Running a restaurant business requires a broad skill set. Many restaurant managers understand how to run the food side of things — creating tasty food and serving it to their customers — but some struggle with marketing. This means that restaurant branding is often an afterthought, but it should be at the forefront of any restaurant’s marketing strategy.
If you’re setting up a new restaurant or food-related venture, making restaurant branding a priority is a great way to get ahead.
Want to develop a branding strategy but don’t know where to start? We’ve put together this essential guide to help you create a successful restaurant branding strategy.
Restaurant branding is a way to spread the word about your restaurant and build a positive perception. It helps you set your restaurant apart from competitors and gives your business a personality.
Branding elements include everything from your restaurant name, signage, and restaurant logo to your business cards, restaurant menu design, and website.
Restaurant branding is crucial for success in today’s restaurant industry. A strong brand identity can build brand loyalty and help you target a specific demographic of customers.
Research suggests that up to 88% of consumers value brand authenticity when choosing companies they want to support. It’s also estimated that something as simple as a signature color could increase brand recognition by up to 80%.
A clear brand can also help people develop an emotional connection with your restaurant. Creating a personality for your restaurant means potential or existing customers can easily relate to the brand.
This leads to an all-around better customer experience, which can, in turn, help with customer retention.
Building a brand identity for your restaurant isn’t something you can do overnight. However, there are a few simple steps you can take that will let you develop a strong restaurant brand.
The first step in crafting your branding strategy should be to consider your overall mission: What restaurant concept do you want to create? Does your business have a higher purpose?
This should be the first stage of your branding process no matter where you sit within the restaurant industry. It doesn’t matter if you run a single food truck or quick-service restaurant, a fast-food chain, or even a fine-dining restaurant.
Write a clear and straightforward mission statement and use it to ensure that everything you do stays on brand.
With your mission statement in mind, create detailed customer profiles by considering the demographics of your target audience and your current or potential customer base. Features to consider include:
Age
Gender
Household income
Likes and dislikes
Thinking about these aspects of your customers gives you a clear idea of who you are targeting. It’s a critical step in a restaurant branding process because you can figure out how to best appeal to them.
Developing a tone of voice is another essential part of restaurant branding. Use your customer portfolios to think about which brand personality would work best.
Would your customers respond to a casual brand or something more formal? Would they want your marketing materials and menu to be enthusiastic and playful or more matter-of-fact?
Create a personality for your brand that your ideal customers would engage with in person and on social media. Your restaurant marketing materials should always be written in your brand voice.
You also need to create a visual identity for your restaurant business; it will help solidify the branding ideas you’ve already come up with.
Choose a set of brand colors or create a color palette to use in all areas of your business. Do the same with fonts — using varied typography can be confusing, so choose one or two fonts you like and use them everywhere.
Logo design is also essential; you must create a logo that captures the essence of your brand’s identity and appeals to your customers. This isn’t an easy job, so many people choose to work with a graphic design team or a branding agency. Remember that your logo will appear on all marketing materials and around your restaurant.
The interior design of your restaurant should match the visual identity you’ve already created. It should complement your logo and incorporate your color scheme.
In a fast-food restaurant, brand elements can be front and center. It’s common to see the logo as part of the interior decoration, on the menu cover, and on posters. If you’re running a fine-dining restaurant, a more subtle approach will probably be more effective.
An essential part of restaurant branding is creating the right ambiance for your target market. Use your customer research and visual identity to inform the overall feel of your establishment and the restaurant’s design.
Once you’ve established a brand identity for your restaurant, you can use it in all marketing materials you produce — posters, social media posts, etc.
Marketing a restaurant is an essential and ongoing part of successful restaurant branding and helps build a base of loyal customers. Here are three ways you can market your business.
A website is a vital part of marketing for any business, including those in the restaurant industry. Your restaurant website should include basic contact details like your address and a phone number, but it should also include engaging copy — written in your brand tone of voice — to entice new customers to give it a try. And don’t forget to keep an updated menu on your site.
You can also use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to boost your website’s Google rankings. This can help you show up on the first few results pages of search engines, which is a great way to get discovered by new customers looking for restaurants in your area.
Email marketing is also a fantastic strategy for restaurants. You can have customers sign up for your mailing list and then send promotional materials for your restaurant, all written in accordance with your new restaurant branding.
Your emails can help spread the word about your restaurant and any deals or promotions you might be running. You can also include promo codes and discounts that customers can use in your eatery, with links to sign up for your rewards program.
If you use self-service kiosks within your restaurant, you can set up the check-out process to let customers enter promo codes or their loyalty program number when they place their orders.
As awareness of your brand grows, a great way to market yourself is to offer a range of merchandise to your customers. You can sell branded merch in your restaurant or on your website, or send out newsletters with prize draws where people could win merchandise.
Design your merch with your restaurant logo or in line with your visual identity. This can then act as a form of advertising, as people wearing or using your merchandise will spread brand awareness.
Examples of restaurant merchandise include:
T-shirts
Tote bags
Keychains
Drink coasters
Playing cards or games
You could even consider making special promotional merchandise to coincide with any national holidays or offers you run.
Restaurant branding is a critical part of opening or running a restaurant. A strong brand identity not only lets potential customers know who you are and what you stand for; it also enables you to create a personality for your restaurant that will play a key role in your marketing strategy.
Depending on your restaurant concept, a self-service kiosk can be a fantastic addition to your operating processes. KioskBuddy lets your customers place and pay for orders with just a few taps. Moreover, you can customize your kiosk’s style and appearance to match your brand’s colors, meaning your self-ordering device fits in seamlessly with your restaurant’s branding.
Sign up for KioskBuddy today and enjoy a 30-day free trial.