How can I improve the turnover of my hotel restaurant?
The Caterer 25 May 2006

I own a hotel with what I consider to be a good quality restaurant. But I'm a few miles out of town and suffer from very poor diner numbers. How do I improve my turnover?

Guy Holmes, Captivate Restaurants

There's a tendency for restaurateurs to rely on expensive advertising to get new customers. However, the strategies below are a lot less expensive and more effective.

• Media - contact journalists from local publications and invite them for a meal on the house in return for a review. Set up a competition in the local press with a prize along the lines of a meal for four with wine. The competition won't cost you anything, but will have a better effect than advertising.
• Be sure you're in local guides.
• Offer discounts such as 20% off to two or three of the biggest employers in the nearby town. Ask them if you can promote the offer on their intranet system and with posters in the staff room supplied by you. Put a time limit on the discount to encourage people to use it sooner rather than later.
• Contact local hotels and make sure they have information, including menus. It would also be very useful to invite the head concierge or receptionist for a free meal. They will more often than not recommend your restaurant to their hotel guests.
• Another cheap way to gain publicity is to offer a prize of a dinner at your restaurant for some kind of charity or school event. You will get a write-up in the charity/school newsletter, publicity at the actual event and there's a good chance the local press will run a story.
• Make sure your restaurant is well signposted. It's no good if people get lost and find one of your competitors instead.