90% of guests in the UK research a restaurant before they visit. Your potential customers check you out online before they walk through your door.
The numbers tell an interesting story - 33% of restaurants don't invest in social media ads, missing out on a huge chance to grow. Research shows that 45% of diners have tried new restaurants just because they saw them on social platforms.
Social paid advertising can feel overwhelming at first. Facebook alone has 3 billion monthly active users and many ad formats to pick from. Restaurants typically spend 3-6% of their revenue on marketing, but the real question is: are they spending their money wisely?
Let's walk through the steps to create profitable social media advertising campaigns for your restaurant. We'll show you how to pick the right platforms, manage your budget, and create ads that turn casual scrollers into real customers sitting at your tables.
Why Restaurants Need Paid Social Ads
Social media platforms have become essential tools for restaurant marketing and changed how dining establishments connect with their target audience. A good understanding of today's market and smart use of paid advertising can help restaurants thrive instead of just surviving in this competitive industry.
Current market challenges
Restaurants face tough challenges when they try to reach and connect with customers. The social media world has changed a lot. It gives restaurants new tools but also creates complex problems. The post-pandemic world has made digital competition fiercer. Restaurants now compete with traditional dining places and face competition from home delivery services and recipe boxes.
The UK restaurant sector has grown remarkably. The number of establishments jumped from 63,000 in 2008 to more than 100,000 in 2022. Industry forecasts suggest more than 4,500 sites might close by 2026. This fierce competition means restaurants need smarter ways to attract and keep customers.
Digital-first customers have changed how restaurants need to market themselves. Traditional marketing methods are not enough anymore. Social media platforms have become the main places where people find and check out dining options.
Benefits of paid advertising
Paid social advertising gives restaurants several strong advantages to boost their market presence. Restaurants can use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to reach specific groups of people in certain areas. This targeted approach helps them spend their marketing budget wisely.
Social media advertising strongly affects customer choices. Research shows that 45% of people have tried a new restaurant just because they saw it on social platforms. This fact shows how paid social media can bring real customers through the door.
Paid advertising also gives restaurants useful data to check how well their campaigns work. They can track things like engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to make their marketing strategy better.
Marketing experts suggest new restaurants should spend between £238.25 and £397.08 monthly on social advertising. This amount helps reach enough people without too much financial risk. Most restaurants spend 3%-6% of their revenue on marketing. About 33% still don't use social media ads. Smart restaurants can use this gap to get ahead of their competition.
Paid social advertising helps restaurants:
Get quick attention for time-sensitive deals
Connect with customers during prime dining times
Take bookings directly through linked reservation systems
Build their brand with targeted messages
Restaurants should update their social media ads every 4-6 weeks. Fresh content keeps target audiences interested and prevents them from getting tired of seeing the same ads.
Social media platforms have added features that work well for restaurants. Facebook business extensions help places get more guests and increase revenue through direct booking options. Instagram's visual focus lets restaurants show off their food and atmosphere through different ad types like stories, reels, and carousel posts.
Choosing Your Ad Strategy
Building a paid social advertising strategy that works needs you to think about different ad formats and platforms. Your restaurant's goals should line up with the right options to substantially affect your campaign results.
Different types of restaurant ads
The success of restaurant advertising depends on picking the right ad format for what you want to achieve. Instagram gives you several ways to involve viewers, from Stories ads and Reels ads to image ads, video ads, and boosted posts. These formats let restaurants show off their food and atmosphere in creative ways.
Videos are especially powerful, with approximately 50% of social media users choosing video over other content types. Restaurants do best with short videos under 30 seconds that include voice-overs. You should put your best content in the first three seconds to grab people's attention right away.
User-generated content (UGC) plays a key role in restaurant advertising. Research shows 80% of restaurant-goers say UGC heavily affects their choice of where to eat. So many restaurants now work together with UGC creators to make authentic content that appeals to potential customers.
You'll need to update your creative assets every 4-6 weeks for paid promotions across platforms. This keeps your content fresh and helps maintain your audience's interest.
Platform selection guide
Your target audience and business goals will determine the best social media platforms for your paid ads. Each platform brings something different to the table:
Facebook is the life-blood of social advertising with about 3 billion active monthly users. The platform's detailed targeting helps restaurants reach potential customers based on who they are, what they like, and how they behave. Its business features aid guest acquisition and help propel development through direct booking options.
Instagram works really well for restaurants because it's all about visuals. Most users are 18-34 years old, which makes it perfect for connecting with younger crowds. You can showcase your restaurant's vibe and menu items through various ad formats, from Stories to Reels.
