The restaurant industry today is chaotic, so cutting through the noise is critical for driving customer engagement. One powerful tool gaining traction is text messaging, which boasts a staggering 90 percent read rate within just 10 minutes–compared to emails, which have an 18 percent open rate and are often ignored for days. “The urgency with text messaging is immediate,” says John Scully, CEO of PizzaCloud and Text.Food. “People read texts right away, whereas, with email, the response is much slower, if it happens at all.”
PizzaCloud, now partnered with nearly 2,000 restaurants, offers a full range of services, including text messaging, IP phone services, and cellular backup. For those not affiliated with the pizza industry or who don’t need these additional services, Text.Food is an ideal fit, as it focuses solely on text messaging for all restaurants.
The instant impact of text message marketing is driving more and more restaurants to adopt it as a tool for connecting with customers. “We saw tremendous success with our PizzaCloud service,” Scully says. “It inspired us to create Text.Food specifically for all restaurants. Our goal is to add 10,000 quick-service and fine-dining restaurants to our text messaging service over the next two years.”
Unlike many other platforms that charge steep prices based on message volume, Text.Food offers volume discounts across chains, regardless of how many locations an owner manages. “Our pricing starts at 2.2 cents per message for small customers and drops to as low as one cent for large-scale users,” Scully says. This model benefits both small operators and larger chains, ensuring that everyone receives the best rate.
Automated campaigns are another valuable core feature of Text.Food, allowing restaurants to schedule texts based on slow times or special promotions. Some even send humorous, light-hearted messages rather than relying on promoting coupons and sacrificing profits. “One of our users sent a message reading, ‘Did you know it’s not a felony to eat pizza on Monday? Order now!’ These messages are fun and engaging, not overly salesy, and people respond to them just as well as coupon offers,” Scully says.
With Text.Food, flexibility is key to creating campaigns that match a brand’s voice, whether it’s advertising new menu items or encouraging customers to stop in on slower days.
Customer support is another strong suit where Text.Food excels. The platform offers a self-service portal, but for those who need assistance, their team is available 24/7 to help design the most effective campaigns. “We aim to offer the best of both worlds. Restaurants can manage everything on their own, or we can guide them through the process,” Scully says.
One of the significant advantages of Text.Food is the ease of setup. “Once the brand is registered a user can send their first campaign in minutes. We handle the annoying bit, getting the initial approval from the National Campaign Registry,” Scully says. This makes it an attractive option for busy restaurant operators seeking a simple, effective way to boost sales and engage customers.
With affordable pricing, flexible campaigns, and exceptional customer support, Text.Food is positioned to become a leader in text message marketing for restaurants. Whether you’re a small independent operator or part of a larger chain, this service can help increase revenue and customer satisfaction—all with a simple text.
Start increasing sales and visit Text.Food today.
By Olivia Schuster
