If you are like most pizza operators, the summer provides at least a few days of much-needed relaxation. You probably also work 80+ hour weeks, year-round, and invest every spare penny into the business.
It's not always easy, but at the end of the day, owning and operating a restaurant is something to be proud of. It's part of the American dream, and only you can make it work.
But with all of the fun, sun, and summer festivities, the slow sales and low volumes are enough to keep you up at night.
Luckily, each summer day that passes brings you one step closer to the sweet relief of football season. With each game, college and professional football games generate massive sales increases at restaurants across the U.S. -- especially for pizza and takeout restaurants.
From pizza delivery, to wing orders, to gameday dine-in traffic (if you have tvs set up), nothing compares to football season.
A few months ago a pizza operator said to me, "...the sound of busy tables, doors opening and closing, non-stop phones, and online order notifications is more relaxing to me than complete silence."
Football season generates cash flow (even on Mondays and Thursdays), presents new opportunities, and puts your operational excellence to the test.
But it's not enough to sit back and wait for customers to find you.
If you want to dominate your local market, ward off competitors, and maximize the success of your restaurant -- you need to reach every local home and business, proactively.
Over the last seven years, I have worked directly with more than one-thousand pizzerias on direct marketing campaigns. If you only take away one piece of advice from this article, let it be this snippet:
If you don't give customers a reason to call, click, or visit your pizzeria -- they won't.
Not only is it important to reach these customers, but you want to optimize every order in terms of ticket size and profit margin.
The good news? This is REALLY easy to do with direct mail.
To be clear, I'm not talking about having your coupons stuffed inside an envelope with twenty of your competitors. I'm talking about designing, printing, and mailing your menus to every home within your service area, without competition.
Even better, you can target, design, print, and mail your menus in 10 minutes or less with one simple online order.
It's called Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) and you can try it RIGHT HERE.
EDDM works by using a "point & click" online mapping tool, called U-Select, to make targeting your local mailing areas a breeze. All you have to do is type in your pizzeria's address and then click on the areas you wish to target. You can fine-tune your selections down to the carrier route (neighborhood) level.
From there, you choose a design option (upload your artwork, get free template, or buy design service) and place your order online.
Two to three weeks later, your high-powered menus and offers deliver to every single home and business (optional) around your pizzeria -- without any ads from competitors.
EDDM has the potential to change everything for your business, especially if you have never used the mailing program before. There are stories and videos all over the web (including youtube) from pizzerias who have increase sales by 47% or more.
So, what are you waiting for? Football season is here and it's time to cash in on all of your hard work.
Oh by the way, if you some help on how to get the most out of your pizza menus and mailers, check out my new eBook, Menus That Sell.
(Or, get a FREE copy of the book when you order EDDM services for your pizzeria!)
Personal note:
Lots of shameless plugs -- I know -- but trust me when I say that this stuff works. Our average pizza client mails 10,000+ menus or postcards, more than three times per year. From mom n' pop pizzerias, to national chains, the most successful pizzerias use direct mail as part of their overall marketing mix. Let's work together to accomplish amazing things at your pizzeria.
Good luck, and happy marketing.