TikTok has grown fast, especially with younger audiences who spend around 90 minutes daily on the app. It's great for short videos where you can show off your cooking skills, give behind-the-scenes peeks, and preview your menu in fun ways.
When picking your platform mix, plan to spend between £238.25 and £397.08 monthly on social media ads. This budget lets you reach enough people while keeping your financial risks in check. Start small to test different approaches before scaling up what works best.
Here's what you should do to get the best results:
Check platform demographics to match your target audience
Try different ad formats to see what works best
Keep track of engagement metrics to improve campaigns
Use platform-specific features like Facebook's booking tools or Instagram's food ordering stickers
A successful paid social advertising strategy needs balance across platforms, fresh creative content, and close attention to performance metrics. Smart platform choices and careful campaign execution will help restaurants reach their target audience and drive real results.
Building Your Ad Creative Library
Creating compelling ad content needs a mix of authentic user-generated content (UGC), professional videos, and brand assets you can reuse. A well-laid-out creative library will give restaurants the power to keep their messaging consistent across social platforms and make the most of their ad budget.
UGC video content creation
User-generated content has become one of the most powerful tools in restaurant advertising. Statistics show that 79% of consumers trust UGC more than traditional advertising content. Restaurants need a strong UGC strategy to build credibility with potential diners.
Joli helps UK hospitality businesses connect with micro-influencers. These creators make authentic content in exchange for dining experiences. This system removes common issues like outreach fatigue and coordination. The content creation process becomes smoother.
Your UGC videos should focus on:
Real customers sharing their dining experiences
Kitchen preparation scenes
Natural reactions to signature dishes
The restaurant's atmosphere and vibe
Polished video shoots
Professional videos add sophistication to your ad library. Industry experts say food-focused content and restaurant profiles are two main video concepts that appeal to audiences.
Food-focused content should include:
Camera shots from above or at 45-degrees to display dishes
Good lighting that shows food at its best
Filming scheduled during quiet hours
Expert food styling for the best look
Restaurant profile videos need:
Staff interviews
Daily operation footage
Customer reviews
Shots that capture your space's atmosphere
A food stylist can help make your dishes look amazing on camera. You can also plan photo sessions during video shoots to build your asset library quickly and efficiently.
Branded Visual Assets and Photography for Hospitality
Strong visual branding is critical in hospitality. Restaurants rely on consistent and appealing visuals to attract customers online and set clear expectations about their dining experience. A carefully curated library of branded visual assets ensures your social media advertising resonates with potential guests and enhances your brand’s authenticity.
Your restaurant’s branded visual assets should include:
Signature Dish Photography: High-quality, professionally styled images highlighting your restaurant’s unique dishes.
Interior and Atmosphere Shots: Authentic, inviting photos capturing your restaurant’s environment, decor, and ambiance.
Staff and Behind-the-Scenes Imagery: Candid, engaging images of your team at work, adding personality and approachability to your brand.
Lifestyle Imagery: Photos illustrating the overall experience, showcasing happy customers and vibrant dining scenes.
Consistent Editing Style: Standardised filters and editing presets to ensure visual cohesion across all your promotional content.
Using hospitality-specific digital asset management systems can streamline your workflow, helping you easily organise, locate, and share images for social media and advertising campaigns.
Regularly refresh visual assets every 4-6 weeks to maintain audience engagement and prevent content fatigue:
Plan seasonal photoshoots highlighting seasonal menu items or events
Build an evergreen library of visuals ready for frequent use
Clearly label and categorise photos for easy, efficient retrieval
Combining branded photography with professional videos and authentic user-generated content (UGC) ensures your restaurant’s digital presence remains fresh, appealing, and consistently drives bookings.
Platform-Specific Ad Techniques
Social media platforms give restaurants different ways to advertise and reach their customers. Each platform has its own special features that help restaurants create ads that appeal to potential diners.
Instagram ad formats
Instagram's visual-first approach makes it perfect for showing off food. The platform gives restaurants several ways to catch people's attention and get them to take action.
Stories ads show up between users' stories and fill the entire screen. These ads play automatically, and users can like, comment, share, and follow the restaurant right away. Carousel ads let restaurants show up to 35 shots, which could give customers a good look at what's on the menu.
Instagram’s visual-first approach makes it ideal for restaurant advertising. Effective formats include:
Stories Ads: Full-screen immersive experiences ideal for limited-time promotions.
Reels Ads: Short, engaging videos showcasing dishes or behind-the-scenes content.
Carousel Ads: Multiple images or videos highlighting menu variety or special events.
Boosted Posts: Quickly boost organic content for enhanced reach.
