Confidential Sales Letter
From: Kyle Guilfoyle, Guest Getter
To: The operator reading this on five hours of sleep who needs guests back next week
Re: How to stop losing 6 out of 10 first-time guests without discounting or adding one more app to your plate
You already know labour isn't the real leak. Empty seats are. If twenty new faces came through last week and twelve of them vanish forever, no amount of “reach” fixes that. And it's not because your food slipped or a host got snappy. It's because nothing in your world made visit number two feel like the obvious next step.
Right now most restaurants do what the industry taught them: scatter posts on social, run an occasional ad, send a “thanks for coming” email, pray the weekend is busy. That is noise, not retention. Retention is a plan that calmly shepherds strangers toward “this is our spot.”
Big idea:
You don't throw a beginner down a black diamond ski run. You guide them slope by slope. We do the same for your guests—until booking their next visit feels natural.
What keeps happening without a slope:
- Sixty percent of first-timers return to whatever they were doing before they found you.
- Your team keeps filming reels and writing emails with no metric besides “hope it works.”
- The few regulars you do have carry the month, while everyone else treats you like a one-night stand.
The dangerous part is how normal this feels. The good part is how fast it turns once you engineer a second visit on purpose.
The four runs of our Ski Slope Retention Strategy:
- Green Runs – Catch them before they disappear. One table tent, one QR, one host script. We tag the guest while the bill is still warm and send a welcome that sounds human, not automated.
- Blue Runs – Give them a reason to come back soon. A short story, a specific dish to try, maybe an off-menu dessert. No coupons. Just a clear next visit that feels personal.
- Red Runs – Stretch the relationship. Once they've been in twice, we show them something they haven't explored yet—chef table, wine night, call-ahead pickup for busy weeks. These touches raise cheque size without begging.
- Black Runs – Ask for the big moment. Only after they're clearly “our people” do we nudge toward birthdays, office lunches, catering, or buyouts. By then it feels natural because they already see themselves as part of your story.
Here's what we map out for you on the free call:
- A no-fluff retention blueprint: entry points, timing, and the exact words guests hear at each run.
- Real numbers for your dining room so you can see “if we lift second visits by 5%, here's the monthly impact.”
- Ready-to-use prompts for SMS, email, and staff so the plan can launch even if no one on your team loves marketing.
After the call you can run it yourself, or you can have us build the assets with you for $279. That's it. No mystery subscriptions, no multi-month retainer.
The numbers that make this a no-brainer
Take a 50-cover day. Thirty of those guests might be new. The industry average says eighteen of them never come back. If our slope nudges that by just five points, 1.5 extra people return every day. At a $20 cheque, that is $900 a month reclaimed from guests you already paid to acquire. That is before they bring friends, order drinks, or book the office party.
This strategy isn't an app, a punch card, or a “growth hack.” It's hospitality with a backbone. Your guests feel seen, your staff knows what happens after a first visit, and your marketing finally has a scoreboard.
Ready to see how it fits your concept?
Book the free Retention Strategy Session. If there isn't at least one obvious win, we'll tell you right away.
Book the strategy session