Marketing is often the last priority because it’s never urgent until it’s a crisis
In the restaurants industry, we’re all professional firemen. When the walk-in dies or a line cook no-shows, you’re on it in seconds. But while you’re busy playing hero in the kitchen, your brand is a slow-motion train wreck.
Marketing always falls to the bottom of the list because it doesn’t scream for attention—until the dining room is a ghost town on a Thursday and you’re wondering how you’re going to make payroll. By then, you’re not “marketing”; you’re panicking.
There’s an old joke: You can always tell a restaurant operator, but you can’t tell them much. Prove the joke wrong. Stop trying to save a nickel while losing a dollar. If you want results, stop the DIY amateur hour and start acting like a business owner.
1. Your Menu is a Liability
If you’re getting your menu “free” from a food distributor or you’re hacking it together on a cheap DIY site, it is failing you. Distributors design menus to move their inventory, not to maximize your profit.
A menu without professional engineering is just a list of food with prices. If your high-margin items aren’t strategically placed where the eye naturally lands, you are literally leaving money on the table every time a guest sits down. That “free” menu is the most expensive mistake you’re making.
2. Social Media: Consistency or Death
Posting “when you have a spare minute” is the same as not posting at all. If you aren’t visible, you don’t exist.
You need a hard-and-fast calendar. We’re talking at least 5 posts per week. No excuses. You need high-res photos, engaging video, and copy that actually sells the experience, backed by the right hashtags. If your feed looks like an afterthought, your customers will treat your restaurant like one.
3. Your Website is a Ghost Ship
Most restaurant websites are SEO nightmares. If a local customer searches for “best dinner near me” and you aren’t on the first page, you lost the sale before it even started.
If your site isn’t optimized, or if your menu is a clunky PDF that people have to pinch-and-zoom to read on a phone, they’re leaving. You need expert support to fix the backend so Google actually knows you exist and customers can actually find you.
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