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The Power of Storytelling in Restaurant Business

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Polina Shinkevich
The Power of Storytelling in Restaurant Business

Today, when COVID-19 has caused dramatic changes to the hospitality industry (restaurant business in particular), businesses have to come up with new ways to encourage customer engagement and boost brand awareness.

Brand storytelling has proven itself to be one of the most effective marketing techniques for attracting clients and establishing a strong emotional bond with them. No matter what the niche or the size of your business is, you’ll undoubtedly find brand storytelling beneficial.

In this article, we will talk about restaurant storytelling and how it can be applied in the competitive hospitality industry.

What Is Brand Storytelling?

Brand Storytelling refers to «using a narrative to connect your brand to customers, with a focus on linking what you stand for to the values you share with your customers.»

Telling an authentic and unique brand story evokes a strong emotional response from your customers, communicate with them on a deeper level and build a trusting relationship with them.

Now, here are a few tips for carving a memorable brand storytelling strategy for your restaurant:

Now, here are a few tips for carving a memorable brand storytelling strategy for your restaurant:

Tell Your History: People would love to hear your story: what is the story behind your restaurant; who currently owns the business and what is their background; how the idea for the restaurant was born; what struggles you faced on the way to opening the restaurant, etc.

Personal stories are a perfect fit for restaurant storytelling: sharing your biography creates a family-like bond between you and your customers. You can place this information in your menu, on your website or social media, or when creating an online ordering system for your restaurant.

Be Honest and Authentic: Honesty is the best policy. In fact, it’s a win-win situation: satisfying your customers’ need for transparency, you gain their trust and increase their loyalty.

It takes time to build a trusting relationship with your customers, and even a small lie could affect your reputation significantly.

Be transparent about everything: where you get your products, how they are produced; how your dishes are cooked; who are your staff, etc.

You don’t want to copy someone else’s story either: you’re one-of-a-kind, so celebrate your difference and stand out in the crowd!

Evoke Emotions: Providing heart-to-heart stories is a proven method to encourage customer engagement. And the best storytelling is the one that sparks a wide range of emotions within your customers: excitement, pride, curiosity, delight, tension, surprise, etc. Be inspirational, be humorous, be vulnerable - in other words, give people something that they will remember.

Adding some fascinating facts about your restaurant to capture clients’ attention is also a good idea.

Final thoughts...

«Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but the stories you tell.» - Seth Godin.

A powerful brand story is what can transform potential or casual customers into loyal repeat customers. In fact, according to Headstream’s «The power of brand storytelling» research, if people really love a brand story, more than half (55%) are more likely to buy the product in the future, 44% will share the story, and 15% will buy the product immediately. So what are you waiting for? Your story is worth telling and sharing.

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Polina Shinkevich
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