---
name: restaurant-marketing-plan
description: "Plans restaurant marketing with local SEO, social media content, loyalty programs, and seasonal promotions. Use when growing a restaurant's customer base and revenue."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# 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.
