Entertainment can be a big selling factor when trying to set your restaurant apart from the competition. It’s often an enticing idea for the customer. One of the main reasons people eat out is for an experience that can’t be had at home.

Adding entertainment into the mix fleshes out the experience of eating out even further. It creates a more compelling reason for customers to get out of the house and visit.

In some cases, entertainment can even influence customers to spend more while they’re out. Picture a group of people who are out for a fun Friday night. They decide to grab dinner at your restaurant before going out to the local bars for drinks. However, if there’s entertainment going on – say a live band they’re really into – the group might stick around and order an additional round of drinks.

Want to improve the entertainment in your restaurant? Get started with this quick guide.

A few ideas to get started

To kick things off, here’s a few different types of entertainment you could potentially tie into your restaurant.

  • Live music. It can be a band, a singer, a piano player, or even just a DJ.
  • Dancers. Works for the right place (i.e. belly dancing at a Greek restaurant).
  • Trivia. An old (but good) staple.
  • Board games. Just keeping board games on hand is great for families, bar goers, and everyone in between.
  • Karaoke
  • Host a class. One place I stopped in at recently holds a class periodically with a painter who teaches a group how to draw a particular piece of art. Meanwhile, everyone orders drinks.
  • Holiday parties
  • Beer/Wine tastings

Vary it up

Don’t just have the same entertainment every night. Mix it up from day-to-day, giving customers a potential reason to pop in more than once a week. If someone comes in for a casual wine tasting on Monday, but then hears about the band that’s performing this weekend, suddenly there’s an impetus for a recurring visit.

Boost the slow periods

One of the biggest advantages of entertainment is selectively using it to increase business during periods where there’s a dip in traffic – whether that be slower dayparts or nights of the week when business is low. Featuring entertainment could be particularly useful during the workweek.

Picking the right show or event for the proper night can work wonders if you’re thinking with a specific audience in mind. Different audiences will be attracted to different types of events. Having an understanding of your customer base is crucial here.

Play to your restaurant’s strengths

Style your entertainment with every aspect of your restaurant in mind: style, atmosphere, customer base, cuisine, and so on. Certain, more “high-energy,” entertainment might play better to a bar-heavy atmosphere rather than an upscale steakhouse. Pick the right show for the right crowd.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to tailor your entertainment to your restaurant’s vibe. Events like Trivia Night or Karaoke are more fun for guests when they’re featuring music or trivia that falls in line with the setting.

Get the word out with CoGoBuzz

When it comes to getting the word out on your restaurant’s featured entertainment, CoGoBuzz is the best way to do it. Our state-of-the-art marketing service digitally promotes your restaurant’s biggest events, parties, and entertainment of all varieties – straight to your customers’ mobile devices.

Through the power of advanced WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, CoGoBuzz engages customers right when they connect to your in-store HotSpot. We then create repeat customers by building a relationship at the digital level. For instance, our service comes loaded with a fully-digital, text-based loyalty program. With CoGoBuzz, you can promote all of your entertainment with just a simple text message!

On top of that, CoGoBuzz automatically produces full customer profiles for every customer that logs in to your in-store HotSpot, and then integrates them with your favorite marketing list, such as HubSpot, MailChimp, and Constant Contact. With our service, you’ll gain a more intimate understanding of your customer base.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about what CoGoBuzz can do for your restaurant!

What kind of entertainment does your restaurant feature? Let us know in the comments!