Marketing for a restaurant: What I've learned from experts and Pilla users.

Your restaurant's unique value proposition

A well-thought out unique value proposition (UVP), is what will set your restaurant apart. I can speak from experience that when I'm looking to dine out, I look for new concepts with a unique selling point or proposition.

Identifying what sets your restaurant apart from the rest is the first step in creating a UVP that resonates with your target audience and makes your restaurant the go-to dining destination.

✅ Identifying what makes your restaurant or business stand out

I think this is the first step, to identify what will make your restaurant a standout is your number one priority before you've done anything else. You need to decide on elements that will make dining at your restaurant a great and hopefully unique experience compared to your competitors.

If I was opening a restaurant, I might be thinking about things like the locally sourced organic ingredients that make my dishes fresh, the live music that my customers prefer to pre-recorded music or the exceptional service that makes my guests feel special.By highlighting these unique attributes, I can go on to a strong brand identity that differentiates my restaurant from other establishments.

✅ Communicating your brand identity effectively

Having identified your restaurant’s unique attributes, the next step is to communicate your brand identity effectively. This is a completely different skill and it's a real challenge to let people know what you're all about.

Your brand identity is the voice that speaks to your customers, telling them what your restaurant stands for and what they can expect when they dine with you. If I was building a communication strategy, I would think about the different ways that I could reach my customers and the key messages that I could use to make it clear what I am offering.

Your key messages are the words, sentences, pictures and all other relevant forms of communication that effectively show your brand identity and offering. For example, at Pilla, I spend a lot of time working the team on our homepage messaging because that's where our audience goes to understand what we do, so we need to be really clear there about what we're offering.

When you're releasing social media posts, designing your menu, or training your staff, your brand identity should constantly be same message over and over again. This consistency over time creates a dining experience that leaves a lasting impression on your customers.

Personally, I think that clear is better than clever here - don't try to get to clever because you'll probably confuse people. Instead, be very clear and concise about your offering.

✅ Aligning your marketing teams with your UVP with your own marketing plan and efforts

I'm already mentioned this a little bit, but once you've decided on your communication types and messages, it's time to create your 'broadway show' - the set of creatives that you're going to put out into the world to share your message.

Your UVP is the star of your marketing efforts, shining brightly and guiding potential diners to your restaurant. So aligning your UVP with your marketing efforts is the most important thing to focus n. Whether you’re launching a social media campaign, updating your website, or even designing your restaurant’s signage, your UVP should be front and centre. This consistency in messaging reinforces your brand identity, making your restaurant instantly recognisable to your loyal customers.

✅ Setting specific goals for your restaurant marketing plan

With your UVP providing a clear idea of your brand identity and providing a direction to your restaurant marketing ideas and efforts, it’s time to establish specific goals for your restaurant marketing plan. Having clear, measurable goals gives you a roadmap to success, helping you stay focused and measure progress along the way. Whether it’s increasing footfall during off-peak hours, boosting online reservations, or elevating your restaurant’s presence on social media, having specific goals can keep your marketing efforts on track.

✅ Defining clear marketing objectives

Clear marketing objectives should be tied to your overall business goals and could include increasing brand awareness, driving more traffic to your website, or boosting customer engagement on social media. By setting specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) objectives, you can chart a clear course for your marketing efforts and track progress along the way. I would advise your to keep the amount of objectives to a minimum. I always find that focussing on the top four or five objectives drives a bigger impact. Of course, they will be different for every business so it's important you find out which ones are most important to you.

✅ Tracking and measuring success

After setting your own marketing goals and objectives, it’s important to monitor and evaluate the success of your marketing efforts consistently. By monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) like website traffic, social media engagement, or email open rates, you can gauge the effectiveness of your marketing strategies and make necessary adjustments.

This ongoing process of tracking, analysing, and refining is the key to ensuring that your marketing efforts continue to drive your restaurant towards its goals.I would recommend keeping it simple, at least for the beginning. There are all sorts of amazing software packages to track KPIs and I'm sure there are very useful for businesses with huge amount of data, but if you're just starting, put your KPIs on an Excel spreadsheet and track them manually, you'll save lots of time.

✅ Adjusting strategies based on performance

It will be necessary to adapt your marketing strategies based on their performance. Regularly reviewing your KPIs will reveal which strategies are working and which ones need tweaking. Perhaps your email marketing campaigns are not yielding the desired open rates, or your social media posts are not garnering enough engagement. By adjusting your strategies based on these insights, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are always in line with your goals.

