You know your restaurant needs to be on Facebook. Every marketing article says so. Your competitors are posting daily. But between running the kitchen, managing staff, and keeping customers happy, figuring out Facebook marketing feels like one more impossible task on an already overflowing plate.
Here’s the good news: restaurant Facebook marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. At its core, it’s about using Facebook’s tools—your business page, posts, stories, ads, and messaging—to connect with hungry customers in your area, show off your food, and give people a reason to visit or order.
With over 3 billion monthly users, Facebook remains one of the most powerful ways for food businesses to reach local customers. And 72% of customers use Facebook to make restaurant decisions based on photos and reviews they see there.
This guide covers everything you need to know—from setting up your Facebook page to running ads to building a loyal community of regulars. Whether you run a fine dining restaurant, a food truck, a cozy café, or a catering business, you’ll find practical strategies you can start using today. And because effective Facebook marketing works best when you can easily share your menu and take orders, we’ll show you how tools like Menubly can make your efforts pay off faster.
Restaurant Facebook marketing is the practice of using Facebook’s platform—including business pages, posts, stories, ads, and messaging—to promote a food business, engage with customers, showcase menus, announce promotions, and build a loyal community that drives both online and in-person visits.
Here’s what restaurant Facebook marketing includes:
Unlike scrolling through your personal Facebook feed, business marketing requires strategy and consistency. You’re not just sharing what you had for lunch—you’re building a brand that makes people want to eat at your restaurant.
The approach works for all types of food businesses. Fine dining restaurants can showcase their chef’s artistry. Food trucks can post daily locations. Bakeries can share morning fresh-from-the-oven shots. Bars can promote happy hour specials. According to industry research, 88% of restaurants use social media for marketing, with 59% prioritizing Facebook as their main platform.
Successful Facebook marketing often involves sharing your online menu link so interested customers can see everything you offer. Having a dedicated restaurant online menu URL that you can update anytime makes this simple—post about a new dish, link to your full menu, and let customers browse without leaving their phones.
You might wonder if Facebook is still worth your time when there are so many social media platforms competing for attention. The numbers tell a clear story: 81% of restaurant owners use Facebook for promotion, and 90-95% of food businesses include it in their marketing mix.
Here’s why Facebook remains essential for food businesses:
Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users across virtually every demographic. More importantly for restaurants, it offers powerful local targeting that lets you reach people specifically in your neighborhood—the folks who can actually walk through your door or order delivery tonight.
Creating a Facebook page costs nothing. Posting content is free. Even paid advertising starts at just $5 per day. Compared to print ads, billboards, or direct mail, Facebook gives small restaurants access to powerful marketing tools at a fraction of the cost.
Food is inherently visual, and Facebook’s format lets you showcase mouth-watering photos and videos that make people hungry. A well-lit photo of your signature dish can do more for your business than any written description.
Facebook lets you message customers directly, respond to reviews publicly, and answer questions in real-time. This two-way communication builds trust and shows potential customers that you care about their experience. Restaurants that respond to reviews see 15% higher customer satisfaction.
Your Facebook page can become a gathering place for regulars and fans. Share behind-the-scenes content, celebrate customer milestones, and create a sense of belonging that keeps people coming back.
Unlike some marketing channels, Facebook lets you link directly to your menu, ordering system, or reservation page. Every post is an opportunity to turn a viewer into a paying customer.
Facebook Insights shows you who your audience is, what content they engage with, and when they’re most active. This data helps you make smarter marketing decisions.
The reality is that 80% of consumers expect restaurants to have a social media presence. If you’re not on Facebook, you’re invisible to a significant portion of potential customers—and your competitors who are active on the platform are capturing their attention instead.
Facebook works best when you have somewhere to send interested customers. Your digital menu becomes your landing page—where Facebook browsers become actual customers ready to order.
Setting up your Facebook business page takes less than 30 minutes, and doing it right from the start saves you headaches later. Here’s your step-by-step guide:
Log into Facebook with your personal account (required to manage a business page). Click the menu icon and select “Create Page.” Choose “Business or Brand” when prompted.
Select the category that best describes your business—Restaurant, Café, Bakery, Food Truck, Bar, or Catering Service. This affects which features Facebook makes available to you, including menu tabs and reservation buttons.
Fill in your restaurant name exactly as customers know it. Add your complete address, phone number, business hours, and price range. Accuracy matters—nothing frustrates customers more than showing up to find you’re closed when Facebook said you were open.
Use your logo for instant recognition. The image should be at least 170×170 pixels and look good at small sizes since it appears next to every post and comment you make. Keep it simple and recognizable.
This is prime real estate for showcasing your food or restaurant atmosphere. Use a high-quality image at 820×312 pixels. Great options include your signature dish, your restaurant interior, or your team in action. Change it seasonally to keep your page fresh.
