SMS is a powerful, but often overlooked marketing channel in the restaurant industry.
With so much emphasis on email campaigns, social media posts, and paid advertising, who has the time to think about simple text messages?
Well, as it turns out, SMS marketing offers a direct line to your customers.
This makes it incredibly effective for engaging with them and spreading the word about everything from personalized offers to upcoming events.
So, whether you're just starting out with SMS marketing or looking to revamp your current strategy, this article is going to be your guide to success.
Let’s explore 5 key practices for building and maintaining strong SMS campaigns.
Think about how you use SMS messages in your everyday life.
It's probably for quick, casual conversations with friends and family, right?
Well, your marketing texts shouldn't be that much different!
People respond best to messages that feel personal and welcoming, like there's an actual person on the other side.
Imagine how you'd talk to someone in your restaurant if you were offering them a new wine to try, or encouraging them to book a table for an upcoming weekend event.
You want to capture the same friendly, approachable tone in any type of SMS message you send.
Take a look at this example to see what we mean.
Source: EZTexting
This SMS truly hits the mark.
It's direct, personal, a bit playful, and most importantly, warm and friendly.
Also, notice how the text mentions the guest’s preference for red wine?
That's great customer segmentation in action (more on that later!).
Andres Baez, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Claire’s, explains that the goal of SMS marketing should be to create a personal and positive connection with guests.
Illustration: Tablein / Quote: Attentive
His statement also points to the fact that many SMS marketing tools allow for two-way communication.
This means customers can do more than just receive messages—they can interact with them.
Guests can reply to make reservations, confirm their attendance at events, or even send feedback.
And what better way to encourage this kind of engagement than by using an approachable, conversational tone?
Consider this side-by-side comparison.
Source: Tablein
The message on the right gets the information across, but it feels a bit dry and salesy.
In contrast, the message on the left uses a more conversational and engaging approach.
When your messages feel like a friendly chat, customers are more likely to respond and participate.
And hey, why not try to leverage SMS's full potential?
Include appealing images, use emojis (sparingly!), and even consider sprinkling in some SMS lingo to keep your texts casual and fun.
With the right tone, your guests will be happy to respond and engage with your messages.
While striking the right tone is crucial for the success of your SMS marketing efforts, it's equally important to consider how you'll actually engage your audience.
Luckily, you've got a head start in this area.
Just take a look at this statistic from SimpleTexting, which shows how quickly people check their SMS messages.
Illustration: Tablein / Data: SimpleTexting
One of the benefits of SMS marketing is that it allows for instant communication.
And with most consumers seeing your texts within minutes of receiving them, you're almost guaranteed to get your message in front of their eyes.
But with everyone getting constant notifications on their mobile devices, your message still needs to stand out. So what should it say?
Let's turn to some industry data for guidance.
Klaviyo, an SMS and email marketing platform, surveyed over 8,000 consumers about their reasons for subscribing to brand text messages.
The results are shown in the image below.
Illustration: Tablein / Data: Klaviyo
This data provides valuable insight into what your guests might be looking for from your SMS communications.
As you can see, most consumers expect discount offers, as cost-saving opportunities and attractive deals are always winners.
So, use your texts to send out enticing promotions, like discounts, two-for-one offers, or early bird specials.
But the data also reveals something else that’s really important, too:
Customers value unique experiences and personalization.
This means you can get creative—there's no need to limit yourself to purely transactional messages.
Check out the SMS content ideas below for some inspiration.
Source: Tablein
Of course, things like happy hour and event invitations will be your bread and butter.
But consider adding a personal touch with birthday messages, anniversary celebrations for loyal customers, or even just a simple "thinking of you" note.
You can also share fun facts or trivia about your restaurant's history or signature dishes.
This is a great opportunity to show your brand's personality and create a sense of community with your diners.
Get the right combination of these types of texts, and you can start to capture your guests' attention and keep them coming back for more.
With a direct marketing channel such as SMS, timing and intention are everything.
So, think carefully about when and how often to send texts to your patrons.
After all, you want your messages to be welcomed and acted upon—not ignored or, worse, seen as a nuisance.
Eli Weiss, VP of Retention Advocacy at Yotpo, offers some important advice on this topic on X.
Source: X
After all, no one likes spam.
Sending constant, strategically empty messages just to push a sale is a surefire way to get people to unsubscribe from your SMS list.
On top of that, being labeled as a spammer can seriously damage your restaurant’s brand image.
So, when is the best time to send texts?
According to Mailchimp data, you should aim for business hours—not too early in the morning and not too late at night.
