Can plants attract more customers to your restaurant?

Getting more customers through the doors is a key component of growth strategy for any restaurant today. Particularly given the current complications created by COVID-19 it’s more important than ever before to make your restaurant somewhere that customers want to be. Plants can have a much more important role to play in this than you might think – if you’re looking to distinguish your business from the competition right now then integrating more greenery and flowers could be a great move.

Competition is tough today

Research has found that almost 90% of customers will look at more than one restaurant before they decide where to eat. And aesthetics have a big role to play in where people opt to sit and have their food. Plants – real or artificial – create a relaxing and positive environment and tap in to the current trend for getting back to nature. They can be used to help reflect your brand values or to create areas of insight and interest in your restaurant. And you can even use them to help create gentler and more appealing spaces for queuing and social distancing. With competition for customers tougher than it has ever been, the details really matter and plants can help to ensure your business wins. So, how and where can you use them?

• Hanging baskets. If you’re looking to create an instant flash of colour for the outside of the business then hanging baskets are ideal. They won’t take up floor space if you’ve got tables outside and they are very easy to maintain, especially if they’re artificial. Hanging baskets can also be used to create character and are eye catching even from a distance.
• Striking planters. If you really want to mark the entrance to your business then there’s nothing that does this quite so effectively as tall shrubs or greenery in planters on either side of the door. This can be a really welcoming way to attract attention to the business and also to make a statement.
• Window boxes. Another very simple way to bring a splash of colour to your walls, window boxes offer a lot of room for creativity and are a great economical investment. Window boxes look fantastic in the summer and are an easy win if you’re looking to attract the curiosity of those who might be passing by.
• Barrier planters. Planters filled with tall plants offer plenty of opportunity for creating more seclusion – if you’re currently offering more outside seating to take advantage of the social distancing benefits of this then they can be very useful for marking out areas. Barrier planters are also a great tool for ensuring that customers aren’t clustering too close together so that you can keep your business safe and COVID-compliant which, in turn, is likely to attract more customers to you.

There are many different ways to attract customers to your restaurant and the use of artificial green walls and plants, inside and out, is probably one of the simplest and easiest ways to do it. If you’re looking to bring a touch of greenery to your restaurant contact our sales team today to find out more about our work within the hospitality sector…