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The easiest way to grab your customer’s attention? Their phones!
Restaurant text message marketing sounds old-fashioned but it’s actually the most reliable source to effectively boost sales. In fact, 88% of customers expect text messages from their favorite places!
Forget generic ads or spammy emails; SMS or Whatsapp marketing lets you share straight-to-the-point messages that get your customers excited. Once you’ve mastered that, you’re untouchable.
In this article, we’ll spill all the tea on how you can attract more customers effortlessly—whether it’s personalized texts or CTAs (Call to Action), you’re just a text message away from launching your SMS marketing campaign. Let’s get buzzing!
What is Text Message Marketing?
Text message marketing is basically sliding into your customer’s DMs. It’s the fastest (and cheapest) way for F&B restaurants, bars, and cafes like yours to connect with your customers without spending big bucks on ads.
Sure, social media and email are great, but here’s the tea: texting still reigns supreme. People check their texts faster than emails, and numbers don’t lie—90% of text messages are opened within 3 minutes of receiving. Even better? 91% of customers have already signed up for restaurant SMS or Whatsapp marketing campaigns.
Here’s why text message marketing is effective for restaurants and cafes:
Boost Loyalty & Create One-On-One Connections
That little “exclusive deal just for you” text message is what builds loyalty. Customers engage with offers and deals, and about 32% of them use it several times a week.
Happy customers love to spread the word. When they feel extra special, they’re more likely to tell their friends and family, turning your regulars into your best promoters.
- Personalized messages: Imagine getting a text of “Get a free scoop from us to you!” on your customers’ birthday month—this would make them feel seen, valued, and excited for more!
Milestone rewards: Celebrate your customers’ journey with your restaurant or cafe! Surprise them with a bonus treat or discount on their 5th visit and more—this will make them feel exclusive.
Turn Engagement into Sales
Here’s the fun part—SMS doesn’t just engage, it sells. More than half of marketers rank SMS marketing as one of their top 3 revenue-driving platforms.
With an astonishing 75% of customers that actually like getting reservation reminders by text—so, fewer no-shows and more money saved for you.
- SMS Outshines Email: Unlike emails that need the internet, SMS works anywhere. Text messages hold an average click-through rate of 6.1% compared to emails with only 2.6% average.
High Open Rates & Instant Results
Let’s be real—nobody checks their email as fast as they check their texts. With sky-high open rates, most messages are read within minutes.
- Smart Geotargeting + Time-sensitive deals: A “22% off for one scoop until 7pm” creates urgency, leading to impulse purchases and boosts revenue when paired with geotargeting.
Why: Geofenced SMS campaigns have been shown to outperform other platforms by 142% in efficiency compared to TV ads and 2.6x compared to online ads.
Cost-Effective & Easy to Set Up
Text messages work anywhere with minimal effort making it a no-brainer and effortless method to reach your target audience.
- Budget-friendly: No design costs, or long hours—just straight-to-the-point messages that work.
- Impactful ROI: SMS marketing customers increase their spending by 23%. More engagement + sales = big ROI.
Guide to Text Message Marketing for Restaurant and Cafe Owners
Ready to level up your restaurant or cafe’s text message marketing game? Let’s start setting up your campaign with these steps:
Step 1: Build Your Customer List (The Right Way)
SMS only works if customers want to hear from you. Obtaining an opt-in and opt-out option is the best way to comply with data privacy laws.
Get consent through:
- QR codes on tables with a “Join & Get 5% Off” promo
- Checkout opt-ins through online ordering
Step 2: Pick the Best SMS Marketing Platform
Pick a platform that integrates with your POS system (like SimpleLoyalty, SevenRooms etc.) so messages are automated and can be personalized.
Look for:
- Performance tracking
- Loyalty Program Integrations
- Automated scheduling
- Customer Segmentation
Step 3: Segment your Customers
Before you hit “send”, group your customers by:
- Order History: Burger and Fries vs Dessert
- Visit Times: Early Birds vs Lunch Enjoyers vs Dinner Goers
- Occasions: Birthdays, Milestones, Anniversaries
The more personalized the text messages, the more special your customers feel.
Example: “Treat yourself to any desserts. Drop by for a 15% off for today only!”
Step 4: Create Effective Text Messages
Keep your text messages short, simple and sweet—don’t forget to add a call-to-action (CTA)!
