Mobile Marketing for Restaurants: Elevate Your Local Reach and Boost Orders

Did you know 59% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices? Mobile marketing is no longer just a part of online marketing—it’s the main way guests will discover and order from your restaurant.

I now think of restaurant marketing as being mobile first. That means assuming guests are on their phones when they’re online as a default. And always looking at your website, online ordering, and marketing with mobile in mind.

With mobile marketing, you can boost awareness and give customers the option to opt in so you can collect their data, which can also help you find great opportunities to upsell and cross-sell. This technique is great for the underdogs who have a smaller budget but want to really excel with their promotions and take those techniques to the next level.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to take full advantage of mobile marketing, starting with making sure your website is mobile-friendly.

Get found by customers 

Getting noticed by customers is the first step you should focus on when boosting your sales and online orders. To achieve this, I highly recommend prioritizing a mobile-friendly site and including mobile online ordering. 

I’ll talk more about each of these below:

Prioritize a mobile-friendly site 

Making sure your site is mobile-friendly is the first and most important step in your mobile marketing journey. All the marketing you’re doing—email marketing, SMS or ads—ultimately directs customers to your mobile site, which is why a mobile-friendly site is so critical.

Google uses “mobile-first” indexing, which means they look at the mobile version of your site when determining your rankings. So, if you haven’t optimized your site for mobile, you’ll struggle to rank at the top of Google. To do this, you’ll want to start with a restaurant website builder that thinks mobile-first or make sure your mobile developer does. 

Also, according to our data at Owner, most customers are using Google search to find new restaurants to try, which means it’s even more important to make sure your mobile site looks good for Google.

A smooth, seamless experience on mobile is nonnegotiable if you want to keep those customers engaged and coming back for more. A mobile-friendly site is: 

• Easy to navigate: Your site should be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing customers to effortlessly find what they’re looking for. Menus should be straightforward, and important information, like contact details and hours, should be easy to locate with just a few taps.
• Has imagery that is sized for mobile screens: Your images should load quickly and look sharp on all devices. High-resolution images that are properly scaled for mobile screens not only enhance visual appeal but also keep users engaged and reduce bounce rates.
• Visible CTAs and buttons, like for your online ordering: Add your online ordering buttons or mobile app download link to the very top of the page, and make sure that it stays visible as you scroll.

Take a look at how Arubaya Japanese Fried Chicken ensures their imagery is high-quality and sized for mobile, as well as making their download and online delivery buttons clear and visible.

Everyone talks about the importance of a mobile-friendly site, but what really matters is how well your site performs on a phone. Most people are finding places to eat using their phones, so your website has to look and function just as well on a mobile device as on a desktop. And 61% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy from mobile-friendly sites. 

Next, I’ll walk you through how you can make your website and ordering experience shine with a branded mobile app.

Include mobile online ordering 

Having online ordering from your website available on your mobile app is a must. It’s all about making it easy for your customers to place an order, whether they’re using their phone or a desktop. Mobile sites make it easy for new and regular customers to create an account or log in so they can easily order online or earn points. 

Take my friends at Talkin’ Tacos, for example. Their ordering experience is seamless across device and easy to navigate—whether you’re on their desktop site or their mobile app, it’s just as fast and convenient. That’s what really matters. And, they make it easy to create an account to earn points:

A lot of restaurant websites fall apart on mobile devices—menus become hard to read, features don’t work and the whole process is frustrating. But with Talkin’ Tacos, ordering feels just like using any other app—familiar and easy, with just a few taps to browse and place an order.

When you include online ordering in your app, you take full control of the customer experience from start to finish. You set the delivery fees, manage the driver schedules and build a direct relationship with your customers. 

Plus, every order placed through your app gives you valuable data that helps you better understand your customers. And the best part? It’s all done right in your app, keeping things smooth and straightforward for everyone involved.

Get more orders on mobile 

Making it easy for your customers to order from their mobile devices is a game-changer. Not only does it meet their expectations for convenience, but it also gives your sales and customer retention a serious boost. So, how can you tap into mobile ordering to get more orders? Let me break it down for you:

Get a branded mobile app to earn 85% more repeat orders

Getting a mobile app for your restaurant is a must. Apps are for the regulars who want an easy and rewarding way to keep ordering from you. An app is also so quick and easy to order from versus a website since there are usually fewer clicks involved in the process. According to our data at Owner.com, restaurants with apps see 85% more return customers. 

And I've seen that apps are also great for older users, so no need to worry about this only applying to the younger, techy generations. 

In my opinion, the most important mobile app features to have are: 

• Easy ordering experience 
• Direct ordering incentive (helped with loyalty programs, which I’ll cover in the next section) 
• Customer data automatic marketing (get guests to download through push notifications, emails and texts)  
• Built-in SEO

Most importantly, make sure your customers know about your mobile app so they can download it. I recommend adding a popup on your mobile site with all the details and a direct link to download the app like Cyclo Noodles does below: 

I saw the numbers, and it works—even for small restaurants with one location. For example, Ottavio’s Italian Kitchen created their own app with Owner.com and saw that it helped them increase the frequency that regulars order and also doubled the repeat order rate.  

In just 45 days, around 200 regulars downloaded and used it, and dozens of reviews came in, praising how easy it was to order now.  In under two months, the restaurant was now up over $7,000 in sales.

Other than giving your customers a simplified ordering experience, I’ve seen that mobile apps also: 

• Save restaurants in labor costs: No need to hire employees to answer phone orders since customers can easily order through the mobile app.
• Let you get full control over the guest experience: Your own branded app will give you the space for customization and to let your brand shine versus third-party apps.   
• Give you access to customer data: You can prompt customers to opt-in to email and text notifications and data sharing so you can collect valuable data needed to help you with targeted promotions.  
• Benefit the customers: A branded app helps customers save, too—they’ll spend a lot less than they would using delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash. To make this work to your advantage, you’ll just need to remind customers how much they’re saving with you on the app to keep them coming back through things like notifications or alerts at checkout.

