Direct Mail for Restaurants: How to Drive Visits and Repeat Business

Hungry customers don’t spend all day thinking about where they’re going to eat. Sometimes, they just need a little reminder.

A postcard announcing a new menu, offering a discount, or promoting your catering services can put your restaurant on their radar. Direct mail for restaurants can create that timely connection, giving customers a reason to choose your business the next time they’re deciding where to eat.

Give people the right offer at the right time, and that trip to the mailbox could turn into a trip to your restaurant.

Turn Cravings Into Visits

Direct mail works best when there’s something specific behind it. Rather than simply reminding people that your restaurant exists, connect your mailing to an offer, event, or timely reason to stop in.

Restaurants can use direct mail to:

• Introduce a new location with a grand-opening offer
• Bring past customers back with a special incentive
• Promote seasonal menus or limited-time items
• Build loyalty with offers that encourage another visit
• Grow catering business by reaching nearby businesses, organizations, or households
• Fill slower periods with promotions tied to specific days or times

Whatever you choose, make the next step obvious. Visit by a certain date. Bring in the postcard. Scan a QR code. Place a catering order. Join your loyalty program.

Know Who You Want to Reach

Who would you most like to see walk through your doors?

That’s a good place to start when building your mailing list. A neighborhood restaurant might focus on nearby households, while a catering campaign could reach local businesses and organizations. For a grand opening, you can introduce yourself to the neighborhoods closest to your new location.

Multi-location restaurants can get even more specific, tailoring each mailing to the customers around that particular location.

You’re not trying to reach everybody. You’re trying to reach the people who have a good reason to become customers.

Time It Around What’s Happening

A great offer that arrives after the promotion starts isn’t much help.

Work backward from your event, menu launch, or promotional period so customers have enough time to see the mailing and respond. Direct mail for restaurants can also work as an ongoing program, with campaigns scheduled around holidays, seasonal menus, busy catering seasons, loyalty promotions, or slower times of year.

Know What’s Working

Want to know whether the mailing was successful? Give recipients something you can measure.

That might be a unique coupon code, QR code, dedicated offer, landing page, or “bring this postcard” promotion. Tracking response helps you see which offers are effective and gives you useful information for the next campaign.

Direct Mail That Brings More Customers to the Table

ImageMark can help restaurant marketing teams coordinate targeting, printing, personalization, mailing, and multi-location campaigns without juggling several vendors.

Planning a seasonal special, grand opening, or can’t-miss offer? ImageMark can help you spread the word and bring customers through the door.