How do you attract customers to a restaurant when competition is everywhere?
Attracting new customers is no longer just about good food! According to Thierry Marx, president of the UMIH, "25 restaurants close every day" due to poor profitability and low visibility (RMC, 2025).
You need to combine a strategic location, a clear-cut concept, online reputation, digital communication, customer loyalty and marketing campaigns.
👉 In this guide, you'll find 30 tips to attract as many customers as possible and fill your restaurant.
🎁 Free bonus: download the 30 tips PDF checklist to apply it easily in your own restaurant.
1. Choose a location with foot traffic
In the restaurant business, location is one of the most important decisions you'll make!
The classic "location, location, location" still holds true, especially in a competitive market.
A good location depends on several factors:
Foot traffic: a busy area naturally attracts potential customers. Watch the street at different times (lunch, evening, weekday, weekend) to avoid an empty dining room.
Local spending power: match your offer to it. An upscale restaurant won't work in a tight-budget area, while an affordable concept will quickly win over a student or working-class neighbourhood.
Accessibility: proximity to public transport, easy parking, a visible storefront. Even a well-placed restaurant loses part of its customer base if it's hard to find.
Competition: too many pizzerias or kebab shops? It's hard to carve out a place for yourself. On the other hand, an underserved neighbourhood can be a great opportunity to attract new customers with an original concept.
2. Offer a clear, unique concept
In 2024, vegetarian and vegan dishes saw 20% more sales (Extencia, 2025) : proof that focusing on a niche can be highly profitable.
Today, good food alone isn't enough: you need to offer a real customer experience!
👉 That's what attracts new customers and keeps them coming back.
Betting on a niche market is often a smart move. It helps you avoid going head-to-head with big chains and makes it easier to target your ideal customer. For example, you could launch a vegetarian brunch, a menu for athletes, or put a new spin on regional recipes.
A good concept should be simple and easy for customers to understand. Everything needs to feel consistent: the menu, the decor, the tone of your social media, right down to your servers' uniforms.
3. Get more reviews by running a prize game
According to the BrightLocal 2023 study , 98% of consumers read customer reviews and 80% say they've been asked by a business to leave one. Even better, 65% respond positively to these requests.
Prize games aren't limited to social media: you can also run them directly in your restaurant to collect more customer reviews and strengthen your online reputation.
For example, invite customers to leave a Google review after trying their luck on a spin-to-win wheel or a scratch card. Attractive prizes make the experience fun and boost participation.
👉 Result: customers share their reviews more willingly, because they feel they have something to gain.
With a solution like Up Review, it's simple: create, customise and launch your Google review prize game in just a few clicks.
4. Train and manage your staff
👉 Service is the number one thing customers mention in reviews!
A poor dining room experience can quickly overshadow a great meal. Conversely, a warm welcome can turn a first-time visitor into a loyal customer.
So clarify everyone's role: who greets guests, who takes orders, who follows up at the table. This organisation prevents things slipping through the cracks and improves how you manage customer relationships.
Training staff in customer relations is essential. A smile, attentive listening, and genuine attention to needs make all the difference. Also teach your team to handle complaints calmly and professionally.
A tight-knit, motivated team isn't just a human resource: it's a powerful asset for relationship marketing and customer loyalty.
5. Give staff a consistent uniform
Uniforms aren't just a small detail: they play a major role in the atmosphere and the customer experience.
A smart brasserie might choose understated, elegant outfits, while a restaurant popular with students might go for bright colours or playful patterns. This choice helps immerse your regulars and win over new customers.
👉 Raising Cane's in the United States is a great example of how a uniform can become part of the concept itself.
Uniforms also strengthen team cohesion. They give employees a sense of pride and help build a strong, consistent brand image.
6. Complete your Google Business Profile
According to Digitaleo (2025), 86% of internet users use Google Maps to find a business's location.
Google has become customers' first instinct when looking for a restaurant. Ranking well on Google Maps can make all the difference: it's a major factor in local SEO and customer acquisition.
Your profile needs to be complete: address, opening hours (including public holidays), phone number, website and the services you offer. Also add attractive photos regularly (dishes, dining room, team) to win over customers and improve your conversion rate.
👉 Check out our complete guide to optimising your Google Business Profile.
An online menu is a powerful asset: it helps you show up in specific searches like "best burger in Paris" or "vegan restaurant in Lyon". The more relevant, keyword-optimised information you add, the more Google will trust your listing and feature it in results.
7. Stay active on social media
According to France Num , 52% of restaurant owners say the internet has increased their revenue, and 37% spend more than an hour a day managing their website and social media
Today, many customers discover a restaurant on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook before ever setting foot inside. These platforms are perfect for attracting new customers.
