Sometimes, owning a business feels like it’s all about competition. If you’re tired of being on defense, you might be looking for friendlier alternatives. Forming restaurant partnerships with other local businesses is a great way to grow your own business. It also allows you to support others. Forming strategic partnerships allows you to grow your customer base as well.
But How Do I Know Who to Partner With?
When looking to form partnerships with other businesses, we recommend looking at the customers that your restaurant currently serves. If you own a family-friendly restaurant, look for other local businesses that serve families as well. If you run a bar that’s mostly frequented by students, see what other businesses in your area also serve that market.
Restaurant Partnerships Build Community
A great part of owning a local business is that your restaurant is firmly rooted in the community. Community events are a great way for you to band together with other local businesses to celebrate the local community you call home.
One of our favorite ways of bringing a community together to support local businesses is to hold a “Sidewalk Sale” weekend. Choose a summer weekend and make use of sidewalk space to draw in new customers to local businesses with sales and specials. Give out samples and offer discounts for the occasion!
Social Media Support Through Restaurant Partnerships
Social media is one of the easiest ways for your restaurant to show support for other local businesses! Make sure you’re following other local establishments. Also, make sure to like and comment on their posts frequently. More than just showing support, this makes the tight-knit business community you’re creating apparent to your followers! It also can help you gain followers on your business’s social media accounts. Making sure that your business appears friendly and approachable on social media will carry over to how customers perceive your restaurant in real life, too!
Restaurant Partnership Promotions
Creating deals and sales in partnership with other local establishments is another great idea. Think of other businesses that offer services or products that complement the ones your restaurant offers. For example, we love the idea of a movie theatre/restaurant partnership or partnering with a local gift shop to create the perfect dinner-and-gift birthday present. Along this same line, you can also offer gift card variety packs at a reduced cost. This is attractive to customers and also means that the “lost” revenue that makes up the discount is lessened across multiple businesses!
We hope that these ideas for strategic restaurant partnerships were helpful to you!
