,
You serve amazing food, yet tables sit empty.
Your regulars love you, but new faces are rare.
This story plays out in restaurants across the country – exceptional cuisine overshadowed by marketing uncertainty.
The digital landscape has changed how diners choose restaurants.
While your competitors flood social media and dominate local searches, traditional word-of-mouth alone leaves growth potential untapped.
Small restaurants that adapt their marketing approach see consistent results.
Marketing your restaurant effectively doesn’t require a massive budget or an MBA.
This guide breaks down proven strategies that work for small restaurants, from optimizing your online presence to building lasting customer relationships.
Most restaurants waste money on marketing that doesn’t work.
They boost random posts, spray discount coupons, and hope something sticks.
These 15 strategies take a different approach – they fill tables consistently, without burning your budget.
Pick one or two that match your goals. Execute them well. Scale what works:
When hungry customers search “restaurants near me,” they either click your listing or your competitor’s.
According to Google, complete business profiles attract 70% more customers as compared to incomplete listings.
Make yours work harder:
One outdated detail kills trust fast.
Update these now:
Five minutes of updating your profile beats hours of damage control with frustrated customers.
Quick, genuine responses turn browsers into customers.
Thank the five-star reviews specifically. Fix complaints publicly. Show your personality while keeping it professional.
Good review management fills tables.
Regular posts keep you visible when people search
Google reports businesses that post photos receive 35% more website clicks and 42% more requests for directions than those without visual content.
Join our weekly webinar where industry veterans share what’s working right now in restaurant marketing.
Visual content drives dining decisions. While photos showcase your dishes, videos make potential guests stop scrolling.
Turn your daily operations into content that fills tables.
Make every dish Instagram-worthy – a vibrant poke bowl, perfectly stacked burger, or dramatically plated dessert.
Design photo spots with good lighting, interesting backdrops, or signature elements. Position tables near windows for natural light.
Small visual details drive big engagement.
Film those morning prep moments – fresh pasta hitting water, flames leaping from woks.
Show your chef selecting produce or perfecting sauces. Record that perfect cheese pull.
When potential guests see your ribeye hitting the grill, they’re already planning their visit.
Nothing sells tables like happy customers.
Capture birthday sparklers, shared platters, and celebration moments. Feature guest photos weekly, credit photographers, and encourage user content.
These authentic moments help future guests visualize their experience.
Share prep videos at 11am and 4pm when hunger peaks. Post weekend previews Thursday afternoon when planners browse. Drop celebration videos Friday to fill weekend tables.
Match content timing to booking decisions.
Monitor which hashtags bring customers, not just likes.
Track local food tags, create unique dish tags, and engage with tagged content.
Quality engagement beats quantity.
Pro Tip: Your phone camera works fine – just keep it steady and catch good light.
Empty tables cost money, but text messaging fills them.
SMS open rates are as high as 98% – making SMS your most powerful tool for turning quiet nights into profitable ones.
Your social media posts might get buried in feeds, but emails land directly in front of hungry customers.
Smart email campaigns turn subscribers into tonight’s guests.
Those first two hours after someone joins your email list? Golden.
They’re thinking about your restaurant right now.
Send them tomorrow’s specials, a quick note from your chef, and maybe a photo of that dessert everyone talks about.
Give them a reason to grab a table this week, not next month.
Nobody forgets their birthday, but they might forget your restaurant when planning it. Jump in two weeks early with a celebration-worthy offer.
The same goes for anniversaries and holidays.
When someone’s planning a special dinner, make your restaurant the obvious choice.
Your regulars keep your lights on. Treat them like it.
Small gestures keep your best customers coming back with friends.
Sometimes good customers just need a reminder.
After 30 days, show them what they’re missing.
That new seasonal menu; the special wine dinner coming up.
Maybe mention that pasta they used to order every week.
Make it personal, make it tempting, make it work.
Learn how to double your guests and triple your profit margins. Book a free strategy call.
Local partnerships cost nothing but fill tables consistently.
While your competitors spend on ads, you’ll build relationships that bring steady business.
Here’s what works:
| Partnership Type | What to Do | Why It Works | Quick Win |
|---|---|---|---|
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Local Business Cross-Promotions
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• Partner with nearby hotels • Team up with theaters • Connect with gyms • Join forces with shops |
• Expands reach naturally • Shares customer base • Builds local credibility • Creates win-win deals |
Offer hotel guests 10% off, get listed as a preferred restaurant
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Corporate Lunch Programs
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• Set up easy billing • Create group menus • Offer delivery options • Design meeting packages |
• Fills slow lunch hours • Guarantees regular orders • Builds weekday base • Creates loyal accounts |
Start with one nearby office, create a simple ordering system
|
|
Event Catering |
• Package popular items • Scale existing menu • Create catering-only items • Design drop-off options |
• Uses existing kitchen • Maximizes slow hours • Builds brand awareness • Increases revenue |
Start with small office lunches, perfect your system
|
|
Community Involvement |
• Support local events • Join business groups • Sponsor teams • Host fundraisers |
• Builds local goodwill • Creates word-of-mouth • Generates PR • Attracts groups |
Host one local group’s monthly meeting |
Most restaurants lose money on delivery platforms. The successful ones turn these apps into profit machines by getting three things right: menu, timing, and data.
