If you’re thinking of starting a buffet restaurant or adding a buffet option to your existing restaurant, you’ll need to decide what foods to have in your buffet, how much to charge, what to exclude and charge extra for, and when to keep the buffet open.
To answer these questions, you need clarity into the needs and wants of your ideal customer. So, who is the target market for a buffet restaurant?
Broadly speaking this includes people who are always hungry and love to eat. We call them called “the hungry crowd.” They are always looking for a good deal on food, and they love to try new things.
In this article, we will discuss the target market for a buffet restaurant and highlight some key segments that you should consider attracting.
Who is the Target Market for a Buffet Restaurant?
The target market for buffet restaurants can be categorized into the following market segments:
- The “all-you-can-eat” crowd
- The office crowd
- Families with children
- People with special dietary needs
- Students
- People who like many choices
You will need to understand which of these market segments your buffet restaurant is going to serve. You cannot be everything to everyone.
To increase the chances of having a profitable buffet, you will need to focus and design your menu and marketing strategies to satisfy the needs of your ideal customer.
Let’s look deeper at the needs and wants of each of these segments of the target market for a buffet restaurant so you can see which ones are best for you.
1. The “all-you-can-eat” crowd
This segment of the target market for a buffet restaurant is looking for the maximum return on investment. They want value for their money, and they’re willing to eat a lot to get it.
To attract this type of customer, you will need to have a wide variety of food items available and make sure that the food is fresh and replenished often. You’ll also need to have a good price point – these customers are always looking for a deal.
2. The office crowd
When office workers look for lunch options, they look for convenience. In most cases, they prefer to just walk in, get their food quickly, and get back to work. That’s why a buffet works great as they don’t have to order their food and wait for it to show up.
To attract this segment of the market, you need to have a variety of quick, healthy options available. You’ll also need to have a good location – these customers are likely to go to a buffet that is close to their office. And if it costs a little bit more, that won’t bother them.
Buffet restaurants that are located in the midst of office buildings or near public transportation tend to do well with this target market but can have less traffic in the evenings.
3. Families with children
Families with children are a classic target market for a buffet restaurant. They are often like the “all-you-can-eat” crowd, in the sense that they tend to look for the biggest bang for the buck.
They like budget-friendly options that will please everyone in the family. Food variety is also a good thing because it increases the chances that their kids will find something that they will actually eat.
To attract this segment of the target market, you need to have a good mix of kid-friendly and adult-friendly options available. You’ll also need to have a reasonable price point – these customers are looking for a good value, but they’re not willing to sacrifice quality.
4. People with special dietary needs
Special dietary needs could include anything from vegetarianism to veganism to gluten-free to kosher. It also includes food allergies and religious restrictions.
When we talk about the target market for a buffet restaurant, we don’t often talk about people with dietary restrictions or medical conditions that prevent them from eating certain foods.
But many buffet restaurants will be able to attract some people with dietary restrictions simply by carrying food items that they will eat. For instance, a buffet could include meat dishes but also include pure vegetarian or vegan dishes.
Some restaurants, like vegan restaurants, are able to attract both vegans and non-vegans.
However, some buffet restaurants will simply not be able to serve everyone. For instance, some people are vegetarian for religious reasons and will not eat food that has been cooked in the same kitchen as meat. Others have such severe allergies that they cannot risk coming into contact with certain foods.
5. Students
Students are another classic target market for a buffet restaurant because they usually have large appetites and small budgets.
This is why most students will also fall into the “all-you-can-eat” crowd because they too are trying to stretch the dollar and get in any many pounds of food per dollar spent that they can.
This is one of the reasons we find inexpensive all-you-can-eat buffets on college campuses and in university towns.
6. People who like many choices
Finally, one of the best advantages of a buffet is that it offers diners a lot of choices. And some people simply like having those choices.
They may not try everything that the buffet has to offer but having 10 different salads or 5 different desserts to choose from helps satisfy some need for variety that they have.
They also like getting the chance to try new things without having to commit to an entire dish.
So, if you’re looking to target this market segment, make sure that your buffet has a wide variety of food items available. And don’t be afraid to experiment with new dishes – these customers will be more likely to try them out.
5 Marketing Strategies to Promote your Buffet
While there are many ways to promote a buffet restaurant and the best way depends on the specific restaurant’s target market, cuisine and location, here are five general marketing strategies that any buffet can use to increase traffic and boost sales.
- Put a large sign outside your restaurant
- Offer discounts to businesses in the neighborhood (and communicate that)
- Regularly add new dishes to the menu
- Keep your prices reasonable
- Build an email list of regular customers
Let’s see each of these briefly.
1. Put a large sign outside your restaurant
This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to market a buffet. A large sign will make your restaurant more visible and help it stand out from the competition.
And if you put it in a busy area, you’re likely to get more foot traffic as people passing by see your sign and decide to come in.
And even if people see your sign in the morning but it isn’t lunchtime yet, they may remember your restaurant later when they’re hungry and are looking for a place to eat.
2. Offer discounts to businesses in the neighborhood
If you offer discounts to businesses in the neighborhood, you’ll not only get more customers but you’ll also get some free advertising.
Many businesses will be happy to put up a sign in their break room or lobby promoting your restaurant if it means their employees get a discount.
The discount could be a percentage off their bill or a free drink with their meal.
And as more people become aware of your restaurant, you’re likely to see an increase in business.
3. Regularly add new dishes to the menu
One way to keep customers coming back is to regularly add new dishes to the menu. This way, even if someone has been to your restaurant multiple times, they’re likely to find something new to try each time.
And if you add a dish that’s particularly popular, you’ll not only bring back existing customers but you may also attract new ones who come specifically for that dish.
But how will your regular customers know if you’ve added something new to your menu? That’s where an email list comes in.
4. Build an email list of regular customers
Building an email list of regular customers is a great way to keep them up to date on what’s new at your restaurant.
You can use the list to let them know about new menu items, special events, or even just to remind them that you’re open for business.
And as an added bonus, if you ever need to fill up your restaurant quickly, you can send out a blast to your email list and try to draw people to you at the last minute – perhaps by offering a special discount.
5. Keep your prices reasonable
Finally, it’s important to keep your prices reasonable. Even if you have the best buffet in town, people won’t come if it’s too expensive.
So make sure to offer a fair price for the value you’re providing. And if you can, offer discounts or coupons from time to time to help bring people in.
There are many other marketing strategies that buffet restaurants can use but these five are a good place to start. By implementing even just one or two of these strategies, you could see a change in your business.
Summary
The target market for a buffet restaurant generally includes people who like to eat a lot without having to worry about the bill.
It is a particularly interesting option for families with children and students who tend to have large appetites and tight budgets.
But office workers also find buffets attractive if they are close to the office and reasonably priced. One big benefit of a buffet for this group of people, is they don’t have to order and wait for the food to show up as they would in an a-la-carte setting.
People with dietary needs may also choose a buffet restaurant especially if it offers enough choice for the foods that they can eat. And speaking of choice, people who love to have many choices are also attracted to buffets.
One of the best ways to market your buffet is to have a large sign outside your restaurant because if no one knows your buffet exists, no one will come to your restaurant for it.
Additionally, offer discounts to draw more people to your restaurant, keep the menu fresh by regularly adding more options, keep prices reasonable and make sure to use an email list to stay in touch with your regular customers.