The Ultimate Guide to SMS Marketing for Restaurants

Restaurants are one of the toughest industries out there. The high level of competition leads to the failure of many establishments—in fact, the industry has some of the highest failure rates. Making sure your restaurant survives beyond the first year is a huge challenge, and one of the main pillars of success is brand awareness. 

While there are several channels for establishing brand awareness, SMS marketing for restaurants is one you can’t go wrong with. Every restaurant’s priority involves converting one-time visitors into loyal customers. You can achieve this to full effect by building customer loyalty.

Our restaurant SMS marketing guide provides tips, tricks, and templates for your establishment to lay the groundwork for a well-executed strategy. You’ll get to connect with your customers, increase repeat visits, and drive revenue in 160 characters or less—all without overwhelming your team or your budget. 

Why SMS Marketing for Restaurants Matters

Using a text message marketing service for restaurants is actually one of the best ways to advance your customer loyalty-building efforts. Its convenience allows restaurants to reach far more customers at a fraction of the cost. Thanks to its high open rate, text message marketing is far more productive than other marketing channels.

Marketing is an important part of any business venture. However, a full-blown campaign for restaurant owners can be costly. Restaurant marketing on social media, for example, can cost business owners a fortune. This is where SMS marketing steps in, offering a more cost-effective approach.

Benefits of Text Marketing for Restaurants

Restaurant text messaging campaigns come with an abundance of advantages. This kind of marketing is almost foolproof. You either reap the benefits of SMS or you get marginal profit (or none at all) without taking a financial hit. That being said, here are the main advantages of restaurant text message marketing campaigns:

1. Popularity

Statistics show that the vast majority of mobile phone owners use text messaging every day. People receive an average of 30 to 40 texts per day. To put it simply, customers regularly use their mobile phones and receive texts, making text marketing for restaurants ideal for exposure. Customers read 97% of messages within 15 minutes—you can almost guarantee that people will read your texts.

2. High Open Rate

Text messages have the highest open rate of any communication channel. With an astounding 98% open rate, people are definitely going to see your text message. The second closest in terms of open rate is email, which fluctuates between the 20 and 30% range. This goes to show that between restaurant SMS and email marketing, you should opt for SMS to make sure customers read your message.

3. Instant Delivery

The majority of SMS messages are delivered almost instantly. What’s more, people read 90% of text messages within three minutes of receiving them. And while emails can also be delivered instantly, they do not get the same response rate as SMS messages, and can sit unopened for hours if not days. 

4. Affordability

If you are on a budget, SMS marketing for restaurants is the go-to tool for driving customer engagement. Not only does text message marketing boast affordable pricing, but it’s also one of the most resourceful means of marketing. Considering its efficiency and price, the margin of return you are going to get on your investment in restaurants’ text message marketing is very high. 

5. Global Outreach

One of the reasons SMS is widely used in marketing comes down to its ability to reach everyone across the world. In this context, sending text messages to people all over the world doesn’t make sense unless your restaurant is a global franchise. For that reason, you need to have a specific target demographic, preferably location-based. This helps attract the right customers to your restaurant and avoid spamming people with irrelevant content.

Common Use Cases of Restaurant Texting

SMS marketing for restaurants can serve a variety of purposes. It encourages businesses in the food and beverage industry to promote their specials, engage with customers, and get the business going. 

1. Reservation reminders

Sending reservation reminders via SMS helps reduce no-shows by giving customers a timely prompt. As a result, your establishment improves table management, which allows staff to reassign canceled spots quickly. This leads to higher occupancy rates and better planning during peak hours.

2. Promotions and discount codes

SMS makes it easy to share time-sensitive offers like happy hour deals, limited-time discounts, or seasonal items. These promotions can be targeted to loyal customers or used to bring in traffic during slow periods. Not only does this boost visits, but you also increase average spend.

3. Event announcements

Text messages are great for promoting events such as live music nights, chef’s specials, or tasting menus. Guests are more likely to attend when they receive a personalized invite. This keeps your audience engaged and creates buzz around your brand.

4. New menu item alerts

When launching new dishes or rotating seasonal items, SMS lets your regulars know right away—you build anticipation and give them a reason to return and try something new. Consistent updates like this help keep your offerings top of mind.

5. Feedback requests

Following a customer’s visit, send an SMS text to ask for a review or rating. You not only show that you value their opinion, but you also gather insights to improve service and food quality. Not to mention, immediate feedback is more accurate and actionable than delayed responses.

6. Order updates

Real-time updates about takeout or delivery orders improve the customer experience by keeping them informed. Notifying them when an order is being prepared, out for delivery, or ready for pickup reduces uncertainty. It also cuts down on calls to your staff and increases trust in your service.

Text Message Marketing Examples for Restaurants

Restaurants can use templates for everything from promoting menu items and tracking online orders to sending birthday greetings and even sending automated text messages. Sample text message marketing for restaurants can paint a better picture of how you can re-engage customers with promotional messages. Check out our complete list of text message templates, or take a look at these to get you started:

1. Text Coupons

• “Hey [customer name], thanks for dining at [restaurant name]. We can’t wait to see you again. Take 10% off your next order using this coupon. [coupon]”

• “Hey [customer name], enjoy a treat on us! Show this text at [restaurant name] and get 15% off any dinner entrée. Valid this weekend only.”

• “Thanks for stopping by, [customer name]! Use code [coupon] for $5 off your next online order at [restaurant name]. Offer ends Friday.”

