January is a strange time in the restaurant business. Between resolutions, post-holiday wallet squeeze, and decreased travel, restaurants face a unique challenge. 2024 was practically a blood bath, which hopefully won't happen in 2025, but it for sure gives us a warning to be better prepared.
I believe January provides an incredible opportunity if you can reach people with what they want. It's not that there isn't business available, it's that there is less of it, so you just have to be better about getting diners to choose you.
I learned this lesson back when we owned Idle Hands Bar, a bourbon and beer speakeasy with no windows in a basement in New York City's East Village. You would think January would totally suck, but truthfully, it was one of our best months of the year. If you know what your guests want and how to reach them, it's just a matter of planning and execution.
What was our secret? January 24th --- the birthday of the beer can. We threw a massive all-you-can-drink beer can party on that day and we were always packed.
So what can you do?
Here are 5, easy to execute tactics that work for all restaurants of all sizes and service models that you can start to plan for today that will help you to have a successful January with your restaurant.
1. Use a Barbell Marketing strategy
The idea here instigate both a premium offer and a value offer at the same time. McDonald’s is really good at this. Value menu alongside a McRib. Works for all kinds of restaurants. Full service? Happy hour plus premium entree.
2. Lose the pounds, without the cringe.
No one likes resolution marketing or to be told to go on a diet … but they’re all thinking of it. Promote your lighter or diet items on owned channels (social, email, website, etc.). Just don’t use diet and resolution messaging. Just do menu item features highlighting.
3. Lose the pounds, not the budget.
Less businesses will be spending ad dollars because it's post-holidays, and they think the market is slow. That's the best time to spend … lower spending from the market means your dollar will go farther. Run an evergreen awareness campaign on Meta, along with a Google Search ad.
Budget a minimum of $10 per day for each. If your Meta CPM is under $2 and your Google CPC is under $00.50, increase the budget.
4. Bring on the points
If you have a loyalty program, January is a good time to double down on offers. Run a points challenge like dine X times in January and get Y bonus points, or make it easy by doing double points every day in January. If there are less people finding out, get more out of those who are.
5. Get creative.
Everything above in some way, shape, or form involves an offer or discount...because they work. Don’t like discounts? Not an offers brand? Ok. Do some storytelling. What do your guests need to know about why you do what you do or how you do it that will help them justify a higher spend? Tell that story in your owner channels.
Show how a dish is made. Interview the chef about their background or philosophy. Show us how you source your ingredients. Tell us the story of why you started the business.
Or have some fun. Post some memes. Get silly. Act out some skits. Invite an elf to work for you.
The goal here is to get attention and cut yourself from the rest by being more than just food.
Which of these have you tried? What else have you found to work?
>>>> WANT TO REALLY KICK UP YOUR MARKETING RESULTS IN 2025!!?? <<<
JOIN US AT THE P3 MASTERMIND MARKETING SUMMIT
P3 Mastermind Marketing Summit - a 3 day, in person marketing event where you will be given the actual restaurant marketing playbook amassed from the best practices of thousands of restaurants that will show you exactly what you need to do to increase awareness, acquisition, retention, and evangelism from your guests?
WHEN: January 26-28, 2025
WHERE: Spy Hop Rooftop (208 W Harvey Milk Blvd. Salt Lake City, UT 84101)
WHO: This event will be co-hosted by myself and Chip Klose, MBA . Chip has all the experience and guidance needed to help you with some top-level strategies to become more profitable. He guides hundreds of restaurants with strategies that work. I am constantly impressed by him.
HOW: Secure your spot today by clicking HERE.
Your ticket grants you access to all workshops and parties.
If you are a restaurant marketer, an owner who does their marketing, or somebody at a restaurant who oversees the marketing, this is the event you’re going to want to attend in 2025.
This entire event is going to be: tips, tricks, tactics, and how to’s
Discover more: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/2025-marketing-summit
Check out this episode of the Restaurant Strategy podcast hosted by Chip Klose, MBA for a preview of what you'll get!
See you at the P3 Mastermind Marketing Summit!
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Do you need help with any of this? Send me an email rev@brandedstrategic.net
- Rev Ciancio
WHAT DOES REV DO?
*I help restaurants to build guest marketing programs.
*I help hospitality tech companies with lead generation and content marketing.