Is Your Restaurant Ready for Millennials?

Over 80 million millennials are looking for new experiences in every facet of their lives – including dining.

millennials dining out at restaurant

To catch the attention of this young, independent group sometimes known as Generation Y, your restaurant needs to stand out with offerings tailored to their unique tastes.

Tell Your Story

Millennials are looking for more than food when choosing a restaurant. They want an eatery with an engaging history and atmosphere. It doesn’t matter what the story behind your restaurant is; you can attract a bigger millennial crowd by making it known.

millennials at a hip restaurant

Write up your history for your website, hang photos from your early days on the walls and make it clear you take pride in your roots. Do everything you can to make customers feel as though they’re part of this history.

Embrace Local, Organic and Vegan

Your menu is a key part of any marketing strategy aimed at millennials. This socially conscious generation doesn’t want to eat food imported from far-flung areas if they can get their hands on something local and organic.

millennials eating at a local restaurant

These words conjure up images of lush regional farms and promise that money is going to someone in the community instead of a faceless corporation.

Vegetarian and vegan options speak to both the environmental and personal concerns of millennials. These dishes not only boast lower carbon footprints than meat offerings but also provide a compassionate alternative to factory farmed food.

Millennials love seeing words like “unprocessed,” “local,” “fresh,” and “grass-fed” on the menu!

Let Them Decide

Static menu options are becoming things of the past thanks to millennials’ desire to customize every experience. Create flexibility by letting customers modify standard offerings to suit their tastes.

If your location can support it, try out an “assembly line” style of ordering where customers can come to the counter, start with something basic and “build” their own dishes with options for protein, vegetables, sauces and more.

restaurant create own meal

Additionally, call-outs to freshness, natural, authentic and premium items may influence they buying decisions. They are willing to spend more for fresh and natural items.

Encourage Social Connections

Social media is a powerful tool used by millennials on a daily basis. Everywhere you go, phones are out and people are texting, taking pictures and sharing their experiences across multiple networks.

Take care to present every dish in a way that begs to be photographed and posted on Instagram. Let customers know they can label their pictures with an associated hashtag, and use the same tag in all the posts you make.

millennial photographing food

Share the dishes of the day, new ingredients or unusual finds on your own social media feeds to keep millennials interested.

Update Your Interior Design with Groups in Mind

Millennial customers love to have experiences with their friends – from travel to eating out – they like to spend time in groups.

If your seating area is setup for small tables of just two or four people, consider re-arranging or building out the space to accomodate larger groups. If you’re unable to pay for upgrades, consider investing in your restaurant with a working capital loan.

millennial group at restaurant

A working capital loan is designed for companies looking to expand, upgrade or renovate their facility at affordable rates. With cash in the bank you’ll be able to pay for any upgrades or menu changes you want to make to bring in millennial customers!

Contact us today to speak with a business loan representative in your area about obtaining a working capital loan (bad credit is not a barrier to approval).