The Benefits of Facebook Ads for Restaurants: Why You Need Them in 2025

If you’re running a restaurant in 2025 and not using Facebook ads, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity to attract more diners and grow your business. Sure, posting your daily specials on Twitter and curating the perfect Instagram feed helps build your brand—but if you really want to drive sales and fill seats, Facebook ads should be a key part of your restaurant marketing strategy.

With Facebook being the second-most downloaded app and the fact that 67% of users visit a local business page at least once a week, the platform is a goldmine for restaurants looking to boost visibility and attract new customers. Let’s break down why Facebook ads for restaurants are a game-changer and how you can use them to your advantage.

Why Facebook Ads Are Essential for Restaurant Marketing

Think about how people discover new places to eat. Many turn to Google or social media to find recommendations, read reviews, or check out a menu. While organic social media (unpaid posts) can help, it only reaches your existing followers or those actively searching for you. What about the hungry diners who have never heard of your restaurant?

That’s where Facebook ads come in. They allow you to:

✔ Reach potential customers beyond your followers
✔ Target people based on location, food preferences, and behavior
✔ Showcase mouthwatering images of your best dishes
✔ Promote special offers and events directly in their news feed

With 70% of local business purchases being influenced by social media, having an active presence on Facebook (and investing in ads) ensures your restaurant gets noticed.

Pro Tip: Running a Facebook ad alongside organic posts can boost engagement and increase foot traffic by attracting new customers who might not have found you otherwise.

Organic Reach vs. Paid Facebook Ads: What’s the Difference?

There’s a big difference between organic reach and paid reach on Facebook.

• Organic Reach: Free exposure you get when customers tag your restaurant in their posts, share your content, or engage with your page. Over 20 million people post food-related content on Facebook daily, which means free promotion for restaurants.

• Paid Reach (Facebook Ads): Sponsored content that appears in the newsfeeds of targeted users, ensuring your restaurant gets in front of the right audience—even if they’ve never heard of you.

While organic reach is great for engagement, it’s not enough to consistently bring in new diners. Facebook ads allow you to target hungry customers in your area, show them your best dishes, and drive traffic to your website, online ordering system, or reservation page.

How Facebook Ads Can Drive More Customers to Your Restaurant

Wondering what makes restaurant Facebook ads so powerful? Here are some key benefits:

1. Location-Based Targeting

Facebook allows you to target users based on location, ensuring your ads are only shown to people nearby. Whether you're running a local café, food truck, or fine dining restaurant, you can set ads to reach users within a specific radius of your location.

🔹 Example: Running a new brunch promotion? Target people within 5 miles of your restaurant who have shown interest in breakfast spots.

2. Mouthwatering Visuals = More Engagement

Food is visual, and Facebook is the perfect platform to showcase your best dishes. Eye-catching photos and videos in ads can make someone stop scrolling and start craving your food.

🔹 Example: A short video of a sizzling steak or a gooey pizza pull can increase engagement and drive traffic to your restaurant.

3. Retargeting Keeps Customers Coming Back

With Facebook retargeting ads, you can remind people who have visited your website or engaged with your content to come back and try your food.

🔹 Example: If someone viewed your menu but didn’t place an order, you can show them an ad with a special discount to encourage them to return.

4. Promote Special Offers & Events

Running a happy hour deal, live music night, or seasonal menu special? Facebook ads allow you to spread the word quickly and get people excited to visit.

🔹 Example: A limited-time ad promoting a BOGO burger deal can drive immediate traffic, especially when paired with a sense of urgency (“Only available this weekend!”).

Getting Started with Facebook Ads for Your Restaurant

If you’re new to Facebook ads, here’s a quick step-by-step guide to get started:

1️⃣ Create a Facebook Business Page (if you don’t have one already).
2️⃣ Go to Facebook Ads Manager and select “Create an Ad.”
3️⃣ Choose your objective (e.g., website traffic, engagement, conversions).
4️⃣ Set your target audience (location, interests, behaviors).
5️⃣ Upload a high-quality food image or video.
6️⃣ Write a compelling caption and add a call to action (e.g., “Book a Table,” “Order Now”).
7️⃣ Set your budget and duration.
8️⃣ Launch and track your ad’s performance.

Final Thoughts: Are Facebook Ads Worth It for Restaurants?

Absolutely! Facebook ads give restaurants an affordable and highly effective way to reach new customers, increase reservations, and drive more foot traffic. By combining organic engagement with paid ads, you can ensure your restaurant stands out in a crowded market.

💡 Ready to get started? Test a small Facebook ad budget and see how it performs. With the right strategy, you can turn Facebook users into loyal customers—one delicious ad at a time.

Don't want to tread the deep waters of Facebook Ads alone? Get an expert marketer to help you. Book a free discovery call with us today!

If you missed it, here's PART 1: How Facebook Ads Can Help Your Restaurant Attract More Customers Daily