Tell your story in a few compelling sentences. What makes your restaurant special? What type of cuisine do you serve? Why should someone choose you? Include relevant keywords naturally so people can find you in searches.
This step is critical. Add your online menu URL to the designated menu field in your page settings. When customers click “See Menu,” they should land on a mobile-friendly page where they can browse your full offerings. If you’re using Menubly, you’ll have a shareable link that always shows your current menu—update a price once, and it’s correct everywhere.
Choose the CTA button that drives your most important action: “Order Food,” “See Menu,” “Call Now,” or “Send Message.” This button appears prominently on your page and should lead to easy conversion.
Enable reviews so customers can share their experiences. Turn on messaging so people can contact you directly. Verify your page if possible for added credibility.
Common mistakes to avoid: Using a personal profile instead of a business page (you’ll miss analytics and advertising features), leaving information incomplete, uploading blurry or dark photos, and forgetting to add your menu link.
Setup is just the beginning. The real work—and results—come from consistent posting and engagement, which we’ll cover next.
Variety keeps your followers engaged and helps Facebook’s algorithm show your content to more people. The key is mixing different content types while keeping everything on-brand and appetizing.
According to social media research, 60% of diners discover restaurants through visual content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Here are the content types that perform best:
High-quality photos of your dishes are your most powerful content. Showcase:
Tip: Natural lighting near a window works best. Clean backgrounds and multiple angles help dishes shine. Always link to your full digital menu so interested customers can see everything you offer.
Show the human side of your restaurant:
This content humanizes your brand and builds trust. People love knowing who’s making their food.
Let your happy customers do the talking:
User-generated content builds social proof and shows potential customers that real people love your food.
Strategic promotional content drives action:
Always include a clear call-to-action and link to your menu where customers can see full details and place an order.
Video content gets significantly higher organic reach than static photos:
Keep videos short (15-60 seconds) and make sure they work without sound since many people scroll with audio off.
Show the people behind the food:
This content shows personality and helps customers feel connected to your team.
Position your restaurant as part of the local community:
Recommended content mix: 40% food and menu content, 20% behind-the-scenes, 15% customer features, 15% promotions, 10% team and community content.
Every piece of content should connect back to your business goal. Include your menu link regularly so followers can easily move from “that looks delicious” to “I’m ordering that tonight.”
Random posting rarely works. A simple strategy helps you stay consistent without spending hours every day on social media.
The dining sector Facebook engagement rate averages 1.3% as of early 2025—meaning you need consistent, quality content to stand out.
Quality always beats quantity. Three great posts will outperform seven mediocre ones.
Post when customers are deciding where to eat:
Check your Facebook Insights for your specific audience patterns—your followers might be different.
Batch your content creation during slow periods. Spend an hour taking photos and writing captions, then schedule posts for the entire week.
Consistent posting requires having content ready—fresh menu photos, current specials, updated pricing. Having an easily updatable QR code menu saves time: update once in Menubly, and the link you’ve been sharing everywhere automatically shows correct information.
Your menu is often the deciding factor for potential customers. Research shows that the majority of diners check menus before visiting—and Facebook is frequently where they look first.
Here are the best ways to display your menu on Facebook:
Facebook offers a native menu feature in your page settings under Edit Page Info > Add Menu.
Add your menu URL to the About section’s menu field and use a “See Menu” CTA button.
This is the optimal approach. When you have a dedicated online menu URL from a service like Menubly, you can share it anywhere—your bio, posts, ads, Stories. The menu looks great on mobile, loads quickly, and updates the moment you change anything. No reprinting, no confusion.
Post individual dish photos with descriptions and prices, or create carousel ads showcasing multiple items.
Create a post with your menu link and an attractive image, then pin it to the top of your page.
The best solution is an online menu you control completely. Update a price in your Menubly dashboard, and it’s instantly correct everywhere you’ve shared the link. No reprinting physical menus, no updating multiple platforms, no inconsistent information across channels.
Promotions drive engagement and sales, but most restaurants execute them poorly. 44% of Gen Z consumers find restaurant deals via social media—your promotions need to stand out.
Every promotional post needs these elements:
Post template example:
🔥 HALF-PRICE WINGS WEDNESDAY
Our famous crispy wings, your choice of 6 signature sauces.
$0.50 per wing every Wednesday, 4pm-close.
This week only: Try our NEW Nashville Hot sauce!
👉 See our full menu: [link]
Urgency drives action. Use phrases like:
Facebook Stories work perfectly for time-sensitive offers since they disappear after 24 hours, creating natural urgency.
Always connect promotions to your menu—link to where customers can see full details and order. When using Menubly, you can mark items as specials, update prices instantly, and even show items as sold out in real-time. Your Facebook promotion always matches what’s actually available. For more restaurant promotions ideas, check out our complete guide.