I think there's a balancing act to be done here in giving each strategy long enough to work and also make tough decisions to stop a strategy when it's not working. I recommend setting an allotted timeframe to experiment with a strategy before you start and don't change your mind after that. For example you could say "We're going to spend £5000 on social media ads over 5 months and if we don't get 500 bookings, then we won't continue"

Target audience analysis: Who are your potential diners?

Understanding who your potential diners are can help you tailor your marketing messages to resonate with them. Are they health-conscious millennials, busy professionals looking for a quick lunch, or families seeking a relaxed dining experience?

By identifying your target market and audience, you can craft marketing messages for target audiences that speak to their needs, preferences, and dining habits.

✅ Creating Detailed Customer Profiles

Creating detailed customer profiles is like having a recipe for understanding your customers. These profiles, also known as buyer personas, include demographic information such as age, income, and location, lifestyle preferences, dining habits and challenges they face when choosing a restaurant. By understanding these details, you can personalise your restaurant's marketing goals and messages to address their specific needs, making your restaurant the preferred choice for your target audience.

✅ Analysing guest data for insights

A savvy marketer extracts insights from guest data. Analysing data such as visit frequency, average spend, and menu preferences can reveal valuable insights into customer behavior. These insights can help you refine your marketing strategies, tailor your marketing calendar to your menu offerings, and even optimise your restaurant operations for a more delightful dining experience. By exploring various restaurant marketing tools and ideas, you can find the perfect approach to enhance your business.

I spoke with Adam Miller about using landing pages to capture customer data and linking that data to a good CRM which will help you create a tailored and bespoke offering for your guests. Imagine going to a restaurant and finding a menu crafted just for you. That’s how your customers should feel when they read your marketing messages. By catering your marketing messages to different customer segments, you can make every customer feel special and valued.

Whether it’s promoting vegan options to health-conscious diners, offering family deals to parents, or suggesting the perfect wine for a romantic dinner, personalised marketing messages can enhance customer engagement and loyalty.

Designing a strategic document: Your restaurant marketing plan

A successful marketer writes a strategic marketing plan meticulously, a marketing plan is the recipe for your restaurant’s success, outlining your mission, objectives, and marketing mix. It provides a roadmap for your marketing efforts, makes sure that they are in line with your business goals and that they resonate with your target audience.

I think it's definitely easy to get bogged down too much in the detail with this type of document, so I would recommend just writing down the key things that will keep you and your marketing team focusses.

✅ Mission statement and business objectives

Your mission statement is the heart of your restaurant’s brand identity. It encapsulates your restaurant’s purpose and the value it brings to its customers. Your business objectives, on the other hand, are the stepping stones that guide your journey towards fulfilling your mission. By clearly defining your mission and objectives, you can align your marketing efforts towards a common goal and measure your progress along the way.

I spoke with Alex Munford on the podcast and he had a fantastic model for creating a mission statement.

✅ SWOT analysis for competitive edge

A successful marketer balances strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) in a restaurant's marketing plan. A SWOT analysis gives you a comprehensive view of your restaurant’s position in the competitive landscape. By using your strengths, addressing your weaknesses, capitalising on opportunities, and mitigating threats, you can carve a unique niche for your restaurant and gain a competitive edge.

But it's not easy to do this, the first step is writing them all done. I recommend doing this exercise with a group of leaders within your business but I find that it works well to brainstorm and discuss ideas - sometimes you might find out for example that a threat could be turned into an opportunity!

✅ A marketing mix that works for your food business

Just as a perfect dish is a blend of the right ingredients in the right proportions, a successful marketing strategy is a mix of the right marketing elements in the right balance. The effective marketing strategy mix includes:

1️⃣ Product 2️⃣ Price 3️⃣ Place 4️⃣ Promotion

This combination is what makes your marketing strategy effective. By tailoring your marketing mix to your business goals and target audience, you can create a restaurant marketing strategy that resonates with your target customers and drives your restaurant’s success.

Budget allocation for optimal impact

A great marketer efficiently allocates resources to create a successful marketing campaign. By allocating your budget effectively, you can maximise the impact of your marketing efforts and get the most bang for your buck.This is often quite hard to get right at first I find, and it may be the case that you are less efficient with your money at the beginning and become more efficient over time.

✅ Determining your marketing budget

You need to consider your total sales, your business goals, and your competition. Industry norms suggest restaurants allocate anywhere from 3% to 10% of their sales toward marketing. By setting a realistic budget, you can ensure you have the necessary resources to carry out your various marketing plans and strategies effectively.

