How to Attract Guests to Your Restaurant in Autumn. The Full Guide. - Mila Holosha

How can you attract more customers in autumn? How can you stand out from competitors? What specific actions should you take to succeed? If these are your questions, stay tuned. That’s exactly what we’ll be discussing today.

Before we jump into the topic, I want to share a free checklist on “How to Attract More Customers to a Restaurant in Autumn.” You can download it from my Facebook group, Restaurant Marketing Community. As a bonus, you’ll find a lot of valuable information on restaurant marketing and answers to any questions you might have on this topic. So, be sure to join the community.

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Autumn represents a fresh start. After summer filled with relaxation and carefree days, a new chapter begins—one that brings a focus on study and work.

Autumn also brings a shift in mood, music, and atmosphere.

“But what does this have to do with a restaurant?” you might ask. “Can’t we just keep doing what we’ve always done?”

You could, but it’s better not to.

Let me explain.

Today, with the overwhelming amount of information out there, people quickly lose focus and get tired.

This applies to everything—including restaurants.

If you don’t regularly create compelling reasons for guests to engage with your restaurant, if you don’t offer something that makes them stop, read, and remember your social media posts, your communication will soon become just background noise. This means your content will be seen as something that’s just there—nothing special.

We can’t let that happen. Content should evoke emotions and be memorable.

To effectively attract guests, start by establishing an emotional connection. Then, use occasions or themes that already carry meaning for your audience—like the feelings associated with autumn. This way, you can easily transfer the emotions your guests already feel to your restaurant.

You don’t need to create new emotions—just work with what’s already there. Your job is to highlight those emotions and link them to your restaurant.

Autumn is a perfect opportunity for this.

A new season represents a new beginning.

And that’s exactly how you should approach it.

Step 1: Understanding Your Target Audience

The first step is to revisit your customer profiles. If you haven’t yet defined your restaurant’s target audience, now’s the time to do this.

Why is it so important to clearly understand who your restaurant’s target audience is?

You’re catering to your guests, so your actions should align with their needs, desires, and the information they are consuming.

What should you focus on in the context of autumn?

Aspect 1: Associations

The word “autumn” can evoke different associations for different people. For some, it’s about studying and meeting friends; for others, it’s the start of new projects at work. Some see it as the most creative time of the year, others as a chance to capture beautiful autumn photos for social media, or even as the most stylish season—a time for jackets and trench coats.

It’s important to understand what your guests associate the word “autumn” with.

This will set the context for your strategy.

Aspect 2: Consumption Situations

Consumption situations often change in autumn compared to summer.

For example, in summer, guests might have come to you for a leisurely coffee at 11 a.m, paired with a croissant, spending an hour watching the city and scrolling through Instagram. Now, they might come at 8:00 a.m., grab a coffee to go, and head off to university.

It’s important to describe these consumption situations. Tailoring your menu, special offers, and content to these scenarios is crucial. These situations are a rational aspect that shouldn’t be ignored because they significantly influence the decision to visit your establishment.

Aspect 3: Mood

Immerse yourself in your guests’ world. What do they read? What do they watch? Which bloggers do they follow? What are these bloggers talking about? What do your guests discuss with their friends? What concerns them?

This shapes their mood. Understanding this mood is vital because if you can align with it, your guests will think, “I want to be here right now.”

Once you’ve identified what “autumn” means to your guests and the consumption situations they implement during this season, it’s time to focus on the practical aspect of visiting the restaurant—your autumn menu.

Step 2: Crafting an Autumn Menu

Why do you need a seasonal menu?

A seasonal menu serves several purposes.

1. Testing New Items

It’s hard to predict how popular a new dish will be.

Sometimes, you might pin high hopes on a particular dish, thinking it will be a best-seller, but it doesn’t resonate with guests, and you have already added it to the main menu.

To avoid such scenarios, create a seasonal menu.

Design an autumn menu separately from the main one (consider using a separate menu or table tents) and see which dishes guests favor. Only add the popular ones to the main menu, and remove the rest.

This way, your main menu will feature dishes that guests really like.

2. Attracting Guests

New menu items give guests a reason to visit your restaurant. They will want to come and try something new.

3. Creating an Autumn Vibe

Think cinnamon apple pie, sea buckthorn tea, cozy music, and rain outside. Together, these elements create a mood and evoke the emotions guests seek in autumn. The restaurant crafts this atmosphere, and it’s this emotional experience that keeps guests coming back.