Facebook Ads can feel intimidating, but you don’t need a huge budget or marketing degree to see results. Meta ads yield $3.71-$4.80 ROI for every dollar spent, and restaurants using AI-optimized ads see 14% lower cost per purchase.
67% of restaurants plan to use paid social ads—here’s how to join them effectively.
Boosted Posts vs. Meta Ads Manager:
Start with boosted posts to learn the basics, then graduate to Ads Manager for better results.
This is where Facebook Ads become powerful for restaurants:
Key insight: Tight local targeting beats broad reach every time. A 10-mile radius of food lovers will outperform reaching everyone in the state.
Never spend more than you can afford to lose while learning. Better to start small and scale up than blow your budget on one test.
Watch these metrics:
Critical point: Your ad is only as good as where you send people. Directing traffic to a PDF menu that’s impossible to read on mobile wastes your ad spend. Link to a mobile-optimized menu page where customers can browse and take action. Menubly’s online menu pages are designed for exactly this—professional, fast-loading, and able to accept orders directly.
For more comprehensive digital marketing for restaurants strategies, including how Facebook Ads fit into your broader marketing plan, check out our complete guide.
Posting content is only half the equation. Facebook’s algorithm rewards pages that generate genuine engagement—and customers become loyal when they feel heard and valued.
Restaurants that actively respond to reviews see 15% higher customer satisfaction. Every comment and message is an opportunity to build a relationship.
Enable messaging in your page settings and set up auto-responses for common questions (hours, location, menu link). Aim to respond within one hour during business hours.
Use messages for:
Template: “Thanks for reaching out to [Restaurant Name]! [Answer their question]. Let us know if you have any other questions—we’d love to serve you!”
Positive reviews (5 stars): Thank specifically, mention what they enjoyed, invite them back. “Thank you so much for the kind words, Sarah! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the seafood risotto—Chef Marco will be happy to hear it. See you again soon!”
Neutral reviews (3-4 stars): Thank them, acknowledge any concerns, express desire to improve. “Thanks for the feedback, Tom. We’re glad you enjoyed the food. We’re working on our service timing and hope your next visit will be even better.”
Negative reviews (1-2 stars): Stay calm, apologize for their experience, offer to resolve offline. “We’re very sorry your experience didn’t meet expectations. This isn’t the standard we hold ourselves to. Please message us directly—we’d like to make this right.”
Never argue publicly. Other potential customers are watching how you handle criticism.
Don’t just respond—start conversations:
Engaged customers are more likely to order directly, share with friends, and become regulars. Every interaction is a chance to build loyalty—and to point customers to your menu where they can browse and place an order.
There’s a difference between having followers and having a community. Followers scroll past your posts. Community members engage, share, and advocate for your restaurant.
Research shows customers are 22% more likely to return to restaurants with a strong social presence, and digitally engaged customers have 24% higher lifetime value.
Make following your page worth something:
Keep entry requirements simple to maximize participation.
Consider creating a VIP customer group for your most loyal fans. Benefits include:
Use the group for early access to new items, collecting feedback, and offering exclusive deals. This works especially well for restaurants with passionate regular customers.
A loyal community doesn’t just engage—they order more, visit more often, and bring friends. Give them an easy way to order by keeping your menu link accessible. With Menubly, you can reward community members by sending them directly to your commission-free ordering page, keeping 100% of the revenue while building the relationship. For more social media marketing for restaurants tips, see our detailed guide.
Many restaurant owners post content without ever checking what works. This wastes time and misses opportunities to improve. Facebook gives you powerful analytics—use them.
Reach: How many unique users saw your content.
Engagement Rate: (Likes + comments + shares) ÷ reach × 100
Click-Through Rate: Clicks ÷ reach × 100
Follower Growth: Net new followers over time
Response Rate and Time: How quickly you respond to messages
Key sections to review weekly:
Track clicks to your menu link—this shows real commercial interest, not just passive scrolling. If you’re using Menubly, you can also track visits to your menu and orders placed, giving you a complete picture from Facebook post to customer order.
With 95% of food businesses using Facebook, competition for attention is fierce. Avoiding these common mistakes helps you stand out.
Impact: Facebook’s algorithm deprioritizes inactive pages, and followers forget about you.
Fix: Create a content calendar, batch content creation, use scheduling tools.
Better approach: Three quality posts per week consistently beats seven posts one week and none the next.
Impact: Followers disengage, content feels spammy, reach drops.
Fix: Follow the 80/20 rule—80% valuable content, 20% promotional.
Better approach: Mix food photos, behind-the-scenes, and customer features with occasional offers.
Impact: Hurts reputation, loses potential customers, damages algorithm standing.
