Running a restaurant is a delicate dance—you need to deliver delicious food and provide excellent service, all while keeping an eye on the bottom line. Marketing, especially in today's digital world, can feel like an expensive necessity. But what if there was a way to reach your customers directly, promote your specials, and build loyalty—for free?

That's exactly what Menufy's built-in email marketing tool offers. Here's how this hidden gem can be a game-changer for your restaurant:

Free and Easy to Use: Forget signing up for yet another service and managing multiple platforms. Menufy seamlessly integrates email marketing right into your existing Menufy Manager dashboard. You can schedule up to two email blasts per calendar month. There are no extra fees and no complicated setup is required—just start crafting your message and get in touch with your customer base.

Capture Leads Automatically: Menufy takes care of the heavy lifting. Customers who opt in to receive promotions while placing online orders are automatically added to your email list. This ensures you're reaching people who are already interested in your food, which maximizes the impact of your campaigns. Restaurant owners also have access to their email list from their Menufy Manager.

Promote What Matters: New menu items, upcoming events, upselling incentives—you can use Menufy's email marketing tool to promote it all! Schedule campaigns in advance to keep customers informed and engaged.

Built-in Design Features: Don't worry about complicated email designs. Menufy provides an easy-to-use template and allows you to upload your own "hero image," the picture that is the main focus of the email. Create simple yet eye-catching emails that will tempt taste buds and get customers to click through to your menu and place an online order. Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to create your free email marketing blasts.

Track Your Success: Menufy's built-in analytics give you valuable insights into how your email marketing campaigns perform with stats including Deliveries, Unique Opens, Unique Clicks, Orders, and Unsubscribes. See which emails resonate with your audience and adjust your strategy for even better results.

Now that you know more about Menufy’s free email marketing tool, let’s learn how to maximize your marketing efforts by setting up online ordering incentives with other tools in the Menufy Manager dashboard.

TASTY REWARDS

Menufy's Tasty Rewards program is a digital loyalty program designed to encourage customers to order food online more frequently. Here's how it works:

For Restaurants:

• Customization: As the restaurant owner, you have control over various aspects of the program:

• Reward Percentage: Decide what percentage of the order subtotal will go toward the customer's credit.

• Order Threshold: Define the number of orders a customer needs to place before redeeming their credit.

• Reward Multiplier (Optional): Offer an extra credit boost to customers after they place a designated number of orders.

For Customers:

• Earning Rewards: Customers who place an online order through Menufy at a participating restaurant will accumulate credit toward a future purchase. The credit earned is a percentage of the order subtotal (excluding tip, tax, and fees), and the restaurant sets this percentage.

• Redemption: Once you place the required number of online orders at the same restaurant (also set by the restaurant), you can redeem your accumulated credit toward a future purchase.

Benefits:

• Increased Sales: The promise of free food encourages repeat business, leading to more orders and potentially higher revenue.

• Data Collection: Customer login allows restaurants to gather data on ordering habits, enabling targeted promotions in the future.

• Frictionless Ordering: Login can save customer information, streamlining the checkout process for repeat customers and potentially leading to faster and more frequent orders.

• Branding Flexibility: Restaurants can customize the program's name and logo to better integrate it with their existing brand identity.

Tasty Rewards is a win-win: Restaurants can incentivize repeat business, and customers are rewarded for their loyalty. You can remind your customers about this program with your free email marketing blasts! Learn how to customize your restaurant’s rewards here.

COUPONS

Menufy offers a coupon tool that empowers restaurant owners to create and manage custom coupons for online orders. Here's how it works:

For Restaurants:

• Restaurant-Created Coupons: You can design promotional coupons through your Menufy Manager dashboard.

• Customization Options: You have a fair amount of control over the coupon details:

• Discount Type: Choose between a fixed amount discount or a percentage off the order.

• Validity: Set specific days and times when the coupon is valid.

• Minimum Order: Require a minimum order value for the coupon to apply.