4. Encouraging User-Generated Content

A seasonal menu also encourages guests to create content for social media. They’re likely to post photos of your autumn dishes and drinks on their accounts. For them, it’s interesting content; for you, it’s word-of-mouth.

Just be sure to work on the presentation so that the dishes are visually appealing and photo-worthy. Today, this is a critical aspect.

What to Consider When Creating an Autumn Menu

Your menu should be tailored to a specific segment or segments of your guests. When crafting the menu, keep in mind who will be ordering from it. This is crucial.

Often, menus are created based on the idea of “this seems good/it’s trendy/competitors are doing it,” but you’re not creating dishes for competitors—you’re creating them for your guests. That’s why it’s essential to consider what your guests think the dishes should be.

1. Start with analysis. Revisit the profiles of your restaurant’s guests and try to understand their context.

Look at the content from bloggers and public figures that your guests follow. Your main goal is to understand which dishes are currently trending among your guests.

You can also find inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest.

2. List the dishes that could work in your restaurant.

3. Next, write down the consumption situations and assess how well the dishes you’ve listed fit them.

For example, if breakfast is the main consumption situation during the autumn season, introducing a new soup might not be the most relevant choice.

4. Additionally, analyze past and current sales of similar items.

It’s common for a dish that didn’t sell well a year ago to be reintroduced under a slightly different name, only to fail again. To prevent this, it’s better to analyze everything from the start.

5. Decide on the number of items in the seasonal menu.

I don’t recommend creating an extensive seasonal menu. It could confuse guests, be challenging from an operational standpoint, and overshadow your main menu.

I suggest offering 3-5 food items and 2-3 drink options in the seasonal menu.

Once you’ve finalized the autumn menu, create a hook to attract guests—a special offer can serve as that hook.

Step 3: Creating a Special Offer

You might wonder, “Why do I need to create a special offer for a new menu? Won’t guests come to try it anyway?”

While the novelty factor might attract a small segment of your audience, it’s not enough to stand out in today’s crowded information landscape. With so much content competing for attention, the “new” trigger alone often isn’t enough to entice guests unless they’re the type who enjoy being the first to try new things.

On the other hand, the “benefit” trigger has broader appeal. People are generally drawn to offers that provide value, and this can be the anchor that convinces them to visit your restaurant.

For instance, a promotion like “Buy the new item and get a bonus” (X+1) can be particularly effective, especially if the bonus item is a long-time favorite. This way, you’re combining something familiar with something new, appealing to both trendy and more conservative guests.

In general, it is better to offer a small bonus rather than a direct discount on a new dish. Discounting can set an expectation for lower prices, making it harder to raise the price later. Instead, a bonus adds perceived value without diminishing the worth of the main dish.

Remember, the promotion doesn’t need to apply to the entire new menu. Focus on one item to create a strong anchor that will draw guests into your restaurant.

Step 4: Increasing Walk-In Traffic: How to Attract Guests Passing By

To capitalize on the autumn theme, emphasize that your restaurant offers a cozy, autumn atmosphere where guests can fully immerse themselves in the season.

Start by stepping outside your restaurant and walking about 200 meters away. As you approach, consider how your restaurant looks from the street. Does it stand out? Is it immediately clear that it’s a restaurant? These are crucial elements to consider.

Here are some tools to help you attract passers-by:

Create a Photo Zone and Anchor Objects at the Entrance
A photo zone is a powerful tool for setting your restaurant apart and signaling to guests that they can experience the autumn vibe inside. We’ll discuss decor in more detail later, but the idea is to create an inviting space that encourages people to stop and take a picture.

Use a “Hook” to Grab Attention
This hook could be anything that makes someone pause and consider coming in, like a sign promoting your seasonal menu or an interesting quote that evokes a specific emotion. It could also be a clever phrase that introduces your staff or highlights an event.

Leverage Your Seasonal Menu
Display your seasonal menu prominently near the entrance. It could be on a small table, a chalkboard, or a stand—whatever works best for your space. The key is to ensure potential guests know what they can order and how much it costs. A well-presented menu can be one of your best sales tools.

