Best marketing plan for a street food outlet

Best marketing plan for a street food outlet. How I approached them to gather new business and win the customer war in one easy way

A fish shop and a Burger Bar compete for business

We all have a local shop for either take-away food or a fast dine in service. However our needs change and we tend to wander to the new or latest trend.

In a close shopping strip there is an assortment of businesses which include two new outlets. A Brooklyn burger bar and a fish and chip shop. Both are pretty fair dining however both are quite new and customer flow is slow.

They have together spent a ton of money on a new setup and initial marketing so are very shy to commit to any expenditure unless they get an immediate return.
They also see the other as an enemy taking business away from their business that could be spending money at their premises.

However I see the markets as the same people at different times and that the greatest attraction to a new business is word of mouth marketing.

Burgers are ho hum and fish shops everywhere so how can they stand out in a busy market
and attract new customers.

Joining forces will benefit both outlets

I need to explain they are not mutual enemies or even competitors because they are quite different in what they supply. However, they are both casual dining and take away meals.

Furthermore I don't see Uber Eats or Menu log take-away meals as an answer because their rates are so high thus trimming all ready tight margins. Yes they are a must have and allow for higher turnover and supporting staff levels needed for walk in clients.

Therefore we need to attract people to somewhere they don't know and entice them to try and make decisions based on value.

My first suggestion is a letter drop

Do people read newsletters

Yes there is a cost however it should be returned in meals.
The brochure should contain an offer that will entice new customers.
It may be around slow nights so that you balance the week. Weekends are generally Ok it is just Tuesday to Thursday trade that is slow.

The problem was what to offer that represented value.

The fish shop was encouraged to package a meal for four. This would include fish and chips, squid rings, a few prawns and scallops. I have seen this work very well before.

The burger bar had a great call to action by offering half price beer, yep the punters love a cheap beer and the burger boys still make a margin so it is not a loss leader.

Best marketing plans start with a web site

Back this up with a good website and competition

Of course a good website is necessary to back up the action and a booking menu would be a good idea but we may leave that for a bit later.

First of all we want some names and email addresses plus where possible a phone number.

We could do this by having a free meal offer for a party of five.



The details will be on the brochure and the entry on the website plus to everyone that walks into the shop and It will run for 45 days.

This data base will be invaluable going forward because we will use it time and time again.

All staff will be trained to get client details wherever they can and we will set up targets to be achieved.

Food sharing will be optional with meals delivered to the other shop.
So the kid wants a burger and you want fish and you want to eat-in, not a problem. Just give us your mobile number and we will call when it is ready.

This will really enhance the whole eating experience by providing choice.

Adding social media to the mix

How to get quality traffic to my website on a budget

Facebook is still a valuable tool as well as Instagram and even Twitter.

You will need to set up a Facebook page at the very least and maintain it with regular posts.
Many will browse Facebook looking for dining ideas or even comments on the premises.
Again this is easily outsourced for a small price

Best marketing plans and Social Media

The Google listing

This is a really important part of the promotion particularly for those we have not yet touched
with our marketing.

We will encourage a few great reviews that will say nice things about us and maintain a five star rating.
It is expected that a bad comment will come through at some time and this can not be avoided. It is a problem in the industry.

The important point is to address every bad comment and fix the issue as fast as we can.
There are those that seek free meals for writing good comments thinking they are the gourmet experts. By getting our own comments we water these people down.

The newsletter experience

As we build a following they will receive a regular newsletter about general food trends.
What fish are in season and why wagyu beef is so expensive type things.

However never miss an opportunity to add a call to action.

Try our new vegan burger served on a plate of hope for those that don't eat meat.
Rate it from 1-10 and win a dining experience.

You can use the stats for future promotion particularly if you encourage high scores. Eight out of ten diners rated our vegan burger a 10/10. Take away or dine-in

Best marketing plans will always include SMS

SMS will be a winner

What is the best social media platform for business

I have often told the story about the Sydney restaurant where you need to book months ahead just to secure a table.

However everyone has a down day with cancellations or weather problems when tables are free.
They just SMS a section of the base and say tables available tonight, first in best dressed. They never have an empty table and with a huge data base the clients would only get a message irregularly so it is like a treat.

We will promote the slow days with a special offer and entice them to drop everything and come on down.


It may surprise you that many families will take the opportunity to not cook the family dinner when there is an easier way.

The growth stage will be quick and then in maintenance mode

Restaurant bookings in this area are quite busy so once they get known better they will soon achieve a desirable level of patronage.

Being hard to get really encourages word of mouth activity. So they can change their offers to suit the occasion.



It is important to promote customer experience and establish regular clients.




We will have a cheap drinks night once a month and maybe some entertainment to vary the package.

Furthermore it is important that they remember they are a neighbourhood restaurant and not a tourist destination. Repeat customers are our target so we really need to satisfy them.

Using names and personalising the service will overcome average food every time. We all want to be known and enjoy a bit of celebrity status.

Best marketing plan include a contact link

My dining conclusion

Other than the initial cost of a letter drop and setting up a web page costs are minimal and can even be outsourced.

With all internet media consistency there is some reward, however neglect is noticed and acts as a negative.

You don't have a big pull of customers with most coming from a 5kms radius however you will also get others from further a field.



Having a good data base is the key to the whole solution.

Best marketing plan for a street food outlet by Peter Hanley

Peter Hanley About

Peter Hanley

I have been in business for many years and the internet to find ways to grow your business faster

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