Facebook Ads For Restaurants – Tips and Tricks for 2025

Operating a restaurant today requires more than just delicious meals. It requires ensuring the right people are able to know about your brand. And let’s be honest, most people are glued to their phones. 

Around 68% of U.S. adults use Facebook. (Pew Research Center).

Therefore, Facebook is the go-to platform for 91% of restaurants to connect with potential customers(MarketingDive). 

And one in three Americans says social media helps them decide. That’s where Facebook ads come in. If you can run a good Facebook ad, you can turn a hungry person into your customer. 

Not only that. It also helps to create a brand. Maybe many people won’t order immediately but with the repeated ad, you can show your brand multiple times. 

And if you can target the right person, he or she will order or come to your store eventually. Therefore facebook ads became one of the best marketing strategies for restaurants. 

But in this crowded market, how will you grab the attention of your potential customers? 

In this guide, we’ll share proven strategies from our experience working with restaurants. 

You’ll learn how to run Facebook ads that fill your tables, increase takeout orders, and keep diners coming back.

Let’s not waste our time and get to work. 

Boosted Posts vs. Restaurant Facebook Ads: Which One Should You Use?

There are two options to promote your business on Facebook- boosted posts and Facebook ads. At a glance, they may seem similar but they have huge differences. Let’s explain.  

What Are Boosted Posts?

Consider a boosted post as enhancing a standard post on the page of your restaurant.

Maybe you’ve posted a picture of your Friday night special that you have. It is getting some likes, but you wish for it to be seen by more people. That’s where a boost comes in, as you are essentially paying Facebook to advertise that post to a larger number of people.

You can create boosted posts quickly and with no hassle. 

Here you can define your preferred target audience using demographic factors such as age and location as well as their interest. In this case, the objective is pretty much clear—you are simply trying to get more engagement on that post.

However, the downside is that it will only be visible on the feeds of your friends or their friends and people living in your vicinity within a target age range.

What Are Facebook Ads?

Facebook advertisements are slightly more advanced because they are not just regular posts with a boost, but promotions that users create using Facebook’s Ads Manager. There are specific trained Ads Manager users. 

Ads are not regular posts and come with more features. 

Unlike regular posts, ads give you more control. You choose the images, text, and customer segments. You can even target people who’ve ordered online before with your loyalty program. All this is possible with Facebook ads.

The biggest difference is you can decide what you want to achieve. For example, more table reservations, leads for future use, more website traffic, launching future events, etc. 

Key Differences Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads

Our Opinion:
If you’re serious about growth, Facebook ads are a better long-term strategy. They give you more control and help you track real results

The Benefits of Facebook Ads for Restaurants

Facebook is more than just a website dedicated to cat memes and vacation pictures. Instead, Facebook can be a great platform to market your restaurants on and attract more diners.

But don’t just take our word for it—93% of marketers worldwide use Facebook for advertising (Statista). That makes it the most popular social media platform for businesses, including restaurants. Therefore, you should be well aware of Facebook marketing. 

A poll from November 2022 revealed that more than 80% of small and medium businesses in America use Facebook to reach customers regularly. (Statista). This number is still increasing because businesses are getting results. 

Restaurant-oriented Facebook ads have been one of the cheapest advertising methods compared to other ways restaurants advertise. Statista reported that, in the food and service industry, Facebook advertisements cost an average of 18 cents per click.

That’s a small price to pay for the chance to fill your tables or boost your takeout orders. Here is another interesting finding from Meta. 

Meta has claimed that with their ad spending, restaurant businesses earned for every dollar spent 2.8 dollars, it is fair to state that those ads did not only perform well, but they beat other traditional channels of services as well. (Facebook). 

In business every dollar counts. And with Facebook ads, you’re not just getting clicks—you’re getting clicks from random people who are likely to convert into paying customers.

Setting the Foundation for a Successful Facebook Ad Campaign

If you make any mistakes in the basic level of your Facebook page that can hurt in the future. 

Think of it like setting the table at your restaurant. 

Here’s how to make sure your foundation is rock solid before you spend a single dollar on ads.

Use High-Quality Visuals to Showcase Your Dishes and Atmosphere 

A hungry consumer will always begin their meal by first appreciating the visual of the food. Hence, you’re more or less already at a disadvantage if the images used in your ads don’t look appealing. 

HubSpot states, ‘US Facebook users engage with such posts 2.3 times more than with those that do not have images, so it is always a plus to have images in the post’.

If you own a Texas barbeque business, it is evident that a brisket should be the highlight of your advertisement. A buxom brisket adds more ‘oomph’ to the barbeque smoke. If the ad is for a pizzeria in New York, pull apart a cheesy slice, and any pizza lover will automatically look for the advertisement.