Pick platforms where your target customers already spend.
Boost prices when demand peaks naturally.
Those dead hours between lunch and dinner? They’re costing you money.
Here’s how to turn 3-6 pm into a profit machine:
Nobody wants happy hour at noon. But hit office workers at 3 pm when the afternoon slump kicks in? Now you’re talking.
Run your specials when nearby businesses start wrapping up. End them just as your dinner crowd rolls in.
Half-price appetizers kill margins. Instead, create happy hour exclusives – smaller portions of popular dishes, shareable plates that pair with drinks, and bar snacks that make people thirsty.
When happy hour food drives drink orders, everybody wins.
Your happy hour means nothing if people don’t know about it.
Post those drink specials at 2 pm when office workers start dreaming of escape.
Show photos of groups having fun. Tag nearby buildings. Make them wish they were at your bar instead of their desk.
The same deals get boring fast.
Switch up one item weekly. Add seasonal specials that make sense. Test new cocktails during happy hour.
When regulars wonder what’s new this week, you’ve got them hooked.
Turn slow periods into profit centers. Join restaurateurs with 40+ years of experience.
Random Facebook ads burn money. Targeted ads fill tables.
Your customer data holds the key to finding more guests just like your best ones.
| Type | Target | Why It Works | Quick Win | Cost Per Customer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Custom Audiences
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Local office workers, foodies, wine lovers
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They’re already looking for new spots to eat
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Show happy hour ads at 2 pm to nearby offices
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$8-12 brings in a $40+ check
|
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Lookalike Audiences
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People who match your regular profiles
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Your best customers have friends with similar tastes
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Upload your VIP list, find their “twins”
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$6-9 for new regulars
|
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Retargeting
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Menu browsers who didn’t book
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They’re interested but need a push
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Show your signature dish to reservation abandons
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$5-7 to bring them back
|
|
Event Promotion
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Previous event guests and their circles
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Special events need early momentum
|
Target wine lovers for wine dinners
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$4-6 per event ticket
|
💡 Pro Tip:
Start small, test different audiences, and scale what works. One profitable campaign beats five mediocre ones.
77% of guests are likely to visit a restaurant’s website before they dine in or order takeout or delivery.
A clunky website sends hungry customers straight to your competitors.
Your website needs to work perfectly on phones – that’s where most dinner decisions happen.
Quick load times, easy-to-tap buttons, and photos that fit the screen.
When someone’s hungry, they won’t wait for slow pages.
Cut those seven checkout steps down to three. Save returning customer details. Make item modifications obvious.
Remember: Every extra click is another chance to lose an order to the restaurant down the street.
Nobody should need instructions to book a table.
Show real-time availability, accept special requests, and confirm bookings instantly.
Simple systems fill tables. Complicated ones fill your competitors’ seats.
Yesterday’s prices and sold-out items still showing? You just lost a customer’s trust.
Keep your menu current, prices accurate, and specials updated.
Fresh content drives fresh orders.
Convert more website visitors into paying guests. Book a free strategy call.
Every season brings opportunities to fill tables. Turn predictable slow seasons into reliable revenue.
Holiday specials drive guaranteed revenue when planned right.
Mother’s Day brunch packages always sell out, while Valentine’s prix fixe commands premium prices. Thanksgiving takeout solves family dinner stress, and Christmas Eve reservations fill months ahead. Plan these three months in advance – they’re predictable profit.
Beyond holidays, create signature events that generate their buzz.
Wine pairing dinners bring new audiences – your chef showcases skills, wine partners bring their customer list, and everyone discovers new favorites. Price these right and you’ll profit even at half capacity.
Cooking demos turn quiet afternoons into profit centers – eight guests learning pasta-making secrets become your best advertisers.
Between major events, weather shapes dining decisions more than most restaurants realize. Launch those frozen drink specials the moment temperatures spike. When rain hits, push comfort food delivery. Cold snaps sells hot cocktails faster than you can make them.
Keep a bank of weather-ready promotions you can trigger instantly.
While you’re watching the weather, pay attention to what’s happening in your neighborhood.
Local events already bring crowds – smart restaurants tap into that momentum.
Create pre-show menus when the downtown festival fills the streets. Marathon weekend means runners crave carbs. Graduation season brings families ready to celebrate.
