Building an active restaurant email list is vital for restaurant success. After all, an email marketing strategy is a tried and tested way to communicate directly with a target audience. They’re also completely customizable. So, every restaurant business can tailor visuals and written copy to their brand.

In this blog, we’re going to discuss the importance of a restaurant email marketing strategy, and several ways you can grow a subscriber list. You’ll even get inspiration surrounding restaurant email campaign ideas. Now, let’s dive right into it!

What Is a Restaurant Email List?

A restaurant email list is a collection of email addresses belonging to customers who have visited an eatery. Or, they belong to those who have signed up online and are interested in the business. By giving a restaurant their email address, customers are able to stay in the loop about all things related to the restaurant. From discounts to career opportunities, they'll be the first to know everything. 

The Importance of a Restaurant Email List

Every eatery should have a restaurant business plan in place. And within the marketing section, email campaigns should be a top priority. That’s because email marketing strategies are direct, inexpensive, and effective. Without a restaurant email list, there wouldn’t be an audience to communicate with. 

Once you have a substantial restaurant email list in place, it’ll be easier than ever to converse with your audience. Maybe you want to promote that new items have been added to the menu types. Or, perhaps you want to highlight catering services. No matter what your restaurant marketing ideas consist of, just remember that email is one of the most direct forms of communication. 

A restaurant email list is also owned by the business owner. This means that if something were to happen to the email campaign builder, they would still have access to the list of addresses to transfer somewhere else. The whole concept of asset ownership is why there are so many concerns surrounding social media. If a social media platform were to vanish, accounts would have no way to contact their followers. But with email lists, you can store them somewhere safe.

7 Strategies to Quickly Grow a Restaurant Email List 

Restaurant marketing tactics are essential to success and recurring growth opportunities. So, we’re about to cover seven strategies to quickly grow a restaurant email list. Read on:

1. Create a Sign-Up Form for the Website

Allow an email newsletter sign up form to greet customers as they visit your website. If you should also conduct successful restaurant SEO efforts, this should result in a lot of new subscribers. Unless you operate a chain restaurant, just ensure that any SEO efforts are local. Otherwise, building a large email list might not convert to many sales, if any.

2. Host Contests and Giveaways

A foolproof way to incentivize customers to give out their email address is to host giveaways and contests. This idea is where restaurant staff can get super creative. Maybe you want to give away gift cards or merch. Or, perhaps you want to promote new items from the appetizer list or dessert menu, so you’re giving away complimentary goodies. No matter what you choose, always remember that consumers gravitate toward perks. Oh, and don’t forget to receive consent before using collected email addresses.

3. Create a Cohesive SMS Strategy

SMS marketing vs email marketing is often considered the same. However, there are many distinct differences between email and SMS marketing for restaurants. For instance, restaurant SMS marketing ideas are often simple and to the point. Meanwhile, email marketing strategies tend to be more elaborate. For a well-versed strategy, just ensure that all SMS restaurant marketing samples and templates align with the email campaigns. That way, all branding is cohesive.

4. Let Customers Sign Up Via QR Codes

Restaurants can entice diners to sign up for an email newsletter by placing a custom QR code on each table. Upon scanning the custom code with their smartphone, customers can be met with a form. From there, they can add their information and automatically be added to the restaurant email list.

5. Use An Email Marketing Tool for Simplicity 

Sure, restaurants can host an email marketing strategy on Google or another kind of email site. However, using a professional campaign builder can go a long way. For one, platforms like Mailchimp or Klaviyo make it easy to make custom designs. Plus, features like scheduling tools and segmentation allow for convenience and targeted campaigns.

6. Use Social Media to Promote the Email List

Before promoting an email newsletter on social media, ensure that the sign-up form is somewhere on the account’s profile. You can do this by listing it in the bio, or by having a sign-up form link available. Then, promote all the reasons why people should sign up to receive emails across your content. Whether it revolves around restaurant event reminders or freebies, make all the prompts as enticing as possible.

7. Segment the Restaurant Email List for Tailored Messages 

The primary goal is to build a restaurant email list. But not every email campaign will be sent to every subscriber. For instance, members of the restaurant loyalty program might receive more information about point redemption. Meanwhile, only those who signed up for a giveaway will hear about the results. As you can probably imagine, the ability to break up an email list into sub-groups is essential to targeted marketing efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions About a Restaurant Email List 

Growing a restaurant email list is just as important as a full-blown marketing strategy. This idea is primarily because of how direct email communications are. After all, it’s one of the few realms where businesses can contact their customer base directly. If you'd like to learn more about it, we've got you covered. See below for more details:

How Do I Create a Restaurant Email List?

Restaurant staff can create an email list by collecting contact information in a number of creative ways. For instance, booking reservations online can include a checkbox to sign up for email alerts. Or, the eatery can host giveaways, where in order to enter and receive updates, they have to provide an email address. There are many ways to create a successful restaurant email list. Just make sure you have each customer’s consent beforehand.

Should Restaurants Have An Email List?

Yes, restaurants should have an email list. They’re super useful for keeping customers informed about menu changes, discounts, events, and other promotions. It’s also one of the best ways to stay in the forefront of people’s minds, surpassing local competition.

How Do I Get Customers to Subscribe to My Email List?

Businesses can get customers to subscribe to an email list with the following techniques:

• Host contests where customers need to enter with an email address
• Send out surveys via email for a chance to win something big 
• Promote on the website and social media that discounts are sent via email
• Ask for their consent to sign up for emails when booking restaurant reservations online

How Do I Create a Successful Email List?

You can create a successful email list by ensuring that the people who sign up are engaged and loyal consumers. For instance, you want to give them a good reason to sign up for email alerts in the first place. Conduct contests, send out surveys, and other interactive marketing efforts. It is also ideal for businesses to promote that their best discounts and promotions are sent via email.

How Do I Send Bulk Emails to Customers?

You can use an email builder like Mailchimp or Klaviyo to send email campaigns to a large group of people at a time. Gmail also offers merge tags, which is the equivalent of sending emails to particular segments. With the right platform, you can contact your entire customer base. Or, at least those whose email address you have on file.

Now, Let’s Grow Your Restaurant Email List 

Email marketing efforts can take a restaurant’s success to a whole new level. Once you establish strategies to grow a restaurant email list, be patient. Then, after you have a loyal and engaged list of customers, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of targeted and branded email campaigns.