Building a great restaurant takes more than a unique menu and a great team of chefs. It also takes a steady stream of returning customers that help to generate local buzz and great reviews.

But how exactly do you create more loyalty in your customers? Offering great quality and service is essential. But introducing a customer loyalty program can be another effective way to show your customers appreciation and keep them coming back.

The great news is that there are several ways to incorporate a loyalty program that’s cost-effective and easy to maintain.

Why Personalized Touches Really Matter

Going the extra mile for your customers shows how much thought you’ve put into making their dining experiences memorable. Adding a personal touch to your service,, especially when structuring a loyalty program, can lead to several business benefits, including:

  • Deeper Customer Loyalty: Offering extra rewards encourages customers to return more often. This is a great way to build long-term loyalty.

  • Better Guest Experiences: Even small gestures, like a free appetizer or drink, can go help customers feel more appreciated and valued. This leads to more positive experiences they’ll want to share.

  • Powerful Word-of-Mouth Advertising: Nothing helps your customer base grow more than positive word-of-mouth. Customer loyalty programs are a great way to show your customers you appreciate them,incentivize them to share their reviews online, provide your restaurant with feedback, or refer other customers.

Effective Incentive Strategies You Can Implement in Your Restaurant

There are plenty of different ways you can start incentivizing your customers to keep coming back to your restaurant. Below are several different approaches you can try:

Designing a Tiered Loyalty Program

Tiered loyalty programs reward guests the more times they visit your restaurant. For example, new members might receive small discounts on future meals. After a certain number of visits, you can increase the discount or offer an additional reward.

These are great programs that keep guests excited about regularly returning, while continuing to reward them for their regular, long-term support.

Birthday and Anniversary Rewards

Remembering a customer's birthday or wedding anniversary, can be a great personal touch that creates a more personal connection. It’s also a good opportunity to offer an incentive to return to the restaurant to celebrate.

Providing a small gesture like a free dessert or champagne toast on special occasions can make your customers’ evenings all the more special. You could even provide them with a free gift card ahead of time, before each of these occasions, to further incentivize them choosing your restaurant to enjoy their important day.

Exclusive "Members Only" Benefits

One way to make sure your customers don’t feel like another number is by offering them members-only benefits. These benefits typically require your customers to sign up to receive exclusive discounts or rewards they can use during their visits.

You can get creative with these types of loyalty programs. For example, offer priority seating for reservations, invite members to private tasting events when setting new menus, or give them other perks only available to subscribed members.

Leveraging Digital Punch Cards and Apps

Most customers are likely very familiar with using their smartphones and apps to track their loyalty programs. Creating a digital punch card system that makes it easy for customers to track each of their visits and any rewards they can use is a great way to appeal to a wider audience.

These applications also encourage customers to leave feedback during each visit, reviewing the performance of the wait staff, the quality of their food, and their overall dining experience.

Gamification of Loyalty Programs

One way to make your loyalty programs more engaging for customers is to introduce certain elements of gamification. This can be a highly entertaining and motivating way to build excitement around return visits, letting your customers track their performance against other anonymous guests while leveling up their tiered rewards.

At the end of the quarter or maybe twice a year, you could offer free meals or other rewards to the top patrons for that period. You may be surprised by how competitive some people naturally are, and this is the perfect way to create some more personality into your brand.

Partnering for Cross-Promotional Gifts

Community partnerships can be an effective way to get the word out about your restaurant and generate referral business. One way you can create more of these partnerships is by creating cross-promotional gift incentives for your customers.

For example, you could partner up with a non-competing business close to your restaurant, like a local theatre, coffee shop, or bookstore. Consider offering free vouchers to businesses when handing your customers their bills or including them in your incentive offerings.

The great thing is that those partners will do the same thing for your business with their own customer base. This can be an effective passive way to bring in more foot traffic without necessarily needing to spend a lot on digital advertising initiatives.

Start Building a More Loyal Customer Base

Building a successful restaurant is dependent on creating a loyal customer base. By following the strategies discussed, you can make an effective loyalty program that gets your customers excited to return to your restaurant, while also sharing their positive experiences with others.

Author Name: Cindy Mielke

Author bio: Cindy is passionate about the incentive industry. In addition to her role as Vice President of Strategic Partners here at Tango, she is a Certified Professional of Incentive Management who proudly serves on two industry boards. When she’s not working, Cindy enjoys spending time with her family—including three cats, two dogs, and a horse—and sharing her love of nature as a Nebraska Master Naturalist.