5 Ways to Partner with Local Businesses to Drive More Footfall to Your Restaurant

Getting new customers through the door is a constant battle for restaurants. You can spend a fortune on online ads or hope that people stumble upon your glowing reviews. But one of the most powerful and authentic marketing strategies is often overlooked: partnering with the local businesses right on your doorstep.

Building a local partnership ecosystem turns your neighbours into your best advocates. It’s about creating mutually beneficial relationships that drive footfall, build community, and strengthen everyone’s brand. But where do you start?

Here are five practical partnership ideas to get more bums on seats.

1. The "Dinner and a Show" Deal

This is a classic for a reason. Team up with your local cinema, theatre, or live music venue. Offer their patrons a special deal, like a "15% discount on your food bill when you show your ticket" or a "free glass of wine with any main course." You can expect guaranteed foot traffic from people who are already out for the evening and looking for a pre- or post-event meal.

2. The Hotel Welcome

Connect with nearby hotels, B&Bs, and serviced apartments. They have a constant stream of visitors who are unfamiliar with the area and are actively seeking recommendations on where to eat. Offer them a special deal for their guests. This could be a simple card at the reception desk or a voucher in their welcome pack. You become the hotel's trusted, go-to recommendation.

3. The "Shop & Dine" Reward

Partner with local retail shops—boutiques, bookshops, jewellers, you name it. Create an offer that rewards customers for shopping with you. For example, "Spend £50 at [Shop Name] and get a voucher for a free dessert at our restaurant." It positions your dining experience as a well-deserved treat, encouraging people to make a day of it in the local area.

4. The Corporate Lunch Club

Don't neglect the weekday crowd. Reach out to large local employers, office buildings, and coworking spaces. Create an exclusive lunch club for their employees, offering a set menu or a fixed discount. It generates consistent, reliable revenue during what can often be quieter service times, making your restaurant the default choice for local professionals.

5. The Co-Hosted Event

Go beyond discounts and create a unique event. Partner with a local brewery for a "Beer & Bites" tasting night. Team up with a local farm to create a special "Farm-to-Table" menu for a weekend. Co-hosting and co-promoting an event introduces you to their customer base and vice versa, creating buzz and attracting a new, engaged audience.

The Problem with Paper (and the Smart Solution for a Local Restaurant)

These are all fantastic ideas. But the execution can be a nightmare. How do you manage it all? Printing paper vouchers is costly, they can be easily faked or photocopied, and worst of all, you have no reliable way to track which partnerships are actually working.

This is where you need a tool that’s as professional as your restaurant.

Enter SCAN by meed. This feature is designed specifically to make these kinds of partnerships simple, secure, and measurable.

Instead of a paper voucher, you create a unique digital coupon for each partner on the meed platform. This generates a QR code.

• Your partner—the hotel, the cinema, the office manager—shares this QR code with their customers.

• The customer arrives at your restaurant and presents the QR code on their phone.

• Your staff use the free meed app to scan it.

The system instantly validates the offer and marks it as redeemed, preventing any misuse.

The real magic? Your meed dashboard shows you exactly how many vouchers from each partner have been scanned. You’ll know with certainty that the cinema sent you 50 customers last month, while the hotel sent you 30. No guesswork. Just clear, actionable data that shows you which relationships are driving real business.

Great partnership ideas deserve great execution. SCAN by meed is the tool that makes it happen.