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FOR RESTAURANTS

Grow Your Restaurant With Automated, Personalized Emails

Send targeted email marketing campaigns that attract new diners, bring back regulars, and grow your restaurant.

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Grow Your Restaurant

Why email marketing works for restaurants

Email gives restaurants a direct way to stay connected with diners between visits. Restaurant email marketing keeps tables full by reaching customers when they’re deciding where to eat, what to order, or where to celebrate. The right platform uses automated messages and smart segmentation to keep you top of mind between visits, without overwhelming your customers' inboxes. Here's what email marketing for restaurants can do:

  • Bring diners back:

    Send targeted promotions and exclusive deals that drive repeat visits.

  • Increase revenue:

    Highlight menu items, combos, and specials to increase per-table spend.

  • Recover lost orders and reservations

    Automated reminders bring back customers who didn’t complete a booking or online order.

  • Build loyalty:

    Surprise diners with birthday rewards, VIP offers, and seasonal perks to keep them coming back.

“Mailchimp has helped ensure our campaign process is seamless and effective, from planning through to execution.”

Zoe Deka, Digital Marketing Coordinator at Lucas Restaurants

High‑performing restaurant email campaigns

  • Dining

    Personalize emails for every diner

    Use dining history, preferences, and location to make messages relevant and timely so each customer gets offers that match their tastes.

  • Restaurant shop

    Automate messages across the customer journey

    Set up automated emails that handle the work for you, including welcome emails, reservation reminders, and post-visit thank-you messages with loyalty rewards.

  • Cafe

    Promote specials, menus, and events

    Promote holiday menus, chef's specials, and limited-time offers to keep customers engaged and drive traffic when you need it most.

Up to 97% higher click rates with email and SMS

Email and SMS work best together when each message has a purpose. Here's what that looks like in practice:

  • Reservation reminders: A timely text keeps no-shows to a minimum.
  • Last-minute table alerts: Fill open tables fast with a quick SMS nudge.
  • Birthday offers: A personal email reward lands when it means the most.
  • Post-visit follow-ups: A thank-you email after dining builds loyalty over time.

Mailchimp users who combined both channels drove up to a 97% higher click rate.*

Get started with SMS
Cafe Owners

Try our Standard plan for free!

Get 15% off our Standard plan

  • Generative AI features

  • Actionable insights into audience growth and conversion funnels

  • Enhanced automations

  • Custom-coded email templates

  • Customizable Popup forms

  • Personalized onboarding

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Standard

Send up to 6,000 emails each month.

Free for 14 days

Then, starts at 0 per month†

per month for 12 months

Then, starts at per month†

Start Free Trial Start Free Trial Buy Now Buy Now Contact limit exceeded Limit
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Save 15% on the ultimate expert-assisted platform for growth

Engage your audience and increase sales with 15% off your first 12 months†. Plus, get expert support to help migrate your data and provide strategic guidance—exclusive to the Premium plan.

  • Phone & Priority Support
  • Popup Forms
  • Multivariate and A/B Testing
  • Enhanced marketing automation flows
  • Dedicated Personalized Onboarding
  • Predictive Segmentation



Larger contact list? Call +1 (800) 330-4838 for custom pricing, annual plans, demos, and more. Contact sales.

Premium

Send up to 150,000 emails each month.

Save 15% on 10,000+ contacts

per month for 12 months

Then, starts at per month†

Buy Now Buy Now
Request Demo Call +1 (800) 330-4838

†See Offer Terms. Overages apply if contact or email send limit is exceeded. Learn More



Larger contact list? Call +1 (800) 330-4838 for custom pricing, annual plans, demos, and more. Contact sales.

FAQs

  • Restaurant email marketing uses email to promote your restaurant, drive reservations and orders, and build relationships with diners.

    This strategy includes promotional emails about specials and events, automated messages like reservation confirmations and order updates, and loyalty campaigns that reward repeat customers.

  • Restaurants should send these essential email campaigns:

    • Welcome emails: Send new subscribers a first-visit incentive like a discount or free appetizer to encourage their first order.
    • Order confirmations: Confirm online orders and provide updates on pickup or delivery times.
    • Post-visit follow-ups: Ask for reviews or offer loyalty rewards to thank customers for dining with you.
    • Promotional emails: Announce seasonal menus, special events, or weekday deals to drive traffic during slower periods.
    • Birthday and anniversary emails: Send special offers that celebrate customers and build lasting relationships.

  • You measure email marketing success for restaurants by tracking:

    • Online orders generated from campaigns: See which emails drive the most direct orders and revenue.
    • Revenue attributed to specific emails: Track how much each campaign brings in compared to what you spend.
    • Open and click-through rates: Monitor engagement to understand which subject lines and content resonate with customers.
    • List growth: Measure new customer acquisition to see if your subscriber base is expanding.

  • The best email marketing platform for restaurants makes it easy to automate promotions and loyalty campaigns. You can send personalized messages based on diner preferences and history, connect seamlessly with your POS or ordering system, and see which emails drive results.

    Mailchimp gives restaurant teams all these tools in a platform that is simple to use and requires no technical skills.

Millions of users trust us with their marketing. You can too.

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*Disclaimers

  1. 97% Higher Click Rate: Based on US users who sent both email and SMS campaigns compared to users who sent only email campaigns from 8/1/23 to 1/05/25.