✅ Prioritising high-return activities

By focusing on activities that yield a high return on investment, such as social media marketing and email campaigns, you can ensure your marketing budget is spent wisely and effectively.

✅ Managing costs without compromising quality

It’s important to manage costs without compromising the quality of your efforts. By focusing on cost-effective strategies that deliver results, such as improving your website’s SEO or leveraging social media platforms, you can make the most of your marketing budget without sacrificing impact.

Restaurant marketing strategies

Now we get down to the details. These tactics are different ways that you will spend your resources to speak to potential customers. I recorded a fantastic podcast episode with Mark McCullough who is a very well known restaurant marketer and he outlines five awesome restaurant marketing strategies that you could try.

Here's some online strategies and some offline ones which I would recommend considering.

✅ Building a strong presence on social media

Social media is the bustling marketplace where customers discover new restaurants, share their dining experiences, and engage with their favourite eateries. Building a strong presence on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter not only helps you reach a wider audience but also allows you to engage with your customers on a more personal level.

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✅ SEO for your restaurant website

Search engine optimisation (SEO) or search engine optimisation guides potential customers to your restaurant’s website. By optimising your website with relevant keywords, you can rank higher in search engine results pages, making it easier for potential customers to find you when they’re looking for a great dining experience.

✅ Paid ads for media for greater reach

While having a strong organic online presence is essential, leveraging paid media can give your restaurant the extra boost it needs to stand out in the crowded digital landscape. Paid media, such as sponsored social media posts or Google Ads, can help your restaurant reach a broader audience and drive more traffic to your website.

✅ Email Campaigns

A well-crafted email can capture the reader’s interest. From newsletters that share the latest menu additions and upcoming events to promotional emails that offer special discounts, engaging email can create marketing campaigns that can keep your customers connected with your restaurant and looking forward to their next visit.

Segmenting your email list based on factors like dining frequency, menu preferences, or special occasions allows you to send personalised messages that resonate with each customer, increasing engagement and customer satisfaction.

By tracking metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, you can gain insights into what works and what doesn’t, helping you optimise your future campaigns for better results. Understanding these marketing tactics is essential for success in the now digital marketing world.

✅ Designing a loyalty program that resonates

The best loyalty programs are those that make customers feel valued and appreciated. Whether it’s a points-based program that rewards customers for every dollar spent or a tiered program that offers exclusive benefits to high-spending customers, a well-designed customer loyalty program can strengthen customer relationships and encourage repeat visits.

By promoting your loyalty program on your website, email campaigns direct mail,, other marketing channels, and social media, you can increase program visibility, attract more customers, and drive customer engagement.

✅ Online reviews

Online reviews are a powerful tool for restaurants looking to grow their business. They serve as social proof, influencing potential customers' dining decisions and providing valuable feedback for restaurant owners.

By actively managing and responding to negative reviews getting good reviews on platforms such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google, restaurants can build trust, address concerns, and create a positive online presence that attracts more diners. Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews can also boost a restaurant's reputation and visibility in a crowded marketplace.

✅ Unique events and calendar Occasions

Creating buzz around special occasions is a fantastic way to draw in diners. Here are a few ways to capitalise on sports events and calendar holidays:

When the big game is on, your local restaurant often can become the go-to spot for fans. Offer a themed menu with dishes named after popular players or teams, and don't forget to include shareable snacks perfect for groups cheering on their favourite side.

Halloween isn't just for kids; it's an opportunity for themed dining experiences. Transform your restaurant with spooky decor and create a Halloween-inspired menu. Encourage staff and diners to dress up and offer a discount for those who join in the fun.

For major sports events, set up screens to show the games live. Decorate your restaurant with team colours and memorabilia to create an immersive experience that will attract passionate fans. Beyond sports, calendar events like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and New Year's Eve are perfect for special promotions. Tailor your menu and create an atmosphere that fits the occasion, making your restaurant the place to celebrate.

By aligning your marketing efforts with these events, you can create unique dining experiences that generate excitement, attract new customers, and boost sales.

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✅ Winning awards

Winning awards in the restaurant industry can be a game-changer for your establishment. It's not just about the recognition from peers or the shiny trophy on the mantle; it's about the marketing gold that comes with being an award-winning restaurant.

When you're ready to compete, it's crucial to craft a compelling award submission. This involves showcasing your restaurant's strengths, telling your unique story, and presenting evidence of your exceptional service and culinary achievements. Quality photography, glowing reviews, and a clear articulation of what sets you apart can make your submission stand out.