Facebook ad formats
Facebook gives restaurants many ways to reach new customers through its strong advertising platform. The platform has three main campaign goals:
Awareness campaigns that focus on reaching more people
Consideration campaigns that build relationships through traffic, video views, and community engagement
Conversion campaigns that drive specific actions such as online bookings, table reservations, or voucher redemptions
Facebook ranks ads based on how relevant they are compared to other campaigns. Restaurants can choose between two main bidding strategies: Cost Cap and Maximum Delivery. Cost Cap lets them set specific cost-per-action goals, though spending might vary. Maximum Delivery aims to get the most conversions within a set budget and time.
TikTok ad formats
TikTok has changed social media advertising with its short-form videos. Restaurants can use several types of ads on the platform:
In-feed video ads blend naturally into users' For You feed. These 9 to 15-second ads tend to drive high engagement as users can like, comment, and share them just like organic content.
TopView ads grab attention by playing right when someone opens TikTok. These 60-second, full-screen videos play automatically with sound, making them perfect for showcasing a restaurant’s food, atmosphere, and experience.
Branded Effects allow restaurants to create custom stickers, filters, and interactive elements that users can add to their videos—boosting engagement and increasing organic reach.
TikTok Spark Ads: The Best Way to Boost UGC & Influencer Content
Unlike traditional TikTok ads, Spark Ads allow restaurants to boost existing organic TikTok posts—either from their own account or from influencers, creators, or happy customers. This format keeps all the original engagement (likes, comments, shares), making it feel more native and trusted than a standard ad.
💡 Example: A Joli food influencer posts a TikTok about their experience at your restaurant. Instead of just resharing it, you request a Spark Ad Code from them and boost it as an ad, ensuring it reaches more potential diners while keeping its organic engagement.
Managing Ad Budgets Effectively
Budget management is the life-blood of successful social paid advertising campaigns for restaurants. Restaurants need to understand minimum investment thresholds, budget allocation strategies, and ROI calculations to maximise their advertising results.
Minimum budgets (and conversions)
Starting budget is a vital factor for restaurants that want to advertise on social media. Industry experts suggest spending between £238.25 and £397.08 monthly for original social media campaigns. This range helps reach enough people without too much financial risk.
Typical CPC rates for restaurant-focused Facebook and Instagram campaigns in the UK range between £0.50 and £1.50, depending on competition and targeting specificity.
Restaurants must track these key metrics for conversion:
Number of total clicks
Number of unique clicks
Confirmed online table bookings
Direct reservation confirmations
Voucher and promotional offer redemptions
Booking enquiries through ad links or reservation systems
Daily vs lifetime budgets
Social media platforms let you choose between daily and lifetime budgets. Each option has unique advantages for restaurant marketing campaigns.
Daily budgets create consistent spending patterns that make financial planning easier. Facebook tries to spend your entire daily amount, whatever the performance. This works best for:
Evergreen campaigns without specific end dates
Campaigns that need regular budget adjustments
Establishments wanting predictable daily exposure
Lifetime budgets give you more flexibility in spending distribution. Facebook adjusts daily spending based on performance with this option. It spends more during high-engagement periods and less during quiet times. This method helps with:
Time-sensitive promotions
Campaigns with fixed total budgets
Restaurants needing specific ad scheduling
ROI calculation methods
ROI measurement helps ensure your marketing spend gets real results. Two main formulas help restaurants calculate their marketing ROI:
Formula 1: ROI = (Net return on investment / Cost of investment) × 100%
Formula 2: ROI = (Final value of investment - Initial value of investment) / Cost of investment × 100%
Industry measures suggest a 500% marketing ROI (or 5:1 ratio) shows successful campaign performance. Results above this are exceptional, while numbers closer to 200% mean you should review your strategy.
Here's a real example: A restaurant's coupon campaign brings in £555.91 in revenue, with marketing costs of £79.42 and cost of goods at £119.12. The ROI calculation would be: (£555.91 - (£79.42 + £119.12)) / £79.42 × 100 = 500%
Restaurants should look at indirect benefits when checking ROI:
Increased website traffic and brand recognition
One-time customers becoming repeat visitors
Growth in social media following and engagement
Restaurants can optimise their budget management by:
Tracking spending and measuring ROI regularly
Adjusting budgets based on campaign performance data
Keeping a 5-10% buffer for unexpected opportunities
Updating ad creatives every 4-6 weeks to avoid audience fatigue
Testing and Improving Campaigns
Social paid advertising campaigns need systematic testing and constant fine-tuning. Restaurants can boost their advertising results and get better returns through evidence-based testing and analysis.
A/B testing fundamentals
A/B testing (split testing) lets restaurants compare two ad versions to see which works better. You create different versions of one element while keeping everything else the same.