Throughout the year, limited-time offers create urgency that drives immediate sales. Wild mushroom risotto sells out nightly during the fall harvest. Summer-only lobster rolls create lines around the block. Holiday-exclusive desserts drive early bookings. When guests know something won’t last forever, they act fast.
Each event builds excitement for the next. Those wine dinner photos sell future tickets. That Valentine’s success sets up Easter brunch. Keep experiences fresh and quality high – your guests will do the marketing for you.
Mark your calendar now with every major holiday and local event. Plan these holiday promotions before your competitors do.
Access proven promotional strategies from successful restaurant owners. Start your free trial today.
Free advertising works better than paid – when you get the right PR coverage. One good feature article fills more tables than thousands in ad spend.
Your city’s food critics already influence your target customers. Follow their reviews, engage genuinely with their content, and show up at food events they cover.
When they know your restaurant before you pitch them, they’re more likely to cover your story.
Every menu change, chef collaboration, or local partnership can become a story. But timing matters.
Share seasonal menu launches when publications plan their food features.
Announce charity partnerships when community news slows down.
Local food bloggers and Instagram creators need fresh content daily. Give them something worth sharing.
Host tasting events that photograph well.
Create dishes that demand to be filmed.
Turn your restaurant into their favorite backdrop.
Media-worthy events fill seats twice – once during the event, then again when coverage hits.
Chef collaboration dinners, seasonal tasting menus, and community fundraisers.
Give writers something worth writing about.
💡 Pro Tip:
Build relationships before you need coverage. The best press comes from writers who already know your restaurant.
Your happy customers already tell friends about your restaurant. A smart referral program turns those conversations into filled tables.
Here’s how to make word-of-mouth work harder:
Your marketing either fills tables or burns money. Here’s how to know the difference:
Pull your numbers every Monday morning. New faces at tables, promotion redemptions, table turn times.
Ten minutes checking stats saves hours fixing problems later.
Your POS already tracks most of this.
Calculate what each new customer costs you.
Facebook ads might bring guests for $7 each while Google ads cost $12.
Know your numbers, and spend where it works. Cut what doesn’t immediately.
Watch how often new guests come back.
First-time diners from Instagram return faster than coupon clippers.
Track which channels bring loyal customers, not just one-time deals.
Some promotions fill seats but kill check averages. Others bring fewer guests who spend more.
Measure both – total guests and spend per head. Profitable tables beat busy ones.
Every marketing dollar should bring back three.
Track each campaign’s cost against its revenue.
Scale the winners immediately. Cut the losers just as fast.
Marketing your restaurant doesn’t require huge budgets or complicated strategies.
Start with one or two tactics that match your goals.
Maybe it’s building that text list to fill Tuesday nights. Or optimizing your Google Business Profile to catch more local searches.
Track what works.
When that Tuesday text promotion fills tables, scale it to Wednesday. When Google brings in weekend reservations, improve your profile further.
Small wins compound into consistent growth.
The restaurants that succeed don’t try everything at once.
They pick proven strategies, execute them well, and measure results religiously. They know exactly which marketing dollars bring paying customers through their doors.
We’ve helped over 4,800 restaurants double their guest count and triple their margins using these exact strategies.
Our average client sees results within 90 days – whether it’s filling empty tables, increasing check sizes, or bringing in new customers who become regulars.
Book a free strategy call to learn how we can help you fill your tables consistently.
Start with your Google Business Profile – it’s free and drives immediate results. Then build an SMS list to fill slow nights.
These two strategies alone can transform your weekly revenue when executed properly.
Your existing customers.
A solid referral program and loyalty system costs less than constant advertising and brings better customers.
Turn regulars into marketers by giving them reasons to share.
Make your restaurant Instagram-worthy, accept digital payments, and offer mobile ordering. But don’t chase trends at the expense of quality – millennials value authentic experiences over gimmicks.
Good food photographed well beats artificial “Instagram bait”.
Start with what’s free: perfect your Google Business Profile, engage genuinely on social media, and turn great service into word-of-mouth marketing.
Focus your paid efforts on one channel that works – whether that’s targeted Facebook ads bringing in local customers or SMS marketing filling slow nights.
Small budgets work better when concentrated, not scattered across multiple channels.
Start with your current position – what’s working and what isn’t.
Set specific goals (like “increase weekday lunch covers by 25%”), choose channels that match your audience, create a monthly implementation timeline, and allocate a budget based on ROI.
Focus on one or two channels initially, measure results, and then scale what works.
Marketing budgets vary based on your stage and goals.
Focus initial spending on high-ROI digital channels: Google Business Profile (free), social media content ($200-500/month), targeted local advertising ($300-600/month), and email marketing ($50-100/month).
Monitor each channel’s performance and scale what works best.
From strategic marketing planning to seamless execution, we’ve got you covered!
