The Think is a marketing agency for restaurants, bars and cafés. We design restaurant websites, build local SEO, create brands and run social media and ads, so more people find you, like what they see and book a table.

How diners choose where to eat

Most diners search "restaurants near me", check Google Maps, scroll your Instagram and look at your menu before they book. If any of those is missing or out of date, they choose somewhere else. Restaurant marketing is about making each of those moments work.

What we do for restaurants

• Restaurant website design: mobile-first sites with menus, bookings and opening hours front and centre.

• SEO for restaurants: Google Maps, local search and the dishes and occasions people search for.

• Restaurant branding: names, identities and tone of voice for new openings and refreshes.

• Social media, Instagram and TikTok: content and ads that make people hungry.

• Email marketing: launches, events and offers for regulars.

Who we work with

Independent restaurants, bars, cafés and bakeries, new openings, and small groups that want each venue to have its own personality.

How we work

We start with what you need most: more covers midweek, a strong opening, more private dining or a refresh. Then we agree a clear scope and one team delivers it. We work with restaurants across the UK and beyond.

Where restaurant marketing usually breaks down

Most restaurants do not have a marketing problem so much as a consistency problem. The Google listing shows last winter's hours, the menu online is an old PDF and the Instagram grid looks nothing like the room. Diners notice, and they book somewhere that feels more certain.

Good restaurant marketing fixes those gaps before spending on ads. Once every place a diner meets you tells the same story, each pound you spend on promotion works harder.

What a restaurant marketing plan covers

We build plans around the moments that lead to a booking, not around channels for their own sake. A typical plan covers:

• Your Google listing: accurate hours, menu, photos and a booking button, because it is often where diners compare options.

• Your website: a fast menu, a clear route to book and pages for private dining and events.

• Occasions: Christmas, Mother's Day, Sunday lunch and set menus, each planned weeks ahead rather than the week before.

• Your quietest night: one specific idea for the slowest service, such as a supper club, a regulars' night or a set menu.

• Regulars: an email list built with permission and used for launches, events and menu changes.

• Social content: a simple rhythm your team can keep up, showing the food, the room and the people.

For a longer list of things you can start this month, read our guide to restaurant marketing ideas.

Reviews, offers and prices: the rules that apply

A free dessert for a five-star review sounds like harmless marketing, but it breaks Google's Maps contribution policy. The same policy rules out handing review cards only to the tables that clearly had a good night. Any review prompt in your emails, receipts or table cards should go to everyone and offer nothing.

Offers need the same care. If you advertise a set menu, a ticketed event or a deal that carries a compulsory charge, the CMA's guidance on unfair commercial practices says the total price must include any mandatory fees, taxes and charges. Showing a headline price and adding compulsory charges later is prohibited.

Being found when diners search

In a marketing plan, search is the always-on channel that keeps working between campaigns. Each seasonal menu, event or offer should get a page on your site and a post on your Google profile, so people searching for that occasion find it. The detail is on our SEO for restaurants page and in our Google Business Profile guide.

Measuring what fills tables

We track covers and bookings by source, not likes. That means tagged links on your website, social profiles and emails, and regular reviews, on a schedule we agree with you, of which ideas actually moved bookings.

One gap catches many restaurants out. Google's bookings help notes that performance data is not available for custom booking links, so if you use your own link on your profile, we track it through your booking system or tagged links instead.

Timeline and pricing

Foundations such as a new brand or website usually take 4 to 8 weeks. As a guide, brand identity starts from £4,000 and websites from £7,500, and we always give a fixed quote before work starts. Ongoing work such as social, email or ads is scoped after a short call, based on how many venues you have and what you want to achieve.

If you are budgeting for a new site, our guide to how much a website costs in the UK explains what drives the price. For openings led by the brand, see hospitality branding.

See also Google Ads for restaurants and social media for restaurants.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most effective marketing for a restaurant?

For most restaurants, an accurate Google Business Profile, a fast mobile website with the menu and booking link, and consistent social content make the biggest difference.

Can you help with a new restaurant opening?

Yes. We can create the brand, website and launch campaign so you're ready for opening day.

Do you work with restaurant groups?

Yes. We create brand systems and websites that give each venue its own personality while keeping the group consistent.

Can you link our booking system?

Usually, yes. We integrate common restaurant booking systems into the site.

How much does restaurant marketing cost?

It depends on what you need. After a short call we agree a clear scope and quote.

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