The way that people find restaurants has changed a lot over time. Social media has become a huge tool for finding restaurants, something that didn’t exist about 20 years ago.

The ways that people find restaurants continue to change as time passes and it is important for business owners to keep up with the changes. By keeping up with the changes, they can better market and continue to get business.

1. Through Google

We all have looked up restaurants nearby on Google or another search engine to figure out where we want to eat. This is one of the most common ways that people find new restaurants as finding places close by is highly appealing.

With this method being so popular, restaurant owners need to make sure that their restaurant websites appear near the top of the search engine list. This makes sure that when people look up restaurants nearby, yours shows up as well.

2. Through Online Reviews

People are always looking to see how well a restaurant is reviewed before deciding to go. Many people will want to avoid places with bad reviews and low stars. Keeping your reviews up is how you keep your restaurant visible to the customer and appealing enough to encourage new customers to try your place out.

The more positive reviews of your restaurant that you have, you will see a boost in restaurant sales. Reviews can be seen through numerous sources. There are reviews on Yelp, reviews listed on Google, and you can put reviews directly onto your website.

Some restaurants will put positive reviews on their website like how the back of book covers will display positive reviews. This can be attractive to new customers but may not always be the best restaurant marketing tactic. Some people may feel that those reviews are ingenuine as they only show the positive side of a restaurant.

To avoid this, other locations will put a section on their website that allows reviewers to add their honest reviews of the place. This gives other customers a fuller view of how your restaurant is perceived by others.

Facebook, Yelp, and Google are the most popular locations where people will read restaurant reviews. Having a good presence on Facebook and Google results will help you gain more positive reviews and get more people to find your restaurant.

3. Social Media

From stumbling upon restaurant-owned social media accounts to seeing what everyone else is recommending online, people find out about a lot of restaurants through social media.

Social media is the biggest place where people share ideas and recommend people things that they love. There may not be any official reviews, but people are always giving their opinion on everything from places to eat to the newest movie.

If you want business expansion, get onto social media and post regularly. When you have a reliable social media page, more people will be recommended the page and you will have more attention to your restaurant. Then, the people in the area of your restaurant will be more compelled to try it out and you will get more customers.

On your social media page, make sure you utilize every aspect of what the platform provides. If you have an Instagram for your restaurant, do just post pictures of the food. Post stories and reels of what goes on behind the scenes. This makes customers feel more connected to your brand and encourage them to eat at your restaurant more often.

How to Get More Attention Towards Your Restaurant

We have already touched on different ways to bring more attention to your restaurant like creating established social media pages, allowing people to submit reviews directly to your website, and making sure that your restaurant is optimized so it can be among the top Google results. Yet, there are more ways to gain attention.

Utilize a Restaurant Consultant

If you have no idea which direction to take your restaurant to gain more attention, consider hiring a restaurant consultant. They are trained in helping restaurants grow in success and are highly skilled in restaurant marketing.

Your consultant will help you figure out which specific direction to take your restaurant to gain more customers. The path you take will depend on many factors like social media presence, location, and audience.

Always Ask for Feedback

Asking for feedback through surveys located on receipts or with QR codes on the menu are great ways to ask for feedback without having to explicitly ask for it.

Each person who fills out a feedback form is giving you and your restaurant a review. This helps bring the reputation of your restaurant up and will get your restaurant more overall attention.

Feedback also helps your restaurant improve. If many people are sharing the same critiques, you will know what is happening and how you can improve. By striving to improve, you show that you value your customers, and your customers will appreciate being heard.

Create More Interaction with the Customers

By having more interactions with the customers you already have, you open yourself to more customers that see how well you treat the regulars.

Interaction can be done in so many ways. Having your customers provide reviews and submitting feedback are ways that they interact with you. On social media, allow people to ask questions and give each of them thoughtful answers.

With more interaction you have with your customers, the more trust you build. Then, those customers are more likely to share their thoughts about the restaurant with their friends and followers online, allowing more people to find your restaurant.

Customers Find Restaurants Through Algorithms

In today’s digital world, people find new restaurants through some kind of algorithm. That algorithm could be the Google search algorithm that the selection of restaurants coming on top. It can also be social media algorithms with different restaurant accounts being suggested. All in all, algorithms rule the way that people find information and are the ways that they will find the restaurants that they end up loving.