A dead email list just made a restaurant $2,805 in one day. Here's how.

Last month, Little Jumbo restaurant had a problem.

They needed to sell tickets for an expensive wine dinner ($165 per person). Instagram wasn't working – only 1,541 people saw their posts.

So they reached out for help:

So we tried email instead.

The result? One email to 4,096 people generated $2,805 in sales.

• 51% of people opened the email (2,000 people)
• 11 people bought tickets directly from the email ($1,815)
• 6 more people called after seeing the email ($990)

Pretty good, right?

Here's the crazy part: I consider this a complete failure.

Let me explain why.

Why $2,805 from one email is actually terrible

Don't get me wrong – making almost $3k from a single email is nice. But it shows a huge missed opportunity.

This was a "cold ask" to a list that hadn't heard from the restaurant in months. No relationship. No warmup. Just "Hey, buy our $165 dinner."

Real success would have been selling out the entire event with that one email.

Here's what went wrong and how to fix it.

The problem with most restaurant email marketing

Most restaurant owners think email marketing is spammy. So they only send emails when they desperately need something.

Sound familiar?

• Radio silence for months
• Then suddenly: "Come to our event!"
• Then radio silence again

This approach sucks because:

• Your list forgets who you are
• Your emails feel needy and desperate
• You're competing with 100 other emails in their inbox
• You get terrible results

What success actually looks like

Imagine if Little Jumbo had been emailing their list consistently with:

• Chef's favorite recipes (people love this)
• Behind-the-scenes kitchen stories
• Wine tips from the sommelier
• First access to new menu items
• Sneak peeks of upcoming events

If they'd been doing this for 6 months, that wine dinner would have sold out in hours.

Why? Because people would have been waiting for their next email.

The simple email strategy that actually works

Step 1: Email consistently

Pick a schedule and stick to it:

• Weekly: Recipe of the week, chef tips
• Bi-weekly: Behind-the-scenes stories
• Monthly: Special offers, events

The key? Show up every time, even when you don't need anything.

Step 2: Give value first

Follow this simple rule: 80% helpful content, 20% selling.

Give people stuff they can't get anywhere else:

• Your chef's secret recipes
• Wine pairing advice
• Industry insider tips
• Local food scene updates

Step 3: Make it personal

Write like you're talking to a friend, not broadcasting to thousands.

Instead of: "We are pleased to announce our quarterly wine selection event..."

Try: "Our sommelier just found this amazing small-batch wine. Want to try it before anyone else?"

Step 4: Connect everything

Don't let email exist by itself. Connect it to:

• Your social media posts
• Text message campaigns
• In-restaurant experiences
• Your loyalty program

The compound effect (this is where it gets exciting)

When you email consistently, something magical happens:

Month 1-3: People start recognizing your emails and opening them

Month 4-6: They look forward to your emails and share them with friends

Month 7-12: Your events sell out quickly, and people ask when the next one is

Year 2+: You have a direct line to customers who actively wait for your emails

The numbers don't lie

Every dollar spent on email marketing returns an average of $42.

That's a 4,200% return on investment.

Compare that to:

• Facebook ads: Often break-even or loss
• Print advertising: Hard to track, expensive
• Instagram posts: Limited organic reach

Why restaurant owners avoid email (and why they're wrong)

"It's too spammy" → Only if you do it wrong. Good emails feel like getting a note from a friend.

"I don't have time" → One email per week takes 30 minutes. What else gives you 4,200% ROI for 30 minutes?

"People will unsubscribe" → Good! You only want people who actually care about your restaurant.

"I don't know what to write" → Start simple. Share one recipe, one story, or one tip per email.

Your next steps

1. Start collecting emails at every touchpoint (reservations, takeout, events)
2. Pick a simple schedule (I recommend bi-weekly to start)
3. Write your first email sharing one valuable thing (recipe, story, tip)
4. Send it and see what happens

The hardest part is starting. Once you see the results, you'll wonder why you waited so long.

The bottom line

Little Jumbo made $2,805 from one email to a neglected list.

Imagine what's possible when you build a real relationship with your customers through consistent, valuable emails.

The question isn't whether you can afford to do email marketing.

It's whether you can afford not to.

Ready to turn your email list into a revenue machine? Let's talk about building a strategy that actually works.