EPOS Direct Should students be your restaurant’s target audience?

The number of University and College students is significantly increasing annually. As a restaurateur, you should take advantage of this opportunity because there will be a substantial number of young people who will be eating out or wanting to go for a drink. You should target students and young people as this will lead to students wanting to visit your restaurant. This gives your restaurant the ability to become a hub for students to meet. Here are a few tips on how to lure students into your restaurant. Promotions As a restaurateur, it vital to understand that students will have limited funds when they are studying at University and will not have the budget to spend a significant amount of money on eating out. It is recommended for you to offer student deals such as “Burger and a drink for £5”. This will lead to an increased number of students visiting your restaurant as they will know that they will be getting a good deal and will not have to spend a lot of money. It is important to identify students that will regularly eat out in groups. This is why you should offer group deals for students such as “3 mains for £12”. This will encourage students to visit your restaurant with their friends which will lead to your establishment becoming busier and will significantly increase the number of products you sell. Later Opening Hours Do you open late? Students will live a lifestyle of partying so will not follow the same schedule as regular people. As a restaurateur, it is important for you to identify that students will want to eat meals at a later time and will not visit your restaurant during your peak periods. In order to cater for students, you will need to extend your opening hours to around 10-11pm. The later opening hours will ensure that students choose to eat at your restaurant because there will be a limited number of restaurants who open during the later hours of the day. Extending your opening hours will encourage students to visit your restaurant as you will cater for their needs. This could lead to the students becoming loyal and regularly visiting your restaurant. Social Media As a restaurateur, it is crucial to identify that the majority of students will use social media regularly. It is recommended for you to have an active and substantial presence on social media platforms. This will allow you to connect with the students and will give you the opportunity to directly promote your meals to the students. The three most popular social media platforms which students use are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Your restaurant will be able to use social media to promote your offers and meals to a larger number of students. This will encourage the students to visit your restaurant as they will not want to miss out on the deals and will want to try your meals. It is recommended for you to post pictures of your food which has been taken by students and give your students the opportunity to post reviews. This will allow students to see that other students enjoy eating at your restaurant which will lead to them wanting to eat at your restaurant. Social media has the potential to significantly increase the number of students that visit your restaurant. Events As a restaurateur, it is important for your restaurant to become well-known among students. In order to establish your restaurant in the student community, you should host a student night. This will catch the attention of students and will encourage them to attend the event. Remember, if your event appeals to students, they will tell their friends which will increase the number of students who attend your event. Persuading students to attend your event is not as easy as it sounds. It is recommended for you to offer discounted drinks and special promotions as this will encourage students to attend the student night as they will not want to miss out on the deals. When you are planning your event, you must ensure that you provide your students with a reason to come. For example, you should hire a DJ for the night. This will attract a higher number of students to your restaurant as they will not want to miss out on the event. A successful student night will have the potential to dramatically increase your sales. Do students visit your restaurant?