This is an area where IndoorMedia can help. To learn as much as possible about your customers—who they are, where they come from, and what keeps them coming back, you need the right tools. A good loyalty program to track and recognize your customers, even if not by sight, will help you get a message to your regulars that they are appreciated.

Encouraging repeat visits with incentives like loyalty rewards or “buy-one-get-one” promotions can promote an additional visit per month,  which increases their spend with you by 100% if they only visit once a month!

This is all you. We love pizza and know what we like, but the secret sauce is secret for a reason- and you need to ensure your kitchen and front-of-house operations are seamless, as efficiency directly impacts customer satisfaction. Avoid chaos that causes long wait times, incorrect orders, or subpar presentation, which can leave customers disappointed.

• A well-organized kitchen ensures orders are prepared with the right ingredients, plated with care, served fresh, and at the perfect temperature.
• Use tools like inventory tracking to maintain the availability of quality ingredients.
• Leverage employee scheduling software to optimize staffing and reduce waste.

This is also for the pizza gurus, but is often overlooked as to its importance. The most successful pizza restaurants may not always have the “best” pizza, but they consistently deliver good quality every single time. That consistency is what keeps customers coming back. Imagine a restaurant that fluctuates its pizza from just “good” to “amazing”. Your customers will be disappointed with the “good” pizza since they know you can do better. On the other hand, a restaurant that delivers “good enough” pizza every time never disappoints, because a customer knows what to expect and gets it every time.

Delivery pertains to not only your ingredients and tools, but training your staff to master preparation techniques and maintain strict adherence to quality standards every-single-time.

Regularly review customer feedback from sources like online reviews or social media comments. Yes, the general public will rake you over the coals because they dropped their pizza in the parking lot, but that doesn’t mean they never have a point.

Reviews are a great source of information about your quality and your staff. Take the crazies with a grain of salt, but also be on the lookout for trends about menu items or employees who are hurting your reputation.

Monitor which menu items are popular, track peak business hours, and below, you will find techniques to adjust your strategies to maximize profits.

This is both your offer and what makes you different from your competitors. Examples include:

• Pizza Style – NY, Brooklyn (Thin Crust), Chicago, Detroit
• Pizza Making – Wood-fired?
• Signature Dishes
• Specialty Ingredients – Gluten Free, vegan, Keto-friendly, Farm to Table (locally sourced)
• Restaurant Format- Pick Up, Dine In, Casual, Upscale, Themed, Family Friendly (games?), Party Friendly, Sports, Catering
• Pricing – Competitive vs. top of market
• Community – Local Partnerships, Sustainability (check your boxes for recyclability), Charity, Community Org Sponsorship
• Personal Story?
• Profitability Analysis – understand how much margin there is for an offer and what an increase in the total ticket would mean (remember, coupons frequently increase the amount people will buy.)

Competitor Analysis – Look at what nearby pizza restaurants are doing to benchmark the restaurant against competitors.

Evaluate the restaurant’s location, foot traffic, and accessibility. Look at the interior design and ambiance to ensure it aligns with the brand’s identity.

The Cheapest Marketing You Can Do

Buy 2 gallons of Killz and paint your restrooms. For a restaurant, cleanliness is next to heavenly profitability, and while customers may only catch a glimpse of your kitchen, your restrooms are front and center. Make those stalls sparkle and see the improvement in attitude. 

Also, buy a bunch of shims and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER fold up some napkins to level your tables. There is nothing worse than dining at a restaurant and seeing a gross, greasy, napkin on the floor that slipped out from a table stand.

Consider Being Socially Minded

This is not about being a good community member, but rather providing a good way for your customers to post their pics to social media. Some quick ideas:

