A restaurant email has one job: get someone who already likes you to come back soon. It isn't a magazine and it isn't a press release. The emails that work are short, about one thing, and make it obvious what to do next.
This guide covers how to write one: the subject line, the offer, the layout, when to send it, and how to tell whether it brought anyone through the door.
Start with one reason to visit
Before you write a word, finish this sentence: "This email is about…" If the answer has an "and" in it, you have two emails.
Good reasons to email:
- Something new: a seasonal menu, a new dish, new hours.
- Something happening: an event, a holiday menu, a tasting.
- Something to use: an offer with a date on it.
- Something to plan: a holiday booking, gift cards, catering.
One reason gives you one subject line, one photo and one button. Guests read restaurant emails quickly, often on a phone. If they can't tell what you want in a few seconds, they close it.
Write the subject line
The subject line decides whether the email gets opened. Keep it:
- Specific. "Pumpkin bread is back this Friday" beats "October news".
- Short enough to read on a phone. Put the important words first.
- Honest. The subject has to match what's inside. In the US, the FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide says the subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message.
Use the preview text, the line that shows after the subject in most inboxes, to add the second detail: the date, the price, or the offer.
Example: subject "Pumpkin bread is back this Friday", preview text "Plus a free drip coffee with any slice, this weekend only."
Write two or three subject lines and pick the one that makes the offer clearest, not the cleverest.
One offer, clearly stated
Not every email needs an offer. A new menu is a reason on its own. When you do include one:
- Make it one offer. Three discounts in one email compete with each other.
- Make it easy to understand. "Free pastry with any coffee" is clearer than "15% off selected items over $20".
- Put a date on it. An offer with no expiry has no reason to be used this week.
- Make it easy to redeem. Tell staff before the email goes out, and tell guests exactly what to do: show the email, give their name, or use a code.
- Know what it costs you. Pick something with a low plate cost that feels generous.
Lay it out for a phone
Most guests will read your email on a phone, so design for that first:
- Your logo at the top, so they know who it's from.
- One strong photo of the thing you're writing about.
- A short headline that says the same thing as the subject.
- Two or three sentences. What it is, when, and why they'll like it.
- One button: "See the menu", "Book a table", "Order online".
- Your address and hours at the bottom.
Send yourself a test and read it on your phone before it goes to anyone else. Check that the photo loads, the button works and the text is big enough to read.
Send at the right time
There's no universal best time to send. What matters is the gap between the email arriving and the moment a guest could act on it.
- For a weekend offer, send a day or two before, so people can plan.
- For a holiday menu or booking, send early enough that tables are still available, and again closer to the date.
- For a same-day special, send in the morning, before people decide on lunch.
Don't email too often. If every email is a discount, guests learn to wait for the next one. A regular rhythm, such as one email a week or every other week, is easier for you to keep up and for guests to expect.
Follow the rules
Only email people who have agreed to hear from you. Every marketing email needs a clear way to unsubscribe, and CAN-SPAM also requires your valid physical postal address and that opt-outs are honored within 10 business days. Rules differ by country and state, so check what applies where you operate.
Measure the visits, not just the opens
Opens and clicks tell you whether the email was seen. They don't tell you whether it worked. For a restaurant, the question is whether guests came in or ordered afterwards.
For each email, track:
- Who received it.
- Who visited or ordered in the days after, and how many redeemed the offer.
- What they spent, compared with what the offer cost you.
Example: an email goes to 1,000 guests. Over the next seven days, 60 of them visit and 40 redeem a free pastry that costs you $1.00. Those 60 visits add up to $900 in sales. That's $900 of sales against $40 of pastries. Next time, you change one thing, such as the subject line or the offer, and compare.
Change one thing at a time. If you change the offer, the photo and the send day all at once, you won't know which one made the difference.
How Ospelia does it
Ospelia's Email & text marketing has a drag-and-drop designer with your logo and colors, where you drag in photos, menus, buttons, countdown timers and polls, and preview on a phone before you send. Ready-made emails for holidays such as Thanksgiving, Valentine's and Mother's Day are one click from a draft. Every email has an unsubscribe and preferences link, and results show opens, clicks and the visits and online orders that followed each email.
Guest lists come from Customers & loyalty, with guest records synced from Square with names, emails and phone numbers, per location.
