Food & Drink Digital Marketing: How to Increase Your Restaurant or Brand’s Customer Base in 2025

With the arrival of the digital age, restaurants, bars, cafes, and food brands have more avenues than ever to expand their customer base online.

From social media participation and influencer marketing to Google My Business optimization, customer advocacy, and immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR), the correct strategy can enable you to gain attention, build loyalty, and drive online and offline traffic.

In this article, we’ll explore data-backed, high-impact restaurant customer growth strategies for 2025 and how food and drink businesses can use digital marketing to dominate their niche.

If your target audience spends hours on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, your restaurant or brand needs to be there too.
In 2025, 74% of customers find new food and beverage brands through social media content.

Share original recipes, behind-the-scenes footage, chef interviews, and seasonal menu changes. Incentivize user-generated content using branded hashtags and execute contests to increase visibility.

Pro Tip: Use location tagging, trending food hashtags, and short-form videos — TikTok videos shorter than 30 seconds have a 25% increased completion rate within the food category.

Collaborate with established food bloggers and reviewers and leverage their dedicated followings. Influencer marketing today generates $5.20 in earnings for each $1 investment.

Invite bloggers to taste your menu, visit tasting events, or collaborate on recipes. These pages tend to come up high in Google search, driving organic traffic and credibility.

Video reigns supreme — 82% of all internet traffic in 2025 is video content.

Food and beverage brands can differentiate with:

• Recipe tutorials
• Chef masterclasses
• Behind-the-scenes “day in the kitchen” vlogs
• Seasonal product spotlights

Partner with food YouTubers in order to target high-intent viewers looking for “best restaurant recipes” or “how to cook [dish] at home.”

Reviews in the food sector make or break.

A 4.5-star average rating on Google, TripAdvisor, and Trustpilot boosts conversions by 31% (BrightLocal, 2025).

Reply to all reviews, whether positive or negative, within 24 hours. This demonstrates transparency and care towards customers, both of which have an impact on the decision to dine.

Happy customers are the best advertisers.

Provide referral rewards for loyalty, showcase customers’ social updates on your pages, and reward testimonials with special discounts.

User-generated content performs 2 times better than branded content when it comes to engagement in the food and beverage industry

64% of patrons look up restaurants through Google Maps and Google Business Profiles before choosing where to dine (The Media Captain, 2025).

Make your listing stand out with:

• Fresh menus
• Quality images
• Promotions during the season
• Good reviews

Augmented Reality (AR) is revolutionizing the food and beverage industry in 2025. From AR menu previews in virtual to interactive wine pairing recommendations, AR increases dwell time and conversions, especially among technology-savvy consumers.

Couple this with mobile ordering, customized loyalty apps, and AI-driven menu suggestions for a frictionless digital-to-dining journey.

In Summary

Growing your digital customer base in 2025 requires that food and beverage companies:

• Maintain an active and strategic presence on social media
• Work with influencers and bloggers
• Prioritize reviews and reputation
• Optimize Google My Business for local visibility
• Harness AR and future tech to build shareable moments

By incorporating these tactics into your marketing strategy, you’ll be able to bring new customers in, drive loyalty, and future-proof your brand in a more competitive food and drink landscape.