1. Instagram Wall-
   Design a vibrant, visually appealing wall specifically for social media photos.
   Use neon signs with catchy phrases, murals, floral arrangements, or colorful geometric patterns.
   Include your restaurant’s name or hashtag subtly in the design to promote your brand when customers share their photos.
2. Special Table for Food Photos
   Dedicate a table with excellent lighting for food photography. Natural light is ideal, but you can use overhead lights or ring lights to enhance visibility.
   Use neutral, high-quality table settings and minimalist plates to allow the food to stand out in photos.
   Offer props like elegant cutlery, decorative napkins, or small plants to enhance the aesthetic.
3. Themed Backdrops
   Rotate themed backdrops to keep content fresh and encourage repeat visits from customers.
   Seasonal or holiday-specific designs can be a great way to engage your audience.
4. Creative Plating and Presentation
   Ensure your food presentation is Instagram-ready with colorful and artistic arrangements.
   Add edible flowers, unique garnishes, or creative plating styles.
5. Photo Guides
   Provide tips for customers on taking great food photos, either on the menu or a small card at the table.
   QR codes on tables can link to tutorials or social media handles for inspiration.
6. Tech-Friendly Features
   Offer ring lights or adjustable lighting options at tables.
   Provide phone stands or mini-tripods for customers to use while taking photos.
7. Interactive Food Elements
   Include food items that are visually dynamic, such as dishes with smoke effects, vibrant cocktails, or build-your-own elements.
8. Branded Props and Frames
   Offer branded frames, props, or even filters that customers can use to enhance their photos.
   Encourage tagging your restaurant on social media to boost online visibility.
9. Social Media Contest
   Run a monthly photo contest encouraging customers to share their photos with a branded hashtag.
   Offer discounts or freebies for the best photos.
10. Photo Booth Area
    Create a small photo booth area with themed props for customers who want to take fun group photos.
11. Highlight Customers’ Content
    Feature customer photos on your restaurant’s social media channels or digital screens within the restaurant.
    This recognition encourages customers to take and share more pictures.

Food Styling Stations
Set up a corner with spices, sauces, and garnishes so customers can customize their dishes before taking pictures.

Review the menu, pricing structure, and any current offers or deals. Identify potential signature items or popular sellers that should be featured in campaigns.

Insights to look for:

• Customer Preferences: Identifying popular dishes or best-sellers so you can promote items that already resonate with your regulars.
• Profit Margins: Knowing how to calculate margin on individual menu items helps develop a plan for profitable offerings.
• Menu Gaps: A menu that lacks diversity or balance, can result in customer stagnation. Even if one person in a group loves the same meal every time, their colleague, wife, or friend may not want to go if there isn’t something new for them to try. Vegetarian or gluten-free options can attract a broader customer base. 
• Upsell Opportunities: Understanding the pricing structure can reveal potential upsell opportunities, like promoting meal deals or combos that encourage customers to spend more per order.

Review any in-store signage, menus, or marketing materials (flyers, table toppers, etc.) to ensure they match the overall brand voice and goals.

Do you have a crappy menu? Reprint that bad boy every 3 months.

• Table Toppers

Table Toppers are a great way to not only generate buzz about specials, but they also help get reviews and build loyalty. Toppers can be bought for less than a dollar, so there’s really no easier way to promote your restaurant. Of course, you don’t have to be limited to table toppers. You can have stickers on your door, QR codes at your POS, and even in your very clean bathroom!

• QR Codes for reviews

Check if the restaurant’s GMB profile is complete, with accurate business hours, address, and up-to-date photos.

Here are 10 steps a pizza restaurant can take to make sure they’re found by Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and search engines:

• Claim Your Listings and Ensure Accurate NAP: Keep your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP): Set up and claim your Google My Business, Apple Maps, and Bing Places profiles. You can use IndoorMedia’s FindLocal service to quickly get your business listed on all the sites it needs to be found.
• Optimize for Voice Search: Use conversational keywords (e.g., “best pizza near me”) on your website.
• Use Structured Data: Add schema markup to your website to help search engines understand and display your details accurately. This type of data, often formatted in JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data), helps voice assistants and search engines better display your restaurant’s information in search results and maps
• Gather Customer Reviews: Encourage happy customers to leave positive reviews on Google and Yelp, as these boost visibility.
• Build a Mobile-Friendly Website: Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and includes click-to-call buttons and clear contact info.
• Integrate QR Codes: Use QR codes in your physical ads to link directly to your website or online ordering.
• Run Local Ads: Use tools like IndoorMedia’s DigitalBoost and MapBoost to increase visibility on Google Maps and local searches.
• Monitor and Update: Regularly check your listings for accuracy, respond to reviews, and update as needed to keep your information fresh.

Following these steps will make your pizza restaurant more accessible to customers searching by voice or on the web.

For a pizza restaurant, the goal of a loyalty program should be to drive one additional visit per month from each regular customer, which could boost their revenue contribution by 25% to 100%. Loyalty isn’t just about offering discounts; it’s about creating habits that keep customers coming back regularly or making larger purchases. A successful program engages customers consistently to encourage repeat behavior rather than relying on passive savings.

