Stories have enchanted humans since the times we used to live in caves and amongst tribes. Storytelling is an art that has been developed by the earlier homo sapiens, and the proof can be found in the cave paintings of the yore. That’s why we, not just individually but as a community, love gripping stories so much.
What if you could leverage this inherent yearning to listen to and tell stories for your restaurant brand? It will prove to be a game-changer for your restaurant’s marketing. However, there are two approaches that you can follow for the same. One is to hire a restaurant marketing agency, and the other is to do it yourself(DIY).
In this article, we’ll explore the DIY method of how to transform your restaurant brand into a story brand. So, let’s begin!
Five Ways To Use Storytelling To Enhance Your Restauarnt’s Brand:-
1. Tell your backstory
Everyone has a backstory, and in the case of restaurants, a lot of characters get involved in this story. Most people who are following your restaurant brand on the web or socials would be a lot more intrigued if they knew your restaurant’s backstory.
How did you come up with the idea to open this restaurant? Who were the founding members of this restaurant’s inception? What was the vision behind opening up this restaurant? Which were the heartfelt moments that became the highlights of this restaurant’s story? These are some of the questions which will help you in crafting a story for your restaurant that will make it relatable for your prospective customers.
By telling your restaurant’s backstory, you will not just attract a set of customers, but diners who are passionate about food like you are! The most spellbinding thing is that they will surely have a high likelihood of becoming your most loyal customers.
2. Use storytelling around the cuisine you serve
Cuisine isn’t just a type of food belonging to a particular region of our world. It’s much more than that! A cuisine represents the culture, traditions, values, and history of the people living in a specific area. In fact, it’s a binding factor for the ones who are living abroad away from their families to earn a livelihood.
By using this story type, you will be able to grow your restaurant brand multifold. Couldn’t understand why. Worry not; let’s understand it with an example.
Let’s say an Indian immigrant shifted to the USA to work a 9 to 5 as a senior executive. He has left his family in India and is badly missing home along with the homely food cooked by his mother. He searched for restaurants serving Indian food and found your Indian cuisine restaurant.
But, he got gripped by how proudly you were showcasing your rich Indian heritage along with the delicious food in the form of a story. He’s bound to pay your restaurant a visit, and who knows, he might become your regular customer as well.
3. Make your restaurant brand appear more human-like
Did you know most people who engage with your restaurant brand on digital mediums crave communication? If you follow the cookie-cutter method of serving them with stale posts that are rehashed from the competitors, you’re doomed!
The major reason behind this is that the general public is tired of seeing such social media posts on a regular basis. That’s why, you need to craft genuine stories that are relatable and which also appear human-like.
A fact that many know but aren’t able to comprehend is that individuals don’t like to follow or engage with businesses. If you’re also looking to grow your restaurant business, you will not find many takers. But if it’s your restaurant’s human-like story brand that we’re talking about, then the dynamics will change for the better.
4. Build connections with your customers
Your customers are the backbone of your restaurant in every sense of the word. If they don’t show up to have a meal at your restaurant, you’ll have to shut the doors even before filing the taxes. So, building genuine connections with your customers is non-negotiable to grow your restaurant.
If that’s the case, which it is, then why not post stories about how you served your customers and, even more, delighted them? You can post social media short-form video posts about how your staff took care of the customers. Another idea is to showcase the customized dishes prepared by your restaurant’s chefs as per the requirements of the customers.
Also, have a happy ending in the video in the form of the customers’ genuine reaction while relishing the personalized delicacy that they ordered. This last bit will prove to be the cherry on the top.
5. Showcase the stories of your diners
Each one of your diners has plenty of stories to tell! Then, why not leverage these stories and showcase them with their consent?
Now, you might think, how can you use their personal stories to grow your brand? Well, you can if your restaurant is the background setting of those stories.
For example, a couple wanted to celebrate their Valentine’s Day in your restaurant. The boyfriend wanted to propose to the love of his life, and he asked your staff to make all the arrangements. Everything went as planned, and the girl said yes.
Now, if you can post this heartfelt story on your social media profiles in the form of a beautifully edited video, you’re bound to attract many more couples.
Final Words
Storytelling has been part of every civilization, and that’s why we’re still so much gripped by them. By leveraging the right type of storytelling for your restaurant, you will be able to build a story brand around your restaurant.
Furthermore, the most amazing five ways that you can utilize for storytelling are listed above. You can follow either one or all of these ways to make your restaurant the talk of the town. So, start implementing these ways and you are bound to get several followers and a lot more customers.