How to Write a Restaurant Marketing Plan with Ideas and Strategies

Restaurant owners and operators wear a lot of hats. They’re people leaders, customer service providers, line cooks, inventory managers, occasional bartenders, public relations experts, number crunchers, and even marketers.

That last hat can be a tough one. You need to put yourself in front of diners, get them in your door, and turn them into ambassadors of your restaurant who come back and tell their friends about you.

So, what can set you apart from the pack? A great marketing plan.

What is a restaurant marketing plan, and why do you need one?

Your marketing plan is a central, strategic document that outlines and guides your marketing strategy. It describes your ideal customers, explains how you’ll reach them, and accounts for your competition.

The role of a marketing plan in your business strategy

Your restaurant marketing plan is part of your overall business plan, which is the cornerstone of your restaurant’s success. It’s your roadmap to attracting and retaining customers. Your plan should be comprehensive, well thought out, achievable, and consistent.

It’s not too late to start with your restaurant marketing plan

If you’ve never created a marketing plan in the past, you might be wondering—why start now? Because standing out from the pack isn’t easy.

New restaurants open every week, and the big restaurant brands are only getting bigger, making it even harder to stand out.

Many local restaurants have never done advertising or social media, but they’ve been the neighborhood’s go-to spot for decades. Their business grows by word of mouth, which drives nearly 13% of all consumer sales.

While these local favorites are great at attracting their neighbors to visit again and again, to out-of-towners and the uninitiated, they’re just another restaurant.

Word of mouth is fantastic. But when scaling or seeking steady growth, you need to rely on more than the possibility that customers will love your food and tell their friends about it.

 

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Steps for building a stellar marketing plan

Use these five proven steps to build a marketing plan that fits your business model—and generates the results you need.

Step #1: Establish your brand strategy

When you step into a Hard Rock Cafe, there’s no question where you are—whether it’s a Hard Rock Cafe in Boston or Bangkok.

But would a first-time customer know what your establishment is made of by sitting at a table? Does your restaurant concept and interior play off the brand, and vice-versa? What do your furniture, artwork, and glassware say about your restaurant?

They should all work together to create a smooth customer journey, from their initial search on your website to when they sit down with their meal. Make all touchpoints of your restaurant feel like the cool, casual, fusion, or fine dining establishment it is. A great marketing plan starts with a deep knowledge of what makes your business your business and not anyone else’s. Here are a few things to get right:

Create a mission statement

Your marketing plan can’t begin without a solid restaurant mission statement. Your mission statement is the ‘why’ of your restaurant. Why do you create the food you do, why is your service different, and why should customers come and be a part of your story? Your mission statement should be:

• Brief. It should be brief but comprehensive and at most four sentences.
• Transparent. The best statements avoid business jargon and clichés. Write it as if you were writing for a close friend.
• Achievable. We’ve all heard companies claiming to offer the best service, the most delicious food, or the highest quality products. How often is this the case?
• Unique. What makes you different from your competition? If your mission statement sounds like any company could write it, revise it.
• Actionable. Strong statements don’t just list goals but define how to achieve them.

 

Work on your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

What’s that one thing about your business that makes customers excited? Maybe it’s how you cook or serve the food, the decor and ambiance, or perhaps it’s unique to your area—like being the only fine dining spot in town.

Whatever it may be, make sure you can explain it in one sentence. How do you want diners, competitors, and your team to describe your business?

Restaurants that know and define their USP have 2.5x higher chances of significant revenue growth. Plus, those able to effectively communicate it see 20% more customers.

Knowing the type of restaurant you have and defining your USP is easy for distinctive, established concepts like Benihana and Rainforest Cafe. It’s harder for an independent diner or soul food restaurant.

Photo by hiurich granja on Unsplash

To hone in on what makes your restaurant unique, you can ask this question: Why did that customer choose to eat here instead of _____?

Put a variety of different restaurants in that blank: a national quick-service chain, a regional sit-down eatery, your closest competitor. The narrower you get, the harder it will be to answer the question—but the closer you’ll get to your actual USP.

