Your food is delicious and fresh, your wait staff is friendly, and your prices are right. You have very happy customers. As a restaurant owner, you can easily convert your satisfied patrons into organic champions of your brand. The trick? Convincing customers to leverage their influence to promote your restaurant, boost its credibility, and ultimately increase sales.

What is word-of-mouth restaurant marketing?

Word-of-mouth marketing is how people organically promote your restaurant — usually through conversations or online posts. Customers might share a delicious meal on social media or talk about it in person with their family, friends, or colleagues. Or they might give your restaurant’s name when asked about favorite places to eat.

This type of marketing is highly effective; after all, most people trust personal recommendations far more than traditional advertising. In fact, 59% of consumers report that input from family and friends impacts their purchasing decisions. Positive firsthand reviews can convince people to try your restaurant for the first time and inspire customer loyalty among existing patrons.

Even if the person on the receiving end doesn’t purchase from your restaurant right away, they’re automatically more aware of it. That familiarity helps boost ad sales and increases conversions from marketing campaigns that promote your website.

Tips for getting word-of-mouth advertising

As a restaurant owner, you can’t control what people say about your business. However, you can influence it. With the right strategies, it’s possible to increase positive word-of-mouth restaurant marketing.

1. Set the stage for great food photos

The photos and videos your customers share on social media can be powerful marketing assets for your brand. After all, 34.5% of diners turn to posts from the people they follow on social media to find restaurant information.

To motivate diners to share their experiences naturally, make it easy and fun to take fantastic photos. Here’s how to help customers take mouth-watering images of your food:

• Presentation is key. Plate and garnish dishes attractively, whether you’re serving fish for dinner or cookies for dessert. The more beautiful the dish, the more likely customers are to photograph it before they take their first bite.
• Make food the star of the show. A simple background is best; at Grubhub, we find that white plates and neutral table settings showcase the artistry on the plate.
• Maximize natural lighting. We recommend our restaurant partners use as much natural lighting as possible for “Instagram-worthy” food. You can use the same trick by opening shades and curtains and utilizing mirrors that reflect light from the windows in the dining room.
• Print your logo on takeout and delivery packaging. Bags and containers printed with your logo look great online and in person. When the packages are attractive, customers can use them as a background for their food photos.

2. Make it easy for customers to share

Encourage diners to post their food photos in the moment by making it easy to get online. Set up a free Wi-Fi network and post the password in high-visibility locations. You can even put a QR code on each table that helps diners sign in to the network.

When guests can connect quickly, they’re more likely to engage in word-of-mouth marketing by sharing their incredible pics and positive comments. For an even bigger impact, suggest the use of specific hashtags by subtly promoting them on the bottom of menus, specials boards, and table cards.

3. Get customers to leave reviews

Did you know that 57.2% of all consumers seek out online reviews before making a dining decision, or that 43% of diners won’t even consider going to a restaurant with a star rating below 3 or 3.5 stars? Reviews — specifically, positive reviews — are great for business.

Here are a few ways to proactively manage and cultivate online reviews:

• Monitor and respond to all online reviews.
• Get more customer reviews by offering a small incentive for a future visit.
• Avoid a bad online review by including a flier with takeout and delivery orders encouraging customers to call with feedback.
• Take action to improve your Grubhub rating.
• Adjust your Facebook business page settings to allow customers to check in and easily post reviews and ratings.

4. Engage on social media

Social media is an excellent marketing tool for your restaurant, but it’s also an opportunity to humanize your brand. To build strong, lasting customer relationships, take the time to engage. Reply to both positive and negative comments, answer questions, and make jokes when appropriate. You’ll create personal connections and increase your engagement rate, which prompts the algorithm to show your posts to a larger audience.

Don’t stop at your own posts — spend some time interacting with the other content on your primary platforms. When a customer posts a food photo and tags your restaurant, leave a comment. Follow the latest trends and participate when the topic ties into your brand; it’s a great way to get more eyes on your business and generate word-of-mouth marketing.

5. Offer incentives and referral programs

Everyone loves a discount or a freebie, and when a customer is deciding to recommend your restaurant or a competitor, an appealing incentive can tip the decision in your favor. Here are some perks that can get people talking:

• Loyalty programs. These incentive programs are a simple way to retain loyal customers while attracting new ones. There are a variety of loyalty programs to choose from — you might offer exclusive discounts to members, provide a free meal after the purchase of 10, or give away merchandise as a special treat. It’s an effective way to keep customers engaged. Plus, when they’re happy with the experience, they’re more likely to share it with others. 
• Referral programs. With this incentive system, customers are rewarded for recommending your restaurant to others. Technology makes it easy; users can share a code or a link through a digital platform, and you can gain valuable customer data. Many programs are tied into your POS system for streamlined access on both ends.
• Rewards for social media shares. Every week, pick one customer photo to share on your restaurant’s feed. As a reward, give that person a free meal. To make it easier to find and browse photos, ask participants to tag their photos with a specific hashtag. Promote this program in-house, on your social media profiles, and through your mailing list.

6. Leverage influencers and brand ambassadors

Everyday customers aren’t the only people who can recommend your restaurant — influential creators and brand ambassadors can be valuable resources.

• Brand ambassadors. Brand ambassadors have a formal relationship with your restaurant. In return for sharing about your brand, they receive discounts or other perks. They must also follow FTC rules, but it can still be an effective strategy if you can find people who share genuine, inspiring reviews.
• Influencers. This category includes bloggers and social media personalities with loyal and engaged followings; the people who follow them tend to trust their suggestions. You can pay them to post about your restaurant as part of a social media marketing strategy, but bear in mind that the required FTC disclosures may dilute the power of the recommendation. You can also encourage organic reviews by inviting local influencers to try your restaurant or attend private dining events; they may post organically.

For inspiration on how to get non-sponsored posts from influencers, look to Arnette’s Chop Shop in Atlanta. The restaurant offers striking, photo-worthy food and interiors, but it also does good in the community — something that’s sure to boost word-of-mouth marketing.

7. Maintain consistency and reliability

A fantastic customer experience is the true driving force behind positive word-of-mouth marketing. Your restaurant must consistently provide culinary excellence, friendly service and a welcoming environment. That way, customers will grow to rely on your business for a great dining experience.

Why do consistency and reliability matter? People hesitate to make recommendations unless they’re confident the business will deliver a positive experience. If you can meet and exceed expectations time after time, customers will happily suggest your restaurant to the important people in their lives.

How Grubhub can help

As you find the best ways to generate more word-of-mouth referrals for your restaurant, Grubhub can be a helpful partner. Signing up for Grubhub for Restaurants automatically boosts your exposure among local diners, whether in New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles, or anywhere in between. An optimized profile on Grubhub increases your online visibility, making it easier for customers to find and share their experiences.

Grubhub also helps you deliver the best possible experience for your guests. The platform enables you to accept both takeout and delivery orders, and our drivers provide prompt, professional service. You can even set up a digital loyalty program to delight diners and encourage positive reviews.Curious about how Grubhub’s restaurant industry-leading services can take your word-of-mouth marketing to the next level? Get started with Grubhub today.