How to Attract Families to Your Restaurant.
How to Attract Families with Kids to Your Restaurant
1. Provide a warm welcome
One of the first things that a family entering your restaurant will notice is how you welcome them. A warm, bright smile from your waitress or anyone in charge of receiving customers will be crucial in determining whether you will attract or lose new customers with kids.
Your goal should be to make customers feel comfortable and relaxed when welcoming them to your restaurant. A warm welcome is crucial for families because parents are careful about the environment they bring their kids in. They will need reassurance from you and your staff that everything will be okay.
2. Develop a kid-friendly menu
A restaurant menu is like a website landing page. It communicates your goals, vision, and character to the customers. After warmly welcoming customers to your restaurant, ensure your menu will accommodate all members of the family, especially the kids.
Generally, kids love meals that are catered specifically to them. With this factor in mind, serve meals that will attract the kids’ attention and provide quality nourishment. Kids’ bodies are still developing, so they need nutritious meals. Naturally, parents are also concerned about this factor.
If they see that the food you serve is both nutritious and attractive to their kids, it’s a win-win. How to make the meals more appealing to kids, you wonder? You can shape them like animals, flowers, and cartoon characters.
3. Buy appropriate furnishing & utensils
You can’t expect kids to use the same serving utensils or cutlery used by adults. Kids have a spunky nature, so the furniture and utensils they use must be durable and robust enough to withstand their activities.
If you own a kid-friendly restaurant, cutlery such as plastic spoons, cups, and plates should be made available for the kids so that the parents’ minds can be at ease. However, make sure they are not easily breakable.
4. Add a kids’ corner and keep it clean
In a kid-friendly restaurant, a “kids’ corner” that will allow children to play with toys and other kids is a great idea. This way, they can burn off energy before and after eating.
However, remember that kids tend to toss things they find into their mouths. So, it’s essential for the toys, equipment, and other attractions around that area to be clean to prevent the kids from ingesting germs and dirt. Parents will be happy and take note of your restaurant if the kids’ corner is clean.
5. Host kids events occasionally
Kids and fun are two words that you cannot separate. Hosting parties where kids can participate in fun events will help create memorable memories between them and their families.
This will also differentiate you from other restaurants if you do it properly. If the kids enjoy these events, they will pester their families to patronize your restaurant. Soon, they will become regulars.
6. Use social media effectively
Social media evolved over the years and has become embedded into almost every facet of our lives. Posting relevant info and updates on the internet is practical for any business.
If you are looking to attract young families with kids, share posts highlighting the kid-friendly services you offer on popular social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. You might want to consider hiring a dedicated social media person who can prioritize your accounts if you don’t have the time.
7. Offer free WiFi
Browsing on social media requires a strong internet connection. Even kids’ tablets may have games that require an internet connection to play. Free WiFi is an irresistible offer that every family member can use. If added to your restaurant services, it’s one of the simplest kid-friendly restaurant ideas that will help you attract more families.
8. Provide discounts & special offers
Most families that visit your restaurant will want to save money with budget-friendly meals. Making special offers for families with kids is a reliable way of attracting new customers to your restaurant.
Offering discounts for a family of three or more will make your restaurant more family-friendly and increase the patronage of families with kids. Giving out gifts like toys to kids is another way to win both kids’ and parents’ hearts.
9. Optimize your menu for online ordering
Technology has extended to the food industry, where you can use it for many purposes. Ordering meals is now the norm because it’s easy, convenient, and stress-free. Not to mention the pandemic also heightened people’s need for restaurants that deliver.
Thus, online orders have become an essential part of running your restaurant. But not all menu items travel well, which means you’ll have to adapt your menu for delivery.
Only deliver the items that won’t get compromised during delivery. To attract families with kids, sell menu bundles and meal kits that families can enjoy together.
To increase sales, provide an easily navigable and customer-friendly online ordering system or app.
10. Listen to your customers
Man is not a solitary animal, and therefore he needs advice and input from his fellow man. You can apply this principle to business as well. For your business to grow, you must take feedback into account.
A core step you should take to expand your restaurant is to consult with your customers. Nobody knows you better than your regulars. People that have been patronizing your restaurant for a long time will know the areas that need improvement and what you should change.
Encourage feedback from families with kids and ask them how you could make your restaurant even more kid-friendly.