Step #2: Identify your target customer

Knowing your market is critical. The better you know, the more targeted your marketing can be. You’ll also want to be aware of your demographics. A business plan would likely define this, but it is just as important for marketing.

Conducting restaurant market research to know your target audience can be as simple as creating personas for everyone who walks through your door.

• Are your customers different during the day than at night?
• Do they prefer takeout or dine-in?
• Where are they going after?
• What are their dietary preferences?
• What social media platforms do they use?

You can answer many great questions for each customer, and as your insights form, your target market becomes clear.

For example, your ideal customers could be:

• Young families want a kid’s menu, great drinks, and to get home before 8.
• Local office workers who need healthy, quick lunch—and vegan options.
• College students who come to you after a night out.

Clear answers to these abstract questions will help you create highly targeted marketing campaigns that will bring a better return on investment.

Step #3: Complete a SWOT analysis for your competition

Who are your main competitors? List three to five of them and perform a SWOT analysis. It may sound complicated, but it’s a simple way to outline how to approach your competition. A SWOT analysis is broken down as follows:

• Strengths: What are they doing right? Maybe it’s great food, a good happy hour, or an attractive atmosphere.
• Weaknesses: What can they do better? Maybe they’re too expensive or don’t have great marketing.
• Opportunities: What can you do better than your competition? Can you undercut their prices or out-market them?
• Threats: What can they do better than you? Maybe it’s something you can’t change, like a prime location.

Tip: Your competitor analysis needs to include the digital space, too. See how they’re promoting their brand online and across social media and what kind of promotions they’re running throughout the week. Knowing they have a lunch special on Wednesdays is invaluable and can inform your decision-making.

Step #4: Define your objectives

Before you can start putting together a plan, you need to know what your goals are. Chip Klose, restaurant marketer and founder of the Restaurant Strategy podcast, defines restaurant marketing in 3 steps:

Brand awareness

This is where you’re putting yourself in front of customers to show them that you exist. This could be as simple as paid social advertising, great signage, an ad in the local paper, or a television appearance.

Getting new customers (acquisition)

Once customers know who you are, you can work to get them in the door. What will entice them to choose you? This could be exciting drinks, a great happy hour, family-friendly promotions, or a fantastic menu that people can’t help but try. Whatever your unique selling proposition is, make sure you highlight it in your marketing.

Repeat customers

This is where things get fun. Your best customers are the ones who bring more customers in. They tell their friends, they post their food, they sing your praises far and wide. But what are you doing to get them back in your restaurant? This is where special offers, newsletters, and SMS marketing can come in handy.

Step #5: Put together your marketing calendar

Understanding your target customers and goals can help you put together a marketing calendar. This is best when it includes as much information as possible—plan ahead on social posts, events, direct mail campaigns, holiday promotions, and other marketing campaigns so you always know what’s coming next.

You don’t have to fill it out a year at a time, but working to plan out your marketing a month or quarter ahead of time helps keep everything in sync.

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Key platforms to use for restaurant marketing

Part of developing a restaurant marketing plan is knowing the platforms that will help you reach your target audience. Social media, your website, and email marketing are key channels for implementing your strategies.

Social media

Social media is a powerful tool for restaurants to connect with their audience. It’s one of the best ways to get your restaurant noticed because it can put your business in front of thousands of potential customers, and growth can be exponential.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok allow you to showcase your food and share event updates to engage customers. Facebook, in particular, remains a great channel for restaurant marketing. 72% of people use it to decide on which restaurants to visit based on what other users have posted.

@sallysapizza Julia wanted to make a TikTok #sallysapizza #food #pizza ♬ original sound – Sally’s Apizza

The most effective way to use Facebook for your restaurant is to run Facebook Ads, which are highly targeted and shown to local people who are more likely to visit your restaurant.

Instagram is equally as important. From how we consume food, design restaurants, and even the process of menu engineering, there isn’t a platform that has changed restaurants more than Instagram.

