The Ultimate Cheat Sheet: 6 Zero-Cost Restaurant-Marketing Strategies
It’s often said that the best things in life come free. But when it comes to marketing, many restaurant owners feel like they need to invest heavily to get real results. Marketing your restaurant or bar is essential to staying competitive and getting bums on seats. The good news? It doesn’t always have to break the bank—restaurants can attract more customers and boost bookings without spending a cent.
Read on for our six most effective free marketing strategies to help your restaurant thrive.
1. Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Google is the first place customers go when searching for restaurants. If your profile isn’t optimised, your competitors’ will be—meaning you’re missing out on potential customers.
If you haven’t set up your Google Business Profile, that’s the first step. It’s quick, easy, and ensures you show up in local search results. Once it’s live, keep key details like your opening hours, menu, and contact information updated. The more information you provide, the easier it is for customers to find what they need.
Next, upload high-quality photos of your restaurant and dishes- people eat with their eyes first.
Finally, encourage happy customers to leave reviews. Positive feedback builds trust, and many customers look for third-party validation before choosing where to dine. Reviews below 4 stars can have a significant impact, so it's important to respond to negative feedback and, when possible, take the conversation offline to resolve any issues. Replying to reviews (both good and bad) also improves your ranking and trust factor.
Read our complete guide on optimising your Google My Business Profile here.
2. Leverage Social Media the Right Way
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can get eyes on your restaurant without spending a cent. Just make sure you stay up to date with the latest trends to boost your chances of hitting each platform’s algorithm and watch your results skyrocket.
There are countless strategies, but here are some quick tips: if you need to boost followers, giveaways are your best friend. If you want to engage customers, create compelling storytelling content. To optimise your posts, use features like hashtags and location tagging.
Stay consistent, make your content fun and authentic, and always interact with your audience to build a strong online presence. Follow this link for more social tips and insights.
3. Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC)
People trust real customers more than they trust you. Every restaurant believes in its product, but hearing it from real diners shows potential customers an authentic experience—without a rose-tinted lens.
To encourage UGC, make your restaurant Instagrammable with great lighting, cool plating, or neon signs. Add an interactive or shareable element—maybe a big red button in the toilets that plays ABBA or a signature dessert like tiramisu served from a drawer. Run a UGC challenge like “Snap a pic of your dish & tag us to win a free meal.”
If UGC is slow to roll in, try featuring customer reviews and photos in your Stories with a thank-you shoutout. This adds third-party validation and builds customer loyalty.
4. Partner with Other Businesses for Cross-Promotion
Partnering with other businesses is a great way to bring in new customers by tapping into each other’s audiences. Try collaborations with other restaurants, bars, coffee shops, gyms, fitness studios, hotels, travel services, fashion brands, or retail stores.
Think bar takeovers, a fashion show at your venue, or even a collaborative event. You can also offer a staff discount for nearby businesses and hospitality workers or simply cross-promote each other to raise brand awareness and build strong local connections.
5. Build an Email List and Actually Use It
Email is one of the highest-converting free marketing tools, yet many restaurants overlook it.
Start by collecting emails through your booking system, website, WiFi login, or POS. You can also gather in-person sign-ups, like a VIP club with exclusive perks. Quality over quantity is key- you’d rather have 1,000 true fans than 10,000 disengaged contacts.
And don’t just use emails to sell. Mix in storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, and customer highlights to keep your audience engaged and loyal.
6. Get Featured in Local Food Blogs & Media
Getting mentioned by food bloggers and local media can do wonders for your visibility.
Find local bloggers and journalists who cover restaurants and invite them in for a meal - the small cost of covering their food is nothing compared to the exposure you’ll gain. Brief them beforehand so they highlight what makes your restaurant special. Small details make a big impact, like mentioning that your chef trained in a small village in France. A single well-placed feature can bring in thousands of dollars in bookings.
