The restaurant business is one of the most volatile businesses that you can be in, as studies show that 70% of restaurants fail within three to five years. In order to have a successful restaurant, you need to establish your brand by considering everything from the name to how the menus look to the food that is served in your restaurant. Here are five tips for helping to build your restaurant’s brand.
Choose a Unique Name
When naming your restaurant, choose something that is both unique and personal to you. Write a list of the names you are considering and then do a Google search for those names. Eliminate the ones that are already in use by other restaurants because while customers will remember the name of your restaurant if they like the food and service, you don’t want them to get it confused with another establishment with a similar name.
Establish its Style
Every restaurant has its own style, which is usually based on the type of food that you’re serving. Consider the style when coming up with the logo for your restaurant and the colours and fonts used in the logo and carry them over when choosing the uniforms, your printed materials, and the décor of your restaurant. Also, use the same design style on your website and other printed materials to help reinforce your brand.
Create a Great Menu
This not only refers to the food, but to the design of the menu that is used in your restaurant. Not only will you want to use the company’s colour palette and font for its design, but you will also want to carefully choose photos of the food you serve and consider the weight and size of the menu boards and the way the menu is presented.
If you have a fine dining restaurant, then you will probably want the wait staff to present menus to your customers instead of having them already on the table. In addition, you will have to carefully select language and page layout when describing the food items that are available.
Offer Superior Service
Even if a restaurant’s food is average, it can still be successful if it offers outstanding service and has a clean store. Make sure your employees always look their best and smile and treat your customers respectfully, and keep the entire restaurant, including the restrooms, clean and stocked. Having a good reputation will go far in any business and you can gain a great reputation by having your employees provide great service to your customers.
Make Great Food
The best way to establish your restaurant is to offer great food on your menu. Highlight your chef’s signature dish and make sure everything you serve is the best it can be. A restaurant that serves average food will not be memorable and, if you want to establish a good reputation, make the type of food that will have people recommending your business to friends and family and on social media.
Use these tips to help establish your restaurant’s brand.
Infographic created by Clover, a merchant services company