Opening a new restaurant is a challenge, no matter where you live or what kind of food you're making. You'll be up against tons of competitors all scrapping over the same population, and it can be tricky to stand out in that sort of condition. It's not just about making sure you pop up on Google search results or have a good sign - you need to aggressively market yourself, especially at the beginning. Here are a few ideas that are tried and true for many new restaurants. 

1. A Good Staff is Key

Even the dingiest restaurant in the world is bound to stand out if they have both good food and a really wonderful staff. Investing time in every staff member, from the dishwasher replacing Hoshizaki parts in the back to the hostess at the front, is going to help your staff stand out and shine. It's important to get your employees invested in their work, not just as food servers or waitresses, but as customer service providers.

This means that, while you should absolutely train them to do their jobs efficiently and accurately, you also want to provide a degree of freedom and creativity in how they perform their tasks. A really excellent business will have staff giving helpful feedback to management so that effective changes can be made. When their concerns are addressed and they're given the freedom to think for themselves, restaurant staff can really shine. Nothing gets you that five-star review faster than a really engaged and helpful staff. 

2. Run Loyalty Programs

It seems like every coffee shop, bar, and restaurant you walk into these days will offer you a punch card at the checkout. While many people will immediately lose their punch card, there are ways of creating a loyalty program that will actually establish loyalty for customers. The card system might make sense for your restaurant, but you can also provide giveaways after an established number of purchases, or send rewards via email.

You could run a short-term program where customers receive discounts or free items for posting about your restaurant on social media, or it could be a club that gives special perks to members. Whatever you decide, the important thing is that your customers feel like the cost of joining the program (keeping the punch card, signing up to an email list, etc.) is worth the rewards they receive. Nobody is going to bother returning ten times just to get a free cup of black coffee at the end.

3. Open a Food Truck

Sometimes restaurants can be held back by their location and an inability to create adequate buzz around openings. One way to combat this limitation is by opening a food truck that carries a pared-down version of the restaurant's menu. A food truck can be hired privately or can attend pop-up events around the community, like flea markets or festivals. It's a fantastic way to extend your branding, as well as take in some additional revenue. Once people taste the food from your truck, they'll be more inclined to visit the restaurant just to see what else you have to offer.

4. Source Local Supplies

A fantastic way to endear yourself to the local community and create some loyalty to your restaurant is by sourcing as much of your needs as possible from local suppliers. Whether that's dry goods, produce, meat, or even the furniture in your dining room, these choices are appreciated by many people who will prefer using your services over someone who sources from big national suppliers.

Farm-to-table restaurants are popular for that reason, plus who doesn't like knowing that the food they're eating came from the farm a mile down the road? In addition, your food will likely have a fresher taste and better quality if it's sourced locally. Marketing a new restaurant requires a lot of trial and error, but with some persistence and patience, you'll have a line out the door in no time.