Your restaurant gets calls about all sorts of things. From delivery orders being placed to general questions about your menu or reservations, there are phone calls happening all of the time. You might not have put a lot of thought into this phenomenon. But by not giving the phone calls your restaurant receives the attention they deserve, you’re missing out on the chance to implement some great restaurant marketing tips.
Creating an Effective Phone Greeting
Harnessing the power of phone calls for your restaurant starts with the greeting. Having a standardized greeting for all calls means that no matter which member of your staff answers the phone, they’re sure to do it professionally. This gives callers a great first impression–after all, they may never have stepped foot into your restaurant before! Making sure that they know your restaurant is committed to service, politeness, and professionalism is essential.
An effective restaurant greeting isn’t hard to come up with. Something simple is good enough. “Thank you for calling Sandy’s Steakhouse! What can I do for you?” is straightforward and does the job.
Restaurant Marketing Tips: Highlight Specials and Events
Now that you have your phone greeting set, it’s time to build on it. As we’ve mentioned previously, your restaurant’s phone greeting might be the first impression that a customer has of your business. Because of this, you want to include some memorable information. This can double as a marketing technique. Try something like this: “Thank you for calling Sandy’s Steakhouse, where we’re now serving the Bacon Burger! How can I help you today?”. Highlighting a special is a great way to promote new additions to your menu.
But don’t limit your restaurant marketing in your phone scripts to just new menu items. Highlighting upcoming or regularly occurring events can be a great way to make sure that guests are aware of the special programming. Consider saying something along the lines of, “Thank you for calling Sandy’s Steakhouse, with trivia every Wednesday at six PM! How may I help you?”.
How to Answer Questions
Potential customers usually call your restaurant for a few standard reasons. One of these is to place a delivery order. Delivery calls are pretty straightforward. Train your staff on helping customers navigate your restaurant’s virtual menu in case they’re having issues on the other end of the line. Also, let staff members know what dishes they should highlight in particular if customers are looking for suggestions.
Reservations are another common phone request that is simple to handle, either by making the reservation or by politely informing the guest if you don’t take reservations. In the case of the latter being true, let guests know how they can still dine at your restaurant, and how much of a wait they can expect if any.
A final common reason that customers may call your restaurant is to inquire about safety practices. Make sure that you train staff on what to tell guests to reassure them. Consider making a “cheat sheet” that outlines what precautions your restaurant is taking, such as cleaning practices and distancing, to ensure guests can be reassured.
Taking advantage of the opportunities your phone scripts can offer can be a great step to success in many restaurants. Best of luck!
