How SMS Marketing for Restaurants Keeps Your Tables Occupied

Running a successful restaurant means constantly finding ways to keep customers engaged and coming back. Empty tables during off-peak hours, last-minute cancellations, and missed opportunities for upselling are just a few of the challenges you may face.

Even with social media and email campaigns in place, it can still be difficult to reach your audience through your marketing channels at the moment they are deciding where and when to dine.

Text message marketing allows you to communicate with your customers in a personal and action-driven way. The result is a stronger connection with your audience and a greater chance to influence their dining decisions in real time.

In this article, we will explore how texting for restaurants can help you improve customer experience and boost sales. We’ll also share how SMS business solutions make it easy to manage these campaigns and automate your outreach.

Can You Grow Your Restaurant with SMS Marketing?

If you own or manage a restaurant, getting more customers through the door consistently is one of the biggest challenges you face.

Business texting for restaurants gives you a direct way to speak to your customers in real time. It’s easier for you to influence their dining decisions right when they are most likely to act.

Text messages are often read within just a few minutes of being received. If you send a lunch special at 11:00 a.m., your customers can see it before they make their lunch plans.

The speed of delivery, combined with the high open rate, gives you a better chance of filling seats or increasing takeout orders on the same day you send the promotion.

You can also send personalized messages using their first name, reference a past order, or suggest something based on their preferences. This creates a sense of familiarity and shows customers you value them as individuals, not just as transactions.

Because restaurant text message marketing works in real time, you can send messages to influence immediate decisions.

When you implement restaurant text messaging properly, it becomes your most reliable tool for driving sales, building loyalty, and keeping your restaurant busy during peak and off-peak hours.

Sign up for a free trial now or request a demo consultation with Textellent!

SMS Marketing Strategies for Restaurants

To get the most from message marketing for restaurants, you need a clear strategy. The goal is to send the message at optimal times, so your texts feel valuable rather than intrusive.

Build a Compliant SMS Subscriber List

Before you launch SMS marketing campaigns, you need a subscriber list that is large enough to reach a good portion of your customer base and compliant with regulations.

This step helps you gain permission from your customers so you can send automated messages legally. Consent should always be documented, and customers should know what they’re signing up for.

Regulations such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the United States require you to obtain clear consent before sending marketing messages. If you skip this step in SMS compliance, you risk legal penalties and damage to your brand’s reputation.

Here are practical and compliant ways to gather numbers:

• Sign-up at the point of sale: When customers are paying their bill, your staff can invite them to join the restaurant’s text club for exclusive offers.
• Tabletop QR codes: Place QR codes on menus, table tents, or receipts that link to a quick sign-up form.
• Website forms: Add a mobile-friendly form on your website and online ordering pages where customers can enter their number and agree to receive texts.
• Social media promotions: Use posts or ads encouraging followers to join your SMS list, offering a one-time discount as a sign-up bonus.

You can regularly remove numbers that bounce or belong to customers who have unsubscribed. A clean list keeps costs down and helps you maintain the high performance of your marketing messages.

Recommended Reading

10DLC Compliance Checklist: What You Need Before You Send

Segment Your Customer Base

Not every customer visits for the same reason or at the same time, so one generic message can weaken the impact of your promotional messages.

SMS segmentation means organizing your subscribers into smaller, more specific groups based on shared traits or behaviors. This allows you to send SMS marketing messages that truly match their needs and help boost customer engagement.

Here are practical categories you can use for text marketing:

• Visit frequency: Separate regular customers from those who visit occasionally
• Dining preferences: Identify customers who prefer certain types of meals and send targeted menu updates
• Purchase history: Use past orders to promote similar dishes or upgrades
• Event interest: Customers’ holiday specials or special occasions, so you target these groups with event invitations
• Time of visit: Group customers who come mainly during lunch hours versus dinner, so you can send time-specific promotions

Segmentation turns your text message advertising from a one-size-fits-all approach into a tailored communication channel that builds stronger customer relationships and boosts campaign results.

Texting platforms like Textellent make segmentation easy by allowing you to tag or label customers for precise targeting, from reservation reminders to flash deals that inspire immediate action.

Over time, these tags make it easier to target your SMS campaigns without manually sorting your list.

Time Your Messages for Maximum Impact

Even the most appealing offer can fail if it reaches customers at the wrong moment.

Sending SMS campaigns when people are most likely to be thinking about food or making dining plans increases the chances they will respond.

Campaigns can include holiday discounts to foster loyalty, or a personal touch during the golden hour or peak time before dinner service. For example:

• Lunch offers: Send between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
• Happy hour deals: Send between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Dinner promotions: Send between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
• Weekend brunch specials: Send on Friday evening or Saturday morning

Texting for business marketing works well for promotions that have a short time frame.

If you want to fill empty tables during a slow afternoon, send a flash discount a few hours before service. Promotion in marketing creates a sense of urgency without overwhelming your customers with messages far in advance.

Your restaurant’s best send times might differ from industry averages. You have to track response rate, keep efforts cost-effective, and make sure customers receive text messages reliably.

Also, monitoring engagement rates over time will help you refine your strategy for maximum impact.