• Availability: Choose whether the coupon applies to delivery or carryout orders—or to both. You can also choose to allow the coupon to be used only by new online ordering customers, only once per user, or for multiple orders.

• Menu Limitations (Optional): Coupons can be set to require adding certain menu items or categories to an order, but they can also be set to exclude certain menu items or categories. This works well if you want to promote things on your menu or avoid having discounts used on specials.

• Visibility: Show the coupon code on your Menufy website or keep it hidden for targeted promotions.

For Customers:

• Finding Coupons: As a customer, look for “Coupons" on the restaurant's Menufy ordering page. If you don't see it, the restaurant likely has no active online coupons unless you received an email with an exclusive offer.

• Redemption: Coupon codes can be entered at checkout if you have met the requirements set by the restaurant.

Benefits:

• Attract New Customers: Coupons are a great way to entice new people to try your restaurant. They may be more willing to take a chance on a new place if they can save some money.

• Boost Sales: Coupons can encourage customers to order more often, especially during slower periods. For example, if a discount is available, customers are more likely to order takeout for lunch. 

• Increase Online Ordering: Coupons can specifically target online ordering, encouraging customers to use your restaurant's app or website instead of third-party delivery services that take a cut of the profits.

Regarding coupons, the biggest feedback we get from restaurants is that they will lose money if they offer them. However, if the coupons are created strategically, it can increase online orders and encourage repeat business. Customers are more likely to order online if there’s an incentive. Menufy’s coupon tool is a simple and easy way to take your restaurant’s marketing to the next level. Learn how to create coupons here.

QUICK DEALS

Menufy's Quick Deals tool allows restaurants to incentivize online orders by offering free items to customers when their online order reaches a certain amount. Here's how it works:

For Restaurants:

• Creating Quick Deals: Access Quick Deals through the Menufy Manager dashboard.

• Customization Options: You have control over various aspects of the deal:

• Free Item: Choose the menu item you'll offer for free.

• Minimum Order Value: Set the minimum order amount a customer needs to spend to qualify for the free item.

• Time Frame (Optional): Limit Quick Deals to specific dates or times.

For Customers:

• Finding Quick Deals: Look for a "Quick Deals" button on the restaurant's Menufy webpage. If it's available, the details of the Quick Deal will be displayed.

• Qualifying for the Deal: Add items to your cart until the total reaches the minimum order value set by the restaurant.

• Score Free Food: Once qualified, you'll typically see a dropdown menu in your cart allowing you to choose the free item offered through the Quick Deal.

Benefits:

• Increased Order Value: Quick Deals encourage customers to spend more to qualify for the free item, potentially boosting the restaurant's average order value.

• Upselling: Restaurants can use Quick Deals to promote specific menu items, especially those with high profit margins.

• Customer Acquisition: Quick Deals can attract new customers who are drawn to the free food offer.

Menufy's Quick Deals tool allows restaurants to incentivize online orders and increase their revenue. We recommend that restaurants stack their Quick Deals and offer multiple items but at different order minimum requirements. For example, if you own a pizza restaurant, you could offer free breadsticks with online orders of $20 or more, free garlic cheese bread with online orders of $30 or more, and free fried ravioli with online orders of $40 or more. We recommend checking your Menufy Item Sales report to determine which free items to offer. Your most popular appetizers are great options for Quick Deals. After setting up your deals, send out an email blast promoting them! Learn how to set up your Quick Deals here.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Menufy offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help restaurants boost their online presence and sales. From our free email marketing tool to the customizable Tasty Rewards program, Coupons, and Quick Deals, Menufy empowers restaurants to connect with customers, incentivize online orders, and build brand loyalty—all without breaking the bank. By utilizing these tools strategically, restaurants can effectively reach their target audience, generate more sales, and stay ahead of the competition in today's digital marketplace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NIKKI FINLEY, SR. DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

Nikki got her start in the restaurant industry when she was 15. She also spent some time working at tech startups in Chicago. Utilizing her many years of experience in the restaurant and tech space, she’s spent the last 5 years assisting Menufy clients with their premium marketing services.