Many adjectives are used to describe the Gen Z cohort, and not all of them complimentary. As tends to be the case with younger generations, Zoomers tend to get a lot of flak from their elders. An over-reliance on technology, fragility and entitlement are among the many accusations levelled at this admittedly baffling group.

But, like it or not, Generation Z represents an increasingly powerful and influential consumer base with rapidly growing spending power. So for restaurants, sustained growth and longevity is dependent on engaging this tech-savvy generation. Here are five proven strategies that can help.

1. Establish a Strong Digital Presence

Given that many young people tend to be glued to their phones, it makes sense to reach out to them via the most popular digital channels. As a bare minimum, your restaurant should have a mobile-friendly website on which you can showcase your dishes and, ideally, offer a delivery service. Assuming you’ve got some sort of website in place, you’ll need to look at ways of promoting it and your restaurant on social media.

Social Media Engagement

Gen Z is especially active on social media, with the likes of TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat the prevailing fads. These platforms are highly visual which makes them ideal for showcasing dishes and your restaurant’s interior - Pinterest and Instagram in particular are tailor-made for this kind of marketing. Some of them also allow you to run highly targeted ads that reach specific demographics including age groups and locations.

Don’t underestimate the power of real-time engagement either. Chatting on social media with customers and responding to reviews won’t go unnoticed by Zoomers. These interactions can foster personal connections and generate considerable interest among those yet to visit your establishment.

App-Based Loyalty Programs

Gen Z appreciate rewards and gifts, particularly if they include gamified elements. So offer digital loyalty programs through an app, SMS and/or email that reward frequent customers with offers and discounts. Apps which allow users to track their points and rewards in real time can generate a powerful sense of engagement.

2. Champion Social Responsibility

Alongside cancel culture, the drive for social responsibility among Zoomers is one of the generation’s defining characteristics. For restaurants, social responsibility translates to sustainable sourcing and eco-friendly practices. Attracting such a values-driven generation therefore requires total transparency with regarding the origins of your ingredients.

If your methods of procurement involve local suppliers, organic ingredients and fair-trade arrangements (the holy trinity of culinary sustainability), it’s essential to create highly visible content that showcases this, ideally on your menu and perhaps even in your official branding.

Don’t forget to publish social media posts about your sustainability efforts. Your followers will be able to indicate their approval by liking your posts – they’ll also be seen to be liking your posts by their followers. As well as satisfying their narcissistic leanings, you’ll actually be increasing your restaurant’s exposure.

3. Create a Healthy, Customisable, Shareable Menu

Healthy, customisable and shareable – a triumvirate that should be factored into any menu management plan by restaurants looking to pull in the Gen Z crowd. From the actual dishes and their constituent ingredients, to menu and dish presentation, getting this right means you’ve won half the battle. Here’s what you should try to focus on.

Health-Conscious Dishes

With health-conscious, ethical mindsets, it makes perfect sense that Gen Z patrons will gravitate to restaurants that offer plant-based, vegan and vegetarian dishes. Keep in mind too, that dietary restrictions may also come into play. Be sure to offer healthy, low calorie dishes - as far as the latter goes, consider including the actual calorie count next to each dish.

Customisable Dishes

Customisation is extremely important for Zoomers who often value flexibility and personalisation in most areas of their lives, from fashion and entertainment to gadgetry and travel. And so it goes with dining out. With this in mind, try to include ‘build your own’ menu sections and ‘meat-to-vegetarian’ substitution options. You’ll be allowing your Gen Z customers to make choices that reflect their personal and dietary tastes.

Ingredient Transparency

These days, ingredient transparency is a useful tool for building trust, particularly for a generation that places such a high value on health, ethics and sustainability. Providing ingredient information for each dish is therefore key. It will foster loyalty and trust while lending credibility to your restaurant.

Menu Shareability

Your menu should be physically and digitally shareable. In terms of the former, your in-house version should be aesthetically appealing. An attractive menu with striking fonts and, perhaps, bold theming, is more likely to be photographed and shared on social media platforms such as Pinterest or Instagram. Quirky or witty dish descriptions can also further enhance ‘shareability’.

On the digital side of things, ensure that your online menu is well-structured and displays consistently across all devices, especially smartphones. If you can, include social media links with your menu so that it can be shared with the click of a button.

