With September well underway, it won’t be long until university towns and cities see eager students flocking to their campuses to begin the new academic year. From bright-eyed freshers to final year students preparing to knuckle down and write their dissertations, students become a key pillar of these communities during term time — and they’re a lucrative audience for restaurants to capture.
While university students might not have the same disposable income as your regular customers, you can still attract a steady stream of student diners to your restaurant by taking a strategic approach to your marketing. Here are a few different ways.
Run student discounts
Starting with the most obvious solution: student discounts. Most students aren’t willing to spend a lot of money on dining out regularly, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to treat themselves occasionally.
Make it easier for these diners to enjoy the luxury of a delicious meal in a fabulous restaurant by offering an exclusive discount for students. This could be as simple as having customers present their student ID at the end of their meal to redeem the deal, or you could partner with a digital student platform, such as Student Beans or UNiDAYS, to run your discount and increase your exposure.
If you want to protect your profit margins, you could offer time-limited student discounts rather than an always-on deal. This could be a weekly student happy hour timeslot, a two-week ‘back to university’ promotion, or even an end-of-year offer for students cramming in their exam prep.
Whatever the deal, be sure to advertise it clearly on your website and social media channels.
Offer health-conscious and non-alcoholic options
There’s still an unshakeable stereotype that all university students live off beige junk food, but that’s far from the reality in 2025.
Instead, many Gen Z students joining universities across the country are much more aware of the impact of eating healthily, and are increasingly seeking more nutritious dining options.
From high-protein dishes to adaptogenic drinks, more and more students are seeking out food and drink that makes them feel good from the inside out, so it’s important to consider this when crafting your menus.
As well as finding ways to use more nutritious ingredients in your dishes, think about how you can also appeal to the increasing number of meat-free Gen Zers and those embracing a sober-curious lifestyle.
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Hire a student to run your social media
To attract students to your restaurant, it helps to have a presence in spaces they’re already occupying, such as Instagram and TikTok.
But the daily realities of running a restaurant can make it tricky to create quality social content if you don’t have a specialist on your team.
That’s why it’s worth considering outsourcing your social content by hiring a local student. It’s an ideal part-time role for someone to fit in around their studies, and they’ll be able to help you create content that genuinely resonates with student audiences — after all, it takes one to know one.
Collaborate with student influencers
If you don’t want to hire someone to run your social media, you can still take advantage of the digitally-native student audience to level up your channels.
Research local student influencers or student media channels, and consider reaching out to offer a paid partnership or a free meal in exchange for promotion.
As well as getting the word out about your restaurant to other students, these collaborations can also provide you with high-quality social content you can repurpose and reuse across your own channels.
Partner with local universities and colleges
Digital platforms are obviously critical for attracting students to your restaurant, but don’t forget about real-life spaces you can use for key promotion.
Reach out to local universities or colleges to see if you can leave promotional flyers in common spaces, or even look into securing a spot at fresher’s fairs (or other similar events) where you can offer exclusive in-person discounts and even hand out free tasters.
Sometimes it’s this hands-on personal touch that helps your restaurant stand out in someone’s mind over your competitors.
Of course, getting student diners through the door is only one piece of the puzzle. For an all-in-one management solution that helps you drive awareness, increase bookings, and simplify your reservation system, discover TheFork today.
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