Good food and friends, and a place where they meet, is certain to get tongues wagging. Email is a great way to let people in about what’s going on and to stay in touch with your patrons.

Get started: Build your list

• Have a fishbowl where it’s clearly indicated that they’ll receive emails, at the entrance where people can fill in a form or place their signed business cards in order to sign up to your list. Even better, have a tablet where people can sign up online.

• Have a link to the signup form on your receipt.

• Make sure you mention your newsletter to your customers

• Consider a VIP list for your regulars. You know their name, they know yours. It feels like they’re visiting friends more than coming in for a quick meal. Shouldn’t they be the first to know about what’s going on?

• Offer an incentive, like a discount, a free coffee or a special birthday shot if they sign up or forward the email to a friend.

What to share

• Your Menu – especially weekly or daily specials!

• Great food combos you love (and why you offer them on your menu)

• The special dishes you’ve created for the calorie conscious or with care to avoiding allergens

• Tips and tricks to help the home chef kick their meals up a notch

• Special events

• Reservation reminders

• Recipes you’re willing to share (if any!)

• Special ingredients you love

• Season’s Greetings – and remind them to reserve for Mother’s day!

• News: finally selling a bottled version of your famous vinaigrette? New cookbook out? Spread the news!

Never forget to…

• Have your address in the email (You need it to comply with International anti-spam legislation… and it prevents your patrons from potentially getting lost!)

• Provide your telephone

• Give them a means by which they can reserve

• Showcase your opening hours

• Use the name of a person and the name of the restaurant in the email’s “from” line

• Use an email that has a human monitoring it

• If you got people to sign up via fishbowl, send them a welcome email (or even better, a confirmation email) the same day so they remember where they signed up.

Do it in style

• If you don’t have professional pictures of your dishes, consider asking a friend who knows what they’re doing to take some – remember that your patrons can’t taste or smell what you’re sending, and we tend to eat with our eyes first, so beautify your plates, snap a couple of shots and keep them handy.

• A great photo of the restaurant – full or empty – can also help people since they’d be able to picture (ha!) the restaurant.

• Choose a template, pick your colours: set yourself up for success.