Technology
The most successful restaurants are reclaiming customer connection with three strategies.
Photo: Adobe
July 25, 2025 by Li-ran Navon — CEO, Sauce
Let’s face it, the restaurant business isn’t getting any easier. Unlike other industries where technology has helped boost productivity and ease pressure, tech in restaurants has often introduced more complexity. Competition has never been fiercer, margins have never been tighter, and now, a whole new wave of third-party tools are standing between you and your customer.
Online ordering platforms, delivery apps, loyalty tools, POS integrations. They all promise to help, but too often they’re creating distance, not connection. You spend the money, put in the work, serve the meal, and then someone else gets the credit, the data, and the follow-up opportunity. When you don’t own the customer relationship, you don’t own the outcome. That’s a problem.
And it’s a growing one. A recent report from Upside, Winning the Uncommitted Customer, found that 64% of new restaurant customers never return after their first month. That’s a staggering figure. Especially when you consider how hard it is to get that first order in the first place. It’s not that people didn’t like the food. It’s that no one gave them a reason to come back.
In this kind of environment, building true customer loyalty is not just a nice-to-have. It’s the foundation for long-term survival. The good news is, owning the customer experience is still within reach. But it takes intention.
Start by asking yourself one question: When someone orders from you, do you know who they are?
If the answer is no, or if that information lives inside a third-party platform you can’t access, then you’re building someone else’s business, not your own. The most successful restaurants today are reclaiming that connection through a few key strategies.
1. Own your data
Whether through your website, app, email list, or even a simple text club, find ways to engage diners directly. Knowing who your customers are, when they last visited, and what they ordered gives you the power to follow up, reward loyalty, and spot trends early.
2. Use technology to deepen, not replace, your relationships
There are tools now that let you automatically follow up with lapsed customers. Others can personalize offers based on order history or recommend dishes people are most likely to try next. You don’t need a marketing department to make this work. Many solutions are built to run in the background and drive repeat business without adding more to your plate.
3. Don’t underestimate the power of social.
Whether it’s an Instagram post showing off your new menu item or a quick behind-the-scenes video of your team, that kind of content builds familiarity. When people feel like they know your brand, they feel more connected to it. And that familiarity creates trust. Trust, in turn, leads to loyalty. It’s a cycle that pays off—but only when you’re the one starting and sustaining it.
The reality is, diners want to support local restaurants. They want to feel like regulars, even if they’re ordering from their couch. But that only happens when the experience feels personal. And personalization can’t happen if you’re cut off from your own customers.
We’ve seen this play out in real time. The initial rise of ghost kitchens during the pandemic was driven by convenience and efficiency, but that trend has slowed dramatically. Why? Because diners still crave connection. They want to know who made their food. They want to support familiar spots in their neighborhood. The decline of ghost kitchens is proof that convenience alone isn’t enough to create loyalty. Relationships matter.
Another way to stay connected?
Make it easy for diners to come back. It could be as simple as a “we miss you” email sent a few weeks after a visit or messaging with tailored menu recommendations. These aren’t complex marketing strategies, they’re reminders that the relationship matters.
Some restaurants are even taking a fresh look at how they handle delivery. While third-party apps still have a place, many operators are thinking about how to offer a direct delivery experience for regulars who already know and love their food. Even if it’s just through a link on your Instagram bio or a branded page on your website, having a direct ordering option gives your loyal guests a way to support you more directly. And they want to.
At the end of the day, loyalty isn’t something you can outsource. It’s built in the small, consistent moments you create between you and your diners. And it’s those moments, owned by you, powered by the right tools, and rooted in real connection, that will determine who survives and thrives in the years ahead.
The best food still wins. But in a world full of noise, the restaurants that win big are the ones that know exactly who they’re serving and make sure the customer knows it too.
About Li-ran Navon
Entrepreneur, founder, and CEO, Li-ran has led Sauce from day one, focused on helping independent restaurants thrive in a digital world, taking the company from scratch to eight figures in revenue. When not balancing the demands of a fast-growing company and three babies, Li-ran makes time to read books, fly planes, snowboard, hike, rescue dive and play the piano and trumpet.
