In the restaurant business, there are many things that you have to focus on every day in order to be successful.

Marketing trends are changing rapidly, and a restaurant owner needs to be on top of the latest marketing methods for their business.

Luckily for you, we have put together an article with some of the top restaurant marketing trends in 2021 that you need to know about in order to succeed. Follow these tips and your restaurant will be successful!

1. Get On TikTok

The first marketing trend that you should jump on is Tiktok.

Tiktok is here to stay for sure. Because it’s not something that is only for the 12-year-old kids doing dances and stuff like that. No, in 2021, there are financial tips, there are strategies, there are mindset, a lot of different businesses and industries already jumping in and on to take talk.

So if you want to market for your restaurant, definitely Tiktok is the way to go moving forward.

Why is that the case?

It is because you don’t need a lot of followers for you to blow up on Tiktok since their algorithm is so wild.

That means as long as you have good content, appealing content, and interesting content that people are watching, then most of the time you will get found. And they will feature you because that’s how their algorithm grows, because they want to feature new content creators.

There has been already multiple instances where food brands, restaurants, online stores have gone viral and been sold out thanks to Tiktok.

So make sure that you guys jump on to the Tiktok trend, and really allow it to change the direction of your restaurant.

2. Show Your Values

Second restaurant marketing trend in 2021 is to show your restaurant values.

This is something I always preach in my ACE formula: align with your values, so then that way you can find your tribe to connect with your loyal fans, so they buy from you again and again. And then lastly, explode in revenue. So then that way, you can be financially free.

Why is it important to show your values?

Well think about what happened in 2020. We saw the world put a spotlight on the BLM movement, we saw the massive political unrest in other countries, and we saw all more crazy things that has happened. That’s the reason why more and more people are choosing to dine at restaurants that have shared values with them.

According to a study done by a Accenture, more than 41% of the people that got interviewed said that the values the restaurants have directly impacts their purchasing decision. And more than 21% of those people said that, if the values don’t align with them, they will not shop and dine at those restaurants.

And that just shows you how much showing your values would affect your business. Restaurants that shows their value that have that deep connection with their customers show an uplift in the consumer rate of the restaurant.

That’s the reason why you should definitely show your values.

Don’t be afraid to tell your customers, what you stand for, because either way, you’re going to be able to attract your loyal fans.

We’re not trying to attract everyone, we’re trying to attract the people that will buy from you again and again. And according to Yelp, searches for black-owned businesses have skyrocketed more than 500% on Yelp. And on top of that woman owned business, they shot up by 114%.

Now what does this mean? That means that if and when you’re willing to take a stand on what you value, and what you stand for, it will work in your favor. And you will be able to nurture a much deeper connection with your customers. So that way, once again, they’re going to buy from you again and again.

3. Online Ordering & Curbside Pick Up

Third Restaurant Marketing trend to follow in 2021 to focus on is offering online ordering and curbside pickup.

This is not going to go away since people now have a taste of how convenient it is. So make sure that you have this whole experience easy for people to order for curbside pickup andhave this updated on your website, on your social media, your Instagram, Google reviews, Google My Business.

Have all these different platforms up-to-date is critical because more and more people are searching for your restaurants and how to dine at your restaurants online nowadays.

Just imagine when someone wants to dine at your restaurant and they go on your website and they’re trying to order for pick up and they can’t find that button. What’s going to happen?

They’re going to find it confusing and just go to a competitor’s restaurant website where they can actually order.

Your job is to make this whole experience frictionless so then that way you get that order.

4. Hygiene

The fourth restaurant marketing trend is hygiene. When I talk about hygiene, it’s not just how you execute it, but also the perception of how clean and safe your restaurant is.

According to Yelp diner survey, consumers are extremely cautious about three areas when they come in to dine.

1. Whether they are seated in a shared table when you’re in the share family-style table
2. Laminate menus. They do not like menus that are being handed to many different peoples.
3. Whether they’re being seated right behind other people

These are the three things that some people are extremely cautious about. And according to that study, more than 67% of people would not come and dine at your restaurant if those 3 things were not what they consider safe.

What does that mean? That means that you have the potential to gain a lot more customers if you have proper hygiene protocols. And if you can show other people, your hygiene practices either online or at that location.

Some examples of how you can show your hygiene online would be:

• on your Instagram,
• on your Google reviews,
• showcase to people the practice that you have,
• tell them that now you have contactless menu and
• show what your staff protocols are

These are just some areas where you can showcase on your social media and online to give another stamp of approval and confidence for your consumer to come and dine at your restaurants.

5. Online Reputation Marketing

Fifth Restaurant Marketing trend in 2021 is Online Reputation Marketing.

I’ve been saying this over and over and over again – What you have to say about yourself has literally no weight in comparison to what other people have to say about your restaurant.

What does that mean? Restaurateurs should focus on their Yelp reviews because they can have a direct effect on whether or not people choose to eat at your restaurant. Reviews are also important for Google, as it will show up in search results and help you win potential customers who might be reading about restaurants near them.

According to a report by Bright Local more than 87% of the consumers check out your online reviews before deciding to dine in in your restaurant. And that’s up a lot from 2019.

So what does that mean? That means that people truly do care and they do stock you before dining in your restaurant. And it does affect how much money you put in your pocket.

Another report by UC Berkeley, found that just a half-star review rating affects your online bookings at 7pm by more than 30% to 40%. That means that if you have 4.5 stars instead of four stars, you’re gonna get 30% more bookings at your restaurant.

That could mean direct dollars in your pockets! That can easily translate to more than hundreds, if not 1000s of dollars every single month for your restaurant.

You should always focus on user-generated reviews. And if you want more information on how to manage your online reputation, peek the video below:

6. Collaborations

The sixth and final restaurant marketing trend in 2021 is collaboration. What are collaborations? It is when two different parties work together to promote one thing. And why is this really important and very popular right now it is because people crave for this.

They’re craving for new things to talk about and novel ideas. And at the same time, you can actually cross-pollinate, you get the exposure of your partner’s followers and vice versa. And that’s how you can grow together.

For example, McDonald’s, reached out to one of the more popular relevant rapper stars Travis Scott to actually do a collaboration in September of 2020. This campaign was so successful, their sales forecast for McDonald’s went from 1.4% for the third quarter to 3%. And a big part of that is because of the Travis Scott meal.

Another example for you is when Dunkin Donuts partnered up with Charli, one of the highest-paid Tiktok stars out there. Once again, this is a prime example of what a good collaboration looked like.

Now locally, what I’ve seen are chefs partnering up with chocolatiers creating new products, bakeries partnering up with deli shops creating a new product. At the end of the day, these different parties might seem very different. But as long as the values align, that’s when you can get creative and create something that is very magical and your consumers would enjoy that.

So for you, if you have your own restaurant or thinking about creating your own food restaurant, then you can collaborate with different bakeries, different influencers, as long as your values align. And as long as it is, it is a win-win situation. That’s when a collaboration does its trick.

So there you go, friends, the six marketing trends in 2021, that you should definitely look out for and use and execute for your restaurant. So then that way, you get more sales.