If you’re running a restaurant, you don’t have time to become a marketing guru. You’re working 12-hour days, managing staff, dealing with suppliers, and actually cooking food. The idea of adding “develop comprehensive social media strategy” to that list feels insurmountable.
But what if effective marketing didn’t require hours of planning, expensive agencies, or mastering every platform? What if you could make meaningful progress in just 30 minutes a day?
We asked marketing experts: if you had only 30 minutes a day for marketing, what would you do? Their answers were surprisingly specific—and immediately actionable.
24-hour review responses: The non-negotiable
Respond to every review, positive or negative, within 24 hours. Google reviews are the most underutilised marketing tool in hospitality. They’re free, they build trust, and they directly impact your local search ranking. Yet many operators treat them as an afterthought.
When someone takes the time to leave a five-star review, acknowledge it. When they leave criticism, address it professionally. Some high-end restaurants treat reviews like their second full-time job—physically asking everyone who dines to leave a review and following up by email. The result? A steady stream of social proof that works 24/7 to attract new customers.
The 30-minute play: Set aside 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening to check and respond to reviews on Google, Facebook, and any other platforms where you’re listed.
Website optimisation: Your digital storefront
85% of consumers visit a website before they make a booking. Your website is your digital storefront, and if it’s slow, confusing, or lacking basic information, you’re losing customers before they ever pick up the phone.
Many restaurants in Australia don’t even have a website, or they have one that hasn’t been updated in years—no current menu, no booking functionality, no compelling reason to visit. Websites are really important, and they don’t have to be complicated.
Your website and SEO also work hand in hand. When you invest in your website—updating content, adding blog posts, optimising for search—you’re also improving your Google ranking. And in the age of AI search, that ranking matters more than ever. When someone asks ChatGPT for restaurant recommendations, the AI pulls from search engines. If you’re not ranking on Google, you won’t appear in AI results either.
The 30-minute play:
- Monday: Update your menu and specials
- Tuesday: Write a short blog post about a signature dish or local supplier
- Wednesday: Check that booking functionality works on mobile
- Thursday: Add photos of recent dishes or events
- Friday: Review your “About” page—does it tell your story compellingly?
The welcome letter strategy: Offline wins
Not all effective marketing happens online. One approach that works particularly well for high-end restaurants: identify houses that have recently sold in your suburb. After 90 days, send a handwritten letter welcoming the new residents to the area and offering them a complimentary drink or meal.
It’s analogue. It’s personal. It works.
Similarly, identifying “people of interest” in the community—Probus club members, P&F associations, local business groups—can be invaluable. These are the original influencers: people who talk to their social groups, organise events, and make group bookings. Remove the “social” from social networking and get back to good old-fashioned networking.
Another tactic that works well at the end of the financial year: offer $200 worth of vouchers for $160, timed perfectly for business owners looking to spend before June 30. Those vouchers then drive visits throughout the rest of the year.
The 30-minute play:
- Research who’s moving into your area (real estate listings are public)
- Identify local community groups and introduce yourself
- Reach out to your local member of parliament—their job is to promote local businesses
- Draft a simple welcome template you can personalise
The CRM follow-up system
If you had a marketing budget to split, the two best uses are acquiring new customers (via website and SEO) and retaining existing ones (via CRM and email marketing). The retention piece is often overlooked—and that’s where most operators are leaving money on the table.
If someone dined at your restaurant last night, are you following up the next day with a thank-you email? Are you asking for a Google review? Are you telling them about upcoming events or specials? Most operators aren’t.
This doesn’t require expensive software. Basic email marketing platforms can automate these touchpoints, creating a system that works while you’re cooking.
The 30-minute play:
- Monday: Look at who dined over the weekend and send personal thank-you emails
- Throughout the week: Send one EDM to your database with a chef profile, a story about local produce, or an upcoming special
The handwritten touch
One of the most effective personalisation strategies costs almost nothing. Before each service, look at who came in the night before and who’s booked for tonight. Hand-write thank-you cards to regulars and make it a point to learn new clients’ names.
It’s time-consuming. It’s also incredibly effective. The best marketing doesn’t always look outward—sometimes the biggest wins come from focusing on how you can impress the clients already sitting in your restaurant.
The building block approach
The key to all of this is not trying to do everything at once. Many operators want to launch a TikTok account, start a newsletter, and revamp their website all at the same time—and end up doing none of it well.
Choose one tactic. Commit to 30 minutes a day for a month. Then add the next one.
“Just do one thing and do it well, and give yourself lots of time. When you’ve done that, treat it like a building block.”
Marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It just has to be consistent.
This article is based on insights shared during a panel discussion featuring Venessa Barnes, co-founder and marketing manager at FoodLogic, Elias Rikos, Marketing Director at Pink Pickle Marketing, and Donna Kramer, co-founder of Aruga Agency.
