Creating a loyalty program for the customers is the best way to keep the customers of the restaurants satisfied which make them return back to that restaurant increasing a promise of future business. The loyalty programs for the customers behave as an asset for the restaurant. According to the studies and surveys it has been seen that about 57% of the adults like to dine in at places that offer some type of restaurant loyalty programs.
How are these Loyalty Programs are Beneficial?
A loyalty program is a promoting framework initiated by a business that rewards obtaining conduct, accordingly expanding the client's desire to remain faithful to the restaurant. A loyalty program may offer accommodation, store credit, prizes, or whatever other advantages that would allure the loyalty of a customer. Loyalty programs have been tested time and time again, and have proven to be successful in generating more business as well as boost the growth of the restaurant. Loyalty programs serve a dual function: to incentivize new clients to stick around after purchasing your goods and services and to ensure that existing loyal clients still feel as if they are valued by your operation. Marketers and restaurant owners enjoy loyalty programs because they have the ability to improve customer retention for a specific operation. Customers appreciate loyalty programs, however, because they often provide added incentives for making a purchase, with the rewards increasing linearly (or even exponentially) with more purchases, or depending on the size or scope of the item purchased.
Restaurant Loyalty programme ideas for restaurants:
1. Provide the customers with Welcome Drink or Free Desert
You can greet your loyal customers with a Welcome Drink while they wait for their table or you can give them a free dessert at the end of their meal. In this way, you can treat the loyal customers in a special way and that would help the restaurants to build up trust and make the new customer left with a wanting to be treated as special. 
2. Give away Loyalty Points
This is one of the most used loyalty programs by restaurants. Attracting new customers by giving them free points that can be used later during the transaction is a pretty layman way to make people order from your restaurant. On the other hand, the loyal people continue ordering and make them as loyalists earing bigger with each order.
3. Provide the customers with Free Delivery
It has been stated as a fact now that nobody likes to pay for the food delivery when they order online. By weaving off the charges on delivery is the best way for customers to enjoy being loyal to a restaurant. Free Delivery is the best way through which restaurants can earn brownie points and have a successful loyalty program.
4. Tiered restaurant Loyalty programs
For the restaurants who have customers dining in as well as ordering from online, tiered restaurant loyalty programs seems to suit them the best. Under this program, the first timers are attracted the most due to the easy sign-up, and along with that, even the loyalists enjoy the program by getting bigger rewards. With this loyalty program, restaurants get encouraging loyalists, increasing repeat orders and the order value and the rewards set the customers right too.
5. Reserve the seating on the patio
One more loyalty programs usually used by restaurants would be reserving the special seats for the loyal customers. There are restaurants that book the sweet spots like the seating on the patio or even the best seatings on the terrace for the loyal customers. Indeed this loyalty program makes the customers feel very special.
6. Hop on for Referral programme
Knowing the fact that the good customers recommend their friends and family about any good place, restaurants should hop on for referral loyalty programmes. Rewarding the loyalists for introducing you to new customers is a win-win case scenario for both the restaurant owners as well as the customers.
7. Design a secret menu
There are many restaurants who have started designing a secret menu for their loyal customers who have a certain number of points on their account. This loyalty program gets a lot of attention because of its exclusivity and high word of mouth. To make it even more compelling restaurants can even change the regular menus which will promote curiosity and make the loyalty program even more desirable. 
8. Let your loyalists jump the queue
On festive days or days when the restaurants have high traffic, the best way to give the loyal customers a treat is to provide them with advance booking. This gives the first-timers that much more reason to be part of your loyalty program.
9. Free Gifts for the loyalists
" I don't like receiving gifts", said no one ever. With this note, it is easily understood that as part of the restaurant's loyalty program the customers should be given a small gift something in return for a certain number of visits. Even though this does not encourage high spending but encourages the frequency of the visits.
10. Organize Invite only events
Through this type of loyal programs, the restaurants can build up a community by organizing invite only theme parties or events for the loyal customers. This is done by only big restaurants since hosting these kinds of events can be a costly affair for a small restaurant.
Whether a restaurant uses one of the above-mentioned loyalty program or a combination of them, building a group of loyal customers s one of the best strategies for a restaurant's growth, sales, and the profits. Here's to the lasting customer relationships.
Suggested Reads:
Your Expert Guide To Pricing Your Restaurant Menu In The Best Way Possible
8 Best Ways To Boost Restaurant Sales With The Help Of Internet
Boost Your Business With These Local Store Marketing Ideas To Game Up!
All You Need To Know About How Your Customers Data Can Boost Your Restaurant Business
FAQ
Q: Why are food photographers important for a restaurant?
A: Read "All You Need To Know The Role of Professional Food Photography In Your Restaurant Brand Building".
Q: What kind of blogs can be written for a restaurant?
A: Read "Planning To Start A Restaurant Blog? 10 Blog Posts Ideas To Begin With!".
