Restaurant marketing you can do between lunch and dinner
Hungry people decide fast. Four free habits that put your restaurant in front of them at the moment they are choosing where to eat.
· 2 min read
Nobody plans a Tuesday lunch three weeks ahead. People get hungry, pull out a phone, and pick somewhere in a minute or two. Restaurant marketing is mostly about being the obvious choice in that minute. None of this needs an agency, and all of it fits in the quiet stretch between lunch and dinner.
1. Make your Google listing answer the three questions
A hungry person wants to know three things: are you open, what do you serve, and does it look good. Your free Google Business Profile answers all three before they ever reach your website.
- Hours. Wrong hours are the fastest way to lose a customer for good. Update them for every holiday and every change to the schedule.
- Menu. Add your menu or a link to it, and keep the prices current. A photo of a printed menu from two years ago does more harm than good.
- Photos. Add your own photos of your best-selling dishes and the dining room. Ten good ones is plenty to start. Natural light near a window beats a flash every time.
2. Ask for the review while the plate is still warm
The right moment is when a guest says "that was great." Have your server or the person at the register say: "Thank you, that means a lot. If you have a minute, a Google review really helps us." Then make it easy: a small card with a QR code in the check presenter or by the register.
You can make that sign in a couple of minutes with our free review sign maker. Ask every guest, not just the ones you expect to be kind, and never offer a free dessert in exchange. The rules on that are strict.
3. Post what is coming out of the kitchen today
You have something most businesses would love: a product people want to look at. Use it.
- The special, at 10:30 in the morning. One photo, one sentence, the price. People deciding on lunch see it right when it matters.
- The people. The cook who has been with you for nine years is more interesting than any graphic.
- The answer to the question you get every day. "Yes, we have gluten-free options. Here is what they are."
Three posts a week is enough. If you get stuck, the post idea picker has a list just for restaurants.
4. Give regulars a reason to come back on a slow night
Your regulars already like you. An email list lets you reach them when you choose, without paying a delivery app or hoping a post gets seen. Put a signup sheet or a QR code by the register, and send one short email a month: what is new on the menu, an event, or something for the night you most need to fill.
What can wait
Paid ads, a new website and a loyalty app can all wait until these four are running. If your hours are wrong on Google, no ad will fix it.
Do this today
Search for your restaurant on your phone. Check the hours, tap the menu link, and look at the first five photos. Fix whatever would make you scroll past.