Few businesses are immune to the downturn caused by COVID-19, with restaurants being hit far worse than most. Some are reacting by taking a pause on operations, while others have pivoted to new or alternative ways of doing business. The latter has resulted in an influx of creativity and innovation that has truly been inspiring to watch. In this post, we gather just a few of the ways we’ve seen restaurateurs make the most of the “new normal” in hopes that it will spark ideas in any and all business owners.

1. Selling Groceries and Food in Bulk

All sizes of restaurants, from mom and pop shops to chains, are using their inventory of ingredients to sell fresh groceries and their favorite menu items in bulk. Coyote Grill, a Mexican restaurant in Laguna Beach, is selling fresh vegetables, fruit, margarita mix, marinated meats, eggs, cheese and even paper products. Meanwhile, chains like California Pizza Kitchen are selling meal kits and pantry items through their new CPK Market.

This is an excellent way for restaurants to offer products that the public is currently in need of, while creating a new revenue stream. Plus, it might even save some from having to take an extra trip to the grocery store, which allows us to stay safe and healthy in our own homes.

2. Discounts for Preorder

Preordering is advantageous to both the restaurants and the customer – here’s why: Preordering enables restaurants to properly plan for the amount of food to prep and cook in advance, as well as the amount of resources and personnel they’ll need to prepare and deliver those meals. By offering a special discount for preorders, restaurant owners can increase the volume of orders, offer value to their customers, and provide themselves with the insight needed to properly allocate resources for future orders.

3. Family Meal Deals

There are few things we know for certain in this moment, but one of those things is that just about everyone is at home. That includes full family units of parents and their kids, and maybe even grandparents and some extended family members. Restaurants that make it easy and affordable for folks to order for the whole family will be more appealing than those sticking with their individual menu items alone.

Chains have certainly gotten in on this approach. KFC offers a $30 Fill Up deal that includes fried chicken, chicken tenders, coleslaw, biscuits and mashed potatoes (enough for two families). Panda Express’ current promotion includes three large entrees and two large sides for just $20. Red Lobster, Chick-fil-A, Jack in the Box, and LongHorn Steakhouse all have their versions of these family meal deals as well.

4. Cooking Classes

The purpose of offering cooking classes could be multifold. Firstly, some restaurants are offering cooking classes for free, which could be deemed as a “content marketing” approach. With content marketing, the goal is to bring awareness to your restaurant or brand, as opposed to doing the direct sell. By creating free cooking classes, restaurants provide value to customers (and potential customers), which, in turn, brings exposure to their business. When done properly, this type of content marketing will make the restaurant top-of-mind the next time the class attendees think about what to order for dinner.

Secondly, some restaurants are offering paid cooking classes. Perhaps they have a “famous pasta sauce recipe” or baking tips on how to make melt-in-your-mouth cookies, they wrap that information into an online course (typically video-intensive) that they can sell to patrons who want to recreate their favorite recipes at home.

Thirdly, some restaurants are doing it just to build a connection to their community. It’s no secret that we are all more physically isolated than ever before. However, technology offers opportunities for us to connect digitally. And for some business owners, they want to use this time to connect with fellow members of their community and provide a place for people to socialize, share and support one another.

5. Rewards Program

Most of us have a stamp card or two currently in our wallets. These cards are typically tied to a rewards program offered by a cafe or tea shop as restaurants don’t often create such programs – until now that is. It makes perfect sense. If someone is going to order from your restaurant once, why not incentivize them to come back by offering the fifth meal on the house? 

Though people don’t have as many dining options as they did pre-coronavirus, there are still a good number of restaurants eager and willing to serve couch potatoes everywhere. And, as creatures of habit, we often choose what we know over what we don’t. So, by making it even more attractive for folks to re-order from a restaurant via a rewards system, restaurant owners encourage returning and loyal customers.

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Has your restaurant implemented any other business strategies during this time that you’d like to share with others? Email us at julee@juleeho.com and we’ll at it to the list!