Whether you are launching a new restaurant or trying to expand an empire, social media marketing for restaurants is all about taking the food and ambiance then digitally scaling/transforming it into social media marketing, and this post touches on how to market a restaurant on social media based on our 15+ years of experience guiding top restaurants and food brands from around the world.

Over time we’ve been asked a variety of questions related to restaurant marketing, especially when it comes to social media, and below are some the questions that stand out most:

How do I start marketing my new restaurant?
You decided to take the plunge, signed a lease for a new restaurant and now you need help marketing it to drive buzz/revenue and support your investment (aka cover the expenses). The absolute first step is to create amazing food then take videos and share on social media (e.g. Instagram).

How do you attract people to a new restaurant?
The best way to make a new restaurant trend is to take the above approach combined with an influencer and SEO strategy. Not only is your own content trending, but others with influence are also pushing it then when people run searches in Google, Yelp, etc. your restaurant appears on top – the snowball effect. It’s all about brand awareness.

How much does it cost to market a new restaurant?
One question that always comes up is around the cost to market a new restaurant and in guiding clients we always break down the core factors: The cost is highly dependent on many variables including location, the type of restaurant/food and more which all need to be weighed. For example, the cost to market a new restaurant in competitive markets like LA, Miami, NYC, etc. are exponential.

How to market a restaurant in 2023 and beyond?
Given how competitive the restaurant industry is and how social media is truly taking over, marketing restaurants in 2023 and beyond will be heavily based on content – essentially food porn – that drives conversations/engagement on social media then subsequently leads to PR (like a feature in Eater, LA Times food, etc.).

How many years before a restaurant is profitable?
The world is a wild place, especially the restaurant space, and when implementing marketing campaigns for restaurants there have been times in the past where we were asked if implementing such campaigns will make restaurants profitable, and in reflecting on that the simple answer is no. You can have the best marketing campaign and have all tables filled but if your food/labor costs are off the restaurant will not profit.

The point is, if you are a foodie and launched a new restaurant or looking to scale existing operations let’s connect and explore what’s possible.