Ways to increase repeat customers: from occasional diner to regular
What the answer looks like
Illustrative output on sample data
Illustrative example: how Lexi answers this for a Thai restaurant group with eight venues. It follows guests from their first visit over 12 months, matched across POS, reservations and online ordering.
- First visit: 100% of guests
- Second visit: 31%
- Third visit: 19%
- Fourth visit: 16%, and 82% of these go on to visit monthly
What the data shows
The biggest drop is between the first and second visit. Once a guest reaches a fourth visit, they are very likely to become a regular.
What it means
The second visit is the turning point. Guests who return within 30 days are twice as likely to reach a fourth visit.
What to do
Send first-time guests an invitation to return within three weeks, with a dish suggestion based on their first order.
Want me to build the first-time guest audience for Klaviyo?
Why it matters
Most guests visit once and never return, and the few who become regulars carry much of the revenue. Knowing how many visits it takes to become a regular, and where guests drop off on the way, shows exactly which visit to focus on.
Frequently asked questions
How do restaurants increase repeat customers?
Focus on the second visit. Most guests who become regulars return soon after their first visit, so invite first-time guests back within a few weeks, with a reason that fits what they ordered. Then track how many reach a third and fourth visit.
How many visits does it take to become a regular?
It varies by venue, so measure it. Follow first-time guests over a year and find the visit after which most keep coming back. For many venues that point comes around the third or fourth visit, and the drop-off before it shows where to focus.
Why does the second visit matter so much?
A second visit shows the first one was good enough to repeat, and it starts a habit. Guests who return quickly tend to keep returning, so a well-timed invitation after the first visit often does more for loyalty than any later offer.