Definitive Guide to SMS for Restaurants

Definitive Guide to SMS for Restaurants

SMS texting for restaurants gives you an easy and affordable way to build your brand and customer loyalty on a communication channel proven to work. Learn how it works.

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Why SMS Texting for Restaurants Works


How are you proactively marketing your restaurant? Do you rely on Yelp reviews, word of mouth, and a captive audience once they’re already in your restaurant? All of these tactics may get some attention, but there is so much more you could be doing to drive people to your restaurant.


Chances are, you’re not the only restaurant in the area. You have competition. The key to a sustainable business isn’t only to get new people in the door - it’s to create a crowd of “regulars” who you can count on to be there at least a couple of times a week.


Either way, you need more than just good food, drinks and atmosphere. You need to be top of mind so when they’re thinking of going out to eat, your restaurant is the first place they consider. SMS for restaurants is the perfect way to stay on their radar.


Here are a few stats to prove you need SMS texting if you own a restaurant:


  • 75% of people say they want to receive offers via SMS
  • The Click-Through Rate (CTR) for offer messages sent via text is 9.18% higher than any other digital channel
  • SMS has a 98% open rate compared to email marketing with about 20%
  • 60% of people read texts within 1-5 minutes after receiving them
  • As of 2021, 67 million Americans redeem coupons via mobile phones


Let’s look at creative and effective ways to leverage SMS texting for restaurant marketing.



Restaurant SMS Marketing

How to Use SMS Texting to Build Your Business

SMS texting for restaurants is easy, fast, inexpensive, and it works. You can use it for all kinds of communications. You want to give people the opportunity to opt-in to your messages, so it’s a good practice to ask with your first message. Many SMS texting platforms will allow you to automatically set up an opt-in feature with each first outreach.


Here are a few of the most common ways to use SMS texting for restaurants:


Advertise Your Restaurant

SMS texting is a fantastic channel to promote your business through promotions, contests and prizes. Use a 10DLC long digit code, which can be your existing 10-digit business landline phone number or one you choose from your SMS texting provider to send texts directly to your customers.


For example, “Feel like pasta? Italianos delivers! Click to view our menu and get 15% off + free delivery!”


Promote Your Menu and Specials

People typically enjoy receiving texts about food, especially when they’re timed just right. Think about the commercials you see on TV. Most come an hour or so before mealtime in the hopes of tantalizing viewers. Do the same thing. 


Let’s say you have a seasonal menu or a nightly special. Schedule a text to go out to your database of customers at 4:00 introducing your new menu or keeping them up to date on the special of the day. You can even combine it with a link to make reservations. 


For example: “Don’t miss Italianos Tues special - Beef Bolognese! Best in town. Click for a resy.”


Remind Guests of Reservations

OpenTable says up to 50% of diners never show up for their reservation, adding up to as much as 25% of your potential profits going down the drain - each night. You can set up your SMS texting platform to automatically remind guests of their reservations a set number of days before their reservation and again the day of. They can click to confirm or cancel their reservation straight from the text, giving them an easy way out if needed.


For example: “Italianos is saving u a table! Pz confirm your resy at 7:00 6/10/21. Text “Y” to confirm or “N” to cancel ur resy. Hope to see u soon!”


Create “VIP” Programs with Exclusive Deals

Who doesn’t like to feel part of an exclusive group? Get people to opt-in to texts when you tell them they will receive exclusive offers and opportunities no one outside of the group gets. Everything from monthly contests and coupons to member events and deals are all great ways to keep participants feeling the love.


For example: “Don’t miss Italianos June VIP event: wine + chz tasting 6/17/21 @ 5:00. $25pp. Reserve ur spot by replying with last name + # of peeps.”


Target Customer Segments

Some SMS texting platforms enable you to filter your text messages however you like. You can segment by zip code, VIP status, customer type, or any custom filter you choose. By segmenting your audience, you can get more specific with your text messages. For instance, you may have a large student population, and it’s finals week at the nearby college. 


Send students a text message like this: “Nothing cures FINALS blues like a cheesy pepperoni pizza from Italianos! All students get 25% off + free delivery this wk only! Place order HERE.”


Have Fun with “Flash” Happy Hours and Deals

We are used to flash sales from retailers. They use them effectively to create a sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and urgency. And they work. They can generate a 35% or more uptick in sales.


Why not bring the same idea into your restaurant marketing efforts? Feeling sales are a bit slow today? Shoot your database a quick text letting them know all drinks and appetizers are half off today only? 


Or tempt them with, “First 20 people in the door at Italianos bw 4-6 pm TONIGHT get 50% off their meal! Ready? Set? GO!”


Engage Customers with Surveys 

People generally love to be part of something bigger than themselves. You can gain a lot of loyal customers if you make them feel like they are helping you build your business and a better restaurant for them to enjoy. 


Quick texts asking them to tell you what they want to see on the menu, if they’d be interested in a particular event, etc. can not only help you get to know your customers better, but it also gives you great feedback on what you could be doing better or introduce to delight your customers.


For example, you can send a text like this: “Help Italianos create a NEW special! Tell us which dish is ur fav. A=Pasta Carbonara, B=Fig+Prosciutto Pizza, C= Ossobuco. Text A, B, or C!”


