Everyone knows that profit margins are slim in the restaurant industry. As a result, owners are constantly looking for ways to reduce overhead and drive more revenue.

At first, this can seem tricky.

Sure, you could raise prices, but you risk outpricing your customers. Maybe you want to cut back on employee hours, but with today’s labor market that’s just asking for trouble — you don’t want to be short-staffed on a busy night.

So how do you strike a balance between revenue and cost?

By leveraging what you already have: your in-venue television screens. If you’re only using your in-venue TVs to run cable news and sports events, you’re missing out on a lot of revenue.

In this blog, we’ll take you through four messages any sports bar or restaurant can put on their screens that increase customer engagement and drive revenue:

  • App downloads
  • Review requests
  • Promotions
  • Save the date

Let’s dive right in.

App Downloads

Sports bar TV displaying a QR code to download a restaurant app

If your sports bar has an app, you need to get that app on customers’ phones. This benefits you in a handful of ways:

  1. When patrons install your app, they’re permitting you to serve them push notifications on their mobile devices. This means that you have a direct line to them when promoting a special or limited-time offer, and they can act on that offer immediately.
  2. Customers who order via their mobile device spend more money.

That’s great news!

Even better news? Customers want your app: “installs of food and drink apps rose 21% in 2020 to over 1.7 billion […] during the pandemic lockdowns,” according to one report.

Your customers want the benefits your app has to offer — so make it easy for them to access.

Create a clear, easy-to-read message with a QR code to facilitate app downloads and then display it on the TV screens in your sports bar alongside your entertainment content. Do you offer a promotion for app download? Make sure that’s included, too, whether it’s a free dessert or 10% off the first in-app purchase.

Generate More Reviews

A phone displaying a positive restaurant review, sitting next to a coffee and tasty dish

 

For many sports bars, reviews function as critical drivers of customer acquisition. A high percentage of positive reviews attracts more business for you — but getting those reviews can be incredibly difficult.

The best moment to ask for a review is when the experience is still fresh. Use your TV screens to ask for reviews. Make it easy with a trackable QR code: your patron scans the QR code, goes to your review platform of choice and can immediately leave their review while the experience is still top of mind. You could even pair your review request with an incentive, like 10% off their next purchase.

The more good reviews you have, the more likely you are to bring in new customers, and that translates to more revenue.

Showcase Promotions

Sports bar fans enjoying a game and happy hour

 

The best communications get customers to spend just a little more. Whether that’s a “buy one, get one” special, happy hour promotions, or discounts off entire purchases, guests want as much value from their purchases as they can get. Make sure they see those value adds by using your in-venue screens.

Give customers clear messaging they can read from anywhere in your bar. “Buy one app, get a second 50% off.” “$2 beers from 3 PM until 6 PM.” The stronger the promotion, the more you can ask your customers to do. Tie your promotions to app downloads or reviews to encourage two great actions with one message.

The key here is to make sure your guests understand that this message is a value add to them as well as to you.

Drive Event Attendance

SportsTV Guide for Digital Signage - on UPshow

You have your regulars, the guests who show up for every game. But you can use your in-venue screens to capture other guests, too.

Display upcoming sporting events on your screens and use those same screens to deliver calendar invites.  When a customer scans the event’s QR code, they’ll be taken directly to their calendar on their mobile device, allowing them to save the event immediately.

Since they’re creating an event on their mobile device, they’ll get reminders about it, reinforcing any additional messaging you do to draw people in for games.

Ready to Get Your Messages on Your Screens?

Let UPshow help.

UPshow makes it easy to craft compelling, on-screen messages and deliver them to your customers. With a library of professionally designed templates and an easy-to-use scheduler, you can keep content fresh and engaging to drive more revenue for your business.

Want to see how? Contact us today for a custom demo.