Restaurant Marketing
Restaurant Marketing: Strategy That Fills Tables
Good restaurant marketing is not doing everything at once. It is knowing who your customers are, how they find restaurants, and where each marketing baht should go. Many restaurants pour the whole budget into social because competitors do, while the customers most ready to pay are searching on Google Maps.
This page lays out the full framework: positioning, channels, budget, and the numbers that show what actually works.
Free ConsultationThe Four Pillars
1. Positioning
Which question is your restaurant the answer to: a good-value quick lunch, a date spot, or the family regular? Clear positioning makes every channel speak with one voice.
2. Search Presence
The Maps pin, reviews, and website catch customers looking for a place right now. Highest intent, lowest long-term cost per customer.
3. Social and Content
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok build awareness and craving. Great for new menus and brand, but conversion is harder to measure than search.
4. Retention
Regulars cost several times less than new customers: LINE OA, member promotions, and remembering faces are the marketing most restaurants ignore.
A Plan That Works
Month 1: Search Foundations
Pin the restaurant, complete the profile, upload menu and photos, start the review system. All free, and the base for everything after.
Month 2: Consistent Presence
Wongnai, TripAdvisor, Facebook, LINE OA: identical name, address, phone, hours everywhere, with the same photo set as the pin.
Month 3: Website With a Text Menu
A one-page site with a text menu, address, hours, and call/navigate buttons, so Google reads your dishes and ranks you for them.
Ongoing: Weekly Reviews and Photos
Steady rhythm beats bursts: new reviews, new photos, and review replies are signals Google and new customers read daily.
Extra: Targeted Social
New-menu and atmosphere content, with ads only for launches and promotions, not budget burned year-round.
Measure: The Numbers That Matter
Direction taps, calls from the pin, table bookings, and promo-period sales. Not likes and followers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of revenue should marketing get?
Typical restaurants spend 3-6 percent of revenue; new openings may reach 10 percent while building a base. More important than the number is the split: search foundations (pin, reviews, website) come first because they compound, then social and promotions on top.
Should a restaurant focus on Facebook or Google?
Both, in different roles: Google catches people hungry right now and choosing a place; social builds awareness in advance. On a tight budget, start with Google: the Business Profile is free and the intent is higher, then add social once the base is solid.
Is a restaurant marketing agency worth it?
Depends what you hire for: systems built once and used long (website, SEO, review structure) are worth outsourcing; things needing the restaurant's authenticity (review replies, food photos, daily posts) are better in-house. Beware agencies selling likes.
Which marketing shows results fastest?
Promotions and ads work fastest but stop when payment stops. Google pin work shows in 4-8 weeks and persists. Website SEO is slowest (3-6 months) but generates free customers longest. Smart restaurants mix all three by stage.
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