28 May, 2021
Wollongong's burger and craft beer joint His Boy Elroy is one of many small businesses in NSW to register for Dine & Discover when the program was rolled-out state-wide in March. The decision, owner Lachlan Stevens says, has reinvigorated the business, drawn in new customers and grown revenue. It has also led to the creation of a new full-time role.
The Dine & Discover program was introduced by the NSW Government to encourage residents to go out and spend money to support small businesses most impacted by COVID-19. Stevens saw an opportunity to take the initiative one step further. “The Dine & Discover program is a great incentive by the NSW Government and super easy to set up. We saw it was a massive opportunity to help our business, but we also knew it would be competitive being a state-wide program to bring customers through our doors,” he says.
His Boy Elroy came up with a marketing idea to introduce special meal deals to encourage customers to use their one-off $25 vouchers at the restaurant. “To get the most out of it, we went straight up with best deal for customers, specifically to engage with new customers,” says Stevens, who is a member of the NSW Small Business Commission’s Small Business Reference Group.
He knew that once customers were through the door, they were likely to spend more and purchase additional food and beverages with their meals. “The use of the $25 vouchers often led to transactions of $50 or $100 because [customers] get sides and a drink or two with their meals. And usually, they come with people, so they take turns using the vouchers and come back again to use the remaining vouchers,” Stevens says.
His Boy Elroy owner Lachlan Stevens." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="84bff45e-e6c3-4fb0-b1bf-42b1a80757eb" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/resized%20_DSC7553_0.jpg">
His Boy Elroy owner Lachlan Stevens.
His Boy Elroy has redeemed about 5,000 Dine & Discover vouchers over the past 11 weeks, which has added an average $11,000-$12,000 per week to the business’s revenue. Of the vouchers redeemed, 70% were new customers and 30 % were existing customers. The growth in new customer numbers has led Stevens to hire a full-time Customer Experience Supervisor. The aim he says is to build on return customer loyalty.
Though the number of vouchers being redeemed is tailing off as the Dine & Discover program is scheduled to conclude at the end of June, Stevens isn’t too worried.
“Businesses need to review the incentive and how it fits into their business. For us, we saw it a great opportunity, but we also asked, how do we stand out from the rest,” he says.
“We saw the opportunity and we offered the best deal for consumers to get them through the door and show them a good experience.
“Our baseline has been consistent over the last 11 weeks and we have received over 200 reviews on Google of 4.8 stars since signing up to Dine & Discover."
The Dine & Discover program is scheduled to end at the end of June. You can still register your business to receive vouchers and consumers can apply for vouchers here.
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