So you want to market your restaurant. And you're looking for an agency.

Well, here's the reality. Most marketing agencies don't have intimate knowledge of the restaurant business.

But at Kingsmen, we're a little different. Most of our clients are in hospitality, and most of these clients are in the restaurant business.

That means we've spent the past eight years honing what works and discarding what doesn't.

Looking for real results? Here's what you need to know.

Set up a reservations platform

Are you managing reservations manually?

It's time to consider integrating with a dedicated Customer Relationship Manager portal like SevenRooms.

We use SevenRooms to help clients cut operational pressures so that they can focus on the food and the customer experience.

With SevenRooms, we help restaurants:

  • Automate reservations
  • Create guest profiles
  • Track customer preferences and dining history
  • Optimize table turnover
  • Identify citywide trends in guest behavior
  • Track sales in real-time
  • Send follow-up email campaigns
  • Generate actionable insights

The idea is to take the guesswork out of business. Armed with the data, we're there to push customers through the door throughout the week.

Don't only rely on the weekend

In our experience, successful restaurants are busy throughout the week. We talk to stakeholders about devising:

  • Themed nights
  • Specials
  • Partnerships with clubs/bars
  • Live DJs/singers

Staying relevant is everything. Even if you're successful in the here and now, resting on your laurels will be a disaster six months down the line. This is especially true in big cities like Dubai, London and New York, where the hospitality industry is competitive and new venues are opening all the time.

Leverage repeat customers

One way to keep foot traffic high is to target existing customers.

With SevenRooms, we're able to build a profile of who these people are, and then work with you to entice them back regularly.

If you're not retargeting customers, you're missing out.

We also use pixels/cookies across Google, Facebook and Instagram to show your restaurant to customers who've dined with you before.

And of course, email and SMS marketing are great tools as well. It's a good idea to ask diners to opt in to your newsletter so that you can offer them exclusive discounts and keep them abreast of what's going on in the restaurant

Marketing is 30% of the job

Are you looking for:

  • Accurate customer data?
  • A dedicated social media strategy?
  • Targeted ads across social media and Google?
  • Bespoke website content to help you rank?
  • Visual collateral to promote your menu and chefs?

These are the types of services we provide. With that being said, marketing is 30% of the job – it can't make up for bad service, food or an ugly interior.