Öğrencilerin Restoran ve Kafelerde Aradıkları

What Students Look for in Restaurants and Cafes

Students know the true value of time better than anyone. A typical student's schedule is packed. They have to attend classes, do their homework, and study for exams. Some may even have a side hustle along the way.

Therefore, even if they find an online essay writing service and delegate some of their assignments, they remain overwhelmed. Every minute counts for them.

Due to their busy schedules, students usually prefer places with fast service when they decide to eat out. Therefore, tip number one for marketing your restaurant to them is to create a time-efficient ordering experience.

For this, you should reduce wait time and increase table turnover with QR code menus that let customers order at the table or a scheduled ordering feature so they can pre-order their food. You should also accept card payments by allowing them to use their student bank cards and speeding up the process.

Speed of Service: Timely service, timely payment, and their transaction speed.

Menu Alternatives: Menu variety based on nutrition, religion, culture, taste, and price.

Food Quality: Freshness, presentation, proper cooking.

Service Quality: Consistency of price, service, and hospitality.

Price: Affordable and stable pricing.

Environmental Ambiance: Friendly, comfortable, relaxing, safe, private.

Social Environment: Seeing and making friends, social activities.

Young people love their food and brand loyalty. Whether you're the pizza delivery place down the street that's open late, or a more elegant place where student groups hold year-end banquets, taking the time and effort to effectively market to college students in your area can increase your revenue and make your restaurant the place to be at any university.

Contrary to popular belief, a student's life is not just about studying. Since most students are in their twenties, they go through a lot of soul-searching and need social interaction. Not all of them go bar-hopping every weekend, but they need to share moments with a group.

Going out for a meal is actually more frequent for students than young parents. As a restaurant owner, you should keep in mind that students are actually a great market to pursue. Their only problem is tight budgets, but most students have more to spend than people expect.

Naturally, targeting students is an art in itself. If your place is fancy and offers quality food, attracting students should be the least of your concerns. However, if you tend to be flexible with your menu, students have their own preferences.

Most students prefer Asian or exotic foods, provided they're reasonably priced. Today's trend is to travel the world and be open to different cultures. By adding exotic items to your menu, you're bound to cater to their desires.

Pricing is obviously a big concern for students. It's also important for you as a restaurant owner to maintain healthy profit margins. One way to do this is to offer student combos. Alternatively, you can package a nice meal, dessert, and coffee for a lunch combo. The key is to make sure the combo is for students only.

Students love an exclusive offer, especially if it seems like a bargain. This doesn't mean you need to cut into your profit. It's more about finding what's mutually beneficial for you and them. Their enthusiasm will do the rest. Another reason to attract students is they network a lot and get your name out there fast.

Make Your Wi-Fi Free

Due to their busy schedules, students often look for ways to multitask. So it shouldn't surprise you to see young people studying while grabbing something to eat. Cafes and restaurants have always been among students' favorite study spots.

To meet this need and attract more young people to your restaurant, all you have to do is provide high-speed Wi-Fi for free. If you do this, your restaurant could become another favorite study spot for local students. And if they come to study at your establishment, you can be sure they'll order something to eat.

Offer Discounts and Special Offers

Students usually live on a limited budget. While in college, young people have to cover many expenses. Tuition fees, textbooks, accommodation, and essay writing or tutoring services are just a few of students' many expenses.

So sometimes, even when they want to eat out, they can't afford it. This is one of the biggest reasons marketing restaurants to students is so challenging.

Pricing is one of students' biggest pain points. But there's an easy way to address this and make your restaurant attractive to young people.

All you have to do is offer them special discounts, meal packages, and offers. You can attract more young people to your restaurant by providing student discounts that can be redeemed by showing their student IDs.

These days, young people are becoming increasingly health-conscious. Yet they can't find enough healthy food options on campus and at most restaurants.

This is a perfect opportunity to set your restaurant apart. First, add healthy, organic, and gluten-free options to your menu. Then make sure to mention it in your ads and marketing materials.

If you do this, you'll be able to attract health-conscious students to your restaurant. And if you make your healthy menu delicious, they'll keep coming back to you.

Market Your Restaurant on Social Media

Even after you've improved the customer experience, offered free Wi-Fi and discounts, and added new items to your menu, you'll still need to advertise your restaurant to help potential customers find you. But how can you do this properly to attract college students, you may wonder. The answer is social media.

It's no secret that young people use social media a lot in their daily lives. They can spend hours scrolling through their news feeds on Instagram, Facebook, and other social networks. Therefore, social media is the best channel for marketing to this consumer group.

90% of people shop from brands they discover on social media. So if you leverage these types of channels to market your restaurant, you can easily reach and attract students. Young people in particular are easily influenced by creative design, so you can create an attractive logo design with the help of a logo creator and catch young customers' attention.

It goes without saying that today's restaurants need to leverage technology to engage with their customers. Building an online presence through social media is a great way to do this. There are different ways to approach your restaurant social media strategy.

Building Relationships with Student Groups

While having an online presence is important when marketing to college students, it's even more effective when combined with an offline presence and face-to-face interactions. You can implement guerrilla marketing tactics by handing out flyers on streets near academic buildings with high foot traffic. Your physical advertising will help you cut through the clutter and actually be noticed by new eyes on campus.

Many sororities and other student organizations hold fundraising events and establish partnerships with restaurants. Try to develop a similar co-marketing relationship with common and influential groups on campus to increase your repeat sales and brand awareness.

Team Up with Influencers

Another practical marketing tip to help you attract college students to your restaurant is to build partnerships with influencers. Young people follow many influencers and trust their opinions and recommendations.

Some of the most successful influencers have hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers, the majority of whom are students and young people. Therefore, by leveraging restaurant influencer marketing, you can reach a wide student audience.

Create Compelling Paid Ads

Don't forget about paid ads when learning how to attract college students to your restaurant.

Create an eye-catching video presentation of your restaurant and launch a paid ad campaign. To achieve the desired results, adjust your ad targeting settings to include college students.

Also, make sure you target potential customers located in your restaurant's area. This is crucial because most students will choose places close to their homes or campus to dine.

The secret to learning how to attract college students to your restaurant is the same as with any other consumer group. You must understand and address their needs and wants.