Offer restaurant guests free menu items in exchange for promoting you on social media.

I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.

If you’re looking to both improve the guest experience while simultaneously garner some free social media exposure, there’s few better ways than offering a free item quid pro quo. Give your guests the chance to score a free, or discounted, menu item in exchange for promoting your brand on their social accounts.

For example: Bantam Cider’s taproom gives an extra sample in their cider flight if guests show the waitstaff that they’ve promoted the company recently on any social platform.

This is an easy win-win for both the guest and your business. Your guests gets an added value to their stay, for little work. For your business, you get the added exposure on social to a guest’s friends, family and followers – all who are more likely than not also in your area. For Bantam Cider, they give an extra flight glass of their hard cider; for your restaurant, that could be a free small app or a discount on their meal.

It doesn’t have to be big, but small things add up big over time.

There’s the old adage that “to make money you have to spend money” but very rarely does spending money instantly translate into a better guest experience like this. So, go get that online world-of-mouth promotion while giving your guest a great time!