How Word of Mouth Drives Restaurant Sales
1. Reminder
This article is Part 2 of the series “How to Increase Sales?” If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, start here: [Why Most Restaurants Don’t Grow — They Ignore This Simple Revenue Formula]
In Part 1, I explained a simple rule: Revenue = Exposure × Conversion Rate × Average Order Value. Sales increase only when one or more of these variables improve. We already covered:
- Online exposure: influencer marketing, free desserts for Google/Instagram reviews
- Offline exposure: why foot traffic alone doesn’t matter—and why what really matters is how much discretionary spending the local crowd has for dining out
Now, let’s move to the next lever. 👉 Word of Mouth (WOM).
2. Why Do People Talk About Certain Restaurants?
If we want people to talk about our restaurant, we first need to understand why people talk at all. At its core, communication is simple: Humans share information and emotion. Word of mouth follows the same rule. It can be divided into two types:
- Emotional Word of Mouth
- Informational Word of Mouth
(1) Informational Word of Mouth
This happens when someone who has actually visited your restaurant recommends it to someone who hasn’t. Note: Two people chatting about a place they saw on Instagram doesn’t count. No one’s been there yet. The driving force here is information asymmetry. People use word of mouth to:
- Signal expertise
- Appear knowledgeable
- Strengthen their social authority
If recommending your restaurant makes the speaker look smart or helpful, they’ll talk about it. If it risks their image, they won’t. Examples that get shared:
- “I heard Mick Jagger once visited The Thirsty Beaver.”
- “The owner studied culinary arts in Germany—very authentic.”
- “It’s the only place in Korea that serves this dish.”
Even a negative-but-specific comment like: “Great food, but terrible service” still spreads—because it contains useful information. What doesn’t spread?
- “It’s good.” → Too vague. No social reward.
- “There are roaches, but the food is great.” → Creates cognitive dissonance. Damages the speaker’s image.
No reward, no sharing.
(2) Emotional Word of Mouth
People don’t only share facts. They also share feelings. Here’s a real conversation I overheard:
Woman: “I loved Munich.”
Man: “What exactly did you like about it?”
Woman: “The buildings, the night views…”
Man: “Which buildings? Which views?”
Woman: “Why are you interrogating me?”
He wanted information. She wanted to share a feeling. Restaurant word of mouth works the same way.
When someone says: “It just felt like home. So comforting.” They’re not explaining. They’re inviting others to feel what they felt.
Core Point
Whether it’s informational or emotional, people talk about restaurants to do one of two things:
- Enhance their image as a valuable source of information
- Strengthen emotional bonds with people who understand them
Word of mouth isn’t marketing. 👉 It’s a social survival mechanism.
3. Related Theories on Word of Mouth
Before going further, let’s sanity-check this framework against existing research. Not to copy them—but to see where this fits.
(1) Jonah Berger’s STEPPS Framework
In Contagious, Jonah Berger outlines six drivers of word of mouth:
- Social Currency – People share what makes them look smart or cool
- Triggers – Simple mental cues (e.g., Gatorade after workouts)
- Emotion – High-arousal feelings like shock, anger, or laughter
- Public – Visible things spread more easily
- Practical Value – Useful information gets shared
- Stories – Narratives carry messages
My claim—that word of mouth is driven by status enhancement (information) and emotional bonding—covers Berger’s model at a more abstract level. STEPPS explains how things spread. This framework explains why people choose to share in the first place.
(2) Katz & Lazarsfeld’s Two-Step Flow Theory
This theory argues that information doesn’t flow directly to the masses. It flows through opinion leaders—what we now call influencers. Again, this fits cleanly. People share because becoming an “opinion leader” improves their social survival odds. Influence isn’t the cause—it’s the reward.
4. How to Apply This in Real Life
Berger’s framework is insightful—but not MECE. It’s hard to diagnose which of the six your restaurant actually excels at. The same goes for the Two-Step Flow model. It explains influence, but doesn’t tell small owners how to activate it. That’s where this framework helps. Ask yourself two simple questions:
- Informational WOM: Does your restaurant give customers something that helps them look smart when they share it?
- Emotional WOM: Does it create a feeling, story, or identity they want others to experience too?
(1) Provide Information That Builds Status
In my pub, I play footage from my Metzger Meister butchery training on TV. I also show:
- Beer certification videos
- Czech and German brewing history
- Hand-prep processes in the kitchen
Why? To give customers shareable facts. One regular loves explaining the difference between Korean beer and Czech beer to his friends. Not because he likes me—but because it boosts his image.
That’s informational WOM working as intended.
(2) Light “Insider” Recognition
German food doesn’t trigger nostalgia for most Koreans. So instead of forcing coziness, I use music. I play Billy Joel in the pub. Hardcore fans start talking to me about The Bridge, or how his style shifted over time. Regulars get subtle recognition. Nothing flashy. That creates belonging—a social emotion people want to talk about.
(3) Create Visually “Exotic” Triggers
Today, photos are information. If something looks distinct enough, people will photograph it—and spread it. “Exotic” can mean two things:
- Temporal: nostalgia or futuristic vibes
- Spatial: foreign or international atmosphere
I use:
- German soldier figurines
- Czech newspapers
- German-language wallpaper
- TV footage of German cities
For food, I keep it minimal:
- White sour cream on red goulash
- White sauerkraut on brown pork knuckle
Just enough contrast to feel different.
⚠️ Warning: Overdesign inflates expectations. That leads to disappointment— and attracts dopamine-driven customers who constantly demand novelty. That means endless reinvestment. The goal is minimum exotic—enough that people aren’t embarrassed to share photos. [See: 👉 What Is a Dopamine-Driven Customer? ]
(4) Bonus Ideas (Used by Others)
I haven’t used these myself, but I’ve seen them work:
- QR Menu Content: Link to videos about your cooking process or philosophy. Offer a small discount if customers watch or share.
- Owner Storytelling: Owners casually share how a menu item was developed—including failures. Customers repeat the story online and offline.
The format doesn’t matter. Your method can become your edge. Just remember the rule. Word of mouth requires either: Information that raises the speaker’s status, or Emotion that makes others feel understood.
5. Final Thoughts
Unless you’re paying influencers, you never know who your high-reach customers are. So don’t chase them. Design a structure where any customer can generate word of mouth. Ask yourself:
- Will sharing this make someone look smart?
- Will sharing this help someone express how they feel?
Great food alone isn’t enough. If there’s no useful information and no emotional story worth telling—no one will talk about you.
Note: The link below is an article about in-depth analysis and application of this article.
[How Word of Mouth Actually Spreads (Part 2) — and Why Most Small Businesses Get It Wrong]
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