Ideas To Grow Beyond August

Eat Out To Help Out (EOTHO) has undoubtedly delivered a big boost to the industry. But with the government scheme officially wrapping up this week, what can be done to keep the momentum going?

A large number of venues are extending it out of their own pockets. Why is that such a popular idea? Here’s just a few reasons:

• The public already understand how the promotion works
• There’s existing branding to leverage
• Staff and internal systems are set up for it
• There are customers out there who might have missed the chance first time round. (There are even Facebook Groups to track the offers!)
  

On top of that, running your own version means you can adapt the promotion to fit your business better, whilst drawing on the easily recognised offer. For example, Pizza Hut are only offering the discount to people who are signed up to their newsletter.

Some venues are going a step further and creating EOTHO offers ONLY for hospitality staff and/or frontline workers. It’s a brilliant way to control the volume of discounted covers whilst also recognising the hard work of others and earning some kudos in the community.

Even without a special offer on, it can be worthwhile reminding your regular customers that bookings are still available Monday to Wednesday. The renewal of quieter times of the week might be more appealing to certain customers.

It’s also a good time to remind customers of other regular promotions you might run, but were overshadowed by EOTHO. Leading with the subject line “Don’t forget! You can still get…” will catch plenty of eyes in those inboxes.

Lastly, and most importantly, make sure to touch base with those new customers you had in during EOTHO. Now is the optimal time to nurture that relationship online by emailing them, getting them to follow you on social media and provide reviews of their visit. 

Establishing that relationship now means they’re significantly more likely to come back to your venue, helping your business regrow faster.

To find out more about connecting with those new customers, and reaching out to regular customers, get in touch with one of our team members.