How to Turn Guests into a Loyal Restaurant Community
Each year, the prestigious James Beard Foundation releases what it calls the Independent Restaurant Industry Report. This report is a compilation of data gathered by the Foundation and self-reported by over 350 restaurant leaders. The report provides insight into trends and makes recommendations for how restaurant leaders can best adapt. It’s absolutely essential reading for anyone serious about taking their restaurant to the next level.
This year’s theme is “Resilience and Reinvention”
They’ve broken the report into four sections. This week we’ll be diving into the second: Intentional Engagement to Deepen Guest Connection.
Data like this is hard to ignore.
With higher guest traffic, 88% of respondents perceive the strength of their business as Excellent or Good.
With lower guest traffic, 25% of respondents perceive the strength of their business as Excellent or Good.
To say it another way, restaurant leaders whose restaurants have high guest traffic are two and a half times more likely to feel like their business is thriving.
If we believe this data, guest traffic is the ONLY metric you should be focusing on in 2025. Check average, food costs, all of it pales in comparison. In the corporate world, we call this a “disproportionate driver”. It’s not often we see a single factor drive such a significant shift in outcomes. In fact, it’s so rare, it’s worth a deeper look. Perhaps you’ve noticed the problem already. Maybe you’re different, but I’ve never seen a restaurant with an “increase traffic” lever they can push. “More traffic” isn’t a direct change a leader can make. It’s a confluence of many factors. I think what we’re looking at here is a classic case of correlation vs causation.
Fact: more millionaires than non-millionaires own Ferraris. Conclusion: if you want to be a millionaire, buy a Ferrari?
Of course this is silly. It’s not the Ferrari that causes people to be millionaires, it’s that there’s a correlation between millionaires and owning a Ferrari, because they’re the ones most capable of purchasing something so expensive.
Fact: restaurants with more guest traffic are more successful. Conslusion: if you want to be a successful restaurant, increase guest traffic.
I think this has a similar problem. It’s not necessarily that more guest traffic makes you more successful, it’s that successful restaurants are good at generating more guest traffic. So what are these strong restaurants doing that’s giving them that boost in traffic?
Engagement.
People are going out less. For most people, the days of taking a chance on a random restaurant on a Thursday are gone. They simply don’t feel they have the resources to be taking a risk on something that’ll likely be mediocre. To be successful in this climate, you have to exude your worth. People have to be confident that they’re going to get something interesting, of high quality, unique, or in-line with their values before they even walk through your doors.
The most common advice you’ll hear on how to do this is by being active on social media—and it’s true. A strong social media presence is a must, but it’s only the beginning. In the James Beard report, 68% of respondents said that their social media efforts had boosted online engagement, but that it was difficult to tell just how much of that translated to butts in seats. The audience is simply too broad.
Much better is to foster a local community. Every guest is a potential content creator. It’s your job to give them something to want to share. Whether they’re an influencer sharing with thousands of followers, or just a picture-taker sharing with their friends, the endorsement spread by them will always seem more genuine and convincing than one created by the person with the most to gain: you.
Engagement is how you get that sharing to happen. 44% of respondents said they’ve increased in-person engagement efforts in the last year. Those same respondents also reported stronger businesses. Let’s talk through a few engagement ideas.
Tableside Experiences. Nothing quite prompts the whole table to get their cameras ready than a server doing something unexpected and showy tableside. Whether it’s the sudden fire of a flambé, the novelty of a cheese-wheel pasta preparation, or the oooh-generating factor of liquid nitrogen or dry ice rolling out a fog over the table, creating experiences that bring attention to the service (and to the table from the rest of the restaurant) are an easy way to get people engaged with the experience instead of just passively receiving it. The fact that they’ll probably want to post about it doesn’t hurt either.
Pop-ups. This is a high-touch way to expand your audience. You’re essentially relocating the essence of your restaurant to a place it isn’t normally seen, heard, or felt. This is an opportunity for your to show off what you to best to people who might not otherwise stumble on what you have to offer. Just make sure you’re bringing your whole self. Show off what makes you unique, show off why people should choose you over the competition. Make them remember you.
Local Sponsorships. This may seem a little old-school, but sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. The power of getting your name in front of people can’t be denied. Even better if the context in which they see your name is in support of the community. Sponsoring a sports team. Sponsoring charity events that align with your principles. Sponsoring community festivals. They not only get your name out there, but it tells people what you’re about. This connection is a wonderful form of engagement. People want to support businesses that support their community and share their values, make sure they know you’re one of them.
Next week we’re going to dive into Part 3 of the James Beard report. What did you learn from the second part, and what are you going to change because of it? Shoot me an email at Kris@GetAFreshPerspective.com and let me know, I read every one.
If you want to read ahead, you can download the James Beard Report for yourself free here: https://www.jamesbeard.org/2025-independent-restaurant-industry-report