HOw Do I Market My Restaurant? (8 Easy Tips)

Updated: December 8, 2022

You’ve launched your restaurant. Now it’s time to drive traffic through your doors.

The question is: how do you do that? How do you market your restaurant?

In this article, we’ll discuss the steps you can take to market your restaurant, bar, grill, or food truck to develop a digital presence and get your brand known by your local community.

Tip 1: Decide Who You Are

It’s not as easy as it sounds. What we mean here is deciding on your BRAND.

What will you be known for? (Gimmicks welcome!) Are you home to the 10-pound burrito? Do you have the best crawfish West of the Mississippi? How about your top-secret salsa recipe that’s been in your family for generations?

Articulate this: What makes you so special and Why should people visit you?

Tip 2: Get Social

Technology is changing the way people share information and you’re in an industry that revolves around social environments. Therefore, having social media accounts is an absolute MUST!

Don’t worry; you’re not expected to be everywhere!

…Just where your fans & patrons are!

Leverage what you’ve compiled in Step 1 and get going.

The top two platforms that we highly recommend are Facebook and Instagram.

If you serve a younger crowd or have an incredible personality and just love video, then you might want to add Snapchat & YouTube to your arsenal as well.

Tip 3: Set Your Goals & Establish a Budget

Sure you can grow your followers and subscribers organically, but this usually requires lots of time. Here’s a simple growth hack: Incorporate Paid Ads!

Advertising your restaurant on social media and in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo can result in not only huge engagement, but, if you do it right, it will also result in a customer or fan list that you can use to re-market to inexpensively. More on that in a bit…

Tip 4: Build A Website

We’re living in a very digital world, if you haven’t noticed already. Enlarging your digital footprint is a MUST. In addition to using social media, having a website is just as critical.

…It enables people to know that you exist and to locate you when they’re nearby.

More on that in a bit also…

Tip 5: Launch A Contest

You’re killing it on social media (in a good way) …or you’re off to a slow start; either way, launching a social media contest can be a great way to boost visibility for your brand and to grow your fan base.

It doesn’t have to be expensive either; just make sure it’s relevant! Sure people would love to win an iPad or even a new car, but how does that relate to YOUR BRAND?

Give away something that translates into your brand– gift cards or awesome swag like branded t-shirts work great. Feeling generous– how about free food for a year?

Feel free to get creative and think outside the box, but be sure you don’t make the mistake of forgetting your end goal of driving traffic to your brand.

Tip 6: Build Your Email List & Send Out Marketing Emails

Here is where most eateries, bars, and especially food trucks go wrong; they fail to collect their fans’ or customers’ contact information. Making this mistake forces you to start from scratch every time!

Aim for collecting a mobile phone number or email address at every single touch-point you have with your customer. Before you know it, you’ll have a list you can turn to to drive on-demand traffic to your place right when you need it!

Send out periodic emails to your list with special announcements and exclusive discounts; don’t be afraid to reach out to them frequently to put your brand top-of-mind. Be sure to keep your list “warm” and engaged for best results.

Tip 7: GrubHub, Favor, Uber Eats– Sign Up For A Spot on Food Apps

We usually don’t recommend this for all restaurants, but it can be a viable strategy, albeit an expensive one, to help get you going and get people familiar with your brand. A word of caution: Do mind the expenses! If you’re not seeing a favorable return on investment, you might want to try another route.

Tip 8: Optimize Your Business Listings

This part is critical! Potential customers need to know that you exist, where they can find you & when, and what you offer.

Too often restaurants, bar & grills, and food trucks forget about updating their business listings or (worse) they don’t claim it or create it in the first place!

Don’t make the same mistake– even if you are a food truck who travels around town, make sure your business listings on Google, Maps, and other search engines are showing accurate information!

BONUS TIP: Make sure to add mouth-watering photos, delicious descriptions, and your MENU as well! Your goal is to give the viewer every reason they need to pay you a visit and keep on coming back!

You’ve already accomplished an amazing feat– your restaurant, bar, grill, or food truck is up and running! Unfortunately, the work doesn’t stop there. These 8 tips can help you grow your business into the massive operation you envisioned when you decided to open it up.

To Your Success,

Tacos & Caviar Brand Elevation

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What are you doing to market your restaurant? What’s working? What’s not?

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Interested in working with us? We’d love to help you better connect with your customers, elevate your brand to make sure you’re memorable, and build a re-marketable list of your greatest fans that you can use to generate business on-demand.

To get started, send a quick email to us at Contact@TacosAndCaviar.com or call us at 210-412-6196 .