Posting content regularly is essential: photos of dishes, behind-the-scenes kitchen videos or stories showing the dining room's atmosphere all make people want to try the experience.
Short videos (quick recipes, behind the scenes, dish preparation) are a simple, effective marketing tool to engage your customers and reach a new audience.
👉 But posting alone isn't enough! Interaction is key: reply to comments, thank people for sharing, and encourage customers to post their own photos.
8. Make sure your information is consistent everywhere
A single small detail can hurt your visibility: different opening hours between Google, TheFork, TripAdvisor or Pages Jaunes.
Google compares your information across every platform. If it doesn't match, your restaurant looks less trustworthy. The result: you lose visibility, and potential customers may turn to a competitor instead.
So make sure your hours, address and phone number are identical everywhere!
👉 Also remember to update your closures, holidays and special events. Incorrect information can hurt customer satisfaction and cost you reservations.
9. List your restaurant in online directories
Listing your restaurant in online directories is a simple, effective way to boost your visibility. TripAdvisor, Michelin, Pages Jaunes, food blogs or local guides: every listing is a new door for customers to find you through.
Beyond generating direct traffic, these directories also send strong signals to Google.
👉 Every link back to your site acts as a trust signal, which improves your SEO!
Yet many restaurant owners overlook this step. That's a shame, because it has a lasting effect on your digital reputation and helps you reach customers who actively use these platforms.
10. Be present on tourist platforms
If you want to reach international customers, be present on the platforms they actually use. Tourists don't always look for information in the same places as locals.
👉 Americans turn to Yelp or Foursquare, Chinese travellers use Dianping, and Brazilians prefer Kekanto.
By listing your restaurant on these directories, you widen your catchment area well beyond your own neighbourhood. This lets you win new customers and attract passing travellers, who often spend more than local regulars. Some even become genuinely hooked while on holiday.
11. Reply to every review you receive
Online reviews have become unavoidable: more than 9 out of 10 customers read them before choosing a restaurant. Managed well, your restaurant's Google reviews become a genuine acquisition channel.
Today they're a real barometer of customer satisfaction. Yet many restaurants still neglect to reply to them.
An unanswered review is a missed opportunity. Thanking a happy customer strengthens the relationship and builds loyalty. Replying seriously to a negative review shows you're listening and willing to improve: it's often what turns an unhappy customer into a loyal one.
Platforms also reward this responsiveness. And a poor rating carries far less weight when it comes with a professional, constructive reply.
👉 How to automate managing and replying to your Google reviews
12. Ask every customer for a review
Online reviews shouldn't be left to chance. To receive them consistently, set up a simple, automatic process, treated like real sales prospecting applied to your reputation.
Here are a few effective methods:
- Place a QR code on every table linking directly to your Google or TripAdvisor page.
- Send a targeted SMS or email after the visit, with a link to leave a review.
- Rely on the human touch: ask satisfied customers directly to share their experience.
- Offer a referral perk or a reward to boost participation even further.
The more recent, positive reviews you get, the higher your rating climbs. And that rating often becomes the number one factor a new customer weighs before choosing you.
👉 Find out how to get many more Google reviews
13. Post great photos of your dishes and dining room
According to Digitaleo (2025), a Google profile with more than 100 photos generates 520% more calls and 2.7% more clicks.
Even before reading a menu, customers often decide with their eyes!
Bright, sharp, appetising photos of your dishes create instant cravings and help you win new customers.
👉 Don't neglect visuals of your dining room and team either: a welcoming space and a smiling team are reassuring and make people want to walk through the door.
These photos can then be used everywhere: Google Business Profile, Instagram, your website, flyers, or your digital ad campaigns to boost sales.
14. Build an active Instagram account
Take a page from Big Mamma's book: a large part of their success comes from visual marketing on Instagram.
Post polished photos of your dishes, show what happens behind the scenes in the kitchen, use Stories and especially Reels, which are particularly good at grabbing attention.
👉 The key is consistency and creativity!
An active account that posts several times a week with varied content helps you win new customers, grow your audience and turn followers into real visitors.
15. Keep an active Facebook page
Even though Facebook can feel less trendy these days, it remains an essential channel for restaurant owners, especially at the local level.
It's the perfect tool for sharing your daily specials, announcing a special event, or posting live photos. This daily connection builds loyalty and maintains a lasting relationship with your customers.
Its other big advantage: Meta Ads campaigns. They let you target prospects with real precision by age, location or interests. A formidable marketing lever for boosting results, especially in B2C.
16. Work with local food influencers
A food influencer can boost your restaurant's footfall with a single post. Local micro-influencers are often more effective than big names.
