Restaurant marketing ideas for UK restaurants and takeaways: what to do first, and the rules to follow

Most restaurant marketing advice is written for large groups with a marketing budget. This guide is for owners who do the marketing between services. It's in order: each step makes the next one work better. Wherever a rule applies, we name it and link to the regulator's own page.

First, know what an order costs you

Before choosing any tactic, work out what you pay to win an order on each channel. Delivery apps charge commission that is on average up to 25% of each order. A regular who orders on your own site costs you a card fee and nothing else. Put your monthly order numbers into the commission calculator and you'll see what moving even a fifth of your app orders direct is worth. That figure is your marketing budget's ceiling.

Then write down three numbers to track every month: orders on your own site, orders on apps, and the size of your opted-in customer list. Everything below should push the first and third up.

Stage 1: be easy to find (free)

1. Fix your Google Business Profile

For local customers, Google is the shop window. Check your categories, hours (including bank holidays), menu, photos and phone number. Then go to the profile's food ordering settings, add your own ordering link and mark it as preferred for collection and delivery. Google's help page explains each step. If a third-party link appears that you didn't approve, you can ask that provider to remove it; Google says providers must remove third-party links within five working days of a request. Our walkthrough shows how to add an Order online link to your Google Business Profile.

If you'd rather hand this over, Chefzi offers help ranking higher on Google in your local area, ahead of nearby competitors. Nobody can honestly guarantee a map position, and we don't.

2. Make your website do one job

A restaurant website has to answer "what's on the menu, are you open, and how do I order or book?" on a phone, quickly. Put the menu on the page as text, not as a PDF or photo, so Google can read it. Our guide to restaurant website SEO covers the basics.

3. Use one ordering link everywhere

Pick one ordering link (ideally on your own domain) and use it on Google, Instagram, your Facebook page button, WhatsApp replies, bags, flyers and the window. Every time a customer taps a marketplace link instead, you pay commission on an order that would have come to you anyway. Chefzi's promo codes and one ordering link page shows how that works with a QR code.

Stage 2: build a list you're allowed to use

4. Collect permission at the point of order

Your best marketing asset is a list of people who've ordered from you and agreed to hear from you. Marketplaces don't give you that. Your own ordering site can, as long as you ask properly.

The rules are in the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). According to the ICO, you must not send marketing emails or texts to individuals unless:

• they have specifically consented (for example, by ticking an unticked box), or
• they are existing customers who bought something similar from you, and you gave them a simple way to opt out when you collected their details and in every message. This is the "soft opt-in".

The same rule covers texts and direct messages on social media. The soft opt-in doesn't cover bought-in lists or people who've never bought from you. Every message must say who you are and give a way to stop, and you must keep a "do not contact" list. The ICO notes that its PECR guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check its page for updates.

5. Turn table bookings into contacts too

If you take bookings, ask the same permission question on the booking form. A guest who ate in once and agreed to hear from you is a good person to tell about a new menu.

Stage 3: bring people back (low cost)

6. Email: a few messages people actually want

Email costs very little per message, which makes it the natural channel for repeat orders. Good restaurant emails are short and specific: tonight's special, a new dish, a change to opening hours, a thank-you with a code for the next order. Automated emails, such as a welcome note after the first order or a "we've missed you" message after a few quiet weeks, do the routine work for you. Chefzi's email campaigns are built in, including automated ones.

7. SMS: for timing, not volume

A text gets read quickly, so it suits time-sensitive messages: a quiet-Tuesday offer at 4pm, a reminder that you're open on a bank holiday, or "pre-orders for Christmas Eve close tomorrow". Keep it under 160 characters, include your name and how to opt out (for example, "Reply STOP"), and don't send too often. Branded SMS shows your restaurant's name as the sender. See SMS and branded SMS.

8. Plan around the UK calendar

Write the next six months' dates into a simple plan and decide what you'll send for each, a fortnight ahead:

Religious festivals such as Eid, Diwali and Lunar New Year move each year. Check the dates and only use them if they fit your food and your customers.

Stage 4: reach new local customers

9. Flyers that point to your own site

Leaflets still work for takeaways, especially in new-build estates and student areas. Put a QR code that goes straight to your own ordering page, not an app, and a code that only works on your site so you can count the results. If you're a takeaway in Wales, the FSA says menus and leaflets that show food, prices and a way to order must carry a bilingual statement pointing customers to the food hygiene ratings website. In Wales and Northern Ireland you must also display your rating sticker at or near each customer entrance.

