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About SilverChef
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The busiest venues aren't always the ones serving the best food. They're the ones customers think of first when deciding where to eat.
That kind of recall isn't luck. It comes from staying in direct contact with customers long after they've left the table.
The good news is you're probably closer to this than you think.
Every online booking, loyalty scan or event RSVP captures a customer's details through systems most venues already use. And that list is worth cultivating: Australians typically subscribe to email from 6-10 brands, compared to just 1-5 by SMS, which means the businesses that make the cut are the ones customers actually want to hear from.
Where you do want new sign-ups, make it worth their while. A tap to join link in your Instagram bio, or a staff member mentioning it at the till with a small incentive attached.
Nearly 9 in 10 SMS subscribers also receive emails from the same brand - texts aren't replacing email, they're cutting through the noise for anything urgent. A message about tonight's special, sent mid-morning which lands while people are still deciding where to eat.
Both channels punish overuse though. Send only what's genuinely worth a customer's attention and they'll keep giving it to you.
A blanket send to your whole list treats a regular the same as someone who's visited once. Not every customer is looking for the same thing. Segmenting your list by visit frequency, preferences or sign-up source helps ensure customers receive offers that are actually relevant to them.
It doesn't need to be sophisticated. Even a simple split between new subscribers, regulars and lapsed customers, anyone who hasn't visited in a month or two - lets you send a win back offer to the right people instead of guessing at your whole list.
Welcome emails typically outperform regular campaigns, making them one of the most effective ways to encourage a return visit. Sent around a customer's first visit, with a small offer attached, it gives them a concrete reason to come back and most booking platforms can trigger it automatically. Set it up once. Let it work on repeat.
Satisfied customers don't always leave reviews. Dissatisfied customers often do. That matters, because most people trust online reviews, and a positive review makes a customer far more likely to choose you over an unfamiliar alternative.
Make it easy:
Send a review link after a great experience, not weeks later
Use a QR code on the table or receipt
Train staff to mention it at checkout
The prompt takes seconds. The review lasts far longer.
It's worth remembering what shapes those reviews in the first place. A cold coffee from a machine on the blink, or a slow table turn because the dishwasher's down, undoes the goodwill of every welcome email and thank you note you've sent. Equipment reliability may not feel like a marketing decision, but every service disruption affects the customer experience. Keeping equipment maintained or having the flexibility to replace it quickly through options like SilverChef's Rent-Try-Buy®, helps protect the reputation you've worked hard to build.
