The 3 Foolproof Ways to Get Your Customers Back (Before They Forget You Exist)

Last week, I was in Dallas putting on a seminar for restaurant owners about getting more customers and keeping them coming back. After a long day of seminar-ing, I decided to practice what I preach and check out a local steakhouse with my other two coaches.

What happened next was a masterclass in customer experience.

We ordered a ribeye to split and a NY, and when it came time to choose toppings, the server mentioned bone marrow butter. Yep, love it – we’re in.

What arrived wasn’t just butter in a ramekin. The server pulled out a small butane burner right at our table and started torching the bone marrow butter until it was bubbling and caramelized.

The aroma that filled our section of the restaurant was absolutely incredible. Other diners were literally turning their heads to see what smelled so amazing.

Then I spread that liquid gold on my steak, and… wow. Great flavor.

But here’s the thing: the steak was good, but it wasn’t life-changing. What was life-changing was the experience. The theater. The aroma. The fact that I’m still talking about it a week later (and writing about it in this blog post).

That restaurant didn’t just serve me dinner. They created a memory.

And that, my friends, is exactly how you get customers to come back.

The Harsh Reality About Customer Retention

Here’s what most restaurant owners don’t want to admit: your customers are constantly forgetting you exist.

It’s not personal. It’s just reality. They’ve got busy lives, endless dining options, and the attention span of a goldfish scrolling through TikTok.

You might think your amazing chicken parmesan will keep them coming back forever, but unless you’re actively working to stay top-of-mind, they’ll be trying the new Thai place down the street next week.

So how do you fight this forgetting epidemic? There are exactly three ways that actually work:

Way #1: Create Experiences They Can’t Stop Talking About

Notice I didn’t say, “serve good food.” Good food is the price of admission. It’s expected. It won’t make you memorable.

What makes you memorable is the experience around the food.

That Dallas steakhouse could have just brought me butter. Instead, they brought me a story I’m still telling. They engaged multiple senses – sight, smell, sound (that torch was satisfying to hear), and obviously taste.

Think about your restaurant right now.

What are you doing that creates an experience beyond just eating?

What makes people pull out their phones to take pictures?

What makes them say, “You have to try this place”?

It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Maybe it’s:

• The way you present a signature dish
• A unique ritual around your famous dessert
• How your staff interacts with kids
• The story behind a particular menu item

The Dallas steakhouse probably spends $2 on that butane torch show, but it creates a $200 memory. We spent $125 a person, btw.

Way #2: Stay in Constant (But Not Annoying) Communication

Here’s a shocking statistic: the average person sees 5,000 marketing messages per day. Your customers aren’t ignoring you on purpose – they’re drowning in noise.

That’s why you need to be consistently, persistently, pleasantly present in their lives through:

Email: Not just “Here’s our specials this week” emails. Send them behind-the-scenes stories, chef tips, local community involvement, customer spotlights. Make them feel like insiders.

Social Media: Show your personality. Share the chaos of a busy Saturday night. Introduce your staff. Post pictures of regulars (with permission). Make your restaurant feel like a place with real humans, not just a food factory.

Text Messages: This is your secret weapon, but use it wisely. Text messages have a 98% open rate, but abuse this power and customers will block you faster than you can say “spam.” Use texts for time-sensitive offers, special events, or genuine customer service.

The key is providing value, not just asking for money. Think of it as relationship building, not marketing.

Way #3: Use the Most Powerful Bounce-Back Offer of All Time

Now we get to the big guns: the Red Envelope promotion.

This isn’t just any promotion. This is what I call “slipstream marketing on steriods” – using an existing cultural moment to amplify your message.

Here’s how it works: In December, when you’re already busy with holiday parties and celebrations, you hand out red envelopes to every customer.

The envelopes are holiday-themed, so they fit perfectly with the season. Each envelope contains a prize from your restaurant and is stamped “No Peeking – Open in January.”

You’re literally riding the slipstream of Christmas excitement to solve your January problem.

But the real genius is the psychology.

This promotion taps into what researchers call “the lottery effect” – the irresistible human need to know what we’ve won.

Think about it: when was the last time you threw away a lottery ticket without checking the numbers? Never, right? That’s because curiosity is one of the most powerful psychological forces on the planet.

Your customers take those red envelopes home, and for the entire month of December, that envelope is sitting there, taunting them. “What did I win? What’s inside? I need to know!”

Come January – traditionally the deadest month for restaurants – they’re practically racing back to find out.

Tom from Sluggo’s Sports Bar did over $190,000 in his slowest month using this exact promotion.

Juan a multi-unit operator and client decided to test it by skipping the promotion at one of his eight locations. That location lost $50,000 in January revenue compared to the others.

The promotion works because it combines slipstream marketing (riding the holiday wave) with the lottery effect (curiosity psychology) to create an irresistible reason to return.

You can see all their videos a bunch more on our special webpage: dfyredenvelope.com.

Putting It All Together

Here’s the beautiful thing about these three strategies: they work even better when you combine them.

Create an amazing experience, stay in touch consistently, and give people a compelling reason to come back. Do all three, and you won’t just get customers back – you’ll create raving fans who bring their friends.

The Dallas steakhouse got my attention with the bone marrow butter experience. If they follow up with great communication and smart promotions, they’d have a customer for life.

Your restaurant can do the same thing. Create the experience, maintain the relationship, and give them a reason they can’t resist to comeback.

January doesn’t have to be your worst month. With the right strategy, it can become one of your best.

Ready to see how the Red Envelope promotion can transform your January? The stories, the details, and the results are waiting for you to discover.