Perhaps you’ve long coveted a Mangal II ‘Love Kebabs, Hate Racism’ or St. JOHN pig T-shirt? Have you carried your Ikoyi tote around town with pride? Or, maybe it’s the Happy Meal toy that had you pledging allegiance under the golden arches?
Yep, restaurant promotional products can help enhance your brand’s visibility, foster customer loyalty, and encourage word-of-mouth marketing, creating memorable impressions, while helping you stand out from competitors — not to mention it’s a cost-effective form of advertising.
And while you can of course give promotional products away as free gifts, if you create a really great product, your customers will want to buy it and you can increase sales with a line of these promotional products.
Promoting a restaurant or group of restaurants in an increasingly competitive domain can feel like rather complex choreography. But with the right promotional products, you can enhance your brand’s visibility and customer loyalty. With that in mind, here are a mouthful of some of the most established promotional items that restaurants like yours can employ to successfully spice up their marketing strategies.
Customised Clothing
T-shirts, aprons, or hats with your restaurant’s logo are a great way to market your restaurant and create a sense of unity among staff and customers. Feature your restaurant’s logo prominently on the T-shirt and ensure the design reflects your restaurant’s overall branding and style.
If your restaurant has a catchy tagline or slogan, consider incorporating it into the design when T-shirt printing to make it more memorable. You can also use artwork related to your cuisine, a signature dish, or an iconic aspect of your restaurant’s ambiance.
Branded Cutlery & Crockery
Imagine your customers sipping from a coffee mug adorned with your logo or slicing into their steak with a branded knife. It’s a subtle, yet incredibly effective promotion. Branded cutlery and crockery not only elevate your restaurant’s professionalism and aesthetic appeal, but they also reinforce your brand every time a customer uses them.
Branded Drinkware
Customised mugs, glasses, water bottles, or shot glasses that customers can use both in the restaurant and at home are fantastic promotional products for restaurants. It not only serves as a functional item for customers but also helps increase brand visibility.
Reusable Tote Bags
Today you’re seeing less plastic and more reusable bags. Reusable tote bags are excellent promotional products for restaurants that are not only eco-friendly, and practical, but they also offer a great canvas to showcase your brand and your customers will likely use them again and again. These tote bags from Gopromotional are eco-friendly, cost-effective, completely customizable, and come in a wide range of colors and styles to match your brand.
Recipe Books
A mouth-watering promotional product, recipe books showcase your restaurant’s culinary prowess. Featuring signature dishes and insider cooking tips can transform patrons into brand ambassadors. They’ll cherish the opportunity to try their hand at replicating your delicious dishes at home, and your restaurant brand will be in their kitchen and memory for a long time.
Coasters & Placemats
Coasters and placemats offer considerable real estate for promoting your restaurant. They can feature your logo, contact details, or upcoming events. High-quality, creative designs have the added advantage of becoming collectables, further extending your brand’s reach beyond the restaurant.
Custom Takeaway Packaging
Takeaway food is more popular than ever. Customising your takeaway packaging is a brilliant opportunity to extend your brand’s presence into customer’s homes.
Package your products with your logo, tagline, or a compelling call-to-action to spark conversations and recommendations among family and friends, driving potential new customers to your restaurant.
Branded Sauces & Spices
If you pride yourself on your secret sauces or spice mixes, why not bottle them up for sale? The practical use of these items means your restaurant’s name is potentially a staple on your customer’s dinner table. It’s a savoury, tangible piece of your restaurant that customers can enjoy in their homes.
Read: 7 incredible vegetarian condiments, sauces and seasonings
Loyalty Cards
Simple yet powerful, loyalty cards foster customer retention and encourage repeat business. By offering free meals or discounts after a certain number of visits, customers are incentivised to return and this instils a sense of appreciation for their patronage.
Gift Cards
Gift cards increase cash flow, attract new customers, and encourage loyalty. They’re especially popular around holidays or as birthday and anniversary gifts. And let’s not forget, they’re an excellent way of introducing your restaurant to potential new customers.
The Bottom Line
Promotional products are a multi-faceted marketing tool. They offer an array of benefits, from increasing brand recognition to fostering loyalty. Equipped with these savvy promotional product concepts, your restaurant can cook up a hearty serving of marketing success.
Always remember that the best promotional products are those that align seamlessly with your brand identity and resonate with your customers. Bon appétit to your promotional endeavours!