How to Set Up Your Restaurant’s Online Presence
Launching or rebranding a restaurant? Congratulations! It’s an exciting (and, let’s be honest, hectic) time. While you're busy finalizing menus, designing interiors, and hiring staff, don’t overlook one of the most crucial aspects of success—your online presence.
A well-structured digital setup before opening day makes your restaurant look professional, builds anticipation, and drives reservations and foot traffic. To ensure you’re fully prepared, here’s your step-by-step guide to setting up your restaurant’s digital presence the right way.
Step 1: Develop a Strong & Consistent Brand Identity
Branding is more than just a logo—it’s the personality and experience you create for your customers. A cohesive brand across all platforms helps build recognition, trust, and long-term customer loyalty.
How to Develop Your Restaurant’s Brand
Define Your Story & Mission
What inspired your restaurant?
What makes you different from competitors?
Who is your target audience?
Establish Your Visual Identity
Logo: Keep it simple, memorable, and versatile.
Color Palette: Choose colors that evoke the right emotions.
Typography: Pick fonts that reflect your restaurant’s style.
Create a Brand Style Guide
Document your logo variations, fonts, colors, and tone of voice.
Ensure branding is consistent across menus, signage, social media, and websites.
Craft a Tagline or Slogan
Develop a memorable phrase that encapsulates your restaurant’s essence.
🔹 Pro Tip: If your restaurant space isn’t ready for photos, use mockups or teaser visuals to start building your brand identity online.
Step 2: Secure Your Digital Assets
Before launching online, you need to claim and secure essential digital tools.
What You Need to Set Up:
Domain Name
Purchase a short, easy-to-remember domain (e.g., restaurantname.com).
Avoid long or complex names that are hard to type.
Professional Email
Use an email that matches your domain (info@restaurantname.com) rather than a generic Gmail or Yahoo address.
Website Hosting & Platform
Choose a reliable platform like Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, or Shopify for seamless restaurant website management.
Prioritize fast loading speeds, SSL security, and mobile optimization.
🔹 IMPORTANT: Always register domains and accounts under your restaurant’s name—never let an agency or third party own your assets.
Step 3: Build a Simple Yet Effective Website
Even if you’re not fully open, a basic website or landing page is non-negotiable.
What Your Restaurant Website Should Include:
✅ “Coming Soon” Page
Display opening date countdown and teaser photos.
Include a newsletter signup form to capture emails for launch promotions.
✅ Core Pages to Start With:
Home – A clear, visually appealing introduction to your restaurant.
About – Your story, mission, and what makes you unique.
Menu – Even if it’s a draft, give potential customers a sneak peek.
Contact & Location – Embed a Google Map with business hours.
Reservations – Integrate OpenTable, Resy, or in-house booking tools.
✅ SEO Optimization
Add titles, meta descriptions, and keywords to rank on Google.
Use alt text for images to improve accessibility and search rankings.
🔹 Pro Tip: A clean, mobile-friendly website is crucial, as over 70% of restaurant searches happen on mobile devices.
Step 4: Claim & Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is essential for local SEO and helping customers find you on Google Maps.
How to Optimize Your GBP:
Ensure accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)
Add restaurant categories (e.g., Italian Restaurant, Café, Steakhouse)
Upload high-quality photos (placeholder images or behind-the-scenes shots work for now)
Include an “Opening Soon” note to inform potential customers
Enable messaging & reservations for easy communication
🔹 Pro Tip: Many customers search “best [cuisine] near me” on Google—optimizing your GBP ensures you show up in local search results.
Step 5: Claim & Set Up Social Media Accounts
Secure your restaurant’s username across all major social platforms, even if you won’t use them immediately.
Platforms You Should Be On:
Instagram & Facebook – Best for food photography, updates, and promotions.
TikTok – Perfect for short, engaging video content and behind-the-scenes footage.
LinkedIn – If you’re targeting business professionals or B2B catering opportunities.
How to Optimize Your Social Media Profiles:
Profile Picture – Use your logo for brand consistency.
Bio & Description – Keep it short, compelling, and mention your opening date.
Website Link – Direct people to your “Coming Soon” page or reservation link.
Hashtags – Use location-based hashtags to reach local foodies.
Pre-Opening Content Ideas:
Renovation progress updates.
Behind-the-scenes kitchen prep.
Menu tasting sneak peeks.
Meet-the-chef or staff introductions.
Polls & Q&A to engage potential customers.
🔹 Pro Tip: Post consistently—even 1-2 times per week is enough to keep engagement up.
#6: Online Listings & Directories
Make sure your restaurant is listed everywhere potential customers are searching:
Food Apps: Claim your profile on Zomato, Talabat, and Deliveroo.
Review Sites: Set up accounts on TripAdvisor and Yelp.
Local Directories: Add your business to Dubai-specific directories for maximum visibility.
#7: Online Reservation & Menu Systems
Streamline your operations from day one by getting these systems ready:
Online Booking: Integrate a system like OpenTable with your website.
