Restaurant Promotion Ideas?

Question

My family owns a great restaurant where wings are the big thing. We are trying to get people to move towards our lunch buffet. Any promotion ideas that would help? I'm up to here anything

Answer 1

Coupons are the way to go!!

Answer 2

Have coupons made to get the buffet at a special lunchtime price between the hours of 11 and 3. Or you can advertise the wing appetizer at a special price along the buffet from 12-2. Or you can have persons leave their business cards and offer a free buffet take out of 4lbs or something once a week. That'll get many different demographics of people as well as making flyers advertising your new incentives visible

Answer 3

Have hot girls in hot pants and tank top jump rope in the parking lot in view of the main street -- works for the local Hooters here!

Answer 4

Well, if it is a family restaurant, I totally reccomend that you start with those ads in newspaper and ad mags (advertisement magazines). They are really helpful, and my that basically "made" my brother's restaurant.

Answer 5

Maybe offer a promotion for the buffet that  is a buy one get one free or buy one get one for 1/2 price for a limited time only.      Deliver fliers to nearby business offices, doctor offices, schools, etc.     Hang up the fliers on bulletin boards.       Or, if the parents eat the buffet, kids uner 10 eat the buffet for free during the lunch hour.     Times are tough and if you advertise that the kids are free during the lunch hour, you would probably bring in a lot of business.      Be sure to keep the buffet trays full of food so that the patrons are not waiting on the trays to be refilled since most will be on their lunch breaks.

Offer punch cards.    Buy 4 buffets and the 5th buffet is free.  

Have a fish bowl out front where patrons can enter a weekly drawing for a free lunch buffet.

Answer 6

Can you have someone come in dressed up like a chicken??

Answer 7

How about offering the buffet at a super low price on one of the slow days of the week.  That way, you're brining in cash on a night where you normally don't, and hopefully you'll also hit some people who will make your place a regular spot.

Chariy events always work wonders too.  Find something (anything really, there's a charity for EVERYTHING these days; you might want to focus on something that's family oriented though, like Special Olympics or a kid's foundation_ and write yourself a good press release.  The free media attention is cheaper than a lame newspaper ad and you look like a jewel on top of it (and it's a tax write off).

Finally, how about theming your buffets?  Maybe a Carribean theme, Texas theme, Parisian theme?  Throw some of your wings out there too so people will be able to find what they come to your place for, but will also get to eat some of your other fare.

Good luck!