from their eating-out experiences. Their main overall finding was that consumers want their dining experience to be quick and straightforward. 59% of consumers said that waiting for food was the biggest frustration, and 1 in 5 consumers said waiting to pay the bill is the thing that irritates them most. You don’t want these things to become synonymous with your restaurant.
On the other hand, technology is key to attracting customers and improving their experience. 40% of consumers have their attention grabbed by a restaurant with an up-to-date website or from online reviews, 91% want multiple booking options offered when reserving a table, and 29% just want the card machine brought over with the bill to speed things up.
Factors Influencing Cover Count
Location
Several factors can influence the number of covers a restaurant can expect on any given day. One of the most significant factors is location. Restaurants situated in high-traffic areas, such as busy city centres or popular tourist destinations are likely to experience higher cover counts compared to those in less accessible or less frequented locations.
Seasonality
Seasonality also plays a crucial role in cover counts. During certain times of the year, such as holidays, festivals, or tourist seasons, restaurants may see a surge in covers. Conversely, off-peak seasons may result in a decline. Understanding these seasonal trends allows restaurants to plan and prepare accordingly. For example, they can adjust the menu to include seasonal dishes, plan special promotions to attract customers during slower periods, and ensure they have adequate staff during peak times.
Marketing
Marketing and promotional activities are other significant influencers of cover count. Effective marketing strategies, such as social media campaigns, email newsletters, and special events, can attract new customers and encourage repeat visits. Promotions such as happy hours, special discounts, and loyalty programs can also boost cover counts by providing incentives for customers to dine at the restaurant. By continually engaging with their target audience and offering value-added experiences, restaurants can maintain a steady flow of covers and build a loyal customer base.
Strategies to Increase Restaurant Covers
Improve Your Online Presence & Marketing
Increasing the number of covers is a primary goal for many restaurant managers and owners as it directly impacts revenue and profitability. One effective strategy to achieve this is through targeted marketing efforts.
Word of mouth advertising is always nice, but there comes a time when you need something more. It’s time to check if your website is up to date, or to reach out to a marketing agency that can help you build one. Consider creating social media profiles to have a more hands-on relationship with your customers or investing some time in improving your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Having an active online presence can help potential customers find you more easily, allow you to share upcoming promotions, and get more people to see your menus and what you offer. Additionally, you can utilise these online methods to gain covers through online booking systems, such as OpenTable, which can be linked to your website and social accounts; you no longer have to sit and wait for the phone to ring.
On top of this, putting an email marketing plan in place can work well for your business. Encourage people to sign up to your mailing list to be the first to hear about new dishes, special events, and gain exclusive offers to keep those covers high.
Optimise Dining Experience
Another strategy is to optimise the dining experience to encourage repeat visits. This involves ensuring the restaurant offers high-quality food, excellent service, and a pleasant ambience. Training staff to provide exceptional customer service, maintaining a clean and inviting environment, and consistently delivering delicious meals can create a positive dining experience that customers want to repeat. Additionally, implementing a loyalty program can incentivises repeat visits by offering rewards or discounts to frequent diners.
Events
Offering special promotions and events is another effective way to increase covers. Hosting themed nights, live music events, or seasonal festivities can attract a diverse crowd and create buzz around the restaurant. Special promotions, such as happy hours, unique menus, or family meal deals can encourage more people to dine out. By continuously innovating and offering unique dining experiences, restaurants can keep their customer base engaged and attract new patrons, thereby increasing the number of covers.
Keep Menus Fresh & Exciting
Whilst some customers may come time and time again for the same favourite dish, others will come wanting something new and fresh to the menu. Embrace both sides of the coin by creating seasonal menus, chef specials for a limited time, popular flavours for certain months, whilst still retaining some menu staples that you’ll be known for. You can use your social media to promote these new additions, seasonal changes, or limited-time chef specials to encourage customers to book while it’s available.
Brand Loyalty
You’ve grabbed their attention now; how do you get them to keep coming back?
Brand loyalty should be your top priority when aiming to build a successful restaurant business, you cannot rely on constant new customers. You need to change those first-time visits to second-time, third-time, fourth-time, and beyond.
Have incentives to keep using your service, such as a loyalty program offering a special deal after a certain number of visits, or simply consistent, dependable, top-quality service. Customers will keep coming back if they feel they’re getting “something more” out of it.
Secondly, you want to make your restaurant memorable. Don’t be “the place we ate at on holiday”, be “the amazing Italian restaurant we visited in the old part of the city with the carbonara to die for and a wine list longer than my arm”. Be a memorable part of your consumers and keep your name and niche on their minds so they consistently return or recommend to other people. Word of mouth is still good free advertising.
On top of this, having consistent brand imagery, tone, and style will help you remain in your customers’ minds long after their first visit. A restaurant going through a constant identity crisis is not memorable.
Special Offers
The restaurant/café/bar industry is a great one when it comes to special offer marketing campaigns. You might be a bar offering a happy hour discount or a two-for-one cocktail offer. You might be a restaurant that offers Thursday steak nights, where all steaks are slightly cheaper. You might be a café that offers a free coffee with all meals from the breakfast menu. The possibilities are endless.
Work with your marketing agency or department to do some research on what your competitors are offering and what you can offer to get more customers for your business.
These special offers will be especially important during your restaurant’s quieter periods. Use these offers to encourage diners to eat at different periods than they usually would (lunch time instead of always dinner) and to persuade those who haven’t visited before that they’re getting a great deal for themselves.
Private Dining, Event, & Catering Packages
Having a private dining space or an event space in your restaurant can be a great added bonus to customers. This allows you to cater for birthday parties, business events, and more. On average, customers are willing to pay more for special occasions and events for food and beverages. During a recent study by Tripleseat, they found that venues offering private dining and event spaces get 30% of their revenue from that business.
Are You a Restaurant Looking for Help with Your Marketing Strategy?
Dash Agency are here to help. From working with restaurants, cafés, and immersive dining experiences such as Lunar, Alberts Café, The Murdér Express, and Umami, Dash has a range of valuable experiences to cater to what your business needs. From billboards, emails, and flyers, to managing socials, Dash can help your restaurant increase the number of covers booked and raise your awareness of your brand.