Video content has also proved to be another striking form of advertisement, so please do not restrict yourself from using it. 

Accurate Information: Ensuring Your Location, Hours, and Menu Are Up-to-Date

Outdated information can be frustrating to potential customers. For example, You are promoting a weekend brunch special, but when people come they find you are not serving that anymore. 

That would create a negative impression.  Please ensure the following along with your Facebook page:

• Have an accurate address so that people can reach you without much trouble.
• If your business hours change, update them and share the info clearly.
• Clearly explain why some menu items are no longer available and highlight which ones are now special offers.

For example, if you manage a Boston-based seafood restaurant. If you’ve just launched a fall lobster roll special. Update your page to reflect a new special on Boston. 

If your business hours change for winter, post a notice clarifying when people are encouraged to come in. Nobody likes arriving on a chilly night and discovering the doors locked.

How to Craft Effective Facebook Ad Campaigns for Your Restaurant

Let’s explore three ad formats that can help your restaurant stand out: Image Ads, Video Ads, and Carousel Ads.

Image Ads

Image advertisements are pretty simple. They allow viewers to immediately see the best aspect of a restaurant, whether it’s a dish or the interior, with just one picture. 

If there is such a thing as high quality, then visuals can vastly increase interest because images are comprehended and remembered faster than any other medium.

Tips for Image Ads:

• Use High-Resolution Photos: Make sure your images are clear and professional.
• Highlight Signature Dishes: Feature your most popular or unique menu items.
• Include a Strong Call-to-Action (CTA): Offer actions like “Order Now” or “Reserve a Table.”

Video Ads

Video ads, on the other hand, provide a more versatile means of describing a restaurant, from culinary skills to marketing an event. 

Generally, their engagement is higher, video advertisement engagement is approximately 1.8 times that of image advertisement engagement.

Tips for Video Ads:

• Keep It Short and Engaging: Aim for videos under 30 seconds.
• Show Behind-the-Scenes Content: Give viewers a glimpse into your kitchen or introduce your chef.
• Add Captions: Many users watch videos without sound; show captions so that they don’t miss the message.

Carousel Ads

With carousel advertisements, you can add several images or videos to a single advertisement with links for each of them. 

This is useful if you want to highlight several dishes on a restaurant’s menu, different features of the restaurant, or if you want to tell a story in a particular order. As identified by Facebook, this type of ad enables you to reduce your cost per conversion as well as your cost per click. (Facebook)

Tips for Carousel Ads:

• Feature Multiple Dishes or Promotions: Show a range of offerings.
• Tell a Story: Use the sequence to narrate a dining experience.
• Ensure Visual Consistency: Keep all carousel cards looking similar for a branded, professional style.

Writing Persuasive Ad Copy That Resonates with Your Target Audience

A good advertising copy is the greatest differentiator on Facebook where the slots are usually booked with ads. That’s why you should write engaging copy to grab the attention of your potential customers. 

Instead of saying, ‘We serve delicious meals,’ say “Would you like to have homestyle meals without cooking? Then come join us on a plate of comfort, we look forward to serving you.” Much better, right?

Emotions aid the growth of the audience. Another example: “A slice of our wonderful chocolate cake can turn your moment into a party and the sweetener of the feast.” Remember, now you are not just selling dessert, but joy as well.

Social proof should also not be ignored. People believe in what people like. Try “Be a part of the thousands of supper-loving who have tasted award-winning clam chowder.” It evokes a sense of validation and trust.

At all times include a definitive CTA. For example, “Don’t get left out; book your table now” or “Why keep waiting? Order now.” Straightforward, uncomplicated, and powerful.

Advertising copy that resonates well with the target audience flows like a discourse. Make it homely, and engaging and center it foremost around the needs of consumers.

15 Tips on Facebook Ads for Restaurants

Target Local Customers with Location-Based Ads

With the use of location-based advertisements, restaurants can pull in customers in their vicinity by offering them something enticing. 

It is also possible to target users with ads by city, and zip code, and by setting a perimeter around the restaurant. All thanks to Facebook’s location-targeting features.

According to Meta, local awareness ads make it possible to improve in-store visits to a maximum of 70%. (Facebook).

Use Retargeting to Bring Customers Back

Retargeting ads can be an effective way to advertise restaurants by serving as a reminder to people. 

They target users who have already shown some interest by visiting the website or engaging with the social media posts, dramatically increasing the chances of interest turning into action. 