Example:
- “Monday Madness! Get a slice for half price today only. Show SMS to redeem.”
- “You’ve just hit 500 points! Click here to redeem your free dessert!”
Step 5: Perfect Timing + Smart Automation
Timing is key to restaurant SMS marketing—so your messages reach customers when they’re most likely to respond:
- Lunchtime promos between: 10:30 AM–12:30 PM
- Dinner deals around 5:30 PM–7 PM
- Special messages (birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays)
With SMS automation, you can set up reservation reminders, “we miss you” offers, and special celebration texts—so customers always get the right message at the right time.
Example: “Lunch special! Buy 1 get 1 free burger until 12:30 PM today. Hurry!”
Step 6: Track Performance
Monitoring your results is key to consistency. Check for:
- Open rates (With a vast 98% on average for SMS campaigns)
- CTR (A majority of 21%-35% click-through rates)
- Redemption rates on promos
A/B testing your text messages with different offers allows you to optimize your marketing campaigns and determines which ones work best!
How?
With the help of SMS marketing platforms like SimpleLoyalty or SevenRooms to divide your customer lists into two different groups to test out various versions of SMS appeals more.
Version A: “Don’t miss out! Enjoy 10% off dinner tonight. Tap here to reserve!” → 8% redemption rate
Version B: “Flash Deal! 10% off your dinner tonight only. Book now!” → 12% redemption rate
Results: Version B receives a better response and drives better sales impact.
Step 7: Integrate with Other Marketing Platforms
Link your text messages with email, social media, and loyalty programs for maximum impact:
- Send point updates: “You’re 10 points away from a free meal!”
- Celebrate milestones: “Congrats on 6 visits! Enjoy a free drink, on us!”
Teasing your customers with a new menu on your social media and then sending an SMS link to order it early will make your customers feel excited about your restaurant or cafe!
Best Practices for Text Message Marketing
The secret to turning one-time diners into loyal fans? Stick to these proven best practices that keep your texts engaging and your reputation safe—your restaurant gets results without taking any risks.
Play it safe: Get opt-ins
Before you start blasting texts, make sure your customers actually want them. Not only does consent keep you compliant with data privacy laws, but it also boosts trust and engagement—studies show higher engagement rates with customers who opt-in and are likely to interact with your text messages.
Don’t forget: keep a record of opt-ins, include “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” in your welcome text, and honor opt-outs instantly. Respect = long-term loyalty.
Offer Real Value That Keeps Customers Hooked
If you want customers to stay hyped about your SMS marketing campaign, give them a reason they can’t resist. Think of it as their backstage pass to your restaurant or cafe:
- Coupons & Discounts: Everyone loves a deal. Whether it’s “5% off your next order” or “Buy 1 Get 1 free Mondays,” discounts drive immediate action and boost sales.
- VIP Perks: Reward loyal fans with text-only rewards—skipping the waitlist or getting a free appetizer. Exclusive access makes them feel special and valued.
- Secret Menu Drops: Announce limited-time dishes or “off-the-menu” specials just for text message subscribers. It creates buzz and 38% of people opt-in just for the sense of exclusivity.
- Early Access: Give your text club first dibs on holiday menus, new product launches, or event tickets. Scarcity + exclusivity = FOMO that works.
Don’t Spam—Find The Right Tone
Nobody likes their phone blowing up with endless texts from a restaurant. The trick is balance. Sending 1–4 SMS messages per month is the “sweet spot” for keeping engagement high while avoiding mass opt-outs.
- Too Few Messages? Customers might forget they signed up and ignore your next promo.
- Too Many Messages? Unsubscribe rates spike. In fact, over 74% of consumers will opt-out if they feel bombarded.
Pro Tip
Use data (like open rates and opt-out patterns) to find your restaurant’s perfect texting cadence.
Keep It Short & Sweet
When it comes to SMS marketing, less is more. Stick to 140-160 characters max so your texts are delivered in one clean text—easy to read, quick to act on.
Concise texts drive higher engagement, with short messages seeing up to an 80% higher response rate compared to longer ones.
Use Clear Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
Don’t leave customers guessing without a clear next step—tell them exactly what to do next!
- Instead of “Visit us soon”, go for “Order Now” or “Book Your Table Tonight.”
Keep your CTA relevant, this not only reduces confusion but also boosts profits.
