How to Promote a Restaurant – 11 Strategies for 2025
There were over 51,900 cafes and restaurants in operation across Australia by the end of the financial year 2022; A report by Statista. With so many eateries competing against one another, it’s not easy to stand out from the crowd. There’s also no single best way to promote your restaurant. For one, using social media may suffice while for others, a combination of social media and paid advertising might be required.
Nonetheless, we have prepared a list of 11 ways to promote your restaurant. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
11 Ways to Promote Your Restaurant
1. Optimise Your GMB and Other Local Listings
2. Be Active on Social Media Platforms like TikTok & Instagram
3. Ask for Reviews & Respond to them
4. Promote user-generated content on your social media platforms
5. Invest in a Restaurant POS System
6. Run Unique Competitions + Games
7. Start Selling Online
8. Run Targeted Paid Ads
9. Partner up with delivery services
10. Get Creative on Holidays
11. Run Loyalty Programs
How to Promote a Restaurant in 2025
Optimise Your GMB and Other Local Listings
First and foremost, you have to get your restaurant listed on local directories. The most common one is Google My Business (GMB), a powerful tool for local businesses.
Ensure that your GMB profile is complete and up-to-date with accurate business information, photos, menu, and operating hours. This makes it easier for potential customers to find and learn about your restaurant.
Once you have listed your restaurant in GMB, your restaurant automatically shows up in Google Maps when people search for “restaurants” near your location. Another major restaurant listing in Australia is Food and Wine with Love. You can also feature your restaurant in their landing page and get a lot of traffic to your restaurant.
Be Active on Social Media Platforms like TikTok & Instagram
Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are a great way to showcase your restaurant. You can create interesting posts that show your best food items, memories of people enjoying at your place, etc. Make sure to regularly post high-quality photos of your dishes.
A great way most restaurants get engagement is through sharing behind-the-scenes videos of their kitchen. Give that a try if you’re looking to get more likes, follows or comments on your posts.
You can also run special events, contests and giveaways and share about them on these social media platforms. Some platforms like Facebook also let you run paid advertisements. Utilise these to attract a ton of visitors for a specific day or event.
Ask for Reviews & Respond to Them
Customers these days tend to look at a restaurant’s rating online before deciding to visit them. So, encourage customers to leave reviews on your GMB listing and social media profiles. This helps to build trust and credibility towards your brand.
Whether customers leave good or bad reviews, both of them are valuable for a business. Make sure to respond to both positive and negative reviews and show that you value customer feedback. This makes customer believe that you are committed to improving the dining experience.
Promote User-Generated Content on Your Social Media Platforms
You must have, at least once, seen your friends on Instagram post stories of themselves having fun at a nearby restaurant. Moreover, you can find that these stories have piqued the interest of a ton of people as they’re asking the name of the place. The simple act of sharing their experience has tempted multiple others to want to give that place a try for themselves. Free promotion that’s better than paid advertising.
To have the same effect on your restaurant, simply encourage your customers to share their experiences at your restaurant. You can also repost user-generated content on your social media accounts. This not only makes your customers feel appreciated but also acts as word-of-mouth marketing. A win-win for everyone.
Invest in a Reliable Restaurant POS System
Times have changed a lot with the rise of technology. To keep up with the growing competition between restaurants and cafes, you cannot just rely on a traditional point-of-sale system and take orders manually.
A waitstaff writing down orders on a piece of paper won’t just cut it if you want your restaurant on the top. Time to invest in a modern Restaurant Point of Sale system like POSApt. It not only streamlines your restaurant's operations but also provides valuable customer data and insights. This data can help you understand customer preferences and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly.
Run Unique Competitions + Games
If you’ve ever watched a food-eating challenge on YouTube, you know how fun it looks and how many views the video gets. There are even popular YouTubers who make a living by filming themselves competing in these challenges.
Engaging customers with contests, giveaways, and interactive games can create excitement and encourage them to visit your restaurant. This strategy also helps increase your social media presence and customer engagement.
Start Selling Online
Plan ahead. Yes, that’s what most people do in today’s hypercompetitive world. When it comes to eating out, people tend to search online for what they want to eat before heading out. That’s where if your restaurant shows up and they can even order directly from their phones, it turns visitors into potential customers instantly.
That is why, offering online ordering is a must for restaurants in 2025. Make sure to invest in a reliable restaurant online ordering system so that you can directly online. Efficient online ordering, inventory management, instant payment, etc. are popular advantages of online ordering systems. Look for a delivery platform integration feature before purchasing one for your restaurant.
Partner Up with Delivery Services
Once you have your online ordering system up and running, you’ll also want to get food delivered to your customers. But how can you if you don’t even have a delivery boy? Well, you can simply integrate a 3rd party delivery service provider such as Uber Eats or DoorDash with your existing system. That is one of the benefits of having a POS system in the Restaurant business.
Run Targeted Paid Ads
Sometimes, you might want to reach people fast and easily. That’s when paid ads come into play.
For instance, if you’re running a food challenge or if you’re partnering with a celebrity for an event. These are the scenarios when paid ads can bring a ton of attention to your restaurant.
Investing in targeted online advertising, such as Google Ads or social media ads, can help you reach potential customers based on their interests, location, and online behaviour. This approach ensures that your marketing efforts are directed towards those most likely to be interested in your restaurant.
Get Creative on Holidays
Capitalise on holidays and special occasions by creating themed menus, decorations, and promotions. This is one of the best ways to promote your restaurant for the holidays.
People often look for unique dining experiences during these occasions, and tapping into this sentiment can drive traffic to your restaurant.
For example, give people Pumpkin-based items on their menu for Halloween or Hot Cross Buns for Easter.
Implement a Loyalty Program
Rewarding loyal customers with discounts, free items, or exclusive offers encourages repeat visits and strengthens customer relationships. Loyalty programs also help you collect data on customer preferences and behaviours.
Another effective promotion idea would be to provide membership cards. You can utilise these cards to give discounts to your customers. For instance, those who have membership cards will get x% discounts on special days of the week.
Succeed in Your Restaurant Business
When you know how to, it’s not that tough to promote a restaurant to success. By implementing these 11 strategies, you can create a well-rounded marketing plan that effectively boosts your restaurant's visibility and reputation. But if you’re not confident and need an expert’s help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always ready to help your restaurant out.
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