Start Growing With Textdrip
Success!
Your message has been sent successfully. A specialist will follow up within one business day.
Refreshing this page in 5s…
What is Restaurant SMS Marketing?
Restaurant SMS marketing is the use of text messages to promote flash sales and specials, event invites, loyalty rewards, and notify about reservations and order fulfillment. SMS for restaurant marketing helps restaurant staff send targeted updates, coupons, and alerts directly to customers’ mobile phones who’ve opted in.
Text messaging for restaurants acts as an effective tool for driving foot traffic, filling slow shifts, and nurturing guest loyalty.
Why SMS Marketing for Restaurants?
Customers are eating out. According to a recent survey, 56% of Americans eat out 2 to 3 times a week. The only way to drive them to your restaurant is by keeping them informed and updated using the most effective tool - restaurant SMS marketing. An automated SMS marketing platform like Textdrip helps create restaurant SMS campaigns to keep your restaurant at the forefront of conversations. Text messaging for restaurants helps you to build customer loyalty, boost reputation, and improve staff communication.
Restaurant SMS Marketing Statistics
Benefits of Text Message Marketing for Restaurants
SMS marketing is not only for eCommerce or solar businesses. It works well with restaurants, too. Once you start using restaurant SMS marketing, you'll experience more benefits specific to your business. Until then, you can expect the following benefits from text message marketing software like Textdrip. It helps restaurant teams:
Cut No-Shows
You can send automatic text reminders to reduce reservation no-shows.
Fill Tables Instantly
It helps qualify and nurture waitlist guests through automated, triggered SMS.
Turn Tables Faster
You can speed up bookings and confirmations with Textdrip’s two-way texting feature.
Hyper-Personalized Offers
It allows you to send tailored messages based on dining preferences, past orders, and occasions.
Grow Restaurant Revenue
Restaurant SMS helps drive repeat visits, boost loyalty, and increase customer retention.
Re-Engage Lapsed Diners
It automatically follows up with guests who haven't visited in a while to bring them back.
SMS Marketing Features of Textdrip That Restaurants Will Love
Two-Way Texting
Opt-Out Keywords
Drip SMS Campaigns
SMS Automation
Schedule Messages
SMS Buckets
DNC Check
Bulk Texting
How Top Restaurants Use Textdrip Across Their Guest Lifecycle
Every guest goes on a journey. From the moment they find your restaurant to the day they come back, it’s a guest lifecycle. Here is how Textdrip fits at every stage of that journey.
Stage 1 - Discovery
A guest finds your restaurant via search, social, or word of mouth. Now the next step is to collect their number. Opt-in can be done through a QR code on a table or a widget on your website. It’s the start of a relationship, not just a meal.
Stage 2 - Reservation
Guests book a table, online or over the phone. Textdrip sends an instant confirmation including date, time, party size, everything in one text. This way you don’t need to do follow-up, and there will be no confusion.
Stage 3 - Pre-Visit Reminder
A few hours before the reservation, a reminder text goes out. A guest needs just one tap to confirm and one tap to cancel. It is simple for the guest, and restaurants will experience fewer empty tables.
Stage 4 - The Visit
Are you running a wait list? Send live updates through texting. Is the table ready? Send an alert via SMS. Guests don't have to hover by the door. They just wait for the text.
Stage 5 - Post-Visit
Within 24 hours, send a quick feedback request. When the experience is fresh, and guests are happy, they easily get routed straight to your review sites. Also, unhappy ones get a chance to tell you first, before they tell the internet.
Stage 6 - Loyalty and Re-Engagement
Weeks and months go by after their last visit. You can send a birthday text, a new menu announcement, and a "we miss you" nudge for lapsed regulars. These small touches can turn one-time diners into regulars.
Can Restaurants Text Their Customers Legally?
Yes, SMS marketing for restaurants is legal if you follow TCPA and 10DLC SMS compliance rules. Every restaurant should follow these rules.
- 1
Get explicit written consent before sending the first promotional text.
- 2
Tell customers how often you'll message them and stick to restaurant updates only.
- 3
Include your restaurant's name and an opt-out line in every text.
- 4
Send messages at the right time by following customers’ time zones and respecting their quiet hours.
- 5
Keep offers honest and never send fake "limited time" discounts.
- 6
Check the DNC Registry before you send a text message. Textdrip's DNC tool does this automatically.
- 7
Register for A2P 10DLC. Textdrip handles this for you.
- 8
If you skip compliance, you need to pay a $500 to $1,500 penalty per violation.
SMS Marketing For Restaurants Sample SMS Templates
Our Restaurant SMS Marketing Integrations That You’ll Love
Start SMS Marketing for Restaurants With Textdrip in Just 5 Steps
-
Log in to Textdrip
Log in to app.textdrip.com to start sending restaurant text messages.
-
Import your subscriber list
Click the import contact button and upload a contact list to send targeted SMS to diners.
-
Craft a single or drip SMS campaign
Write a crystal-clear, concise, and action-driven single restaurant SMS or series of text messages with opt-in and opt-out keywords.
-
Schedule your message
Click the schedule icon on the dashboard to schedule your restaurant messages by specific trigger, day, time, or month.
-
Send restaurant texts
Select the recipient number and click the send button to send automated restaurant text messages
Helpful Resources for Restaurant SMS Marketing
FAQs
What Are The Key Benefits Of Using Textdrip's Platform For Restaurant SMS Marketing?
Textdrip platform provides targeted SMS marketing for restaurants for direct consumer contact. The platform offers an automation facility that streamlines promotions, reservations, and feedback collection and seamless integration with your existing system. Its personalized messaging feature helps you improve customer engagement and conversion rate leading to improved ROI.
How Does Textdrip Enable Personalized SMS Marketing For Restaurants?
Textdrip uses customer segmentation based on customers’ past orders, preferences, and demographics. So, businesses can send tailored messages to customers with the recipient’s name, order history, etc. Businesses can send relevant and engaging messages. This will boost sales by improving consumer satisfaction.
How Can Textdrip Optimize Restaurant SMS Marketing Campaigns?
There are a few best practices for writing a perfect SMS copy that increases the likelihood of users taking action. You want to write short and to-the-point text messages, highlighting the important words in capital to grab users’ attention. Use merge fields to personalize your text messages by addressing users directly. Also, use strong call-to-action, power words, and things that add urgency to compel users to take action immediately.
How Can Restaurants Use SMS Marketing To Their Advantage?
SMS marketing for diners and restaurant owners helps reach a wide audience instantly. You can send promotional offers, notify customers of new events, take reservations, send confirmations & reminders, and do much more. SMS is a direct way to connect with your customers and grab their attention to increase footfall for your restaurant and bar business. Additionally, features like drip campaigns, multiple numbers, 10-DLC compliance, and others included in the restaurant texting system such as Textdrip enable you to leverage it to its full potential.
Is Sending Text Messages More Cost-Effective Than Other Channels?
Sending text messages is more cost-effective as SMS has a higher open and response rate than other channels. Also, users engage more with short-form content shared via SMS which also gets higher click-through rates for the included CTA. The best thing is restaurant text messaging systems like Textdrip is one of the cost-effective platforms costing around $0.012 per text message. Moreover, you get a 20% discount for the credit volume purchase of more than $100. So, get started now.
How Can I Write An SMS Copy For My Restaurant Text Messaging Campaigns?
There are a few best practices for writing a perfect SMS copy that increases the likelihood of users taking action. You want to write short and to-the-point text messages, highlighting the important words in capital to grab users’ attention. Use merge fields to personalize your text messages by addressing users directly. Also, use strong call-to-action, power words, and things that add urgency to compel users to take action immediately.
