How to Get More Customers for Your Dunstable Café (When Marketing Hasn't Worked)

Your Dunstable café is actually good. The coffee's excellent. People love the vibe.

But you're not consistently full.

You've tried Instagram, Facebook ads, signs outside. Nothing moved the needle.

Here's what's actually happening: You're marketing in the wrong place. Customers find cafés on Google, not Instagram.

How People Actually Find You

Someone gets hungry. They search "café near me" on Google Maps.

They see three cafés. They check reviews. If your café has 20 recent reviews saying "great coffee, cozy vibe," they're interested. If you have 3 old reviews from 2022, they scroll past.

They click on your profile. Do photos look current? Is your menu clear? Can they see your hours?

If everything checks out, they come in.

Instagram never entered the equation.

What Actually Works (3 Simple Things)

Google Business Profile: Photos of current drinks/food. Recent menu information. Hours that are correct. This is where hungry people are looking.

Reviews: Ask after every transaction: "Did you enjoy it? Would you mind leaving a quick Google review?" Make it easy—hand them your phone with the link open or text it to them.

Respond fast: Someone asks "Are you open tomorrow?" or "Do you have oat milk?" Answer within an hour. 73% of people choose a competitor if you don't respond quickly.

The Math That Should Drive Everything

100 people search "café Dunstable" on Google this week.

Top 3 map positions get 60 of those people.

Of those 60, about 20 visit.

Of those 20, about 15 become customers.

If you're in top 3, you get consistent traffic. If you're not, you get nothing.

Google Maps is where café customers are. Everything else is secondary.

Do This Week

1. Add 10 current photos to Google Business Profile

2. Make sure hours are correct

3. Ask your last 10 customers for Google reviews

By week 4-8, you should see review count increasing and Google ranking improving.

By week 12, you'll notice more people saying "found you on Google."

Ready to fill tables consistently?  If so, and would like some help to scale your business, feel free to contact us here for a free audit of your marketing