Juma3435:
Congratulations on your business. I know how hard the restaurant business can be. I recently sold a fine dining restaurant that I owned and operated for a number of years and worked in the business prior to that. These are definitely interesting times for your market. However, some of the basics apply regardless of market conditions.
First, how do you differentiate yourself? Are there other cafes in the area? If so, why would diners choose to spend their money with you as compared to the competition?
You need to answer these questions first. You don't want to be just another café. Customers want something that they can connect with and being generic doesn't give them that option. Trying to be all things to all people is like trying to please everyone - resulting in no one being particular happy.
Second, have you used your food for marketing? When I owned my restaurant, I used to take samples to different businesses in town. I would go to the Chamber of Commerce and give samples to the staff that worked the front. When new people would come in and ask their opinion of a good place to eat, they would recommend my place because they had a first-hand (or first-mouth in this case) experience with my food.
I used to take food to front desk staff at the local hotels that didn't have restaurants and had guests that were in my demographic. I would take food to local B&Bs, banks, art galleries, etc.. By bringing food, I got their attention and it gave me a great opportunity to build rapport and speak about what was new at our restaurant. Basically, I was creating other people that would speak about my business. Plus, often they would allow me to leave trifold copies of our menus to hand out. I would also supply food for some of the monthly Chamber of commerce mixers and have promotional materials left near the food.
Third, have you looked into holding events at your café? These can be charity events and business breakfasts or luncheons.
Fourth, how often do you change your menu? We changed our menu every three to four months to keep things fresh, season and exciting for our guests. We wouldn't change everything, just get riud of the slow movers and add in some new seasonal items.
Fifth, we collected contact information through holding a raffle for guests that filled out a comment card. This would allow us to get customer feedback plus, stay in touch with them as we had events and menu changes to promote. You need to stay in regular touch with those that dine with you.
Just some ideas to get you started. However, I must stress that before you go farther, it is imperative that if you haven't defined your differentiation, start there first. I saw a number of restaurants that tried to cast a wider net by expanding who they were and all failed. It is better to be defined and own a niche than trying to be all things to all people. Once you have defined who you are, you can focus your marketing efforts to attract specific customers.
Hope this helps.
Doug Dolan
The Solopreneur's Guide
http://thesologuide.com
