Why You Need to Promote Your Restaurant App (And How to Do It)

So, you’ve just launched a brand new restaurant app… but nobody seems to be downloading it.

Is it because your app isn’t good, or people aren’t interested in your restaurant? 

Probably not. 

More likely, it’s just that you need to actually promote your restaurant app to the people who might be interested in using it — and that’s where this blog comes in. 

In this blog, we’ll explore why promoting your restaurant app is so important, a few high-success ways to tackle promotions, and three simple ways to get started. 

A Quick Note on Collaboration

This blog was written in collaboration with Chloe Woolsey, Director of Customer Experience at Craver. 

With ~15 years of experience in quick-service restaurants and in-depth knowledge of the hospitality space, Chloe now leads Craver’s Customer Success team, helping our customers launch their own custom restaurant apps. 

Guided by Chloe’s years of expertise and in-depth knowledge of Craver’s customers, here’s why you need to promote your restaurant app — and how to do it. 

Why You Need To Promote Your Restaurant App

Think about all the reasons you decided to get a restaurant app in the first place. 

• Restaurant apps help encourage repeat orders, especially with convenient features like saved and one-click orders
• Restaurant apps build brand loyalty, especially if you have a membership and/or loyalty program in place  
• Restaurant apps deliver invaluable customer insights, like average order value, most popular items, and demographics 
• Restaurant apps increase your revenue by eliminating the need to pay third-party apps’ monthly fees or commission 
• Restaurant apps mean you own your delivery process, avoiding things like refund abuse and third-party service fees

So, keeping that list in mind, the reason you need to promote your restaurant app is simple: if you don’t, you’re missing out on the benefits of even having a restaurant app at all. 

5 Ways To Promote Your Restaurant App To Grow Users

Now that we’re on the same page about why you need to promote your restaurant app, let’s explore five different ways you can do it. 

1. First-time order deals

One way to promote your restaurant is through first-time order deals.

By offering customers 50% off their first mobile order, or bonus points for just signing up, you’re not only incentivizing them to download your restaurant app, but also giving them exclusive rewards that only first-time customers can get. 

First-time order deals can also encourage word-of-mouth advertising, because if you got an incredible deal, why not help your friends and family do the same? It’s a win-win for everyone! 

→ For more on why first-time order deals work so well, check out our “App Launch Best Practices” blog! 

2. Online marketing

Another way you can promote your restaurant app is through online marketing. 

There are endless ways to handle online promotions, including:

• Posting content about your restaurant’s app on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok 
• Showcasing your app on your restaurant’s website with its own landing page and/or a direct download link 
• Launching an email marketing and SMS campaign to let customers know about your restaurant app and its exclusive deals 

→ Pro tip: To find success on social media, you don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. Check out our blog about the best restaurant social media campaigns to get the inspiration going! 

3. In-store marketing

In-store marketing is another great way to promote your restaurant app. 

Consider hanging up posters highlighting your new restaurant app at the host stand and in other high-traffic areas around your restaurant, adding a QR code front and center to make downloading super easy. You could also add a QR code sticker on your front door and hand out business cards with a QR code alongside customer bills. 

Market your app wherever you have a customer touchpoint, so it never gets missed.  

4. Referral program

You can also use a referral program to promote your restaurant app.

The premise of a referral program is simple. When someone who currently uses your restaurant app gets someone else to download the app, they both get rewarded, whether that’s an exclusive discount, a free item, or bonus loyalty points.

Referral programs are a great, low-lift way to promote your restaurant app. Not only do both parties get to see the benefits of the referral program, but the existing restaurant app user does most of the heavy lifting for you. All you have to do is make sure everyone gets rewarded! 

→ Did you know that referral programs can also boost sales? Learn more in our blog, “How to Increase Restaurant Sales in a Digital-First World.” 

5. Exclusive app-only offers

Our final method to promote your restaurant app is through exclusive, app-only offers.

The idea here is that, by offering deals and discounts available only through your restaurant app, your customer will be incentivized to download the app, use it more often, and order more through it. Why wouldn’t they, when there are free items and savings at stake?

There’s also no limit to what app-only offers look like. Try offering secret menu items, “happy hours” with half-price items, free item flash deals… creativity is your only limitation! 

3 Tips To Help You Get Started With Promoting Your Restaurant App

1. Tell your regulars first — Rewarding your most loyal customers goes beyond just having a loyalty program. Keep your regulars in the know by letting them know about your restaurant app directly and before anyone else. Then, roll out the general advertising to the public. 

2. Stay consistent — Promoting your restaurant app isn’t a one-and-done thing. It’s a permanent part of your operations that needs attention beyond the super-focused “launch week” efforts. Advertise your app regularly and consistently, because you can always get new users. 

3. Don’t stop at the download — When your app first launches, promoting just the download makes sense. But once it’s launched and you’ve got your first few users? Keep the promotions going with new, exciting angles, like deals, discounts, new items, event invitations, and more. 

Wrap Up

Before you can jump into app promotions, you need to have a restaurant app that’s ready to promote… and that’s where we come in. 

Craver offers custom-branded mobile apps that are designed to keep your customers coming back again and again. With features like unlimited push notifications, one-tap reordering, and loyalty programs, we’ve helped restaurants (like yours!) increase sales by up to 40%. 

We can also help set you up for success with marketing materials (valued at over $1,000), a dedicated onboarding manager to guide you through the setup process, and a comprehensive help center for questions along the way. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Your customers’ new favorite app is within reach. 

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