Dining with Millennials

Meta Description: In today’s restaurant industry Millennials are searching for a unique (lasting) experience first – food second. Social and mobile media answers all their questions and solves all their problems. So how do we leverage social media to sell a restaurant experience? Think mobile first.

Rarely do Millennials choose a restaurant (or make any decision, really) without consulting their phone. Their lives revolve around their mobile device. If they want to know who’s performing this weekend, their phone is there. If they want to see the video their buddies are laughing about, their phone is there. And, if they’re looking for a place to dine, their phone is there.

Social and mobile media can answer all their questions and solve all their problems. So how do you leverage social media to attract this elusive audience to your restaurant?

Leveraging your social media starts with:

• Maximizing your social network. Bring your brand to life.

• Highlighting social responsibility. Show who you are.

• Being digitally integrated. Use multiple points of contact.

To Millennials, a restaurant is more than just a place to feast, it’s a place to party, a social house. They’re searching for a lasting experience first – food second. They want to feel at home, relaxed and understood - think Central Perk from Friends or Cheers.

No dress codes or white tablecloths for this group. They want a gathering point to hang with friends and kick back, without fear of kicking over any oxygen tanks on the way to the bathroom. Successful restaurant owners are taking their experience online and generating engagement through the excitement they create. Bringing the experience to life through social media attracts Millennials to an environment they can relate to. Be real and post often.

If you’re thinking Millennial first, then think mobile first – employ digital innovations like online ordering, reserving a table online or even paying on the go to implicate you’re digitally sound across the board. Any tool to engage them before they step in the door makes them hungrier for a great time. To a business owner, this should be glad tidings. Through social media, you can have a conversation and get them involved; find out where improvements are needed and what’s important to them.

Highlighting social responsibility is also key to connecting with Millennials and is a big part of the overall experience. You must understand what Millennials value before engaging them. Technology comes into play here. Sharing what your brand stands for on your website or social media shows the importance you put on social responsibility and the capacity to provide opportunities to connect beyond the food.

Be digitally integrated. Snapchat and Instagram are great tools to reach Millennials. They love spreading their great experiences with their friends and both of these platforms make it “a snap”. Show the experience, share the events, capture the sweet moments and spread the fun directly in the Millennials hands. Don’t shove advertising in their face hoping they’ll bite because they won’t. Talk to them, be personable and authentic.

Think about Dick’s Last Resort; through Instagram, Snapchat and social media, their customers share the awesome experience for groups. They write crazy phrases on a paper hat and make you wear them. That’s brilliant built-in social content!

I’m not saying that you can just write “Twerk for attention” on a hat and get Millennials running through the door, but it’s an example of how fast a unique experience is passed on through social media. The event made an awesome experience and nothing is more important to Millennials than spreading a memorable time. Millennials are after more than just good food, they’re after good food that is just the beginning of a special experience.