In January of 2025, wildfires tore through the communities of Los Angeles county, reducing homes, businesses and restaurants to ashes. Under the leadership of celebrated chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen, restaurants all over the world mobilized, bringing food and comfort to the grieving communities of Southern California.
Of course, this was not about restaurant marketing strategies. This was about helping communities in need. But as an article from Eater points out, it was also a perfect example of how restaurants are always among the first to step up when their communities are in crisis. Why exactly is that? What makes restaurants so unique?
Perhaps it’s that, more than any other kind of business, restaurants are deeply embedded in their communities and in the lives of the people who make up these communities. This gives restaurants a sense of responsibility in times of crisis.
But it also gives restaurants an opportunity in times of calm. And that’s what we wanted to chat about today – the opportunity to contribute positively to your community on a day to day basis while also raising your restaurant’s local profile.
How To Market Through Restaurant Community Engagement
We sat down with Back of House Director of Marketing Hilary Young to find out more about community-based restaurant marketing strategies.
Here’s what we learned.
Let’s start from the top. What does restaurant community engagement mean?
Hilary: The best local restaurants are about more than just food. They are gathering spaces for friends and family, places where the staff members recognize you when you come in, places that people come to for familiarity, consistency, and comfort. Restaurants serve a very natural role in their communities as hubs for social activity.
Restaurant community engagement means taking that natural role a step further — being proactive about participation in public events, sponsoring local festivals, partnering with area nonprofits. It means that instead of just letting the community come to you, you need to play an active role in your community, pay attention to the issues that matter to your neighbors, and get involved.
Clearly, there are a lot of different ways to get involved. How can restaurants decide which strategies make the most sense for them?
Hilary: I always recommend starting with knowing what means the most to them, as a business and as a brand. People think that just because you’re a restaurant you don’t have to approach building a brand in the same way you would for any other business, but that’s not true.
At the core of every brand is a sentiment that sets you apart from the competition — and you execute on that sentiment through your values as a business with both words and actions. When you stand for something, other people will take note. Maybe they will also value what you stand for, or maybe they’ll become inspired to learn more as a result of your passion.
The best way to figure out what makes the most sense for your restaurant to get involved with at a community level is to actually know what you stand for. Don’t just jump on the community bandwagon; your decisions should be rooted deeply in what you believe as a business owner.
So how exactly can restaurants gain this understanding?
Hilary: I always encourage businesses to define a few main pillars of their brand in order to build a strong foundation to build on top of: a mission statement, brand values, and a basic understanding of who you serve (your customers!). The first two pieces can be personal to you, but should also reflect who your customers are. Otherwise, you run the risk of becoming disconnected from the community.
And unlike other types of businesses, restaurants have a leg up because you have the ability to talk to real actual people every day.
And, if you already have a modern POS (point of sale) system and a good customer loyalty program, you also have access to a lot of data to do a deeper dive on who your target market is. These technologies can give you data and insight on customer demographics, location, and preferences.
Use your POS system to understand who your customers are. Use your loyalty program to understand what they want. And then you can strategically craft marketing efforts that also boost your local community.
Want to support the local elementary school? Promote a “Dining Out for [School Name] Night” and donate 20% of that evening’s proceeds to the PTA. Do you host a lot of dog lovers outside for brunch? Host a night that gives back to a local animal shelter. It’s a great way to celebrate your customers and also give back to a great cause.
What are some of the risks involved in community-centered marketing?
Hilary: I think the biggest risk is appearing inauthentic. People are pretty perceptive when it comes to performative activism — that is, doing good deeds just for the sake of looking good. Giving off that impression could do more harm than good for your brand.
But that’s also why I suggest your own brand serving as a starting point for where to go — if you know who you are, it’s harder to performatively stray. Of course, in the grander scheme, marketing is meant to benefit your brand. But when it comes to community marketing for restaurants, you have to lead with what benefits the community.
If you are genuine in choosing your issues, and if you do things that actually help your community, people will take notice. The benefits to your brand and reputation will follow. Over the years, data has shown that many consumers are more likely to open their wallets for a business whose values align with theirs.
How can a restaurant be sure that their community involvement efforts are working?