10. Social media: show tonight, not your logo

Short videos of food being made, today's special and honest behind-the-scenes posts do better than polished graphics. Every post's link should go to your ordering or booking page. If you run paid ads on Facebook, Instagram or Google, target a tight radius around your delivery area and send people to your own site. Chefzi can design social media posts and paid ads for you; we don't promise a return.

11. Local partnerships

Offices that order lunch, sports clubs after training and workplaces with late shifts are all worth a visit with a menu and a code. Keep it simple: one code per partner so you know what works.

Stage 5: promotions that stay within the rules

12. Write offers the CAP Code way

UK promotions are covered by the CAP Code (section 8), which the Advertising Standards Authority enforces. In practice:

• State significant conditions up front: what's included, minimum spend, collection or delivery only, and who can use it.
• Give a prominent closing date if there is one, and don't move it. The Code says closing dates shouldn't change except in unavoidable circumstances.
• Make sure "free" really is free, apart from unavoidable costs such as delivery.

13. Check your marketplace contract before undercutting it

If you're on Just Eat, read its price clause before you advertise cheaper prices on your own site. Its UK partner terms (clause 7.18, version dated 18 December 2025) say that, unless you've agreed otherwise, prices, discounts and offers on Just Eat must be no less favourable than on your own online channels. Reasons to order direct that aren't about price, such as faster collection, a free side for regulars by text, or first access to a new dish, are worth considering. Our guide on how to move your Just Eat regulars to your own website goes into detail.

Stage 6: reviews, done properly

14. Ask everyone, reward no one

Reviews on Google help both ranking and trust. Ask every customer in the same way: a line on the receipt, a card in the bag, or a message after the order. Under UK consumer law, fake reviews and reviews that hide that they were incentivised are banned, and the CMA has published guidance for businesses. Don't offer discounts for five stars, don't write your own and don't ask staff or family. Reply to bad reviews calmly and fix what they tell you.

Stage 7: measure, then spend

15. A one-page monthly scorecard

Keep doing what brings direct orders at the lowest cost per order. Stop what doesn't, even if it looks good.

What "digital marketing for restaurants" means in practice

Agencies use the phrase for everything from SEO to influencer campaigns. For an independent it comes down to four things: being found on Google, a website that takes the order or booking, a list of customers you're allowed to contact, and a small amount of paid advertising aimed at your delivery area. If those four are in place, the rest is optional.

A 30-day starter plan

• Week 1: fix your Google Business Profile, set your own ordering link as preferred, and work out your commission bill.
• Week 2: use one ordering link everywhere, add a marketing permission box at checkout, and print a QR code for the counter and bags.
• Week 3: send your first email or text to opted-in customers, with a code that only works on your site.
• Week 4: deliver a flyer drop to your best postcodes, ask for reviews, and fill in your scorecard.

Do all of this from one place

Chefzi gives UK restaurants and takeaways a commission-free ordering website, table reservations, email, SMS and branded SMS campaigns, flyer marketing and optional managed help with Google, social posts and ads.

Early Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deal: new sign-ups get 3 months free, with no setup fee. The deal ends at 23:59 on 1 December 2026.

After the free period, £19 a month or £29 with Stripe card payments, per location, excluding VAT. See Chefzi pricing.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the most effective marketing for a small restaurant?

For most UK independents, the work that pays back first is free: an accurate Google Business Profile with your own ordering and booking links, one ordering link used everywhere, and a permission-based list of past customers you can email or text. Paid ads come after those are working.

Can I text or email my customers about offers?

Yes, if you follow PECR. You need their specific consent, or they must be existing customers who bought from you and were given a simple way to opt out when you collected their details and in every message since. The rule covers emails, texts and direct messages on social media. Bought-in lists aren't covered by the soft opt-in.

Do restaurant promotions need an end date?

Under the CAP Code, marketing for a promotion must give significant conditions, including a prominent closing date where one applies. Closing dates shouldn't be changed except in unavoidable circumstances. Say clearly what the offer is, who can use it and when it ends.

Can I offer cheaper prices on my own website than on Just Eat?

Check your contract first. Just Eat's UK partner terms (clause 7.18, version dated 18 December 2025) say that, unless you've agreed otherwise, prices and offers on Just Eat must be no less favourable than those on your own online channels. A loyalty reason to order direct, such as faster collection, doesn't depend on price.

How much should a restaurant spend on marketing?

There's no fixed rule. Start with what each order costs you to win: compare marketplace commission, which is on average up to 25% per order, with the cost of a text, a flyer or an ad. Spend more on whatever brings orders onto your own site at the lowest cost per order.

Can I pay people for reviews?

No. Under UK consumer law, fake reviews are banned, and so are reviews that hide that they were incentivised. Ask every customer in the same way, don't offer rewards for positive reviews and don't remove negative ones.

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