Use FourSquare badges to your restaurant’s advantage

FourSquare is a game of social adventures.  Users check into locations in hopes of becoming the mayor (the person that visits the location the most) and to accumulate badges.  Recently, FourSquare reported that a restaurant called AJ Bombers in Milwaukee increased their Sunday business by 110% by promoting the Swarm Badge (having 50+ people checked in to one location at a time) at SXSW, a popular interactive conference.  The restaurant brought 161 visitors to the restaurant at once.  Let’s just say the Wisconsin burger joint was hoppin'!

You can use Twitter or Facebook to challenge people to acquire a Swarm Badge one particular night, or you can urge FourSquare users to come in and try to overthrow the current mayor, who has been mayor for too long.  Offer a discount as an incentive for people to try to become the newest mayor. Everyone loves a game.  Why not increase your sales at the same time?