Hilary: This is something that can be difficult to measure just using sales and traffic data. But this is also where your social media engagement can really help to tell the bigger story. If you want to know how people are perceiving your restaurant community engagement efforts, share what you’re doing on your social media channels. Use Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to let your online followers know what you’re up to.
And it’s important to frame your activities in the right way. This isn’t about telling your customers how generous and charitable you are. It’s about sharing the community initiatives that are important to you, helping to shed light on the issues behind these initiatives, and getting others involved.
The responses you get online — the “likes” and comments, or a lack thereof — can be a great way to see how well your efforts are or aren't working. And the right social media marketing tools can provide data and reporting on how people in your community are engaging with your content. The right tools can also tell you whether or not this engagement is translating into sales and traffic.
What are some ways that restaurants can get staff involved in their community engagement efforts?
Hilary: Your staff members are also a part of your community — people who live and work in the neighborhood. Their values as people should also be in alignment with your values as a brand. They are likely to be passionate about how to use your community power for good, so open it up to conversation.
Involve team members in active discussion as you choose initiatives. If you choose issues that resonate with your staff members, they will naturally become the most enthusiastic ambassadors for your brand and for the issues you care about.
Having staff buy-in can also be a real boost for your internal culture. Your team members are motivated by more than just tips and paychecks. One of the reasons a lot of us become lifers in the restaurant industry is because it gives us a special kind of community that we can be part of.
Giving your staff members a way to get involved with their own community on a deeper level can raise morale and improve retention.
A new school year is coming up fast. Are there opportunities here for restaurant community engagement?
Hilary: Absolutely! There’s so much you can do to support the schools in your community, and it’s also one of the best ways to get your customers onboard and boost traffic during slower shifts.
My kids’ school does monthly “Dine Out” nights where they partner with a local restaurant on a specific weeknight (usually a slower-traffic night, like Tuesday or Wednesday) and they donate 20% of the proceeds back to our PTA. We also hold a fundraiser every year to help with gaps in the public school budget, and many of our favorite local restaurants donate gift cards for our auction.
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It’s really a nice feeling to know that the local businesses are just as invested in the success of our community school as we are, and it definitely makes me want to show up for those businesses even more.
Restaurant marketing strategies like this demonstrate a real “we’re all in this together” mentality. This can be a big boost to local brand recognition and reputation. And if you pair these efforts with the right timing, it can be a way to bring in more people during some of your off-peak hours.
A lot of restaurants do short-term, one-off promotions around community initiatives or causes. Is this an effective marketing strategy?
Hilary: It’s always great to do something for your community, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it translates into a marketing win. Marketing wins come when you make a real, meaningful, and lasting impact on your community. And the only way to actually do that is to serve with commitment and consistency.
Build lasting partnerships with the organizations that best represent your goals in the community. Find your signature causes or charities and stick with them.
But really, the best thing you can do is narrow your focus to just a few key initiatives that align with your values as a business. Put your attention into areas where you believe you can make the biggest difference, whether that means building a relationship with the local schools, partnering with an organization that fights hunger, or working closely with a cultural foundation to support the arts.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do it with consistency and conviction.
Five Things Your Restaurant Can Do Now To Get Involved With Your Local Community
We asked Hilary to hit us with a few practical tips for getting involved. Here’s what she recommended.
- Partner with local non-profit groups, including charitable organizations, educational foundations, and other businesses that support community initiatives.
- Host community events and cultural nights.
- Donate excess food to local shelters and food banks.
- Sponsor food drives, especially in coordination with peak-traffic events like Restaurant Week or football Sundays.
- Support local artists and performers with in-house galleries, concerts, and showcases.
Get Help Hosting Events
A lot of these community-based restaurant marketing strategies involve hosting or participating in events. After all, community marketing for restaurants is really about placing your brand where people gather.
Event hosting may sound like a whole lot of extra effort when you’re already working so hard to run your restaurant every day. But community-based events can improve your traffic, sales, and brand recognition, along with your standing in the community. In other words, if you do it right, it’s worth the effort. And today, there are some truly excellent technology-based solutions like Tripleseat and RestauRent that can simplify the process.
Looking for other creative ways to boost your brand?
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