Pro Tip
Drop it at the end of your text so it pops.
Create Urgency with Limited-Time Deals
Nothing gets customers moving faster than a deal that won’t last forever.
Urgent offers like “Tonight only! Buy 1 Get 1 Free Dessert” spark instant action when there’s FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
Trigger impulse decisions with time-sensitive promotions.
Pro Tip
Pair urgency with a clear CTA (like “Tap to claim your deal now”) and drive foot traffic and online orders instantly.
Examples of Restaurant Text Message Marketing Campaigns that Work
Here’s the proof: Restaurant Text Message Marketing that delivers results.
TGI Fridays’ Highly Effective SMS Marketing Campaign
TGI Fridays launched their SMS marketing campaign at the start of September 2020. Using just a simple pop-up on their website offering “10% off your first purchase” in exchange for joining their SMS list. And in just 4.5 months their customer base increased from 20,000 to 62,000 new signups per month with a conversion rate of 4.5%! TGI Fridays outperformed their traditional loyalty program.
About 15% of SMS recipients click the links in their messages—84% placed an order. Just as strategy played a big role in this, by sending 2-3 texts per month (new dishes and exclusive offers), they turned their SMS list into a loyalty goldmine.
A few simple texts that led to a no-brainer success for any restaurant!
Local Restaurant Doubled Spending with SMS Marketing
A local Malaysian Thai restaurant launched a simple SMS campaign to go out three days before the long weekend. By offering two free drinks for every customer who brought a friend to dine in.
The results? 10,432 customers received the text with 792 free drinks served—that’s 396 SMS redemptions!
Customers spent RM 15,219 ($3,250) in a single week. From just RM1,106 ($237) in total costs resulted in over 13x ROI (Return on Investment) in days.
No fancy tools. No endless planning. Just one SMS campaign.
Which Text Message Marketing Platform is Right For You?
With so many different service providers out there, here are a few to consider:
SimpleLoyalty
Tailored for: Small to Medium restaurants and cafes looking for an all-in-one platform for loyalty programs and SMS marketing
SimpleLoyalty makes restaurants and cafes like yours feel like a breeze in the park. It simplifies the software without complications, and better yet, no hardware is needed!
On top of having a user-friendly interface with pre-built templates to drag-and-drop editors, it also comes with a free easy-to-create loyalty program complete with a straight-to-the-point CRM.
Real-world case studies show that restaurants using SimpleLoyalty have seen a big jump in customer engagement and repeat visits—proving this platform delivers results.
Loyal customers? Increased profits? Say no more.
Toast
Tailored for: Full-service restaurants and cafes that need POS-integrated CRM with SMS, loyalty, and analytics
Having the best of both worlds, Toast is basically your all-in-one marketing sidekick—with a POS-Integrated SMS platform and CRM features built in so you can know who your customers are as they walk through your doors.
Customer data is made seamless for personalized messaging when the information is ready and directly tied to the point-of-sale system.
Those personalized SMS promotions (like exclusive discounts or birthday treats) just keep rolling.
EZ Texting
Tailored for: Restaurants or cafes looking for straightforward high volume text messaging campaigns with minimal effort.
EZ Texting turns texts into revenue—with their super simple campaigns set up and managed effortlessly for restaurants and cafes like yours!
With integrated platforms like Mailchimp and Squarespace, EZ Texting ensures your text message marketing campaign works harmoniously with your existing systems.
Text Message Marketing FAQs:
Is text message marketing legal?
Text Message Marketing for restaurants is totally legal—as long as there’s customer consent. Sending messages without consent can land your business in hot water, and that’s the last thing you want.
Simple fix? Just add a checkbox on your sign-up forms so your customers give you the green light!
Does text message marketing actually work?
Absolutely! Text message marketing is a powerhouse for restaurants and cafes with up to 99% open rate. That’s huge compared to email, and perfect for grabbing the attention of today’s fast-scrolling customers.
Conclusion
Think text message marketing is old-school? Think again! It’s a total game-changer for restaurants and cafes—the facts are clear: higher engagement rates and more repeat visits. There’s still a chance for some serious revenue growth.
Don’t miss your chance to turn every text into a loyal customer experience! With SimpleLoyalty, launching text message marketing campaigns that boost profits and increase engagement has never been easier. Don’t wait—start today!
