recovery mindset:
A Phased Digital
Media Approach
for Restaurants
recovery mindset:
A Phased Digital
Media Approach
for Restaurants
recovery mindset:
A Phased Digital
Media Approach
for Restaurants
recovery mindset:
A Phased Digital
Media Approach
for Restaurants
Use digital marketing to successfully adapt to the pandemic—and strengthen your business for the future.
State of the industry
To say a lot has happened to the restaurant industry over the last couple months is an understatement.
During the shutdown, QSR and fast casual chains adapted quickly with delivery and takeout—but they still felt an impact. Even Grubhub noted that business dropped 75–90%.
Casual and fine dining establishments scrambled to introduce dine-out options, but many halted their business completely. Datassential found that 44% of fine dining restaurants closed completely, hoping to ride the situation out.
Even now, restaurants are at a perplexing point in their COVID-19 reopening plans. Some states are fully open for dining, while others are only open for patio service or still closed completely. But as businesses gradually open back up, the sting of the shutdown lingers.
Regardless of which stage of reopening your restaurant brand is in, a strong recovery plan is essential to get business back on track.
We’re here to help restaurant marketers boost short-, near- and long-term business opportunities. It will be a slow rebuild, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but every brand needs a recovery plan.
Customer knowledge is key
While many brands have data on their guests, they struggle to make it actionable.
Prior to COVID-19, Epsilon found that 82% of restaurants aren't confident in their understanding of guests a fter they dine with them. That’s because many restaurant brands can’t tie pay information back to an individual if they aren’t part of their loyalty program already.
Now that orders are being placed online for delivery and takeout, brands can better understand their customers through a digital lens. By knowing what customers ordered, how much and when, marketers can tailor content to each guest and make messaging more relevant and personal.
Why digital media now?
Cuts through the email chaos.
The pandemic has caused an influx of email. Display advertising is an efficient option to bypass crowded inboxes and extend your messaging across channels, while still maintaining the attention of your guests.
Why digital media now?
Allows on-the-fly updates.
Ad formats can adapt to the changing needs of consumers. The dynamic structure of these ads brings your message to life, supports ongoing LTO offers and gives you the ability to quickly adapt your messaging—all while remaining practical.
Why digital media now?
Creates accountability with 1:1 measurement.
Budgets are tight, and marketing is under a lot of pressure to prove results right now. Customer-based digital media with closed-loop individual-level measurement enables you to confidently report back to your stakeholders.
Why digital media now?
Email is still critically important.
In March, COVID-themed emails received more opens (28%) than business-as-usual emails (25%), indicating timely, highly relevant messages had stronger appeal. Delete rates jumped from 7% to 11%, reinforcing the higher immediacy but ultimately shorter shelf life of communications.