Marketing ideas for a restaurant are key in today’s competitive food industry. 

Great food just isn’t enough to stand out. You need smart, strategic marketing to get people in the door.

Whether you’re running a cozy neighbourhood diner or a chain, clever marketing boosts foot traffic, strengthens loyalty, and improves online presence.

Today, I’ll share proven strategies I’ve seen work in the restaurant business, from digital growth tips to local collaborations.

If you’re looking to build an email list, this guide’s for you. I’ll explain how platforms like beehiiv make it easy to stay connected with your audience and keep regulars coming back. 

Marketing a restaurant in 2025 can feel overwhelming due to strong competition and changing trends. That’s why it helps to see what’s working for the top brands, to inspire you to create your own strategy.

In my experience, the most successful brands use a mix of different strategies (both online and offline) to attract new customers and keep regulars happy. 

Below are the marketing ideas I’ve seen work, from SEO to in-person events.

Local SEO is arguably the most important marketing tool for restaurants.

If your brand isn’t appearing when people search for the food you offer in your area, you need to revise your local SEO strategy.

Here are my top tips for getting it right:

A great restaurant marketing tip is to ensure that all customers who encounter your brand leave with a positive brand experience. 

This isn’t just referring to people who enter your restaurant. It could include people browsing your menu, checking your Instagram, or booking by phone.

Every detail should shape customers’ experience, from the music they hear when ordering to how your staff speaks to your customers.

You want customers to remember you, so they’ll share their experience with friends and create more great times in your restaurant.

Social media is useful for many industries, but it’s integral for restaurant marketing.  

Instagram and TikTok are ideal for showing off your dishes and giving customers a behind-the-scenes peek at chef tips and how your kitchen works.

Your social media posts add personality to your brand, turning scrollers into loyal followers. My top tip is to post consistently and engage with followers to build an engaged audience.

Ocean Prime, a famous seafood/steak restaurant, does this really well, enticing their audience to visit with their high-quality images of their delicious food:

Email marketing is an excellent way for restaurants to keep in touch with customers.

Tools like beehiiv make it easy to get started, offering clean design and powerful tools like segmentation to develop specific email marketing strategies for different types of customers.

If you have regulars that always come back, reward them with a discount code. Maybe try sending guest invites to drum up traction for an upcoming event.

What I found valuable with using beehiiv is that building an email list yourself and using the right platform can help drive loyalty and create repeat business.

Here’s an example I received the other day from the online and in-store craft business, Hobbycraft. They sent me an exclusive offer for being part of their club, with a visual voucher that told me my code, the expiry date, and how to redeem it. I particularly like the ‘Hurry - offer ends 4th August!’ at the end, which encourages me to use my offer before it expires.

Working with local influencers in your niche can be a game-changing technique.

These influencers will already have access to an audience that trusts their opinion - a single story shared from an influencer aligned with your brand could create a buzz around your restaurant.

Research local influencers and invite the impressive ones for a free meal. Allow them creative freedom; and, if it’s a good fit, build a longer term relationship with them.

We touched on reviews earlier with local SEO, but I cannot stress enough how important online reviews are, especially for brick-and-mortar businesses.

Online reputation can influence whether customers choose you or your competitor. 

While the odd negative review is inevitable, you should encourage happy customers to leave an honest review on Google or Facebook to build your online reputation.

A strong review presence can even help your position in organic search, as Google prioritizes brands that are useful for searchers.

Rewarding regulars is a great way to make them feel valued, while giving them a reason to keep coming back.

This could be in the form of a point-based reward system or offering perks for repeat visits. Small incentives like a free coffee can encourage people to visit you instead of your competition.

Here are some top tips to make loyalty programs successful:

Special events give customers other reasons to visit, beyond reserving a table.

This technique also creates a sense of community, particularly if you’re organizing quiz nights or live music. Then, you can then share this content on social media to make it memorable and promote upcoming events.

Plus, regular customers may bring new faces into your restaurant, allowing them a sneak peek before trying it again for themselves.

You could even include countdown posts on your social media pages to build excitement for your event - I like how Harvoxx Tech has done this for their Ladies tech event in the post below:

Paid advertising can be super useful when trying to reach certain people at a specific time. This involves using platforms like Google Ads or Facebook to target people based on location or interests -- you can even target people based on their dining habits!

Even with a small marketing budget, you can set up a niche campaign. Be sure to track results and refine them to boost footfall or online bookings.

Why Listen to Me? I have been working in the digital marketing space for nearly 10 years, predominantly helping brands with their email marketing and online presence. I now specialize in creating great content for beehiiv to help people nail their email strategies!

I’ve included real-life examples below of successful restaurant marketing to give an idea of what success can look like when following a strategic marketing plan.

The family-owned superfood cafe Berries and Bowls partnered with an agency to improve their online presence, focusing on local SEO. 

Here is what they chose as their key focuses:

Berries & Bowls saw a 30-40% increase in local search visibility within three months and a significant boost in new customers finding them online.

When Dӧner Shack, a new fast-food restaurant in London, launched, they instructed an agency to organize an influencer launch party.

The party was designed to attract food bloggers, local influencers, and the media to create awareness and excitement around their new restaurant and drive foot traffic.

The campaign was built around:

The campaign provided a 20% increase in foot traffic after the event, plus new followers on social media.

When Nick Trimmer lost his job in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he took a position at a local wine shop.

To streamline the business’s marketing campaigns, he created Trinita Wine to offer a personalized, bespoke newsletter for their customers.

The results included a significant increase in subscriber numbers, a more engaged community, and a monetization plan.

I’ve tested many campaigns; and while there are plenty of good strategies in restaurant marketing, there are mistakes that brands make that you should avoid.

Hopefully, this help guide has sparked ideas to improve your restaurant marketing. If you’re still unsure, here are some quick recaps:

If your email marketing needs help, try beehiiv. beehiiv can provide customizable templates, an incentive-based referral program, and a range of monetization techniques. Start your free trial today!

The best marketing strategy for restaurants is using local SEO, social media, and email marketing to reach new customers.

Attract more customers by improving visibility online alongside customer experience.

Promote a restaurant by posting regularly on social media, sending out newsletters, and partnering with like-minded businesses.

The 7 Ps of service marketing in restaurants are Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical Evidence.