Knowing some handy restaurant food photography tips and tricks can help you create a compelling social media presence. Consistent branding will also help you attract and retain followers, driving foot traffic and online engagement.

Your website

One key aspect to check when creating a restaurant marketing plan is how well customers can find your website when they search for restaurants near them.

Let’s say you own a burger restaurant in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When potential customers crave burgers, they’ll search ‘burger takeout near me.’ Google then collects all the info on nearby restaurants and their websites, serving up the most relevant search based on this person’s location.

Your SEO score is like a ranking for potential customers. The higher your SEO score, the more likely your restaurant will appear at the top of Google searches and the more likely people are to come and visit or place an online order.

While SEO can get highly technical, there are a few best practices to ensure your website sees the most possible eyeballs. First, include your full address to tell Google where you’re based, and more importantly, give customers all the info they need to find your restaurant when they’re on the hunt for food.

Make sure you add page titles and meta descriptions, which customers can see when they search on Google. Use keywords that people would use to search for your restaurants or type of cuisine while also mentioning the name of your restaurant to further improve your search rankings.

Moreover, check your website’s mobile-friendliness, such as whether images load quickly and text is readable on smaller screens. 60% of restaurant searches come from mobile devices, so potential customers should be able to easily browse your menu, view hours, and make reservations directly from their smartphones. 

Email marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective restaurant marketing tools, so your plan should include strategies for building a solid email list.

Email marketing can help you build relationships with your customers, promote new menu items or specials, and drive customers to your restaurant. It’s also incredibly cost effective. Estimates vary by industry, but on average, every dollar spent on email marketing generates a $36 return.

Before you can start sending emails, you have to build up an email list. You can use a sign-up form on your website, have waitstaff drop cards or forms at the end of a meal, or use your POS system to get emails when guests check out in a quick-service setting. You can also use events as a way to capture new emails via a sign-up form.

Tread carefully when sending commercial emails, though, since there are rules around spam and unsolicited messages. Make sure you have explicit consent from customers to send marketing emails and provide clear opt-out options in every email.

Print advertising

Along the same lines, print advertising covers many of the categories already discussed (or a printed version of them). Direct mail, billboards, and ads in printed products (newspapers and magazines) all serve to introduce your brand to new customers. They also reinforce your brand with occasional or repeat customers.

Don’t forget the value of in-restaurant print advertising too. Printed signs with upcoming events or recurring specials remind your most valuable customers (the ones that are already in the doors!) why and when they should return.

Press releases

Press releases may seem old-school, but they should be an essential part of a restaurant’s marketing strategy. A press release is a formal message that communicates the information you want to provide about your business to a desired audience.

Whether you’re looking to promote your restaurant’s grand opening or draw attention to a new tasting menu, a press release will produce the media coverage you need to get noticed.

Event marketing

Events like themed nights, chef’s tastings, or seasonal celebrations showcase your restaurant’s unique personality and can draw in diverse crowds. 75% of diners believe it’s worth paying for unique dining experiences. By offering these experiences, you can bring in new customers and keep them coming back with future events.

Additionally, hosting events provides great content for your social media channels. This way, you can reach a wider audience and engage with your community. 

Direct mail campaigns

Direct mail campaigns are another effective tool in your restaurant marketing plan. With them, you can target local neighborhoods with personalized postcards or flyers and get a good response. 53% of customers say direct mail plays a role in their decision to visit a restaurant or order delivery or takeout.

To make your mail campaigns successful, ensure your materials are visually appealing and printed on quality paper to stand out. Highlight special promotions or exclusive discounts that entice customers in your area to visit your establishment. 

Discover more ways to elevate your restaurant’s marketing strategy

Building a cohesive marketing plan—and executing that plan across the right marketing channels—will help you reach your primary objective: getting more butts in seats. But of course, there’s more to restaurant marketing than just getting people in the door.

You can nurture existing customer relationships through a newsletter or an email list, create viral buzz through TikTok marketing, and get noticed by local press or influencers. You can use many avenues to refine your tactics, improve your results, and continue elevating your restaurant’s marketing strategy.

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