Key elements suitable for A/B testing include:
Ad headlines and copy
Visual content and imagery
Call-to-action buttons
Landing page layouts
Promotional offers
Your A/B tests need enough samples to be statistically meaningful. The restaurant industry standard suggests a confidence level of 95% or above to verify test results. Running tests one at a time helps you understand which changes actually affect performance.
The quickest way to make A/B testing work:
Define clear objectives before testing
Test only one variable at a time
Run tests simultaneously to maintain consistency
Allow sufficient time for meaningful results
Let data guide your decisions
Creative refresh strategies
Fresh, engaging content is crucial for long-term advertising success. Research shows restaurants should update their ad creatives every 4-6 weeks. This keeps the audience interested and engaged. Regular updates help content stay relevant and compelling.
Effective creative refresh strategies include:
Content Rotation Create multiple ad versions to rotate throughout campaigns. This keeps your audience interested and shows which creative elements strike a chord.
Seasonal Updates Line up creative refreshes with seasonal changes, holidays, and special events. This makes your content relevant and takes advantage of seasonal dining trends.
Performance-Based Modifications Make use of information from previous campaigns to update creatives. Looking at successful elements helps restaurants improve future campaigns.
Performance analysis
Detailed performance analysis helps restaurants make smart advertising decisions. Studies show restaurants using evidence-based marketing strategies get 72% more website visits.
Essential metrics for performance analysis include:
Engagement Metrics
Engagement rate: 3-5% represents industry benchmark
Click-through rate: 2-3% indicates strong performance
Conversion rate: 2-3% suggests effective campaign optimisation
Cost Metrics
Cost per click: £0.79-2 average range
Cost per acquisition: Should remain below £7.94
Cost per thousand impressions: £1.59-£7.94 benchmark
Careful tracking of these metrics reveals areas needing improvement. Google Analytics and platform-specific dashboards give you up-to-the-minute data analysis.
The best results come from regular performance reviews that examine:
Campaign objectives versus actual results
Cost efficiency and budget utilisation
Audience response and engagement levels
Conversion rates and return on investment
Without doubt, analytics tools help you learn about customer behaviour and measure campaign success. Regular metric monitoring helps restaurants make evidence-based decisions to boost their social paid advertising and drive better results.
Conclusion
Social media advertising has become crucial for modern restaurant success. A remarkable 45% of diners visit new restaurants after seeing social media content. Restaurants can turn casual browsers into loyal customers with the right platform choices, steady content creation, and smart budget management.
Your restaurant just needs fresh, engaging content to make campaigns work. Smart restaurant owners now use specialised platforms that make the process easier instead of dealing with creator outreach and content management hassles. These affordable solutions deliver custom videos for your brand. Top creators shoot content that matches your vision, and you retain full usage rights.
Your success depends on watching key metrics, analysing performance regularly, and allocating budgets wisely between £238.25 and £397.08 monthly. New ad creatives should refresh every 4-6 weeks. Track ROI steadily and adjust strategies based on what the data shows. Your restaurant can thrive in the competitive digital world when you combine these guidelines with authentic, engaging content.
FAQs
Q1. How can restaurants effectively use social media advertising? Restaurants can leverage social media advertising by creating engaging content, targeting the right audience, and using platform-specific features. Focus on showcasing your menu items, atmosphere, and special offers through high-quality visuals and videos. Regularly refresh ad creatives every 4-6 weeks to maintain audience interest and prevent ad fatigue.
Q2. What budget should restaurants allocate for social media advertising? Experts recommend allocating between £238.25 and £397.08 monthly for initial social media campaigns. This range ensures sufficient reach without excessive financial risk. As you gain experience and see results, you can adjust your budget based on performance data and return on investment.
Q3. Which social media platforms are most effective for restaurant advertising? The most effective platforms depend on your target audience and business objectives. Instagram is particularly useful for its visual nature, while Facebook offers sophisticated targeting options. TikTok is growing rapidly, especially among younger audiences. Consider using a mix of platforms to maximise your reach and engagement.
Q4. How can restaurants measure the success of their social media advertising? Track key metrics such as engagement rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate. Industry benchmarks suggest a 3-5% engagement rate, 2-3% click-through rate, and 2-3% conversion rate indicate strong performance. Also, monitor cost metrics like cost per click and cost per acquisition to ensure efficient budget utilisation.
Q5. What type of content works best for restaurant social media advertising? Video content is particularly effective, with short-form videos under 30 seconds performing exceptionally well. Showcase your menu items, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and restaurant atmosphere. User-generated content is also powerful, as 80% of restaurant-goers say it significantly influences their dining decisions. Regularly update your content to keep it fresh and engaging.