Key Elements of an Effective Loyalty Program

1. Engagement and Reminders
   1. Engage customers with timely reminders to use rewards, and offer strategic incentives like double points days or immediate bonuses for their next visit. This kind of engagement drives active participation and keeps your restaurant top-of-mind.
2. Strategic Offer Design
   1. Discounts alone only offer a brief emotional boost. To create beneficial purchasing habits, provide compelling monthly offers that entice regulars to return more often. Thoughtfully designed offers can inspire repeat behavior that generates more frequent visits.
3. Time-Sensitive Promotions for Urgency
   1. Create urgency with time-limited, event-driven offers that encourage immediate action. For example, after a customer redeems a reward or visits, send them a follow-up offer that expires within days, incentivizing them to return sooner than they normally would.
4. Watch out for the Default Programs on many POS systems. When the Default is at Fault. Make sure you are driving behavior, not just taking 5% off your bottom line.

Essential Components for Success

• Customer Subscription Platform: Build a subscriber base through email and SMS, making it easy to connect with regulars and remind them of offers.
• Compelling Monthly Promotions: Craft engaging monthly offers that highlight popular menu items or new experiences to draw customers in.
• Urgency-Driven Events: Use tracked visits or reward redemptions to trigger time-sensitive promotions that encourage one more visit per month, boosting customer frequency and building a stronger loyalty habit.

Online Review Management for a Strong Reputation

Building loyalty also means maintaining a great reputation online. A reliable review management system should include:

• Customer Sentiment Testing: Prompt customers to rate their experience on a scale of 1-5 before leaving a review. Positive ratings (4-5) are directed to public review sites like Google or Yelp, while lower ratings (1-3) allow you to gather feedback and resolve issues privately.
• Review Notifications and Response Management: Notifications for new reviews let you respond promptly, which builds customer trust and showcases your commitment to service.
• Convenient QR Code Access: Display QR codes on receipts, table signs, and doors, making it easy for customers to leave feedback immediately.

By engaging customers in your loyalty program and actively managing your reputation, your restaurant can foster stronger customer relationships and drive profitable repeat visits.

Follower Engagement (Likes, Comments, Shares):

Insight: High engagement indicates strong audience interest, while low engagement suggests that content isn’t resonating.

Action: If engagement is low, experiment with more interactive content like polls, contests, or user-generated posts to boost interaction. If engagement is high, continue producing similar content while testing new formats.

A typical engagement rate for Facebook posts is between 0.5% to 1% for most industries, but anything above 1% is generally considered good engagement. For restaurants specifically, a 2-5% engagement rate is seen as strong, particularly for local businesses like pizza restaurants.

To calculate engagement rate, use the formula:
Engagement Rate = Total Engagement (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Total Number of Followers × 100

Likes, Comments, and Shares Guidelines:

For a Page with 1,000 Followers:

High Engagement:

• Likes: 20–50 per post
• Comments: 5–15 per post
• Shares: 5–10 per post
• Total Engagement: 30–75 engagements (2%–5% engagement rate)

Factors to Keep in Mind:

• Post Type: Video posts, polls, and giveaways tend to generate more engagement than regular text or image posts.
• Timing: Posts made during peak hours for your audience (such as around lunch or dinner times) often see higher engagement.
• Content: Posts that include user-generated content, local community involvement, or promotions/special offers tend to receive more likes, comments, and shares.

Consistency in Posting:

Insight: Inconsistent posting may result in lost visibility and engagement over time, making it harder for the brand to stay top of mind.

Action: Develop a consistent posting schedule, such as 3–5 times per week, ensuring content is regularly shared to maintain audience interest and platform algorithms favor the account.

Visual Quality (Photos, Videos, Graphics):

Insight: Poor-quality visuals can make the restaurant appear unprofessional, while high-quality visuals can enhance brand perception and appeal.

Action: If visual quality is lacking, invest in better photography or graphic design tools to create more appealing images and videos. Consider hiring a professional photographer or videographer for special promotions.

Content Variety (Photos, Videos, Stories, Reels):

Insight: A lack of content variety may cause follower fatigue, as repetitive content types might not engage different audience segments.

Action: Diversify content formats by including a mix of photos, videos, Stories, and Reels on Instagram and TikTok to engage followers in different ways. Behind-the-scenes videos, customer testimonials, and how-to content can offer variety.

Audience Demographics & Growth:

Insight: Understanding follower demographics (age, location, interests) and growth trends can reveal whether the restaurant is reaching its target market effectively.