Illustration: Tablein / Data: Mailchimp
This makes perfect sense when you think about it.
People are busy getting ready for work and preparing their kids for school in the mornings or winding down at home late in the evenings.
They don't have time to think about a restaurant text.
Plus, depending on your state, there might be laws against phone-based solicitation at certain times, typically before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
These laws are in place to protect consumers from unwanted disturbances, so make sure you're familiar with the regulations in your area.
Being a restaurant, you have a natural advantage when it comes to timing your messages.
So, consider using common lunch and dinner times to your advantage.
For example, you could send out automated texts with a limited-time lunch offer that expires in the next hour, right before people typically take their lunch break.
Or, you could send a reminder text about your happy hour specials an hour or two before it starts, enticing people to stop by after work.
The bottom line is, timing is everything in SMS marketing.
So be extra careful to avoid getting your texts blocked by being mindful of sending times and frequency.
While sending the same SMS marketing messages to all your guests might seem like an easy starting point, segmentation is key if you want to see real results.
Why? Because not all guests are the same, and they won't all respond to your offers in the same way.
Imagine sending a text about your upcoming BBQ event to a group of your vegan patrons.
Not only is this a missed opportunity to connect with them on something relevant, but it also costs you money—you're sending out more texts than you need to, and potentially annoying customers in the process.
This is where segmenting your recipient list comes in.
Source: Tablein
Some common ways to segment your audience include
But as a restaurant, you have even more specific options for segmentation.
Consider factors like dining frequency, preferred dining times, average party size, food preferences, and event attendance.
This data allows you to tailor your messages and offers to specific groups, increasing their relevance and effectiveness.
Managing all this data might seem daunting, but this is where restaurant reservation systems like Tablein can help.
Source: Tablein
By simply using Tablein in your daily operations, you'll automatically collect valuable information like guest visit frequency, no-show rates, cancellation rates, and even customer ratings.
All this data is easily extracted and downloaded from the system, ready to be used for segmenting your SMS marketing campaigns.
But it gets even better!
Tablein also allows you to use any guest notes and tags you write down in the system for segmentation.
Source: Tablein
So, if you've tagged your regulars as "VIP" in the system, you can easily send them an exclusive invitation to a special event.
Or, you can invite that food blogger or critic to try out your new dish.
The possibilities for segmentation are endless.
By tailoring your messages to specific groups, you'll increase engagement, avoid alienating customers with irrelevant offers, and ultimately, see better results from your SMS marketing efforts.
Finally, before you start running your SMS campaigns, it's crucial to be aware of some important legal regulations.
Here's a quick overview of some compliance guidelines you want to follow.
Source: Tablein
First, you need to obtain explicit consent from your guests before sending them marketing texts.
So, even though you might collect some phone numbers through reservation calls or your booking system, you can't simply add those numbers to your SMS list without permission.
Failing to get proper consent means you're not complying with regulations like the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) in the US or GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in Europe.
This can result in hefty fines, legal battles, and damage to your brand's reputation.
Next, even if someone has subscribed to your SMS list, they should be able to opt out at any time.
Whether they dislike the content, the SMS frequency or simply find the messages unhelpful, a simple "STOP" text should immediately remove them from your list.
Thankfully, most SMS marketing platforms, like Sender, make it easy to include an opt-out option in each message.
It's usually just a simple toggle, as you can see below.
Source: Sender
Once a customer opts out, that's it.
Unless they specifically request to rejoin your list, you cannot send them further marketing texts.
Unfortunately, companies—even big ones—often make mistakes in this area.
Pizza Hut even faced a class-action lawsuit!
Source: Top Class Actions
The lawsuit, filed in Washington federal court, claimed that Pizza Hut continued to send unsolicited texts even after customers opted out.
Regardless of the outcome, this case highlights how annoying and disruptive unwanted business texts can be.
Even if your guests don't take legal action, they will lose trust in your restaurant, which can be equally damaging.
So, while SMS is a powerful marketing channel, it's essential to use it responsibly.
Obtain consent, avoid spamming, and respect your guests' wishes.
This will ensure you stay on the right side of the law and maintain a positive brand image.
Now that we’ve covered these five best practices for successful restaurant SMS marketing, it’s time to put them to work.
Hopefully, you now see how each recommendation—from segmenting your audience to timing your messages well—can have a big impact on your success.
By following these best practices, you can meaningfully engage your customers, increase loyalty, and drive more reservations.
So, take a closer look at your current approach to SMS marketing, consider updating your timing and messaging, and watch as your customer interactions grow.