Catering to Diverse Dietary Needs

Thanks to Apple’s app marketplace, there’s another new way for smartphone-using consumers to locate restaurants to try. Nommunity, an online and digital community catering to those with special dietary needs (organic, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, locavore, kosher), provides a free app that locates local eateries based on these specific needs. Their website also offers recipes, tips, and other information about these diets and lifestyles.

Do you offer vegetarian dishes? Be sure to market it!

My point? — If your restaurant offers menu selections tailored to specific dietary and lifestyle needs, you can use this for better visibility and marketing. Consumers with special needs will look hard to find local restaurants that offer what they’re looking for, and if your menu includes items that are grown locally, meatless, kosher, or wheat-free, then getting the word out through the right marketing avenues might be a way to bring in more business. Sure, there might be more people eating meat than not, but if you can bring vegetarians and vegans into your establishment, you might be able to get them to return if they like what they see (and eat).

Once again it’s all about visibility and customer loyalty. Every restaurant has something specific to offer — as a manager or owner, it’s your job to get the word out about what makes you unique. Given the increasing number of specialty diets and food needs, it seems obvious that playing up on your restaurant’s ability to cater to these unique customers is a great way to build business and a positive image in your community. You don’t have to be a raw foods restaurant or a vegetarian-only joint to offer good specialty fare, and cooking up delicious food that can be adjusted for multiple diets makes you attractive to a wider customer base.

Why not try it?

I’ll be back next week with a new series of posts. Until then, leave a comment below or contact us here.