Action: If follower growth is slow or demographics do not align with the target market, adjust the content strategy to attract a broader or more focused audience, and consider running targeted ads to boost relevant follower growth.

What to Post

• Company Culture & Employee Highlights:
  • Purpose: Sharing behind-the-scenes content or employee stories humanizes your brand and builds connections with customers. It makes your business feel more personal and relatable, which strengthens customer loyalty.
• Engagement Questions:
  • Examples: “Fill-in-the-Blank,” “Emoji Challenge,” or “Caption Contest.”
  • Purpose: Fun, interactive questions invite followers to engage with your content directly. This improves your posts’ reach, keeps your feed lively, and gives customers a reason to interact even if they’re not actively looking to buy.
• Promotions & Product Spotlights:
  • Purpose: Showcase your offerings, but avoid overdoing it. When balanced with other types of content, these posts remind followers of what you offer without making your feed feel like constant advertising. Use these posts to share limited-time deals or highlight fan-favorite items.
• Valuable Information & Tips:
  • Examples: Food tips, dining etiquette, or “How-to” content related to your product.
  • Purpose: Sharing helpful information builds trust with your audience by positioning you as a source of knowledge, not just a business pushing sales. It also provides real value, encouraging followers to keep engaging with your page.
• Charity, Partnerships, and Community Involvement:
  • Purpose: Highlighting your involvement in charity work or local partnerships shows your community focus, building goodwill and differentiating your business. Supporting other businesses or charities also creates a sense of camaraderie, attracting customers who value community-driven brands.
• Customer Testimonials & Reviews:
  • Purpose: Positive testimonials act as social proof, encouraging new customers to try your products based on others’ experiences. It’s more authentic than traditional advertising and adds credibility to your brand.
• Fun or Informative Contests:
  • Examples: Caption Contests, Product-Related Trivia, or Seasonal Giveaways.
  • Purpose: Contests can generate excitement, increase shares, and attract new followers. This is a creative way to boost engagement while also driving interest in your products.
• Company History & Fun Facts:
  • Purpose: Sharing your business’s history or unique facts allows you to tell your story and convey your brand’s authenticity. This can build a more loyal following, as customers feel they know and relate to your journey.
• Job Openings and Employee Spotlights:
  • Purpose: Posting about job openings shows that your business is growing and creates a positive impression. Employee spotlights also highlight a supportive company culture, which resonates well with audiences.
• Seasonal or Thematic Posts:
  • Examples: Holiday events, “Did You Know?” questions related to your products, or seasonal contests.
  • Purpose: Seasonal content keeps your feed relevant and timely. It provides an opportunity for fun and theme-driven engagement.

Analyze the website’s design, user experience, and mobile-friendliness. Check if it’s optimized for local SEO and whether it includes essential features like online ordering or reservation systems.

Ensure you have high quality images of your food. This will be used on the website, PPC ads, and social media extensively. You can leverage user generated content from social media or reviews. This is a quick way to see your food as your customers see it.

Basic on-site SEO: Check if the restaurant’s site is ranking for relevant local keywords, including branded and non-branded terms like “best pizza in [location].”

• Fast Load Time: Use a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights to check if the website loads quickly (aim for 3 seconds or less).
• Consistent Branding: Ensure the website’s color scheme, fonts, and images match the restaurant’s brand identity.
• High-Quality Visuals: Check for high-resolution photos of pizzas, the restaurant interior, and staff.
• Mobile-Responsive Design: Test how the website appears and functions on different screen sizes (smartphones, tablets, desktops).
• Intuitive Online Ordering: Test the ease of use for placing an online order. Look for friction points (e.g., too many steps, slow load times) and ensure customers can customize orders effortlessly.
• Menu Visibility: Ensure the menu is easy to access, up-to-date, and clearly formatted with prices, descriptions, and any dietary labels (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.).
• Local Keywords: Verify that the website uses local keywords like “pizza in [city]” or “best pizza near me” in key areas (meta titles, descriptions, headers, and page content).
• Google Maps Embed: Check if a Google Maps widget is embedded on the contact page or homepage, helping customers easily find the restaurant.
• Reservation System: If applicable, ensure the restaurant has a simple, reliable reservation system integrated into the site.
• Contact Form: Test the contact form functionality (if applicable) and make sure inquiries are received and responded to promptly.
• Social Media Links: Check that social media profiles are linked and visible on the site.
• SSL Certificate: Check for a secure connection (https) to protect user data during online ordering.