Are You Missing These Restaurant Marketing Opportunities?

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Audit your marketing with our AI prompt, plus a simple way to generate more local referrals.

Chris Towland

Aug 20, 2026

From Chris Towland

Hi,

Welcome to today's Restaurant Owner Intel.

Today, we’re looking at two marketing questions that are easy to overlook when you’re busy running a restaurant.

First, is your marketing actually earning the money you spend on it? We look at how to judge your marketing by real customer actions rather than likes and visibility - and there’s a practical AI prompt in the article to help you review your own marketing activity.

We’re also looking at a much more local opportunity: hotel referrals. If there are hotels nearby, their staff may be speaking to potential customers looking for somewhere to eat every day. A few simple relationships could help send more of those guests your way.

Two very different approaches, but the same objective: make your marketing work harder and bring more customers through the door.

I hope you find this issue useful.

Chris

Featured Articles

Is Your Restaurant Marketing Actually Earning Its Budget?

Many restaurant owners rely on instinct or tradition to choose their marketing channels, prioritising visibility or peer pressure over real outcomes.

But true value comes when each channel - from Instagram and paid ads to email marketing and local sponsorships - is given a specific job, such as driving bookings, repeat visits or calls, and is judged on whether it delivers that action.

The channel isn’t the result; the action it inspires is.

Comparing likes or video views to actual bookings can lead to the wrong decisions. Instead, every marketing activity should be measured against the business result it is supposed to produce.

In the full article, we also include a practical AI prompt you can use to review your restaurant’s own marketing activity. It will help you question where your marketing budget is going, which channels may be earning their place, and which deserve a closer look.

If you are spending money on marketing, this is a useful exercise to run on your own restaurant.

Read the full article and copy the AI prompt to try it for yourself.

Hotel guests frequently ask, “Where should we eat tonight?”- a question that presents a big opportunity for local restaurants.

These potential customers are in your area and ready to spend, often relying on hotel staff for recommendations. Building strong relationships with hotels can turn these referrals into a valuable source of business.

Start by identifying nearby hotels likely to attract the type of guests who’d enjoy your restaurant. Make it easy for staff to confidently describe your location, menu, and what makes you special.

Personal introductions and clear, concise info help hotel teams remember you when guests ask for advice.

Keep basic details - like hours and booking - up to date, and provide simple referral cards or QR codes to make referrals effortless.

Track which hotels send customers and maintain relationships with staff to keep referrals flowing.

A local hotel partnership can quietly build steady business through trust and connection - often more effectively than traditional ads.