QR Code Menus: Upload your menu digitally and print QR codes for tables.
Draft Menus: Even if it’s not final, add a placeholder menu to give people a taste of what’s to come.
#8: Host a Launch Event
Here’s where the fun begins. Use your opening as a chance to create buzz, get content, and connect with the community.
Influencer & Media Event: Invite local influencers, food bloggers, and media outlets for an exclusive first look. Offer tastings, behind-the-scenes tours, and Instagram-worthy moments.
Local Business Outreach: Personally invite surrounding businesses in your local community.
Exclusive Offers: Run a special promotion for neighbouring people & businesses during your first month to drive foot traffic.
A well-planned launch event does more than just create excitement—it gives you social proof, organic content, and visibility right out of the gate.
Important to set up your online presence right from the beginning
Your online presence is just as important as your physical space. By following this checklist, you’ll be set up for success before you even open your doors. Stay organized, keep your branding consistent, and focus on the essentials. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression—make it unforgettable! This will save you so much time and headaches in the future.
6. What Should the Content Strategy and Deliverables Be?
The best campaigns have well-defined deliverables and a cohesive content strategy.
Define Your Content Requirements
Be specific about the type of content you want—Instagram posts, TikTok videos, YouTube reviews, etc. Provide influencers with brand guidelines but allow full creative freedom for authentic content. It has to be natural to that influencers style and voice.
Develop a Content Calendar
Plan content frequency and scheduling to free up space for creativity. For instance, a campaign for a new hotel opening might include daily posts for the first week, followed by regular updates. It’s better to outline this in the beginning when you’re in the “strategy development” phase. You can always adjust and tweak in real-time (which you should), as you receive data and feedback from publishing. Having a clearly defined calendar allows you to be organized, consistent and opens up the freedom and space for creativity around the content itself.
7. How Much Should I Budget for Influencer Marketing?
Budgeting can vary widely depending on influencer type and campaign scope. A general rule of thumb when it comes to influencer marketing is to test with 20% of overall marketing budget and once you have tested for a sufficient period or metrics, you can decide where it fits into your overall marketing mix. This really depends on the size of your business, for example restaurants & hotels, can likely get away with spending the majority of their marketing spend on social media, PR and influencer marketing. The same goes for certain consumer and lifestyle brands. You can build your whole business on the back of social media if done correctly.
8. What is a Fair Price to Pay an Influencer?
Pricing should reflect the influencer’s reach, engagement, and content quality. In addition to a flat fee, some brands offer affiliate programs or performance bonuses for sales driven by the influencer.
Budget Ranges by Influencer Tier
Here’s a very, very general range of what you can expect to pay influencers:
Nano-influencers (1k-10k followers): Free -$100 per post.
Micro-influencers (10k-100k followers): Free-$500 per post.
Macro-influencers (100k-1M followers): $500-$10,000+ per post.
Celebrity influencers (1M+ followers): $5,000++ per post.
9. How Do I Negotiate with Influencers?
Negotiating can help secure favorable terms without compromising campaign quality. It is essential that you clearly define all terms, content licensing, deliverables and timelines with every influencer campaign you run.
Be Transparent about Your Budget
Be upfront about your budget while allowing room for negotiation. Many influencers appreciate transparency and will work within reasonable limits if they align with your brand.
Be Clear about How you Will Use the Content
Be very clear and outline the terms of how you will be using the content in your marketing and over what timeline.
Give them Creative Freedom
You hired them for a reason. Let them be as creative as they like that fits their personal brand. You never know what will hit and the audience positviely responds to. This is also a huge opportunity for you to test so many creative ideas that you wouldn’t have been able to come up with in-house. As long as they adhere to you overall brand guidelines, do not put them in a box and force the creative messaging. This almost never performs well from my experience.
Offer Additional Value
Consider offering perks beyond payment, such as free products, brand exclusivity, or long-term partnership opportunities.
10. Should I Hire an Agency to Manage My Campaign?
Hiring an agency can simplify the process, especially if you’re new to influencer marketing. If you have the budget and don’t have the time, I would recommend hiring an agency.
Benefits of Using an Agency
Agencies bring expertise, connections, vetted influencer lists (they’ve already done the legwork) and insights over many many campaigns that can help streamline campaign execution. They can also handle influencer vetting, negotiations, and performance tracking, saving you a lot of time and potential costly missteps. They can also take on the contractual risks associated with content licensing. Make sure you are very clear with expectations, KPIs and deliverables when hiring any agency.
Choosing the Right Agency
Select an agency that has experience in your industry and a strong track record in influencer campaigns. Look for a partner who understands your brand and can customize a strategy to suit your needs.
Making Influencer Marketing Work for Your Business
Influencer marketing defintely does work—but the real question is: do you know how to make it work for your business? Success requires more than just picking popular creators. It demands a creative approach, testing different content with varied audiences, and tracking results with patience and precision. Like any marketing strategy, influencer campaigns can drive incredible results, but the key is tailoring them to your unique goals, audience, and business.