Step 5: Autumn Decor: Setting the Scene

Decorate both the area in front of your restaurant and the interior to create a warm, inviting autumn atmosphere. The goal is to create photo zones that encourage guests to take pictures, share them, and spread the word about your restaurant.

Photo Zone
A photo zone should be a visually appealing, themed spot in your restaurant that makes guests want to stop and take a picture. It should be large enough to accommodate group photos and detailed enough to look great in selfies. Consider creating a themed autumn backdrop—ideas can be found on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram.

Anchor Objects
These are unique decorative elements or pieces of furniture that naturally draw the eye and create a specific mood. They could be anything from a view through the window, a beautifully arranged bar, or even a creatively lit area. Decorate these with autumn-themed touches to enhance the seasonal feel.

Ideas for Autumn Decor:

Checkered Blankets in warm, autumn shades like beige, brown, gray, red, and orange. These muted colors often look better in photos.
Baskets in wicker or wood, which can be left in natural tones or painted white.
Dried Flowers in natural colors for a stylish, timeless look.
Pumpkins as classic autumn symbols, which can be real or artificial, and decorated in various ways.
Garlands in warm colors like yellow, which add a cozy, inviting feel, perfect for evening ambiance.
Leaves, Branches, Berries, and Vegetables to complement the overall decor.
Vases and Candlesticks in wicker or jute for a cozy atmosphere
Signs with autumn-themed phrases like “Come here for an autumn mood” that guests will want to photograph.

By focusing on these elements, you can create a compelling autumn atmosphere that not only attracts guests but also encourages them to share their experience, boosting your restaurant’s visibility and appeal.

Step 6: Tailoring Your Content Strategy to the Autumn Theme

After defining your restaurant’s target audience, setting up an autumn-themed environment, creating a seasonal menu, and developing a special offer, it’s time to think about how to convey the autumn atmosphere through social media.

The ideas we’ll explore can be applied to any social network and any content format, whether it’s photos, text, short videos, carousels, stories, and more.

Lists

People love lists—they’re memorable and a great way to showcase your restaurant’s value to guests. The key is to create lists based on your guests’ interests and tie them to the autumn theme. Here are some ideas:

A selection of autumn films
A list of books for a cozy autumn evening
A playlist from your restaurant for autumn vibes, or even personalized playlists from individual staff members (for example, “Bartender Alex’s Autumn Playlist”)

Important: When creating these lists, always connect them to your restaurant. This isn’t content for content’s sake.

For example, mention that guests can grab a coffee to-go while listening to the playlist on their way to work, or that they can enjoy a slice of blueberry pie at home with a cup of tea, a good book from your list, and an autumn mood.

Staff

It’s crucial to showcase the life of your employees, creating a “behind-the-scenes” feel. This builds trust by giving guests a transparent look into your restaurant. The more you share about what’s happening, the stronger your connection with guests.

Content Ideas:

Show the process of decorating the restaurant for autumn.
Offer an online tour of the restaurant featuring new autumn decor (show it as the guest would see it—starting from the entrance and moving through to the table, highlighting photo zones, the seasonal menu, placing an order, introducing the staff, etc.).
Capture funny moments during the decoration process.
Conduct mini-interviews with the owner, chef, general manager, servers, bartenders, and cooks on their autumn associations or stories.

Guests

Host a photo contest for guests: “Best Autumn Photo in Our Restaurant.” You can use these photos to create an autumn mood wall in the restaurant, which is a great way to build a community around your establishment.
Hold a vote on the new seasonal menu: ask guests which new dish they liked most.
Conduct mini-interviews with guests about their autumn associations.
Showcase consumption situations that guests can implement in your restaurant in autumn (for example, grabbing coffee to-go on the way to work, holding meetings, relaxing with friends). Ensure the photos or videos feature people who resemble your target audience. Guests should be able to see themselves in the content you share—this makes them feel that your restaurant is meant for them.
Share the view from a window seat in the restaurant, looking out at the autumn cityscape.

Events

Don’t just announce an event—create context around it.

Share the story behind the event idea.
Explain each stage of preparation for the event.
If a band concert, master class, or themed event with a speaker is planned, ask them to record a video invitation in an autumn theme.

The goal of your autumn content is to create a three-dimensional perception of your restaurant, making it stand out from the rest.

I hope this guide will be helpful for your restaurant and that you make the most of it for your success this autumn.