Fix: Check daily, respond within hours, set up auto-responses for common questions.
Better approach: Treat every comment as a relationship-building opportunity.
Impact: Makes food look unappetizing, hurts brand perception.
Fix: Use natural lighting, clean backgrounds, learn basic food photography.
Better approach: One great photo beats five mediocre ones.
Impact: Frustrates mobile users (most Facebook users), loses potential orders.
Fix: Use a mobile-friendly online menu with a shareable link.
Better approach: Menubly creates beautiful, mobile-optimized menus you can link anywhere—and update instantly without changing the link.
Impact: Damages reputation, signals poor customer service to everyone watching.
Fix: Always respond professionally, apologize, move to private message.
Better approach: A negative review handled well can actually improve perception.
Impact: Wastes budget reaching people who can never visit your restaurant.
Fix: Target 5-15 mile radius, use local interests.
Better approach: Tight local targeting beats broad reach every time.
Impact: Customers can’t find hours, location, or menu; looks unprofessional.
Fix: Complete every field, keep information updated.
Better approach: Audit your page monthly to ensure accuracy.
Impact: Repeating what doesn’t work, missing what does.
Fix: Review Insights weekly, adjust strategy based on data.
Better approach: Double down on what works, drop what doesn’t.
Impact: Never seeing results that take time to develop.
Fix: Commit to 3-6 months of consistent effort before evaluating.
Better approach: Build gradually; organic growth compounds over time.
The strategies above apply to all food businesses. But different business types have unique opportunities and challenges on Facebook. The following sections provide specialized tips for specific food business categories.
While the core strategies apply to everyone, certain tactics work better for specific types of food businesses. Here’s how to customize your approach:
Full-service restaurants have unique opportunities to showcase the complete dining experience:
Menubly works perfectly for restaurants with multiple order types—customers can browse your menu and choose dine-in, takeout, or delivery, all from one link. For more restaurant marketing strategies, see our comprehensive guide.
Mobility is your superpower—use Facebook to keep customers informed:
Menubly’s mobile-first menu is perfect for food truck customers ordering on the go. For more food truck marketing strategies, check out our specialized guide.
Cafes thrive on aesthetic and atmosphere:
Menubly lets you add modifiers and add-ons to menu items, perfect for café customization. Our café marketing strategy guide has more specific tips.
Freshness and limited availability drive bakery marketing:
With Menubly, you can mark items as sold out instantly, so customers always know what’s available. See our bakery marketing strategy for more ideas.
Evening entertainment and social atmosphere drive bar marketing:
Menubly’s drink menu categories help organize cocktails, beer, wine, and spirits clearly.
Catering requires building trust for important events:
Menubly helps showcase your catering packages and menu options with easy contact integration.
You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the basics, build consistency, and expand from there. Here’s your action plan:
Ready to make your Facebook marketing more effective? Start by making sure you have a professional, mobile-friendly menu to share. Create your free Menubly menu in minutes—no technical skills required—and get the perfect link to share across your Facebook page, posts, and ads.
Try Menubly free for 30 days—no credit card required.
Every successful restaurant on Facebook started exactly where you are now. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t? Taking the first step. Take yours today.
Yes, Facebook remains highly effective for restaurants. With 72% of customers using Facebook to make dining decisions and 95% of food businesses on the platform, it’s essential for reaching local customers. The key is consistent, engaging content and having a mobile-friendly menu to link to.
Facebook marketing can be completely free using organic posts, or you can run ads starting at $5-10 per day. Most small restaurants see good results with $150-300 per month in ad spend. The biggest investment is time: plan on 30-60 minutes per day for content creation and engagement.
The best times are when customers decide where to eat: 11am-1pm for lunch decisions, 4-7pm for dinner planning. However, check your Facebook Insights for your specific audience—your followers may have different peak engagement times based on your location and customer base.
Grow your audience by posting consistent, high-quality content, engaging with comments quickly, cross-promoting your page on other platforms and in-store materials, running occasional follower campaigns with small ad budgets, and creating shareable content like beautiful food photos and videos.
Use both if possible, as they reach different audiences. Facebook is better for local reach, community building, and detailed information sharing. Instagram is stronger for visual appeal and younger demographics. Cross-posting saves time while maximizing reach.
Respond professionally and promptly. Thank the customer for feedback, apologize for their experience, and invite them to message you privately to resolve the issue. Never argue publicly. A well-handled negative review can actually improve your reputation by showing you care about customer satisfaction.
You can direct customers to your ordering system through Facebook. Add your online menu link to your page, use the “Order Food” or “See Menu” CTA button, and include ordering links in posts. Tools like Menubly let you create a menu with built-in ordering that’s perfect for sharing on Facebook—customers browse your menu, place an order, and you keep 100% of the revenue with zero commission fees.
