6 Grand Opening Ideas for Restaurants

Restaurant grand openings are exciting events. After all that time planning, creating menus and hiring staff, it’s finally time to open those doors of your new eatery startup to its first customers. A successful grand opening can help start your business off on the right foot by attracting customers and growing a client base early. You not only want customers to come, but you want them to have a good time. By offering quality service and a high level of excitement, you can draw them in and get them to come back. Here are six grand opening ideas for restaurants to try out.

1. Start with a Soft Opening

Most restaurants opt for a soft opening because it’s a great way to test out your operations before the big reveal. It gives your staff a test run, lets you test out restaurant, bar, cafeteria or fine dining menu items on a small crowd and gives you the chance to troubleshoot any ideas. Soft openings not only help test your restaurant but also get people talking about the big grand opening.

2. Offer a Tasting Menu

For a grand opening, consider a tasting menu in which you can offer smaller versions of your dishes so customers can try more of them. People may be more likely to spend more money this way at the opening since they want to try more than one menu item. If you serve discounted food tapas-style, the price of many small dishes can add up. Make sure to price things correctly because, even with a discount, you want your grand opening to be profitable.

3. Invite Local Influencers

Another great method to generate buzz around your restaurant’s grand opening is to invite local influencers, food bloggers and other members of the press. People with a following in the local community can create more good press for your restaurant and get the word out about your opening. They’ll come, have a great time and post a picture or review on their blog, Instagram and other social media accounts. As long as they have a decent following, their endorsement can bring more customers in the future.

4. Partner with a Charity

Supporting a local charity can draw a crowd of people who support it or prefer to spend money on businesses that work with charitable causes. Partnering with a local charity for your grand opening is a great start and can gain positive coverage. Reach out to local charities whose mission aligns with you and your business’s values. Keep in mind that customers may associate you and your restaurant with that charity or movement in the future, so choose wisely.

5. Invite the Community

Your local community will most likely be your main customer base. Put your restaurant on the radar and invite them all to the grand opening. Print flyers and post them around town, and make a post on local social media pages like Facebook. You also should consider inviting other local businesses. This starts a good relationship with other small businesses and forges connections that can be used for future events. Invite them by reaching out in person, a letter or an email.

6. Offer Discounted Incentives

Most grand openings will offer some type of incentive for customers using giveaways, discounted food or specials. Offering discounted menu items or beverages can get more customers through the door. They’ll come for the special promotions but return because they had a great experience and loved the food. If you choose to offer any discounts, make sure you’re prepared inventory-wise. Running out of supplies can disappoint customers when you should be wowing them.

Once the grand opening of your restaurant finally comes, enjoy the big day! Opening a restaurant takes a lot of work, so enjoy its success while keeping everything running smoothly.