As a restaurant business owner, you wear many hats. From looking into accounts, planning custom relationship management, to promoting your restaurant, there is a lot to do. With this overload of tasks, it’s easy to feel stretched thin. All of this can make a huge impact on the critical decisions you take for your restaurant business, as they are being made on the fly. Amidst all this, marketing can often become a reactive playground where you feel tempted to jump on every trend that possibly catches your attention. You spot a creative trend going all over social media and decide to take on the challenge, thinking it would create hype for your business. A meme war begins on the internet, and you are eager to join in.
While these experiments seem harmless, as they come across as entertaining sometimes, you tend not to realize the extent of repercussions these spontaneous moves can have on your brand image. And that’s a common restaurant marketing mistake that nearly every restaurant business has definitely made. But don’t worry, as experienced marketers, we’re here to lead the way, helping you avoid the restaurant marketing mistakes you need to avoid in 2025. Let’s get started!
Common Restaurant Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Marketing is not rocket science, but if you don’t do the math right, the aftermath won’t be alright. In this section, we will talk about the things you need to subtract from your marketing strategy right away :
1. Not Having a Specific Audience in Mind
Food is non-discriminatory. We get it. But it is wrong to assume everyone is your audience.
While it is true that restaurants serve a broad spectrum of customers, you still should not rely on assumptions. Because casting too wide a net without focusing on who you truly resonate with can dilute your messaging and waste your resources. Let us understand this with the help of an example.
If you have a cozy cafe in a metropolitan area, your target audience must be tech professionals who appreciate craft coffee and a trendy neighbourhood vibe, or maybe tourists and professionals looking for a hip spot to grab a coffee.
On the other hand, if you have a breakfast spot in Downtown Toronto, you must be focusing on busy professionals and families as well, who want a quick, delicious breakfast to start their day.
And if you are a street food business, your target audience must be locals shopping at the market, foodies looking for casual eats, and people craving affordable yet tasty street food.
If you are serving authentic flavours like Arabian shawarma or halal chicken in a multicultural city like Calgary, you must appeal to food lovers interested in global cuisines, ethnic communities appreciating those flavours, and locals looking for a taste adventure.
Now you see the difference that food is for everyone, but restaurants are of different types; they don’t just serve different food but also cater to different audiences. So that’s why it is very important to have a specific audience in your mind. Understanding who you are serving helps you craft messages that actually connect you with your audience. It helps you use your resources effectively and build a loyal customer base.
2. Not knowing which platforms your target audience is mostly on
Now, another common mistake many restaurant businesses make is that they don’t know where their customers are most active online. Let’s say your customers love eating at your restaurant, but you are not reaching out to them with special offers, loyalty programs, or event updates on the platforms they use the most. If you are talking to random people on social media instead of focusing on your own customers, you are not using your time well.
Being on the right platforms, like Instagram for photos, Facebook for updates, or email for special deals, helps restaurants connect with people. It’s about being where your customers are and talking to them about things they’ll like. Different customers use different platforms, so find where yours are and connect with them there. This helps restaurants do better marketing and build happier customers.
To send the right message to the right customer on the right platform, it is a good idea to use tools that help manage your customers, like CRM systems. Or you can work with marketing agencies that can do this kind of marketing for you. They have analytical tools that help them learn about customers and their behaviour. Using this information, they can create personalized content like telling your customers about deals on food they like, or events they will enjoy at your restaurant, like Live band performances or stand-up shows. This makes customers feel special about your place.
Using these tools helps you:
- Talk to customers in a way that feels personal.
- Send messages that fit what they like.
- Make loyal customers feel valued.
3. Jumping on Every Social Media Trend
Now, let’s talk about how restaurants jump on social media trends these days without thinking much. Sometimes, restaurant owners think it will make them popular, but it does not always work the way they plan. Every restaurant has its own style and way of communicating with people. If they do something that does not fit who they are, it can feel awkward to customers.
So how do restaurants join trends without getting into trouble? It is about doing things that match your personality and values. You should fit the trend to your restaurant’s own identity. Before finalizing the content, you must think about how your customers will perceive what you are doing. You should ask yourself if the trend fits what their restaurant stands for and if it will connect with their customers in a positive manner. Besides that, being authentic is also important. Your participation in a trend should feel natural and true to your brand.
Sometimes restaurants work with marketing professionals who have a lot of knowledge about social media. These experts can help decide what is a good idea and what is not appropriate. For example, if something serious or sensitive is happening in the country, they might advise, “Perhaps it is not the right time to post something humorous or light-hearted.” Because if they do, people might think they are not caring about what is going on, and that can hurt the restaurant’s reputation.
Looking for experts to guide your restaurant strategy
We help food businesses share their story and connect with customers. We have helped various celebrated restaurants in North America, including ChickQueen, Chaska, and more
We don’t apply the generic formula in your project. We believe in listening to your needs and goals. And that’s how we create content that feels right for you. From creating chart-busting social media content to writing highly professional and caring personalised emails, we know how to adapt and how to do it the right way that gets you results.
We have helped businesses create loyalty programs. We make websites feel friendly. We are just a bunch of professionals who are good at finding what works for you and your customers.
Whether you have a busy restaurant or a cosy cafe, we would love to chat about how we can help highlight what makes your place special. Let us talk about your business and see how we can work together to connect with the people who will love your food and space.