Engage Customers with Contests

There’s a good chance you have customers who enjoy competition and the opportunity for “fame.” Set up a marketing campaign that encourages customers to participate in a friendly contest to win something. 


Social media contests are ideal. For example: “Share photo of your fav Italianos dish on Insta, get 50% off ur nxt pizza! Use #Italianos to enter.” 


Then, after you choose your winner, promote them on social media to drum up more interest in your next campaign. They’ll also be more likely to continue to promote you (and their win) on their social channels.


Blast Your Accolades

Been featured in a local publication? Got a great restaurant review? Been mentioned by a celeb or food show? Let the world know by texting them the exciting shout-out. It’s a great way to pump up your pub and get people talking. 


For example: “Italianos just won Austin Eater’s #1 Italian restaurant for 2021! Come celebrate with us with extended happy hour 4-7 every day this wk! Click to read article!”


Use Texting Internally with Staff

SMS texting for restaurants isn’t just for external purposes. Use it internally to communicate with your staff, remind staff of their shifts, alert them of any important restaurant changes/news, or notify them of shift changes. Texting straight from your platform is much easier and trackable than from your personal number. You can see a history of every text sent, as well as text threads.


For example: “All-staff training on Italiano’s new menu tomorrow morning at 10am.”


One of the best parts of SMS texting for restaurants is that once you get customers to opt-in, they become part of your database. Knowing who your customers are and being able to market to them at the right time is the critical factor in any marketing strategy. SMS texting is a cost-effective way to reach your customers, build excitement and loyalty, and experience a significant return on your investment.

How SMS Texting for Restaurants Works - Or Should

As a small business, SMS texting at your restaurant is easy. Depending on the provider you choose, you can often test out the platform for free during a trial period. This is a great way to experiment with the functionality to make sure it’s simple to use, reaches the intended audience and has the features you want.


The best providers offer a quick and easy startup process. You typically just need to create an account and password, select a new phone number or tell it you want to use your existing business landline. The system will verify your landline is text-enabled. If so, you’re ready to go. If not, you can still choose an available number from the provider. Getting started shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

Key Features to Look For

Easy to use

The most important feature to look for is ease of use. Many texting platforms are complex, built for large enterprises that send out millions of text messages at a time. As a restaurant, you don’t need to go big to get results. Choose an SMS texting platform for your restaurant that is easy to use and doesn’t require technical expertise. Ideally, it should be as simple as the texting platform you use to text with friends and family.


Simple dashboard 

The provider often gives you access to a dashboard on their app where you can begin building your contacts list, either by importing an existing list or adding contacts manually. Your dashboard should have everything you need so you don’t have to go outside of the app for anything else. This means you build your contacts list, text and view reports all from the app.


Ability to send group or individual messages

You can begin sending texts to groups or individuals, and the system will automatically keep a running record of every text sent and conversation threads. Remember that you can use your texting platform to send bulk messages to groups of people or engage in 1x1 text messages if you choose. Either way, the system should be able to archive a historical record for you.


Automatic opt-ins

The system should also enable you to use an Opt-in template that automatically includes your customer’s name with the first text message you send them on how they can “STOP” receiving texts from your restaurant. The system should keep a record of all opt-outs so you don’t inadvertently send another text message to someone who chose to remove themselves from your database.


Customizable send options

You also want a system that allows you to send on-demand text messages and scheduled messages, along with templates and other features to speed creation. remove users. Choose a provider that allows you to filter and tag contacts to make it easier for you to segment your audience. It’s also beneficial to use a platform that gives you the option to personalize your message with a customer name, automatically pulling in customer contact information from your list.


Detailed reporting

Finally, look into the reporting features. You want to be able to see which texts successfully made it to their destination and which ones failed. This will help you clean up your database with the correct information or remove contacts if needed. Advanced features to look for are auto-responder for when you can’t reply, such as holidays and after hours. You should also be able to add and 


Reports may also include how many recipients your texts went out to per campaign, the date and time it was sent, and how many people responded to your texts. All of this data helps you see what messages resonated with which audiences as you continuously improve your marketing SMS texting tactics.


Mobile access

Finally, choose a provider that enables you to use their app from any connected device. This will give you the ability to text from your computer, smartphone, laptop or tablet at any time.

Pricing

Once again, SMS texting for restaurants doesn’t need to be confusing in how it’s priced. Choose a provider that offers transparent pricing that’s easy to understand and affordable to use. Most providers that cater to small businesses have pricing plans based on how many contacts and/or texts you plan to send. Others allow you to send as many individual text messages as you like and a certain number of bulk messages to groups. 


You can expect to pay as little as $50 per month or $500 per year for a more basic plan and $250 per month or $2,500 per year or more for plans with greater capacity. One thing to look for is whether pricing affects functionality. A less expensive plan shouldn’t come at the sacrifice of features.


Try to find a provider that doesn’t require you to sign lengthy contracts. You should be able to pay month-to-month or on an annual basis to fit your needs, not theirs.

Want to give SMS texting for your restaurant a try? Telvero is simple to set up and use, has easy and affordable pricing plans, and built by telecom experts. Try it for free and choose your plan later.

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