The modern catering industry actively uses deliveries, personal collection, aggregators and remote orders, which is why email marketing has become a typical channel of communication and sales for it. Even restaurateurs who previously advertised exclusively offline have realised in recent years that traditional marketing has ceased to bring measurable results. The possibilities of favourable locations have been exhausted, outdoor advertising has been purchased, radio spots have been launched, and leaflets are being printed and distributed, but there are far fewer new guests than expected.

How else can you reach your target audience? How can you attract those who have visited your establishment before but haven’t been back in a long time? It’s worth trying email marketing.

Why should a restaurant send newsletters?

If a consumer walked past your restaurant, did not notice your advertising banner, and missed your social media ad, you can tell them about your establishment via email. You can include a photo report from a past event or a promotional code in your newsletter, which will entitle the guest to a free dessert when ordering a main course.

You can launch a loyalty programme. A guest places an order for a certain amount, fills out a short survey, and becomes a member of the programme. They will then receive a special offer from the restaurant via email, information about new dishes on the menu, upcoming promotions, tastings or workshops, notifications about bonuses awarded, or birthday wishes. If a customer participates in the loyalty programme, you can track when they visited the restaurant and receive feedback by email.

Another option is personalised offers. Restaurants, like online shops, can send customers who have browsed products on their website a message with an overview of the items they have viewed and an attractive discount.

Key principles for creating newsletters

Before sending, carefully prepare the text, as it determines whether the customer will be interested in the information presented. In addition:

• You cannot send too many messages. It is important that the restaurant's newsletter is valuable to the customer.
• The tone of your messages should be friendly. To build trust with your customers, you should add a personal touch to your messages.
• Do not overuse abbreviations and emoticons.
• Messages should not be lengthy or complicated.

Collecting contacts for the newsletter

There are many ways to collect a database for restaurants: surveys, loyalty programmes, business cards in exchange for discounts, promotional offers activated by email.

The subscription form can be placed:

• In the mobile app or on the restaurant's official website.
• In the loyalty programme, in the online order form or for personal collection.
• On a table or counter in the form of a sticker, table stand, menu insert or receipt.

To encourage visitors to subscribe to the newsletter, the offer to leave their contact details is usually combined with the promise of a discount or a gift.

Email marketing strategy

To achieve effective email marketing, it is important to organise your work properly. Catering establishments can use the following types of newsletters:

• Promotional: advertising materials, discounts and bonuses, promotional and seasonal offers.
• Informative: materials that provide customers with certain benefits.
• Triggered: automatic messages sent at a specific time or in response to user action or inaction.

It is important that all available channels (email, push notifications, text messages, Telegram) are integrated within a single platform.

In summary, email marketing should effectively build customer loyalty and trust in the company.