How to Run Facebook Ads for a Restaurant Opening

Quick Answer

To run Facebook ads for a restaurant opening, run Reach or Engagement campaigns 14 days before opening with a "soft launch" offer (free starter, BOGO, etc.) to a 3-mile radius. Use Leads objective with a reservation form. Switch to Conversions optimised for booking after launch. Budget $20-75/day. Expect $0.50-3 per local engagement, $5-20 per booked reservation.

Restaurant ads are hyperlocal

Restaurants live and die on a 3-5 mile radius. Anything wider wastes spend on people who'll never visit. The job of restaurant ads is two things: build the buzz before opening and convert the buzz into walk-ins on opening week.

The 30-day launch timeline

Days out	Goal	Objective	Daily budget
30-15	Awareness build	Reach + Video Views	$15-25
14-7	Email/SMS list build	Leads	$30-50
7-1	Reservations	Leads + Conversions	$50-75
Opening day	Walk-ins + reviews	Reach (hyperlocal)	$75-150
Week 2-4	Repeat visits	Conversions + Engagement	$30-50

Creative for restaurants

Three formats that work:

1. Food close-up video (15-30 sec, slow-motion plating, no music, just sound of sizzling)
2. Chef or owner intro (30-60 sec talking head, story, vision, opening date)
3. Behind-the-scenes (kitchen build, menu testing, staff training)

Vertical 9:16 always. Captions for sound-off. The food is the star, never use stock photos.

Targeting

Stack:

1. Location radius (3 miles from the restaurant, max 5)
2. Broad age (18-65)
3. Interests: foodies, restaurants, dining out, specific cuisine interests
4. Behaviours: people who frequently dine out (when available)

Avoid wider radii. A 10-mile radius dilutes spend on people who'll never come.

Lead form template (reservation)

Headline: [Restaurant Name] opens [Date]. Get a launch week table.
Description: First 50 reservations get a free [signature dish]. Book now.

Questions:
1. Name (auto-fill)
2. Email (auto-fill)
3. Mobile (auto-fill)
4. Party size (1-2/3-4/5+)
5. Preferred day (multi-select)
6. Preferred time (multi-select)

Thank you screen:
"Reservation request received. We'll text confirmation within 24 hours. Save [phone] to your contacts."

Campaign template (launch week)

Campaign: [Restaurant Name] – Launch Week Reservations
Objective: Leads
Optimisation: Leads
Daily budget: $75

Ad Set 1: Hyperlocal
- Location: 3-mile radius from restaurant
- Age: 21-65
- Interests: Restaurants, Foodies, [Cuisine type]
- Placements: Auto

Ad Set 2: Lookalike
- 1% LAL of email list (if you have one from past venture)
- Same 3-mile radius

Creatives:
- Ad 1: 30-sec food close-up video
- Ad 2: 60-sec chef intro video
- Ad 3: Static "We open Friday" with opening offer
- Ad 4: Carousel of 5 menu highlights

CTA: Book Now
Form: Native Meta lead form

Opening week plays

The first weekend matters most. People form their opinion in the first 14 days, then tell friends. Maximise:

• Day-before reminder ads to anyone who engaged but didn't book
• Hyperlocal Reach campaign on opening day, capped at 3 miles
• Boost the launch announcement post on the Page
• Run a "we're open" walk-in ad targeting 1-mile radius with special offer for the first 100 customers
• Encourage UGC with a hashtag and a free dessert for tagged Instagram posts

Reservation tracking

Set up the Pixel to fire on reservation completion if you use OpenTable, Resy, or a similar platform. Most integrate with Meta. Configure:

• ViewContent on the menu page
• Lead on reservation form start
• Schedule (custom event) on completed booking

Reviews matter more than ads

The single biggest growth lever for a new restaurant is Google reviews and Instagram tags. Build them in week 1:

• Print a QR code on receipts linking to Google review form
• Tell servers to ask happy tables for a review (5x more effective than passive signage)
• Repost guest tags on your Instagram to encourage more

A 4.6+ Google rating from 50+ reviews in month 1 sets you up for organic growth that ads can't match.

What kills restaurant ads

• Targeting wider than 5 miles
• Stock food photography
• Boosting the homepage instead of the booking link
• Running ads but ignoring DMs and comments (people ask about hours, allergies, kids)
• Killing ads after launch week (week 2-4 is when the first wave of return visits happens)

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