In the restaurant industry, new customers are great, but repeat customers are your lifeblood.
According to industry data, it costs up to five times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. Furthermore, repeat diners spend more per order, are easier to market to, and act as organic brand ambassadors for your business.
If you want to build a resilient, highly profitable food business, you need a strategy designed to turn first-time diners into lifelong regulars. Here are 10 practical, proven ways to get more repeat customers for your restaurant or takeaway.
1. Launch a Branded Loyalty Program
People love to be rewarded for their loyalty. Instead of using old-school paper punch cards that get lost in wallets, launch a digital loyalty program integrated directly into your online ordering system or mobile app.
- How it works: Allow customers to earn points for every pound they spend.
- The reward: Give them clear milestones, such as "Earn 100 points, get a free appetiser" or "Receive £5 off your 5th order."
2. Own Your Direct Ordering System
If a customer orders from you through a third-party app, you don’t own their data, the app does. By steering customers toward your own website or mobile app, you capture their contact details. Once you have their email or phone number, you have a direct line of communication to invite them back for another meal.
3. Master the Art of SMS Marketing
Text messages have an astounding 98% open rate, usually within minutes of receipt. This makes SMS marketing one of the most powerful tools for driving repeat orders.
Top Tip: Send a text blast on a rainy Tuesday afternoon or right before kickoff on match day. A quick text like, "Don't fancy cooking tonight? Get 15% off your favourite curry with code TUES15," is often all it takes to trigger a wave of repeat orders.
4. Personalise Your Customer Outreach
Don’t just treat your customers like numbers. Use the data from your online ordering platform to personalise your marketing. If your system shows a customer hasn't ordered in 30 days, trigger an automated "We Miss You" email with a small discount. If it’s their birthday month, send them a gift voucher for a free dessert.
5. Deliver Uncompromising Consistency
You can have the best marketing in the world, but if the food or service is hit-or-miss, customers won't return. Ensure that your kitchen portions, ingredient quality, and packaging remain identical whether it is a busy Friday night or a quiet Monday afternoon. When customers know exactly how good their food will taste, they will choose you over an unknown competitor every time.
6. Bounce-Back Offers in Takeaway Bags
When packing up a delivery or collection order, always include a physical incentive for the customer to return.
- Drop a high-quality "bounce-back" voucher into the takeaway bag.
- Make the offer exclusive to your direct ordering channel (e.g., "Get 10% off your next order when you order directly through our website/app using code CHOLO10").
- This seamlessly migrates third-party app users over to your commission-free direct platform.
7. Elevate the Customer Experience (CX)
Every touchpoint matters. If a customer dines in, it’s about a warm greeting and attentive service. If they order takeaway, it’s about a user-friendly website, accurate order tracker, and food that arrives piping hot. Streamlining your operations so that ordering is completely friction-free keeps customers coming back out of sheer convenience.
8. Create Exclusive "Insider" Menu Items
Give your regulars a reason to feel special. You can introduce limited-time menu items, secret dishes, or early-access weekend specials that are only available to customers who order directly through your app or are part of your loyalty program. The fear of missing out (FOMO) combined with exclusivity is a massive driver for repeat business.
9. Actively Encourage and Respond to Feedback
Customers want to know that their voices are heard. Use follow-up emails to ask for reviews and ratings after an order. If a customer leaves a positive review, thank them warmly. If they leave a negative review, address it immediately, apologise, and offer a tangible way to make it right. A mishandled complaint can lose a customer forever, but a brilliantly resolved issue can turn a critic into a fan for life.
10. Host Community or Theme Nights
For dine-in venues, give people a reason to visit outside of their usual routine. Mid-week quiz nights, live music, wine-tasting evenings, or regional culinary theme nights (e.g., "Taco Tuesday" or "Steak Night") give your existing customer base a fresh, exciting excuse to book a table on what might otherwise be a slow night.
Retain More, Grow Faster
Increasing your customer retention rate by just 5% can boost your restaurant's profitability by 25% to 95%. Stop chasing the next new click at all costs, and start investing in the community of diners who already know and love your food.
Ready to set up your own direct ordering website and SMS marketing tools to automate your customer retention? Get in touch with CholoEat today.
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