· 2 min read · Bookwell
Facebook and Instagram ads for restaurants: what actually fills tables
How restaurants can use Facebook and Instagram ads to get more reservations, orders and catering requests, without wasting money on likes.
Lots of restaurants "boost a post" now and then and wonder why nothing happens. The problem usually isn't the food or the photo. It's that the ad is set up to get likes, not bookings.
Decide what a win is first
Before you spend anything, pick one thing you want more of:
- Reservations
- Online orders
- Catering or private event requests
- Visits on slow nights
Then set the ad up to get exactly that. Facebook and Instagram will chase whatever you tell them to. If you ask for likes, you'll get likes.
Show people nearby, at the right time
- Keep the area tight. Most diners won't drive far for dinner on a weeknight. Catering and events can go wider.
- Follow the clock. Lunch ads in the late morning, dinner ads in the afternoon, weekend brunch ads on Friday and Saturday.
- Use what's happening. Game days, holidays, a new seasonal menu, a patio opening. Timely beats generic.
What the ad should look like
- Real food, real room. Phone photos and short videos of your actual dishes often beat polished stock images.
- One clear offer or reason. "New fall menu", "Book the back room for your party", "Order pickup in 20 minutes".
- One button. Reserve, Order, or Call. Not all three.
Make the next step easy
The ad is only half the job. When someone taps:
- The booking or ordering page should load fast on a phone
- They shouldn't have to hunt for the button
- Your hours, address and menu should be one tap away
Measure bookings, not reach
"10,000 people saw your ad" means nothing on its own. What matters is how many reservations, orders and event requests came in, and what each one cost. Set up tracking so you can see that, or ask whoever runs your ads to show you.
Don't forget Google
Facebook and Instagram are great for making people want to come. Google is where people go when they're already hungry, searching "brunch near me" or "catering for 50". The best results usually come from using both together.
We run ads for restaurants on Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and count bookings and orders, not likes. See how we work with restaurants, or get a free audit of what you're running now.