Retargeted ads are significantly cheaper than ads aimed at new users, with the ratio being 8 to 1 in favor of retargeted ads.

Expand Reach with Lookalike Audiences

Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences feature is designed to mark and trace people who are likely to buy your products who aren’t already your customers but resemble those who are. It helps you pitch your restaurant to likely users without effort or guesswork. 

It essentially uses the data from the existing audience and analyzes online users matching the audience.

• Take email subscribers or website visitors as a basis.
• Choose a target size between 1% (close match) and 10% (broader).
• Decide on the desired location such as your state or city.
• Find new customers who are known to frequent restaurants similar to yours.

Highlight Unique Dining Experiences in Ads

It’s no secret that people prefer a dining experience that is coupled with a little bit of Originality. Eventbrite has found out that 75% of diners are willing to pay a premium if there’s something unique on offer, with 50% more willing to meet the chef directly.

If you want potential diners to get in touch with your restaurant, make use of Facebook ads, by displaying what makes your restaurant distinct from the competitors. It’s these little things that can set your restaurant apart when compared to your everyday restaurants.

Showcase Restaurant Staff to Build Personal Connections

Using ads that feature your employees on Facebook will help make your restaurant appear welcoming and friendly. 

People relate with people, rather than a business’s logo. So make sure to showcase the human aspects of your business through your chefs, servers, and bartenders.

As an illustration, do a short video where you introduce your chief chef with your team working on meals in the kitchen. 

This will develop a strong sense of trust and make your restaurant less intimidating. Advertising real people will change how diners make their choices, making them more likely to choose your restaurant. 

Encourage people to forge connections, as it builds loyalty and keeps them coming back.

Plan Ad Campaigns Around Seasonal Events and Holidays

People love to eat outside their homes during seasonal events and holidays. So, these times are very important for you to make some extra bucks. Make some special dishes for events and holidays and promote them. 

Plan your ads to promote special menus, festive offers, or themed events to keep your restaurant top-of-mind.

Focus your ads on holidays like Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, or the 4th of July. Highlight festive menus or special events to keep your restaurant top-of-mind when people plan celebrations.

Implement Ad Scheduling to Optimize Engagement Times

Running ads at the right time boosts visibility and engagement. HubSpot’s data shows the best times to post on Facebook are:

• Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m.
• Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Thursdays and Fridays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

You should schedule your ads for different meal times like these: 

• Lunch promos from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Dinner specials from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Weekend offers between 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Host Free Events to Attract New Customers

Free events deliver customers and build a buzz around your restaurant. Running activities such as tastings, cooking demos, or even live music nights will entice people to come in for a meal and help to create bonds. 

For example, a pizza shop could offer free pizza-making classes to market their restaurant to families. 

A seafood place could provide a free oyster-tasting event. Such events create loyal visitors out of one-time customers. 

People tend to remember those times when they had good experiences. Free events can give them the opportunity to come back and invite their friends to check on your restaurant. 

Use Customer Content in Your Ads

When running advertisements, consider using the content made by your customers. Casual photos or videos of happy diners using your services can build a sense of trust amongst potential customers as it gives them an idea of what to expect.

For example, Chipotle often uses images of customers on their social media to market their brand as people tend to believe in actual experiences. 

A TikTok video went viral for Easy Street Burgers in Los Angeles, and as a result, the restaurant witnessed a vast rise in customers.

You should use your Facebook ads to get permission from your customers to use their content on other platforms. By doing so, you could enhance your credibility and attract new customers to your business.

Offer Deals Just for Facebook Fans

By running exclusive campaigns for your Facebook followers, you can easily gain more loyal customers and actively engage them. Everyone enjoys exclusivity, and a “Facebook-only” campaign can be one of the reasons for people to always follow your page.

A good example is the campaign run by Domino rewarding its social media fans with discounts which in turn increased their online business. 

Such offers encourage followers to stay connected with your business and share your page with their friends which helps your restaurant get more customers.

Tailor Promotions to Different Age Groups

Allowing flexibility with the age limit for the types of campaigns you are offering is a great way to increase the number of consumers or the efficacy of your advertising.

• Families with Kids: Introduce “Kids Eat for Free” campaigns during the week to induce parents to less busy periods.
• Young Adults (21-34): Introduce special events like trivia nights or specials on drinks to allow people to come in with groups.
• Adults Over 35: You can organize wine-tasting sessions or simply quiet jazz nights for those who want a peaceful dinner.

Incorporate Customer Testimonials in Advertisements

Including customer reviews of your restaurants in the advertisements assists in attracting people and diners. 

Alan David Custom, located in New York, advertised on Facebook using a customer testimonial that guarantees the best service and quality of the product. 

