Branding. This is something that you probably will have heard of being a restaurant owner. Well lets think about it. You'll know that the restaurant industry is a really crowded and competitive space, and the biggest question is how can you entice more customers to your restaurant when there are an endless amount of options for them to choose from. And once they have been to your restaurant, how do you keep them coming back to you? Well, the answer to that is a strong restaurant brand.

In an incredibly packed sector, branding can be the best friend you thought you might not have needed. As the world has seen the pandemic come out of nowhere, many restaurants have realised more than ever that branding is important. And now that restrictions are becoming less and less strict, it's not surprise that the hospitality sectors is getting the boost it needed. Even though there are more people out roaming for places to eat, the question that can be asked is, can branding really make the difference?

In 2021, digital marketing was everything, and in many cases, having a present and easily accessible brand online for your restaurant meant the difference between having a profitable night or another day in the red. When your restaurant had a memorable brand, it kept your customers coming back for more, time and time again, on the strength of your marketing alone. After all, roughly 65% of a company's business is directed through existing customers alone.

There are things that you should consider before we share our tips. You should think clearly about the restaurant sector and it is a competitive space and there is always new competition showing itself. So having a strong brand, is more than just a logo and a slogan. When it comes to the restaurant sector branding is so important, as they will resonate with the customers who come to dine with you, this builds consumer loyalty which is something that you will need. If you can build consumer loyalty than you are building residual income through regular customers.

The Sparrows restaurant in Manchester.

Developing a Restaurant Brand

1) Having a clear mission statement for your restaurant.

Having a clear mission statement for your restaurant is important. That should be the first place that you start. Having a clear mission statement will allow you to fully understand your business's nature. Having a mission statement will allow you to give your brand a personality. If your brand doesn't have a personality, you're going to be like every other restaurant/eatery. If you have personality, you'll be remembered like your favourite restaurant brands.

To make a mission statement you need to ask yourself questions like: "Why does my business exist?" and "What am I looking to accomplish?"

If you ask yourself these questions and have the answers to these questions, you can add substance and drive to the brand that you're building. When you have your mission statement it helps build the foundation of your business and it will help inform every decision that you make for your brand. You're likely to remain stagnant unless you focus on your mission statement and this can help you either become a multi-million pound restaurant business in the future or be a family-run restaurant.

2) Understanding your positioning in the market and your competition.

This is an important question that needs to be asked in any industry that you choose and it underpins the way you do business. Within the restaurant sector, this question is much more important. You want to know why? Well, think about it, how do you behave when you go out to eat for lunch or dinner. Do you always eat the same meals? Do you get dressed up when you go out to eat food? Do you prefer high-end, luxury styled foods or classic, quick and easy foods? Depending on how you answered helps you figure out how to position your business.

When you know your position within the sector, it helps you figure out other aspects of your business. A great example of this is what products you will offer to those customers you are targeting. How much are you planning on charging your customers? If fast-food restaurants like Burger King placed a new item on the menu and priced it at £30 would you buy it? I doubt it. So when you understand your position it can help you figure out a few things along the way. Having a successful brand will help you operate when you know where your business will be positioned. Get it right from the get go otherwise any changes along the way will thoroughly confused your customers.

3) Develop the feel of your brand alongside the voice and tone of your restaurant.

Your restaurant brand will need to have a specific look and feel a certain way when your customers will see your restaurant. This is such an important part of your brand but there is more to it than you might think. Lets looks at it this way, if you wanted to go for lunch and you saw a restaurant nearby but the logo didn't catch your eye, would you go in to eat? You probably would, but would you stay and eat if you saw that the interior was dated and dirty? If it were me, I'd turn and run and I'm sure that you would as well. That isn't the look that you'd be going for or the feel right? So of course the brand of your restaurant is important.

The look of your brand is a great logo, amazing menus, incredible signage that catches your eye, and it also gives the customers a warm welcome feeling. When your brand starts to bring lots of emotions to your customers, it starts to help create a bond for them and your brand. Loyalty if built on branding and its important to get it right.

Now that customers will be getting these warm feelings, it needs to be repeated through the tone of voice your brand has. A strong brand will be speaking concisely and being honest to customers, while having a tone that is unwavering. Your tone must remain consistent when your business experience ups and downs.

You need to consider the way you speak with your customers online, with the way you greet customers when they enter your doors. So once you've branded your restaurant, you have to be consistent when you speak with customers. It helps people form the same opinion of your brand when they have to deal with it at any given point. If you think about any of your favourite brands you'll notice that they are consistent across the board.

4) Using design, branding (logos, merchandise etc.) to create a cohesive visual brand

Now that we've established that we need to be consistent. It is just as important as always serving great food and providing an amazing dinner service. Every interaction that your customers have with your restaurant, you always want it to help strengthen your brand into building a relationship with them.

Whether it is online (social media, restaurant website, paid for advertising) or offline (menus, table-top design, uniforms) the way that your brand looks, talks and acts has to be consistent. As we aren't able to control when, where and how your customers and potential customers will come into contact with your restaurant brand, you want to be able to offer a memorable experience.

When you "stay on brand" it helps you stay consistent but you need to create a brand book. A brand book, is also known as style guide, is a set of rules that explain your specific brand elements such as voice, tone, colours and position. The whole point of the brand book is to help align your entire team on branding of your restaurant. Some things that you need to have in your style guide are fonts and typeface that you use on your menus, logos and in all the designs you use. You should also have photos and designs that are acceptable to use in your designs and promotional materials for your restaurant.

Getting Started

Alright, so now that you've got some important tips that can help build a successful brand, it is also important that your brand should evolve and change with time. It means that branding isn't just a one and done deal, and it is something that should shift with your customer base. A good way to look at is, think of your brand as a relationship, in which you need to build and look after for both your business and your customers. Then as the relationship with your customer starts to grow and evolve, your branding can evolve with it.

It might sound like a no brainer, but none of the above doesn't really matter unless you have great food and service to back it up. It means that your brand is only as strong as its weakest component and this will impact your ability to build a relationship with your customers. Your whole brand - your purpose, positioning, look, voice and consistency with good quality food and excellent service, is what makes a very memorable experience and a great restaurant that attract customers and they keep coming back for more.

The restaurant sector is extremely competitive and it means that just fitting in isn't an option. If you're planning to just fit in you'll get overlooked as a face in the crowd, and that can often lead to the doors closing for good or having to spend more money on a rebrand later on. If you can create and maintain a strong brand, your chances of being successful are pretty good. Lets think about McDonald's. McDonald's has a simple product offering, its all about the look and feel that McDonald's offers. Customers know what they are getting when they walk in the doors. They have carefully crafted a persona that their customers love. They stay honest and simple and customers related to it.

So, the balls in your court; lets build that restaurant brand you want to, follow the steps we've given above and you can't fail. If you need some help, get in touch with us, we are happy to help!