For restaurants · Paid ads
Paid ads for restaurants.
Ads can fill a private room, launch a new menu or announce an opening. They cannot fix a listing with wrong hours or a menu nobody can open. That comes first.
Or text (508) 546-9942
The restaurant version
Why it matters.
Advertising a restaurant is nothing like advertising a plumber. Nobody types emergency dinner. Most diners choose from the map, the reviews and the photos, and no ad budget replaces those. Where ads do earn their spend is narrower: private dining and holiday parties, catering, a new location, a seasonal reopening, and retargeting people who looked at the menu and left.
Ads amplify whatever the destination looks like. If the page behind the ad is a slow homepage with a PDF menu, you are paying to show more people the problem, faster. I check the destination first, and if it is not ready, I fix that or I do not start.
What I would build
For a restaurant.
Search campaigns for people already looking for a function room, rehearsal dinner space or catering. Those searches end in a clear booking, which makes them easier to measure honestly.
A page for the holiday party offer or the private dining room, not your home page. What is included, rough capacity, how to inquire, with a form that replies immediately.
Retargeting for the ones who checked the menu or the private events page and left. A reminder while they are still deciding where to book the office party.
A pause rule for when the room is full or December is booked, plus call tracking so you know what a booked event actually cost. Measured to bookings, not clicks.
The mistake I see
Boosting posts and calling it advertising
A boosted burger photo reaches people who were never going to drive over, and the platform reports it as success because they saw it. Reach is not a reservation. Spend should follow a specific thing to book, a specific page to book it on, and a way to count the bookings.
What you get
Paid ads.
Ads amplify whatever is already there. If the page does not convert, ads make you lose money faster.
- Search and call-only campaigns for people already looking
- Retargeting for the ones who bounced
- Landing pages built for the ad, not the home page
- Call tracking so you know what a booked job cost
- A pause rule for when you are booked out
How it goes
For a restaurant, step by step.
→ Keep scrolling. It moves sideways.
Check the destination
If the page is not ready, I fix that first or I do not start.
Start small and local
Tight radius, tight keywords, real budget cap.
Measure to booked work
Not clicks, not impressions. Jobs.
Scale or stop
Both are acceptable outcomes and I will tell you which.
Step five is you.
The free Receipt shows what your restaurant should fix first. About half a minute, no card.
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Questions
What restaurants ask.
Should we run ads to get more diners in on weeknights?
Usually not as the first move. Weeknight traffic comes from regulars, offers and a listing that looks alive. If the offer exists and the profile and site are sound, a small local campaign around it can help. Without those pieces, ads just pay to advertise an empty dining room.
What should our ad budget be?
Small at first, with a hard cap, a tight radius and a clear thing to book. Your ad spend goes to the platform, not to me, and my management fee is separate. After a few weeks of data I tell you whether to scale it or stop. Both are acceptable answers.
Do delivery app promotions count as advertising?
In-app promotions on delivery platforms are a separate system with their own rules and costs, and the decision ties to margins I cannot see from outside. I focus on ads that bring people to you directly, to book, order or inquire, where you own the customer relationship afterward.
What comes after
Pairs well with.
Everything else
Other services for restaurants.
Where I work
Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Start here
See what your customers see.
The Receipt looks your restaurant up the way a customer would and itemizes what is costing you calls. It is free. Or skip it and book fifteen minutes with me.
Or text (508) 546-9942