2. Limited Offers

• “Quick, [customer name]! Buy a fresh donut from [restaurant name] and we’ll give you a free cup of coffee. Offer only valid for any order online within the next 4 hours.”

• “Only a few hours left, [customer name]! Order any burger today and get free fries. Available until 4 p.m. at [restaurant name].”

• “Flash deal: Get two pizzas for the price of one at [restaurant name]. Offer valid for the next 2 hours. Don’t miss it, [customer name]!”

3. Reminders for Upcoming Events

• “Will we see you at tonight’s open mic, [customer name]? Swing by [restaurant’s name] for delicious food and stay for the awesome music, today from 6–10 p.m.”

• “Reminder for [customer name]: [restaurant name] is hosting a wine and tapas night tomorrow at 7 p.m. Reserve your spot now!”

• “Live jazz this Friday at [restaurant name]! Come for dinner, stay for the music, [customer name]. 8 p.m. till late.”

4. Customer Reservation

• “Hi [customer name], your table for 4 is now ready. We’ll hold it for the next 15 minutes.”

• “Hi [customer name], just confirming your reservation at [restaurant name] tonight at 7:30 p.m. See you soon!”

• “Your table is ready, [customer name]! Head over to [restaurant name]. Delicious meals and a vibrant atmosphere await!”

5. Customer Surveys

• “We appreciate your visit to [restaurant’s name]. Please take your time to rate our quality of service and food here: [link]”

• “Thanks for choosing [restaurant name], [customer name]. We’d love to hear about your experience. Leave feedback here: [link]”

• “Hey, [customer name], tell us how we did! Share your thoughts on your recent visit to [restaurant name]: [link]”

Best Practices of Restaurant Test Marketing

If done right, text marketing for restaurants can be an excellent way to interact with customers and drive business. Follow these best practices to guarantee strong customer engagement in your SMS campaigns:

• Consent is key: Always get explicit consent from your customers before sending them promotional messages, no matter how much you think they would love your burgers.

• Timing matters: Avoid texting your customers early in the morning or late at night, and account for time zones as well as local preferences.

• Keep it clear: Make sure your messages are short and to the point so that your recipients can easily understand them.

• Segment your audience: Categorize your customers based on criteria so you don’t end up promoting a steak combo deal to a vegetarian, for example.

• Add a CTA: Let recipients know what to do with your text message by including a clear call to action.

• Provide prompt responses: Be ready to handle customer replies and inquiries, responding to them on the spot.

• Protect customer data: Take the necessary security measures to protect customer data.

How to Choose the Best Platform for Restaurant Messaging

The impact of your efforts largely depends on the platform you opt for. You want to choose a restaurant texting service that meets standards and suits your restaurant business needs.

• Ease of use: Go for an SMS platform with an interface that’s intuitive and easy to navigate.

• Integration: The software must have the ability to integrate with existing systems like CRM and point of sale.

• Compliance: The restaurant texting service should be compliant with local and global texting regulations.

• Personalization: Aim for a platform that offers personalization features you can use to tailor your messages to specific audiences.

• Automation: You want a platform that allows you to send automated welcome texts, order confirmations, and answers to common questions.

• Analytics: The software should come with analytics and reporting tools that you can use to track open rates, click-through rates, and other key insights.

• Scalability: The platform of your choice should accommodate your growing number of subscribers and text marketing needs as your restaurant expands.

Importance of Opt-Ins for Restaurant SMS Marketing

Opt-ins are a crucial aspect of an SMS campaign for restaurants—or for any other type of business, for that matter. By willingly opting in to receive text messages, customers express their consent and interest in hearing from your restaurant. Plus, new customers who have opted in are more likely to interact with your communications and even become regular guests.

This helps build a receptive audience on top of establishing compliance with text message marketing regulations like the TCPA in the United States and the GDPR in the European Union. 

Why Restaurants Should Avoid Texting from Personal Phones

As you introduce restaurant text marketing to your strategy, you’ll want to avoid texting from a personal phone and use a dedicated platform instead. Using a personal mobile phone for marketing purposes poses a serious data privacy and security risk—you’re more likely to disclose information by accident and violate the privacy of customers. There’s also the chance that the phone has a third-party app that compromises the security of the data. 

Moreover, having your marketing team use their phones makes it hard to monitor security standards. A compliant texting software, on the other hand, guarantees the safety of your customers’ information. Not to mention, they offer a variety of key features that phones don’t provide.

Key Takeaways for Restaurant SMS Marketing

SMS marketing has proven to be one of the most effective tools for restaurants looking to stay competitive, boost engagement, and drive repeat business. With high open rates, immediate delivery, and the ability to reach customers directly, it provides restaurants a low-cost, high-impact solution to marketing challenges. From sending out reservation confirmations to promoting limited-time offers, restaurant texting is both practical and profitable.

Our restaurant SMS marketing guide explained how to use text messaging to reduce no-shows, promote offers, and improve the customer experience, all without blowing your budget. And did we mention how SMS allows you to build strong, personalized connections with your audience? Try achieving that through email or social media. The right message sent at the right time can turn a first-time diner into a loyal customer.

Of course, success in text message marketing depends on doing it right. That means using a secure and scalable platform, following industry best practices, respecting opt-in rules, and tailoring your messages for specific audiences. When you approach SMS marketing with strategy and purpose, it becomes part of your customer experience. 

Margins are already tight, and attention is limited in the restaurant industry. SMS gives your establishment a direct line to your customers. If you're not already using it, now’s the time to start—the results are measurable, and you’ll be growing sustainably.