Restaurant Marketing in Middle East

In the ME we are currently working with restaurant outlets ranging from high end classy joints to fast food outlets. And one thing we and the restaurant fraternity overall in addition to industry experts we spoke to solely agree is the fact that the fundamental ingredients for a restaurant’s success in addition to having great food is consistent approach in marketing, public relations and guest relations in particular. As the run to expo 2020 heats up and many new restaurants are coming into the picture a lot of new players are vying the highly lucrative market. So a standalone existing restaurants has intense heat coming their way given the number of international chains setting shop here and since they are adamant in capturing market share and have huge marketing budgets at their disposal the time has come to shift your operations into high gear.
Few years ago, all one needed was a great location and great food. Today with the advent of social media platforms like Facebook & Twitter, marketing your restaurant is of paramount importance and that too on a 24/7 basis. A constant monitoring of the platforms along with active conversation builders and teasers need to be in place and actively driven in house or via an agency. One very recent example of how potent social media & PR has become is the overnight success story of UAE born fast food giant who has achieved phenomenal success not because of its great food but purely through social media and PR.
An elaborate launch although in the beginning will help grab some initial limelight, but in the long run a well established balanced & persistent approach is needed to maintain this. Always keep trying to do different mix of marketing tactics to actively engage your customers and keep them engaged with your brand via social media, PR and blogs. An often overlooked facet of marketing that you could implement especially in UAE is to actively promote your culture and food to different nationalities there by nurturing a new customer base who is already accustomed to you.