Also consider setting up a QR menu. With QR stickers placed on your tables and menus, customers can easily scan and share a digital version of it with family and friends.

Underpinning all of these elements are your actual dishes. Pay a visit to any popular restaurant during lunch or dinner and there’s a fair chance that you’ll witness at least one fellow patron taking a photograph of their food – a big giveaway that their chosen dish has considerable aesthetic appeal. Just like your menu then, good presentation means better shareability.  

A Balanced Menu of Universal Appeal

Creating and managing a menu that satisfies the delicate sensibilities of the Gen Z cohort, without excluding older patrons, requires some plate juggling. Over-prioritise vegetarian or vegan options and you’ll alienate a significant proportion of your customer base. On the other hand, placing hearty and wholesome meals front and centre may result in many Gen Z patrons turning their noses up at your humble offerings. So your menu should appeal to all demographics.

4. Embrace the Latest POS Technology

As well as streamlining back of house processes, the use of sophisticated tech solutions can also revolutionise your customer-facing operations, allowing you to provide your diners with ‘convenience‘ – a standard that aligns perfectly with the expectations of Gen Z patrons. Below are some of the key areas in which the deployment of advanced tech can have such an enormous impact.

Mobile Ordering

Being a mobile-first generation, Zoomers want the ability to place orders via their smartphones. So offering restaurant mobile ordering on a responsive website and/or app is therefore of critical importance, provided of course that it fits your business model. Should you have one in place, consider integrating your existing operation with third-party delivery services such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

Many of the best-in-class ePos systems offer out-of-the-box integration. Connecting with these services can radically increase your customer base, while also allowing you to satisfy Gen Z’s appetite for quick and easy purchasing as well as the instant gratification that goes along with it.

Streamlined, Flexible Payments

The technological progress made with payment processing is now such that the vast majority of your diners expect a hassle-free, seamless experience when it comes time to pay, irrespective of their generational group. Unfortunately, if you rely on a legacy POS system, your ability to offer multiple providers and accept payments from web-based or external delivery sources, is going to be limited.

But the latest restaurant management systems avoid these shortcomings altogether by accepting most payment providers out-of-the-box and offering full integration with leading payment services.

Personalisation

With personalisation so important to Gen Z, delivering personal experiences can really drive loyalty. The most effective approach is to create and maintain a database of previous customers that stores information about dietary preferences, personal milestones, birthdays, anniversaries and so on.

While traditional methods of customer data collection are often laborious and inexact, modern tech solutions simplify the process by automatically collecting information and storing it in an easy-to-access database

Self-Ordering Kiosks

Self-ordering kiosks can dramatically enhance the efficiency of front-of-house operations, cutting queues, freeing up order-takers and simplifying transactions. And their interactive smart screens are perfectly in line with a tech-savvy generation in which touch-and-swipe is central.

Convenience and speed are important too, as is the ability to control and customise orders. Factor in the highly-visual nature of kiosk and you’ve got a potentially transformative tool for restaurants looking to draw in younger patrons.

5. Tell Your Story

The Gen Z cohort tend to be drawn to storytelling, authenticity and transparency – values that are often valued more than traditional advertising. So a well-crafted narrative that truly reflects a restaurant’s identity can be a powerful strategy for building trust and loyalty among younger patrons.

This kind of approach requires you to identify your restaurant’s core story. So if your business started out as a food truck in the Outer Hebrides, you should say so - origin stories resonate. Be sure to include your missions and values as well, such as the observance of sustainable food sourcing, the use of fresh ingredients and other such hallowed ideals. In addition, your narrative should obviously include USPs that sets you apart from other restaurants.

Once you’ve crafted a narrative, dedicate a section of your website in which to showcase your story, mission and values. Wall art and signage can also help drive your message home. If you practice sustainable sourcing, mention this in your menu. And remember to plug your narrative repeatedly on social media.

Conclusion

Gen Z may seem like a puzzling breed to older generations. But with the right strategy, it’s entirely possible to build trust and create lasting connections that foster loyalty, brand engagement and advocacy. Literally.

Discover how Syrve can help you connect with the Zoomer Generation: https://www.syrve.com