The Anatomy of a High-Converting Restaurant CRM Campaign

A strong restaurant CRM campaign doesn’t fill inboxes; it fills seats. This step-by-step guide shows how to turn your customer data into action. Whether you're launching your first campaign or leveling up your current efforts, you'll learn how to build high-converting CRM campaigns that work and how tools like the DoorDash Commerce Platform can help.

What is a restaurant CRM campaign?

A restaurant CRM (Customer Relationship Management) campaign uses customer data to send targeted messages through email, SMS, or push notifications. Designed to boost customer retention and revenue, with CRM campaigns, you can do everything from remind lapsed guests to reorder their favorites to send loyalty program members rewards.

With the DoorDash Commerce Platform Boost package, you get access to automated email marketing, set-it-and-forget-it email sequences that keep customers engaged with your brand. In addition to automated email marketing, with the Pro package you can use customizable email and text marketing to send targeted, custom emails to your audience in just a few clicks.

How to run a restaurant CRM campaign 

Follow these five simple steps to run a successful restaurant CRM campaign:

Step 1: Segment your customer list

Not every guest needs the same message. Segmenting your audience lets you tailor campaigns by order frequency, loyalty member status, and more.

Before you get started with setting up your CRM campaign, take a step back and think about what goal you'd like to achieve. Are you looking to secure more orders? Maybe you'd like to alert your customers of an upcoming event at your restaurant? 

No matter what your objective is, once you've identified it, think about who the right audience is for your message. Does it make sense to tell your existing loyalty members to sign up for your loyalty program? Probably not. Simple guiding questions like these can help ensure you're targeting the right group of people.

With the DoorDash Commerce Platform Pro package, you can use the customizable email and text marketing tool to segment your CRM campaigns by customer type, loyalty status, and more, providing structure as you get ready to hit send.

Step 2: Choose the right channel

Next up is choosing the right channel for your message: email, SMS, or push notifications:

• Email: Best for menus, promos, or newsletters

• SMS: Ideal for limited-time offers or urgent reminders

• Push: Perfect for reorders or loyalty nudges

Step 3: Craft a message that drives action

Now that you've established who your message is for and what channel you'll use to deliver it, it's time to start writing. The style and tone of your messages will vary based on your branding, but here are a few tips depending on which communication channel you go with.

Email restaurant CRM campaign tips

• Use a clear call to action like “Order now” or “Check your rewards” that aligns with the goal of your campaign. 

• Emails with images have a 42% higher clickthrough rate than those that don't. That means you should prioritize adding photos of your top-selling dishes, seasonal items, and more to your email sends. If you don't have high-quality photos of your food yet, request a free photoshoot.

• Keep emails short so recipients can understand your message with a quick skim.

SMS restaurant CRM campaign tips

• Keep messages under 160 characters to prevent them from being cut off. SMS isn’t the place for an essay, so focus on one offer or update and one clear next step.

• Include a link to a mobile-friendly version of your website or your branded mobile app.

Push notification CRM campaign tips

• Push notification character limits can vary by device, so it's safest to keep your message very short: 25-50 characters in the title and up to 150 characters in the push notification body.

• Use a direct call to action like “Tap to reorder” or “Claim your reward” that fits the intent of your campaign. Push works best when it’s immediate and actionable—aim to spark a quick decision.

• Pair the push with a shortcut to the page of your restaurant app that correlates with your call to action. For instance, if you'd like guests to reorder, ensure that the push notification takes them directly to your menu.

Step 4: Schedule your message

When you send your message is just as important as what you say. Scheduling restaurant CRM campaigns allows you to reach guests when they’re most likely to act without adding more to your plate during peak service hours.

With the DoorDash Commerce Platform, you can schedule emails, SMS, and push notifications directly in the Merchant Portal—so your marketing runs on autopilot while you stay focused on restaurant operations.

Step 5: Measure and refine

After you've sent your message, take time to review the results of your restaurant CRM campaign, focusing on these key metrics:

• Open rate

• Click rate

• Sales attributed to the message

Taking a close look at metrics like these will help you understand how your campaign supported your original goal and identify opportunities for improvement for your next send.

Getting started with restaurant CRM campaigns

Effective restaurant CRM campaigns are built on clear data, thoughtful timing, and seamless tools. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to scale your efforts, the DoorDash Commerce Platform helps you connect with guests at every stage—and turn messages into meals.