Promo codes are the easiest and simplest way to boost the rate of online orders. They directly influence the choices made by a customer about which restaurant they should choose. Coupons can trigger a first-time visitors to order from your restaurant and also keep your regulars wanting more.
Types of Promo Codes
1. Percentage off the entire order
This encourages guests to order more than usual, especially when you incorporate a minimum spending.
“Receive 20% off your order when you spend $60 or more with promo code 20OFF.”
2. Percentage off specific menu items
If you have too much inventory of a particular product/dish, you can utilise a promo code to get it moving faster.
“Buy a set meal, get the second meal 50% off with promo code SETMEAL.”
3. Flat amount off total order
Instead of a percentage off the order, you can offer guests a promo code for a flat dollar amount instead, but stating the need to spend over a certain amount.
“Get $10 off your total order when you spend $40 or more with promo code TENDOLLARS.”
4. Flat amount off particular items
This type of promo code is good for moving specific inventory or menu items. You can offer a promo code for a dollar amount off each item or offer it when guests bundle items.
Examples: “All pasta dishes are $5 off with promo code 5PASTA.”
5. Offer free items
If you’re less keen on offering a monetary discount, you may want to offer promo codes for add-on items or side dishes for free. You can easily use this to move your inventory as well.
“Spend $30 or more and get a free Chocolate Cake with code 30CHOCO.”
"Buy a burger and get the second burger free with FREEBURG."
6. Offer free delivery
If you’re less keen on offering a monetary discount, you may want to offer promo codes for add-on items or side dishes for free. You can easily use this to move your inventory as well.
“Free delivery for orders above $15 with code 15FREE."
When to Offer Restaurant Promo Codes
The simplest answer to this is, whenever you like! But there’s a catch, if you run these promo codes all the time, customers are bound to get used to not having to pay for the full price of your menu items. Your promo codes then get taken for granted and you may lose customers the moment you decide to revert to the original menu pricing. This is why it is good to only run these promo codes occasionally, whenever you have seasonal events, or when you need to clear stock, when you have new menu items to promote, etc.
Holiday Promo Codes
You don’t have to run a promo for every single holiday, but you should be planning for those that make sense for your restaurant. If you specialize in family-style meals, run ordering promotions for the bigger gatherings like Christmas, New Year, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. If you’re a fine-dining restaurant, you could run a promotion for Valentine’s Day.
Launch a New Menu Item
There’s always some kind of friction when it comes to trying new things. That’s the same for your regular customers or even new ones. Hence by offering a promo code on any new menu items, you can encourage them to try out the new dishes at a discounted price.
Move Inventory
Promo codes are also a great way to move your stock. Through offering discounts on certain menu items, you can push more customers to order a dish they might not otherwise consider and get your inventory moving before it goes bad.
Tiered Discount to Create Higher Ticket Averages
Encourage guests to order more with tiered discounts on your menu items – the more they order the more they save. There are various ways that you can offer this discount, for example, a percentage off the overall order or a flat amount off.
“Spend $30 or more, get $5 off. Spend $50 or more, get $10 off. Spend $70 or more, get $20 off.”
Things to note:
exclusivity - always ensure that you don't have coupon codes that overlap or can be used multiple times.
stock - make sure that you always have enough stock before you run any promo codes, if you are unable to do so it could result in backlash for the lack of preparation.
expiration date - always set an expiration date for your promo codes to make sure they do not go beyond certain promotional dates
Extra Tips:
You can also pair your promo cards together with every delivery order. When the customer receives the delivered food, there is a high chance that may see your promo offer for the next order and order from your website again, thereby increasing your sales.
