How Restaurants Can Use Push Notifications to Increase Revenue

In the competitive world of restaurants, staying top-of-mind with your customers is key. Push notifications are a powerful tool to keep diners engaged, increase loyalty, and boost sales. Whether your customers are regulars or new patrons, push notifications can nudge them in the right direction at the right time. Here’s how restaurant owners and managers can leverage push notifications, mobile apps, and loyalty programs to enhance customer engagement, boost revenue, and create a more connected dining experience.

Why Push Notifications Matter for Restaurants

Push notifications are an ideal way to reach customers directly on their mobile devices, allowing your restaurant to communicate with them in real time. Imagine the impact of letting your customers know about daily specials, limited-time discounts, or upcoming events. Notifications provide a direct line to your customers more effectively than email marketing or social media posts. Mobile push notifications can also help optimize the customer experience across various operating systems, ensuring messages reach customers regardless of their device.

Notifications like: “order on our app and get 20% off lunch combos today only!” or “Reserve your table now for our live jazz night!” and those offeringfree items or perks to further entice engagement, and create a sense of urgency that encourages customers to make a decision quickly. These timely push messages can help reduce empty seats during slow times or increase orders during peak hours. And with push notifications, your communication isn’t buried in clutter—your message pops up where customers are sure to see it, such as the lock screen of their mobile devices.

Types of Push Notifications to Increase Revenue

Limited-Time Offers and Discounts

Limited-time deals create urgency that drives immediate action. Notifications like “Order now: 50% off your first delivery between 5-7 PM!” entice customers to visit during specific time frames, increasing your restaurant’s foot traffic and  boosting delivery and takeout revenue during slow periods. This type of push notification works exceptionally well in the context of loyalty program members and rewards customers.

Abandoned Cart Reminders

If you offer online ordering, consider using push notifications to remind customers who haven’t completed their orders. A friendly nudge like “Still craving that burger? Order now and get free fries!” can be enough to bring the sale home. Data shows that abandoned cart reminders can recover up to 20% of missed sales (source: MoEngage). By integrating notifications with an app for restaurant ordering, you can boost your online ordering restaurant sales.

Exclusive Loyalty Program Perks

Reward your loyal customers with exclusive perks delivered via push notifications. This strategy ensures that the customer earns valuable rewards that reinforce their loyalty. If you have a loyalty program, you could send updates like “Earn double points on every order this weekend!” to keep customers excited and coming back for more. Loyalty perks can significantly increase customer retention, with studies showing that loyal customers spend 67% more than new customers (source: HubSpot). The key to a successful loyalty program restaurant app is sending timely push notifications that highlight earning points and potential rewards, thereby boosting user engagement.

Event Promotions

Have a special event coming up? Use push notifications to let your customers know about holiday specials or exclusive online-only deals. Engaging notifications can drive delivery and takeout orders, turning first-time customers into loyal fans. Push notifications promoting special offers have shown to increase delivery orders . For mobile app restaurants, this type of engagement can create an exciting experience that keeps customers ordering again.

New Menu Items Announcements

Launching a new dish? Let your customers be the first to know. Notifications like “Introducing our new truffle burger! Order with free delivery tonight!!” can create excitement and encourage immediate orders. Customers appreciate feeling like insiders, which builds brand loyalty over time. This type of push notification is an effective way to increase user engagement and drive repeat visits.

Personalized Recommendations

Based on previous orders, you can send personalized push notifications to your customers, such as “John, your favorite Margherita Pizza is on special today!” Personalized notifications have been found to improve conversion rates by up to 25% (source: OneSignal). Personalized push messages can be a game-changer, especially when combined with data from your customer loyalty programs, allowing you to send push notifications that align with individual preferences.

Best Practices for Using Push Notifications

To make push notifications work for your restaurant, it’s important to keep a few best practices in mind:

 

• Personalization: Tailor your messages based on customer behavior. A message like, “John, it’s been a week since your last online order. Reorder today and get 10% off!” adds a personal touch and encourages repeat business.
• Timing: Send notifications at optimal times—think about when your customers are likely to be thinking about their next meal. Late mornings or early evenings are great times to reach people as they start making dining decisions. Offering special promotions for online orders can help boost this revenue stream. You can plan them around big events when people are more prone to want takeout foods like during a big sporting event when you know everyone is watching.
• Value: Don’t just sell—offer value. Use notifications to share useful information, like an exclusive promo, a reminder about a loyalty perk, or news about a new menu item.
• Frequency: Be mindful not to overdo it. Too many notifications can lead to customers disabling them. Focus on quality over quantity to maintain customer engagement.

How to Send Notifications to Your Customers

Sending push notifications requires a combination of the right technology and strategic planning. The first step is to choose a mobile app that integrates with your existing systems and allows you to communicate effectively with your customers. Many online ordering platforms provide this feature, making it easy to engage your audience.

An effective online ordering system can help you automate push notifications for various purposes—whether it’s an abandoned cart reminder, a limited-time discount, or a loyalty perk. Integrating these notifications into your operations helps ensure that your customers are consistently engaged without adding significant manual work for your team.

UEAT online ordering platform, for instance, provides seamless integration for sending push notifications that help drive customer action. If you’d like to see how UEAT’s solution can work for your restaurant, schedule a demo today and discover how to elevate your customer engagement effortlessly.

 

Ready to Start Boosting Revenue with Push Notifications?

Push notifications are a cost-effective way to communicate directly with your customers, keeping your restaurant top-of-mind and encouraging repeat business. By integrating push notifications with your loyalty program and online ordering system, you can create a seamless experience that keeps customers coming back. It’s time to leverage this powerful tool and take your restaurant marketing to the next level.