The most successful restaurants out there owe a large portion of their popularity to the community. When a restaurant becomes deeply embedded in the fabric of a town, city, or neighborhood, it enjoys a status that makes marketing very simple: let the residents do the talking. Building your restaurant into a local landmark takes years of effort, and figuring out how to survive in the meantime isn’t easy.

If you’re like most restaurateurs, you’re most concerned with keeping the customers coming in the door this month – and if you somehow manage to stay in business and become the neighborhood favorite, so much the better.

Yet getting involved in your community can bring short-term benefits as well while you build your business into a landmark. Many restaurants participate because their owners are also members of the neighborhood, and getting involved is a natural extension of being a resident. Whatever your motivation, being an active participant in your community is good for your business and can be extremely rewarding personally.

So how do you start?
Food festivals are probably the most obvious choice. Summertime is peak season for food festivals all over the U.S., and chances are there’s one happening near you. Food festivals take a lot of work and can cost money, depending on how it’s set up, but restaurants that participate will tell you there’s not a better venue for interacting with customers out there.

A more unorthodox way to get your restaurant out into the community is through a communal delivery system. In St. Cloud, Minnesota, a local entrepreneur put together several restaurants and offers delivery at very competitive prices. Even though these restaurants compete for business, the delivery system has made their menus available to new customers and given regulars a choice they appreciate. Imagine the possibilities when you can deliver your food to a house party where the only person who knows your restaurant is the host.

While you’re working with the competition to boost sales, consider either participating in or starting a Restaurant Week in your town. A Restaurant Week is a week-long promotion in which several area restaurants offer the same price for a prix fixe meal, encouraging diners to try new restaurants for a great deal. Community-wide participation turns these events into a truly communal experience, and aside from enticing new customers, your restaurant’s participation really helps cement your reputation among the locals.

Finally, giving back to the community is where personal reward, involvement, and marketing all intersect. The holiday season is the most natural time to give back, and there are thousands of restaurants that have come up with creative ways to raise money for local charities. Whatever method you use, give back to your neighborhood. Even if it doesn’t appeal to you morally, the benefits for your business are many.