Best Practices
The 3 Ways to Grow a Restaurant (And Why #1 Is a Trap)
It might be tough to swallow, but the truth is this: today's customers simply expect great food and great service. They might get customers through your doors, but they won't keep them coming back. In today's economy, that's no longer enough to build the loyal, repeat business you need to survive and thrive.
There are only three ways to grow a restaurant:
- Get more new customers.
- Get your existing customers to come back more often.
- Get them to spend more on each visit.
Most Independent Owners obsess over #1. They spend a fortune trying to out-advertise the big chains to get new people through the door. But the real wealth is hidden in #2 and #3, specifically by building a relationship with your best customers.
Here is the best practice for getting your top customers to return more frequently and spend more money…
- Find Your "Platinum" Guests: You need to know your VIPs by name and how much they spend. RestaurantOwner.com member Bent Hansen identified just 139 "Platinum" customers who accounted for a massive 30% of his total sales (with an estimated lifetime value of over $16,000 each+ based on their spending!!!).
- Reach Your Customers in More Than One Way: Building strong customer relationships takes more than one form of media, especially if that is a crowded email inbox. The most effective marketing combines email, text, push notifications, and direct mail. Multi-media cuts through the digital noise and gives your business message a presence that relying on one communication simply can't.
- Recognize Milestones: Once you know who your best customers are - recognize their important milestones. Birthdays, anniversaries, and other meaningful moments give you a reason to reach out in a way that feels personal, not promotional. For instance, Bent spent just $142.57 in one month on oversized birthday postcards and generated $8,026 in trackable return sales.
"You don't need a massive budget to get new customers, but you do need a system to get them to come back more often and spend more each time."
- RestaurantOwner
Want to learn more? Join our Marketing Masterclass: “Increase Your Restaurant's Sales by 25% or More in as Little As 3 Months”
You don't need a massive budget to get new customers, but you do need a system to get them to come back more often and spend more each time.
By using an automated guest survey, RestaurantOwner.com member Bent Hansen completely took control of his online reputation. Today, he ranks #1 on Google and #1 on TripAdvisor in his highly competitive community.
Join us for a Live Masterclass to see the exact, "done-for-you" review and marketing playbook Bent uses to pack his restaurant, Los Gringos Locos, and generate $4 Million a year.
Join the Live Masterclass on Wednesday, Sept 16th, 2026 @ 1:00 PM PT / 4:00 PM ET
Related Resources
Restaurant Marketing Promotion Tracking Template: Many restaurants spend from 2-4% of revenue on marketing. The most successful ones track their promotions so they "know" which ones work and which don't. Use this template so you can concentrate your efforts and dollars on your most productive marketing activities.
Restaurant Marketing Planning Calendar: Today, sales growth doesn't just happen, it requires proper planning and execution! Take control of your marketing plan with this great tool to organize your promotions for the entire year onto a single spreadsheet that shows the dates of each promotion and the tasks required to make them happen.
Upcoming Webinar
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Increase Your Restaurant's Sales by 25% or More in as Little As 3 Months
A masterclass on turning first-time guests into loyal repeat customers with proven automated systems.