👉 The best example: WeLoveMontpellier , a tightly targeted local community that drives strong engagement.
Choose profiles that align with your identity and your target audience: a well-thought-out collaboration becomes a genuine customer-acquisition tool and can fill your dining room for several days running.
17. Encourage customers to post photos
Your customers can become your best ambassadors if you give them the right tools!
Some restaurants deliberately create photogenic spaces: wall murals, quirky mirrors or colourful neon signs.
These design touches grab attention and encourage customers to take photos and share them on social media.
👉 Every post then becomes free, credible and effective advertising.
You can also encourage customers by resharing their content on your official accounts. This makes them feel valued, strengthens their attachment to your restaurant, and drives even more interaction.
18. Run social media contests
A contest on social media can boost your online visibility very quickly! Ask followers to like, share or tag a friend, for example, with a free meal or a gift voucher as the prize.
The result: more engagement, more visibility and new customers drawn in through shares.
19. Launch targeted online ad campaigns
With Facebook and Instagram, you can target prospects with real precision: age, location, interests or spending habits. The result: you reach exactly the right people.
👉 Back your campaigns with quality visuals and a clear call to action like "Book now" or "Order online".
On top of that, Google Ads lets you capture people actively searching, for example those typing "Italian restaurant Lyon" or "brunch Paris 11th".
20. Have a mobile-friendly website
70% of searches today happen on a smartphone! A site that isn't mobile-friendly drives visitors away immediately (Digitaleo, 2025).
Your website needs to be responsive, meaning it adapts to every screen: desktop, tablet and mobile.
It should also be fast, easy to read, and show the essential information first: menu, photos, contact details and a booking option.
👉 Test your website's responsive design
21. Update your website regularly
A Christmas menu still showing in February, or a summer menu still up in November, makes your restaurant look neglected and unprofessional.
Update your menus, events, special offers and opening hours regularly. This builds credibility with customers and sends a positive signal to Google too.
Tip: an active website that publishes fresh, relevant content stands a much better chance of showing up in search results.
22. Provide online booking
Most customers want to book quickly, without having to make a phone call.
👉 Offering this option is essential for your restaurant!
This solution improves the customer experience and avoids relying on intermediaries that take a commission.
23. Add a "get directions" button
One simple detail can change everything: adding a "How to get here?" button to your website or Google profile.
With mobile navigation, customers want to find directions to your restaurant quickly. With one click, they get the route via Google Maps or Citymapper.
This small feature reduces drop-off and makes access easier, especially for passing visitors or tourists.
24. Create a dedicated page for each location
If you run a chain or a franchise, make sure to create a dedicated page for each location.
A store locator also lets you centralise all your pages, saving time and improving your visibility.
25. Update your menu with seasonal dishes
Offering seasonal dishes brings novelty and meets the expectations of customers looking for freshness and authenticity. Holidays like Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day or Easter are also great opportunities to refresh your offer.
Every menu change is a genuine communication opportunity.
26. Run limited-time deals
Ideal for filling tables during quiet periods, they create the urge to act before it's too late.
👉 That's right! Limited-time deals create genuine urgency, the FOMO effect!
27. Set up regular discounts
On top of one-off offers, certain ongoing discounts attract regular customers.
Offering 30% or 50% off during specific time slots, whether through platforms or directly on your website, can guarantee a steady flow of bookings.
The key is getting the balance right so these promotions stay profitable!
28. Offer a loyalty programme
A loyal customer is worth up to 5 times more than a new one, while acquiring new customers costs far more than retaining existing ones.
To encourage repeat visits, offer exclusive perks: a points card, a discount after several visits, a free dish for a birthday, or an invitation to a private event.
This way, the customer no longer sees themselves as just another diner, but as a recognised, valued regular. And it's that feeling that makes them want to come back again and again.
29. Partner with local businesses
Businesses in your neighbourhood represent an often underrated opportunity. Offer them set lunch menus, catering for their events, or special deals reserved for their employees.
These partnerships bring you steady revenue and open the door to a new local customer base.
30. Surprise customers with small touches
Beyond the meal itself, it's often the small touches that stay with a customer.
👉 Treat them like a friend or a member of the family!
Offering a free tasting on Sundays, inviting the chef out to chat with guests, or adding a small unexpected surprise... These simple gestures create a memorable experience and get your customers talking about you to others.
Conclusion: how do you attract customers to a restaurant?
Attracting and retaining customers in a restaurant doesn't come down to a single action, but to a well-coordinated set of levers.
By applying these 30 tips, you'll lay the foundations of a complete, lasting strategy to fill your dining room, win new customers and turn regulars into genuine ambassadors.
