# Restaurant Marketing Plan > Plans restaurant marketing with local SEO, social media content, loyalty programs, and seasonal promotions. Use when growing a restaurant's customer base and revenue. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/restaurant-marketing-plan` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/restaurant-marketing-plan` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/restaurant-marketing-plan/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/restaurant-marketing-plan --- # Restaurant Marketing Plan ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Create a comprehensive marketing plan for a restaurant - Plan social media content, local SEO, and community outreach - Design loyalty programs and seasonal promotional campaigns - Build a repeatable marketing calendar for a food business **DO NOT** use this skill for menu design (use menu-design-brief), restaurant operations, or food truck business planning. This is for restaurant marketing strategy. --- ## Core Principle RESTAURANT MARKETING IS LOCAL MARKETING — YOUR NEXT 100 CUSTOMERS ARE WITHIN 5 MILES. FOCUS ON BEING FOUND, BEING CHOSEN, AND BEING REMEMBERED BY YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Restaurant name and concept** | "What is the restaurant and what type of food?" | No default — must be provided | | **Location** | "Where are you located? City, neighborhood." | No default — must be provided | | **Target customer** | "Who is your ideal customer? Age, occasion, dining frequency." | Local professionals, 25-45, dining out 2-3x/week | | **Current marketing** | "What marketing do you do now?" | Social media posts, nothing systematic | | **Budget** | "What is your monthly marketing budget?" | Under $500/month | | **Goals** | "What do you most need? More weekday traffic, higher check average, new customers?" | More weekday dinner traffic | **GATE: Confirm the brief before building the plan.** --- ## Phase 2: Strategy ### Marketing Channel Prioritization | Channel | Effort | Cost | Impact for Restaurants | |---------|--------|------|----------------------| | **Google Business Profile** | Low | Free | Critical — #1 discovery tool | | **Instagram** | Medium | Free-Low | High — food is visual | | **Local partnerships** | Medium | Low | High — community trust | | **Email/SMS marketing** | Medium | Low | High — drives repeat visits | | **Review management** | Low | Free | Critical — influences decisions | | **Loyalty program** | Medium | Low-Medium | High — increases frequency | | **Local SEO** | Medium | Free-Low | High — long-term discovery | | **Paid ads (Meta/Google)** | Medium | $200-500/month | Medium — supplements organic | | **Events and specials** | Medium | Varies | High — creates buzz | | **Food delivery apps** | Low | High (commissions) | Medium — new customers, low margins | Select 4-5 channels based on budget and goals. **GATE: Confirm channel selection before creating the tactical plan.** --- ## Phase 3: Execute ### Google Business Profile Optimization ``` ## Google Business Profile Checklist - [ ] Claimed and verified the listing - [ ] Business name, address, phone are accurate - [ ] Hours updated (including holiday hours) - [ ] Menu uploaded and current - [ ] 20+ high-quality photos (food, interior, exterior, team) - [ ] Business description includes cuisine type and neighborhood - [ ] Attributes selected (dine-in, takeout, delivery, outdoor seating, etc.) - [ ] Google Posts published weekly (specials, events, new menu items) - [ ] Q&A section monitored and answered - [ ] Reviews responded to within 24 hours (all reviews, positive and negative) ``` ### Social Media Content Plan **Posting frequency:** 4-5 posts per week on Instagram | Day | Content Type | Example | |-----|-------------|---------| | Mon | Behind-the-scenes | Kitchen prep, team spotlight | | Tue | Menu highlight | Close-up of a signature dish | | Wed | User-generated content | Repost customer photos | | Thu | Story or Reel | Quick recipe tip, cocktail being made | | Fri | Weekend promotion | Special, event, or seasonal item | **Content rules:** - Every food photo must be well-lit and appetizing (no overhead fluorescent lighting) - Show the people behind the food — customers connect with faces - Use location tags and local hashtags - Respond to every comment and DM within 2 hours - Stories daily (even if posts are less frequent) ### Loyalty Program Design ``` ## Loyalty Program **Structure:** Points-based (1 point per $1 spent) **Rewards:** - 50 points: Free appetizer or dessert - 100 points: $10 off next visit - 200 points: Free entree (up to $25) **Signup incentive:** Free appetizer on first visit after joining **Communication:** Monthly email with points balance and a special offer **Tool:** Square Loyalty, Toast, or simple punch card ``` ### Seasonal Promotions Calendar | Month | Promotion | Type | |-------|-----------|------| | Jan | "New Year, New Menu" launch | New items | | Feb | Valentine's Day prix fixe | Special event | | Mar | St. Patrick's Day / March Madness | Themed specials | | Apr-May | Patio season opening | Seasonal | | Jun | Summer cocktail menu launch | New items | | Jul | "Christmas in July" or local festival tie-in | Community | | Aug | Back-to-school family deals | Value | | Sep | Fall menu launch | Seasonal | | Oct | Oktoberfest / Halloween | Themed | | Nov | Thanksgiving catering pre-orders | Catering | | Dec | Holiday parties, gift cards | Gifting + events | --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Review Management Strategy - **Goal:** Respond to 100% of reviews within 24 hours - **Positive reviews:** Thank them, mention something specific, invite them back - **Negative reviews:** Acknowledge, apologize, offer to make it right offline - **Ask for reviews:** Train staff to ask happy customers to leave a Google review - **Never:** Argue publicly, offer compensation in public replies, or ignore reviews ### 2. Marketing Metrics ``` ## Monthly Marketing Metrics - **Google Business Profile views:** Are people finding you? - **Instagram followers and engagement rate:** Is your audience growing? - **New vs. returning customers:** Are you attracting new guests? - **Covers per week:** Overall traffic trend - **Average check size:** Revenue per guest - **Loyalty signups per month:** Is the program growing? - **Review count and average rating:** Reputation health - **Email/SMS list size:** Owned audience growth ``` ### 3. Quality Checklist ``` ## Restaurant Marketing Plan Checklist - [ ] Google Business Profile fully optimized with photos, menu, and hours - [ ] Social media posting schedule created (4-5 posts/week) - [ ] Content types diversified (food, behind-the-scenes, UGC, promotions) - [ ] Loyalty program designed with clear rewards structure - [ ] Seasonal promotions mapped for 12 months - [ ] Review response protocol in place (24-hour response time) - [ ] Email or SMS list being built with signup incentive - [ ] Local partnerships identified (businesses, events, influencers) - [ ] Monthly marketing metrics tracked - [ ] Marketing budget allocated by channel ``` --- ## Example **Restaurant:** Modern Mexican, neighborhood bistro in Austin **Instagram post (Taco Tuesday):** "Birria tacos are back every Tuesday. Slow-braised beef, melted Oaxacan cheese, and consomme for dipping. $12 for three. First come, first served — we sold out by 7:30 last week. [Photo of tacos with steam rising] #AustinEats #BirrriaTacos #TacoTuesday" **Google Post:** "NEW: Spring cocktail menu is here. Mezcal margarita, hibiscus paloma, and a non-alcoholic agua fresca flight. Available now — dine in or on the patio." --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Posting only food photos** — variety matters. Show the team, the atmosphere, the customers, the process. People connect with stories, not just plates. - **Ignoring Google Business Profile** — more people find restaurants through Google Maps than Instagram. Optimize your profile before anything else. - **Discounting instead of adding value** — "50% off" devalues your brand. "Free dessert with entree" adds perceived value without cutting prices. - **No email or SMS list** — social media algorithms change. Your email list is the only audience you own. - **Responding to negative reviews defensively** — arguing online always makes the restaurant look bad, even when you are right. --- ## Recovery - **Low social media engagement:** Audit photo quality first. Then try Reels and Stories — video content gets 3-5x more reach than static photos. - **Few Google reviews:** Print QR code table tents linking to the review page. Ask servers to mention reviews after positive interactions. - **Weekday traffic is low:** Create a weekday-only promotion (Taco Tuesday, Wine Wednesday). Market it heavily on social and email. - **No marketing budget:** Focus on free channels — Google Business Profile, Instagram, and asking for reviews. These three cost nothing and drive the most restaurant traffic. --- > Source: [Salah-XD/equipt](https://github.com/Salah-XD/equipt) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).