Showing real reviews of people who were satisfied with the service makes your targeting ads interesting and easy for a new audience.

Launch Contests to Boost Interaction

Competitions are without a doubt one of the things that many people enjoy, and you may want to leverage this trait. Take a look at these excellent content suggestions that you can use.

• Photo Contests: You can encourage your customers to post their dining experience on social media and run a contest where they can win a free meal for the best. 
• Trivia Nights: You can host special events where people join, answer questions on a chosen topic, and win prizes for correct answers.
• Guessing Games: You can organize contests where your followers guess the ingredients or the names of new dishes through photos or descriptions of them.

Look at Ad Data to Improve Campaigns

Looking at your ad data consistently helps you to find out what is effective and what needs to be corrected. Some of these indicators include but are not limited to click-through ratios (CTR) as well as conversion and engagement ratios.

For example, if your CTR is good but not many conversions are achieved, it could signal that your offer or landing page requires some tweaking.

Restaurants can analyze the ad data to fine-tune their targeting, timing, and creative aspects. For instance, if your lunch promotional ad performs better on weekdays than on weekends, then place the ads for the weekdays.

If food photo ads work better than ones that are packed with text, then keep visual aids as a priority. If you conduct frequent data reviews, it makes it easier to manage your spending and improve the results they achieve over the period.

Add Buttons That Lead to More Bookings

CTA buttons help customers take action quickly. They can increase bookings, orders, or inquiries when used effectively in your ads.

Here are buttons your restaurant can use and where they can send users:

• “Book Now” – Send users to your reservation page or online booking platform.
• “Order Food” – Direct to your website’s order page, third-party delivery app, or WhatsApp order link.
• “Call Now” – Connect users directly to your restaurant phone line.
• “Get Directions” – Open Google Maps with your location pre-filled.
• “Send Message” – Start a conversation through Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.
• “Learn More” – Redirect to a landing page with details on promotions or events.

Advanced Facebook Ad Tips for Restaurants

Here are advanced strategies to help improve your restaurant’s Facebook advertising campaign:

Track Conversions Using Facebook Pixel: Place Facebook Pixel on your website to track how visitors engage with your site. For example, if they viewed your menu or made an online booking. This will help you to retarget them and also to accurately gauge the effectiveness of ads.

Utilize Dynamic Ads For Menu Items: Create ads specific to each user based on items they interacted with on your website. For instance, if a user watched your dessert menu, you could serve them an advertisement that promotes dessert.

Utilize Discount Offers With A Time Limit: Run ads with a focus on time-sensitive deals. For example, a “Limited Time Any 2 For 1 Drinks” campaign would work better with a timer to help spur quicker sales.

Target Users Who Have Checked in: Use Facebook’s functionality to send out ads to people who have checked in at, or around your restaurant. It is particularly effective in reactivating the old customers.

Advertise Using Facebook Stories: The engagement generated by Facebook Stories is astonishing. Use this option for short videos, and astonishing ads regarding special offers and upcoming events.

Sell Digital Gift Cards With Ads: Develop ideas for advertisements that sell online gift cards and send them during the festive season. This is an easy way to generate cash flow and new clients when these cards are gifted out.

Send Ads Using Messenger For Reservations: Insert advertisements that allow people to make a reservation through Messenger. It is quick and user-friendly for the users.

Budgeting for Facebook Ads

Many think you need a large budget for Facebook ads, but that’s not true. Restaurants, for example, see an average CPC of just $0.52.

In comparison to its competitors, it is one of the most economical advertising options available. If the money is spent properly, then even a monthly budget that ranges between $100 and $500 can provide good returns.

Your spending should be focused on specific ads that will lead to bookings or orders, or soliciting advertisements. 

Always check on the performance of the advertisement – if it appears to perform well, provide more funds. If it is not producing the desired outcome, consider modifying your strategy. The objective is to make maximum profit from each dollar spent.

Learn more about restaurant marketing budgets. 

Let Abedin Tech Serve Up Your Facebook Ads Strategy

The running of a restaurant is time-consuming, to say the least, with the wide array of making great food and enhancing the experience. You should not have to worry about designing your Facebook ads for perfection either.

Abedin Tech specializes in high-end Facebook advertisement campaigns targeting customers on behalf of restaurants like yours. We offer full digital marketing solutions.

From your ad setup to data analytics to result-based ad enhancement, we do it all in-house. Our goal? To get more customers walking through your doors.

Let us handle promoting your amazing food – and you just sit back and focus on improving your recipes. Ready for more orders and bookings? Feel Free to Contact Us!