# Restaurant promotions that do not hurt your margins

Big discounts bring bargain hunters who leave when the deal ends. Small offers, sent to the right guests at the right time, bring back people who already like you.

## Step by step

1. **Send offers to your own guests first.** Guests who ordered before are the most likely to come back. A text to them costs far less than a public discount.
2. **Give something, not a percentage.** A free drink, side or dessert costs you little and feels generous. 20% off everything adds up fast.
3. **Tie the offer to a time.** Before 4:30, on Tuesday, this week only. A clear time gives a reason to come now and protects your busy hours.
4. **Reward coming back.** Points toward a free appetizer, or double points on your quietest evening.
5. **Let regulars bring friends.** A gift a regular can send a friend for a first order turns happy guests into new ones.

## More sales

- [How to increase restaurant sales: 8 ways that work](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/increase-restaurant-sales)
- [Slow days at your restaurant: how to fill the quiet hours](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/slow-days)
- [How to raise your average order without raising prices](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/raise-average-order)
- [How to get more lunch orders](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/more-lunch-orders)
- [How to price your menu, and when to raise prices](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/menu-pricing)
- [A restaurant marketing calendar for the whole year](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/marketing-calendar)
- [How to get more pickup orders](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/more-pickup-orders)

## Promotions to avoid

Deep discounts on your busiest night, offers with no end date, and deals that only work on delivery apps where you also pay commission on the discounted order.

EatFuti is in Des Moines, Iowa, and works with independent restaurants across the United States, most of all in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas and Texas.

## How it works with EatFuti

1. **Run the free check.** Three minutes, no sign-up. See your Google page, where your Order button goes and how your site does on a phone.
2. **Say yes.** Send your photos and menu, or we take the menu from your POS or online. Online ordering is live 48 to 72 hours after signup.
3. **Your website goes up.** Built for you from your photos, menu and reviews, right after ordering is live. You approve it before it goes up.

## Questions owners ask

### How often should I run a promotion?

Small offers to the right guests can run every week. Big public promotions work best a few times a year, around holidays or a new dish.

### Are discount apps worth it?

They can bring new faces, but many of those guests never return. Make sure every new guest ends up on your own list so you can invite them back.

## See where your restaurant stands today

[Run the free check](https://scanner.eatfuti.com/) (Free · 3 minutes · no credit card). Call (515) 493-0243.

Tiếng Việt: https://scanner.eatfuti.com/vi/guides/restaurant-promotions · Español: https://scanner.eatfuti.com/es/guides/restaurant-promotions

Source: https://scanner.eatfuti.com/guides/restaurant-promotions · EatFuti Inc., 700 Locust St, Ste 304, Des Moines, IA 50309