Competition among restaurants has never been greater. With the advent of online ordering and delivery services like ‘Just Eat’ and ‘Deliveroo’, ordering from your favourite venue has never been easier. 

So, how do restaurants distinguish themselves in a market where diners are spoilt for choice?  

There are a few ways that restaurants can attract diners, but getting them through the door doesn’t guarantee they will add you to their list of favourites and keep returning. 

This article will help pinpoint how restaurants can attract new clients and improve their retention to keep customers coming back for more, making your venue the ultimate winner in a world where second best gives you no reward. 

We will explain how Halal Origins helps restaurants have the edge with their wholesale meat service. 

A unique menu

This sounds obvious, but don’t underestimate how many people overlook it. If you go to most restaurants and diners, you will see the same collection of dishes across each genre, and for good reason - people enjoy them. 

But, that doesn’t stop you from adding additional dishes and offering alternative twists to a familiar dish. People gravitate to things that strike the right balance of being familiar, but sufficiently distinguished and unique. This gives you the opportunity to inject some creative craftsmanship into your menu to set yourself apart. 

For example, you can buy a chicken burger in most pubs and diners. A common enhancement is serving it with bacon and cheese. While delicious, these options have become ubiquitous. Why not serve mango chutney with sliced pineapple? It is curiously new and familiar at the same time and the very fact that few other establishments are serving it gives potential customers a unique reason to come to your restaurant. 

This concept can be applied to all menus and cuisines. A fun fact: the modern Indian menu is an innovation of traditional Indian food. The difference between them is quite striking. Notwithstanding, most Indian restaurants have stopped innovating and essentially offer the same dishes as every other Indian restaurant. 

What started as a journey of innovation has now plateaued as every restaurant simply prints off the same menu and follows the blueprint. An Indian restaurant that takes a leaf from their forefather’s book would introduce the same spark that made Indian food popular to begin with, into their restaurant. 

Consider this, you have seen spicy lamb cube curries on every Indian menu, but how often have you seen a sweet and sour strip option? And, it doesn’t even have to be a curry - think of samosas and rolls with unique fillings. Think of what it would mean if you were the only restaurant offering them and other unique dishes. 

Choosing your cuisine is also important, but remember, you don’t have to stick to one. Restaurants commonly combine cuisines from cultural neighbours, but the fun doesn’t have to stop there. You can fuse two completely different cultures on a single menu, or introduce the flavour profile of one into the other. The possibilities are endless. 

One way to choose your cuisine is to consider the demographic in the area and cater for them. Also, consider the ones lacking, so you can bring something new to the area. In other words, if there is a strong Turkish population in the community, Turkish and Middle-Eastern food will likely be well received, however, something novel like a Mexican or Ethiopian menu may also attract customers because everyone enjoys variety.  

To conclude, your menu is the primary reason people visit your venue. Make it special and unique, and you will always have loyal and new customers.  

_______________________________________________________________________________

Must read: Processed Meat: What’s The Deal? 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Invest in your decor

Like it or not, we judge on appearance and first impressions count. If the menu is the primary reason people attend your venue, your decor is the second. Its visual design commonly measures a restaurant's status. 

If you remember the most exquisite restaurants you have visited and consider what you liked about them, you will likely recall that there was ‘something special about the place’. It could be the decorative blossom flowers suspended from the ceiling or the vintage bikes pinned against the walls; the restaurant was themed like a ranch or disco. Whatever it was, it was something visual. 

The appearance of a place determines whether we feel proud to be seen or to take someone there, or whether it is seen as a stop-out joint to visit only when nothing else is available. 

Investing in a unique theme will pay dividends. It will make your establishment memorable and people will talk about it. 

Set the mood

The third key component to operating a successful restaurant is the atmosphere. People call this the ‘vibe’. What brings your venue to life? 

The aim is to create an experience for your customers so they feel special when dining at your restaurant. You can do these through carefully crafted lighting that strikes the right balance of ambience. You will notice that popular romantic restaurants have dimly lit lights, or create the effect by having the majority of light at a distance and candles or smaller lights up close. Colourful lights can be another way to create a feel for a place.  

Let’s not forget music. Music transforms how you think and feel. Each genre and style comes packed with emotions, so you choose your theme carefully. 

Live music is a great way to get people through the door. People treat it as an experience and a luxury. Good music can add class to a restaurant. 

Reviews

The digital information era lets potential customers know exactly what others think about their experience at your restaurant, and its impact can’t be underestimated. If the quality of your food and interior design are the primary and secondary factors, reviews are the glue that brings it all together. 

Trust Pilot, Trip Advisor, and Google Reviews all work to help customers decide which venues they should choose. It also allows good restaurants to distinguish themselves from those that fall below their expected standards. 

Focus on getting [good but honest] reviews by encouraging customers to leave one in exchange for a free dessert. It will help customers identify you and form an opinion before trying your menu. 

Organic Wholesale

Some of the above options can be costly and time-consuming to implement, but they are worth the hassle.  

However, if I said you could make another small change, which would raise your costs slightly, but you could spread that cost over time and pay-as-you-go, and it would make a HUGE difference in how your customers perceive your venue, would you go for it?

You should.  

A simple way to distinguish your restaurant and food, even if you are serving the same menu, is to add one word to your menu that attracts conscious and luxury diners, who are prepared to pay a premium.

That word is ‘organic’.  

A menu that serves organic meat instantly conveys value, class, and quality. You are informing your customers that you value their experience and health and don’t compromise on the quality of the ingredients that you serve.  

Many restaurants prioritise their margins at the cost of the quality of their ingredients, and most people tolerate it because it has almost become the standard. This makes it very easy for the small number of restaurants that want to distinguish themselves, to be bold and different. The extra cost won’t hurt you because of the premium you will charge. 

Final Thoughts 

We have shared some great tips that have been proven over time. Ultimately, if you want your restaurant to be the best and most talked about in town, you must invest in achieving that. 

Buy our wholesale organic meat and offer your customers superior quality meat with exquisite taste and an enhanced dining experience. Unlike the other tips, serving organic meat allows you to recover the additional cost directly from each sale you make. 

Our wholesale meat service lowers the cost of joining the prestigious niche of restaurants that serve an organic menu. Unlike retail purchasing, our wholesale meat service lets you save money the more you buy or by agreeing to purchase at fixed intervals. 

There is no quicker or cheaper method to raise the standard of your menu and distinguish yourselves from the mighty competition. So if you are ready to separate yourself from the crown, call Halal Origins to find out how our wholesale meat can help your business thrive.