Guide
Which of it actually worked?
Most restaurant marketing is judged on how it felt. A few simple habits tell you what it did.
In short
Measure marketing against orders, not impressions. The practical methods for a restaurant are unique codes per campaign, tracked links, a how-did-you-hear field at checkout, and comparing order volume in a defined window against a comparable period. None of these are perfect and together they are enough to make decisions.
Updated 28 August 2026
Pick the outcome before you start
Decide, before the campaign, what result would make it worth repeating. Orders, new customers, or return visits from lapsed ones. Campaigns judged after the fact get judged on whatever number looks best, which is how restaurants keep repeating things that never worked.
Four methods, none perfect
Use more than one, because each has a blind spot. Together they give you a defensible view.
- A unique code per campaign, redeemed at checkout
- Tracked links, so clicks and orders are attributable
- A how-did-you-hear field, optional, at checkout
- A before-and-after comparison against the same weekday
Compare against the right period
Never against last week. Trade is weekly-seasonal, and comparing a Friday campaign against a Tuesday tells you nothing. Compare against the same weekday, ideally averaged across several weeks, and be alert to weather, holidays and local events which move restaurant trade more than most marketing does.
Watch for cannibalisation
A discount campaign that produces a busy night has not necessarily produced anything. If most redemptions came from regulars who were coming anyway, you have paid margin for existing demand. Check what share of redemptions came from customers who had ordered in the previous month, and judge accordingly.
The honest limitation
Attribution in a local restaurant is genuinely hard. Somebody sees a post, walks past the shop, gets recommended by a friend, then orders. No method will untangle that cleanly. Aim for enough signal to stop doing the obviously ineffective things, and do not build an elaborate measurement apparatus for a business this size.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
What is a good return on a campaign?
Measure it in gross profit, not revenue. A campaign that produced a lot of discounted orders can lose money while looking successful on a revenue line.
Should I use unique codes for everything?
They are the cleanest signal available, so yes where you can. Just make them easy to enter, because a fiddly code costs you redemptions and therefore data.
How long should I run something before judging?
Long enough to cover a full weekly cycle at minimum, and longer for anything aimed at changing habits. Judging a retention campaign after a week is too soon.
What if I cannot attribute anything?
Then compare total orders and gross profit across defined periods and accept a rough answer. A rough answer consistently applied still beats deciding on feel.
See it run your restaurant.
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