Feature a loyalty program in your app to rack up loyal customers

One of the smartest moves you can make with your mobile app is to include a loyalty program. Trust me, this can be a game-changer. 

By offering rewards or freebies to customers who order through your app, you’re giving them a reason to return. It’s a simple but effective way to boost repeat orders and build a loyal customer base.

And the best part? With Owner.com, you don’t need to break the bank to create an app with a built-in loyalty program. I’ve seen other platforms like ChowNow, which is a bit cheaper, but there’s a catch—they don’t offer a loyalty program, and they focus on promoting their own delivery app. 

With our tool, you get a smooth experience, plus the added benefits of your own loyalty program, which is a huge plus.

Gia, the owner of The Modern Vegan, used our custom mobile app with the integrated loyalty program and saw hundreds of downloads in only the first few months. And she makes sure that the loyalty program details and sign-up link shows up straight away on the app homepage. 

Offer mobile-friendly payment options to make ordering easy   

Your app should definitely support Apple Pay and Google Pay when it comes to your in-store, online and in-app orders. Trust me, this makes checkout so much easier for your customers and contactless when in-store. Also, Apple doesn’t charge merchant fees for using their services, so it’s a win for you.  

With mobile-friendly payment options, customers have to type in their payment details—they just pick their favorite payment option, and boom, they’re done. The easier we make it for them to pay, the more likely they are to finish their order and keep coming back for more.

Reach more customers 

Reaching your customers on their mobile devices is crucial for building loyalty and driving sales. Mobile offers a direct line to your customers, making it easier to keep them engaged and coming back for more. 

Here’s how to make the most of mobile marketing to stay top of mind and boost your business:

Stay top of mind with SMS texts  

SMS marketing is a powerful tool for building customer loyalty and driving sales. You can create a more personal connection by sending targeted promotions, updates and rewards directly to customers' phones. And, it’s a fantastic way to automatically send personalized messages that give customers a reason to return. 

However, it's essential to strike a balance between reaching customers and not being annoying. So, you really have to make those texts count and you don’t have the room to send them daily like you may be able to with email marketing. 

With relevant and timely messages, you can build trust and encourage customer engagement. Here are three favorite campaigns that I’ve seen work: 

1. Reward program reminders: Send your customers enticing reminders to join your loyalty program to earn more deals. You can also send text that reminds already enrolled loyalty members of their progress toward their next deal or if they’ve unlocked an offer.   
2. Cart abandonment texts:  Abandoned carts are a big deal—over 70% of them never get checked out, which means lost sales. But cart abandonment texts are a quick and easy way to recover that revenue. My friends at Talkin’ Tacos set these up with Owner.com in minutes and now pull in nearly $2,450 extra per month. This is my favorite campaign since it’s an easy “quick win.”
3. Win-back campaigns: Sometimes, regulars stop ordering just because life gets busy. But that’s actually a good thing—these “inactive” regulars are an untapped goldmine. Phillip Hang from Sushi Me Rollin’ runs a win-back campaign that automatically texts customers who haven’t ordered in 45 days, reminding them of their past orders and offering a discount. This simple strategy brought him over $1,500 in repeat orders every month.

SMS mobile marketing is great for boosting the value of your existing customers, so you’re not always on the search for new ones.

Promote yourself with third-party delivery apps 

Not only should you have your own app, but you can also consider third-party delivery services for your own promotion—they’re great for getting discovered. The commissions they charge can be worth it to help customers find you. 

But, you must have a plan to move customers over and earn orders directly. Otherwise, your regulars will stay on the third-party apps and dramatically eat into your profit margins.

For example, you could drop a small card or a flyer into DoorDash delivery bags with a discount for a guest’s first order using your mobile app. Or, you could use that flyer or card to highlight the rewards that are available on your mobile app. 

Use QR codes to engage customers 

QR codes are a great way to get customers to engage with your restaurant on their phones. You can put them on menus, tables or even your delivery packaging. With a quick scan, customers can access your online menu, join your loyalty program or check out other digital content. 

QR codes provide a valuable way to get customers from point A to point B—it’s one of the easiest ways I can recommend to improve the customer experience and collect some valuable data along the way.

For example, Jonathan Neman, the CEO of Sweetgreen, used flyers to place in delivery bags to remind customers that they could save money if they downloaded the Sweetgreen app and ordered from there in the future. It’s all about telling customers that your app exists and why they should use your app. 

Use location-based marketing to target promotions

Let’s talk about location-based marketing and how it can work wonders with your mobile app. 

With tools like geofencing, you can send specific offers or reminders to customers who use your mobile app based on their location. This, of course, is after they’ve opted in and allowed your app to access their location. 

So, for example, a customer walks by your restaurant, and their phone buzzes with a "10% off your first order" push notification. Or, it’s lunchtime, and your app sends them a quick message about your daily special. It’s a great way to give customers a gentle nudge to choose you right when they’re close by and likely hungry.

Achieve success with mobile marketing

Mobile marketing is a game-changer for restaurants. In a world where everyone’s glued to their phones, making your restaurant easy to find and order from on mobile is key to driving more orders and staying ahead of the competition. 

Whether it’s having a mobile-friendly website, launching your own branded app or using SMS to reach your customers, these strategies can help you create a smooth, rewarding experience that keeps them coming back.

If earning more sales on mobile matters to you, let’s partner up. Owner can rebuild you a mobile-first website and branded mobile app to drive more online orders.

If that sounds good, schedule a demo with our team to get started.

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