Personalize Your SMS Campaigns

Personalization is what turns a standard marketing text into a message that feels like it was written just for your customer. When your subscribers feel recognized, they are more likely to open your texts, engage with the content, and take action.

Restaurants thrive on repeat business, and personalization helps you keep your regular customers coming back. Instead of sending a generic “20% off tonight” text to everyone, you can make your message specific to the person receiving it.

When you address a customer by name, it creates a friendly tone. You can also suggest similar dishes or upgrades based on what they’ve ordered before.

It’s also ideal to send birthday messages or first-visit anniversary offers. Also, reward frequent diners with exclusive deals or send a “We miss you” message to those who haven’t visited in a while.

Remember, personalization should feel genuine rather than forced. Avoid overloading your message with too much personal data, which can make it feel intrusive.

How Textellent Helps Restaurants Succeed with SMS Marketing

Textellent gives you a way to engage customers and make texting a powerful, ongoing part of your communication. Its features help you turn every text into an opportunity to boost revenue and build stronger relationships with your guests.

Here’s how you can put it to work in your business.

Make It Easy for Customers to Connect

With Textellent, customers can use your main phone number to call or text for anything, such as booking tables, placing takeout orders, asking questions, or reserving a private room.

You can send personalized birthday wishes or maintain direct communication using short message service for consistent updates.

The result is stronger customer loyalty and happier restaurant customers, which helps you establish loyalty status in the restaurant industry and drive revenue with timely engagement.

Simplify Ordering, Reservations, and No-Show Management

Textellent lets customers order for pick-up or delivery without going through costly third-party platforms. They can ask questions, make changes, and get notified when their order is ready.

For reservations, guests can book by text, receive reservation reminders, and cancel with a quick reply. This reduces no-shows and frees up tables to rebook, while walk-in customers can be texted when their table is ready.

Boost Revenue and Loyalty with Opt-Ins

Other than a compliance step, SMS opt-ins are a valuable way to grow sales and an opportunity to nurture loyal customers through a tailored loyalty program. 

You can offer discounts, freebies, or VIP perks for signing up to your text list, then use SMS keywords to identify customer interests. 

For example, “WINE” subscribers can get event invitations, while “BRUNCH” subscribers receive weekend specials. 

Over time, these targeted offers strengthen loyalty, increase bookings, and keep customers coming back with exclusive, limited-time deals on popular menu items.

Send Offers to the Right Customers

Instead of sending the same message to everyone, Textellent helps you segment your audience based on preferences, visit history, or past orders.

You can automate text messages for themed nights, seasonal promotions, and add mobile-exclusive coupons or codes. Personalizing your campaigns with seasonal marketing increases redemption rates and keeps customers interested in your messages.

Stay Connected and Track Results

The Textellent mobile app ensures you never miss a message while working the floor, and it also supports quick communication with staff for shift updates or reminders.

After each campaign, you can see real-time performance data like open rates, responses, and redemptions.

With statistics showing 95% of texts are read within 3 minutes and 54% of consumers want offers via text, tracking your results helps you repeat what works and improve future campaigns.

Drive Bookings and Orders with Smart SMS Marketing—Try Textellent!

Building lasting connections with your customers is one of the smartest ways to keep your restaurant busy and profitable. Textellent gives you the tools and all the features to make it happen through SMS marketing.

Textellent helps you deliver timely, relevant messages that encourage customers to book a table, place an order, or attend your next event.

You can schedule offers to arrive right before mealtime, and let guests text your main number to make reservations. This convenience keeps customers engaged while freeing your staff to focus on great service.

Sign up for a free trial now or request a demo consultation to see how an SMS marketing platform for restaurants can turn first-time visitors into loyal regulars!

FAQs About SMS Marketing for Restaurants

Does Starbucks use SMS marketing?

Yes. Starbucks uses SMS marketing as part of its customer engagement strategy. They send text messages to promote seasonal drinks and loyalty rewards tailored to customer preferences.

Starbucks also uses SMS to share order confirmations and pickup updates for mobile orders. It gives direct access to timely information, which creates a stronger personal connection with their audience.

What are the 4 Ps of marketing for restaurants?

The 4 P’s apply to restaurants just like any other business. They are:

1. Product: Your food, drinks, service style, and overall dining experience
2. Price: How you set menu prices based on value, competition, and target audience
3. Place: Your location and the channels customers can use to order or book (dine-in, takeout, delivery, online)
4. Promotion: How you spread the word about your restaurant, such as SMS marketing, social media, email, events, and ads

Is SMS 98% open rate?

Research consistently shows that SMS messages have a high open rate of around 98%.

While the exact figure can vary by industry and audience, this rate is much higher than email marketing, where open rates typically average around 20%. For restaurants, this means your promotions are far more likely to be seen by customers almost instantly.

Is SMS marketing illegal?

SMS marketing is legal in most countries, including the United States, as long as it follows local regulations. In the U.S., you must comply with the TCPA, which requires customers to give explicit permission before you send them promotional texts.

You must also provide a clear way for them to opt out, usually by replying “STOP.” Sending messages without consent or ignoring opt-out requests can result in legal penalties.