Industry · Restaurants

Freelance Google Ads & Meta Ads For Restaurants

Lunch service, dinner service, takeaway, catering: advertising should fill the tables and time slots that are still free, with customers from your area.

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Google PartnerSuperMalter (top 10%)61 five-star reviews on Malt and LinkedIn100+ clients

Food Service In The EU, In Numbers

Restaurants, caterers, bars and cafés: their official figures from Eurostat, then the month when customers search most for a restaurant, a takeaway or a caterer on Google.

  • Restaurants

    NACE code 56.10

    Restaurants and mobile food service activities

    969,933 companies in the EU

    • 6.3 people per company on average
    • €382.9 billion in turnover
    • Most searched month: August
  • Event Catering

    NACE code 56.21

    Event catering activities

    93,218 companies in the EU

    • 3.5 people per company on average
    • €22.1 billion in turnover
    • Most searched month: February
  • Bars And Cafés

    NACE code 56.30

    Beverage serving activities

    486,027 companies in the EU

    • 3.7 people per company on average
    • €87.1 billion in turnover

Source: Eurostat, enterprises by NACE activity (dataset sbs_ovw_act), EU-27, NACE codes 56.10, 56.21 and 56.30, 2024 data updated on 30 September 2026. See the raw data. People per company: calculated from the number of people employed and the number of companies published by Eurostat.

The Google Search Calendar

Index 100 = the most searched month of each line. Searches in the United Kingdom, in English, from October 2025 to September 2026.

  • Restaurants And Bookings
  • Takeaway And Delivery
  • Catering

Most searched month: restaurants and bookings in August, takeaway and delivery in August, catering in February. Catering: February brings 4.3 times the searches of December.

Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner, monthly search volumes in the United Kingdom, in English, from October 2025 to September 2026, retrieved on 14 October 2026 from Théo Maupilé's Google Ads account. Searches measured: “restaurants near me”, “restaurants”, “book a table”, “restaurant booking”, “takeaway”, “takeaway near me”, “food delivery”, “fast food near me”, “catering”, “caterers near me”, “wedding catering” and “buffet catering”. Method: each line adds up its searches, then takes the value 100 in its highest month. Google rounds the volumes it returns: the line shows the rhythm of demand, not an exact volume.

See the chart data
MonthRestaurants And BookingsTakeaway And DeliveryCatering
October 2025828236
November 2025677629
December 2025677623
January 2026667337
February 20267370100
March 2026737930
April 2026737830
May 2026899330
June 2026827830
July 2026899326
August 202610010025
September 2026828230

The Price Of A Click At The Top Of Google

What advertisers paid to appear at the top of the results, for the most searched query of each line, in the United Kingdom.

  • Restaurants And Bookings “restaurants near me”€0.32 to €1.37
  • Takeaway And Delivery “takeaway near me”€0.63 to €1.24
  • Catering “catering”€0.98 to €11.93

Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner, top of page bid, low range and high range, in euros, in the United Kingdom, retrieved on 14 October 2026 from Théo Maupilé's Google Ads account. According to Google, the range runs from the 20th to the 80th bid out of 100: about 6 bids in 10 fall between the two amounts. It is an observed range, not a price list: the price of each click is set in an auction.

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Restaurants · United Kingdom

Where Is Your Audience?

Your audience moves from one app to the next within the same day: they search on Google, watch YouTube, browse Discover and Gmail, scroll Instagram and Facebook, ask ChatGPT for advice. Tap an app to see where your ad meets them, and what the ad platforms measure in your industry.

  1. SearchingGoogle · Maps
  2. WatchingYouTube
  3. DiscoveringDiscover · Gmail · Web
  4. ScrollingFacebook · Instagram
  5. AskingChatGPT

Searchinggoogle.com · Google app

Google

They type their need in their own words. This is when intent is at its clearest: your ad answers a question they have just asked.

11,100,000searches a month for “restaurants near me”, in the UK

Searches a month in your industry, in the UK

“restaurants near me”11,100,000
“takeaway”135,000
“catering”18,100

Source: Google Keyword Planner, searches in the United Kingdom, in English, monthly average from October 2025 to September 2026, estimated and rounded by Google, pulled on 14 October 2026.

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Google Search results
  • Google Images
  • Google Maps and the Maps app

Source: Google Ads Help, where Search ads can appear, read on 16 October 2026.

Get Found On Google

SearchingGoogle Maps · Maps app

Google MapsSearching Nearby

They look for a place near them and compare options on the map. Your ad shows your address and phone number, beside, above or below the search results.

4 networkswhere location assets can show your address: the Search Network, the Display Network, YouTube and Google Maps

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Search results on Google Maps
  • Maps app
  • Search Network, with your address and phone number

Source: Google Ads Help, about location assets, read on 16 October 2026.

Get Found On Maps

Watchingyoutube.com · YouTube app

YouTube

They watch a video they chose. Your ad plays before or during that video, or shows up in their suggestions: your brand gets known before the need is put into words.

6 sthe bumper format: a short message your audience sees in full

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Before or during a video (in-stream)
  • Home feed, search and suggestions (in-feed)
  • YouTube Shorts
  • 6-second bumper

Source: Google Ads Help, video ad formats, read on 16 October 2026.

Get Seen On YouTube

DiscoveringGoogle app · Discover feed

Discover

They browse the feed of articles and videos the Google app suggests. Your ad slips in as one card among the others: they discover your offer before they even look for it.

3 feedsa single Demand Gen campaign places your ad in Discover, in Gmail and in YouTube’s feeds

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Discover feed
  • Gmail inbox
  • YouTube home and “What to watch next”

Source: Google Ads Help, campaign types, read on 16 October 2026.

Show Up In Discover

Discoveringgmail.com · Gmail app

GmailReading Emails

They open their inbox. Your ad shows among their messages, with your brand as the sender and your offer as the subject.

4Google Ads campaign types can place your ad in Gmail: Display, Shopping, Demand Gen and Performance Max

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Gmail inbox

Source: Google Ads Help, campaign types, read on 16 October 2026.

Show Up In Gmail

Discoveringmillions of websites and apps

Websites and appsReading An Article

They read an article or use an app. Your banner shows next to the content: your brand stays top of mind, and people who already visited your site see you again.

Millionsof websites and apps where a Display campaign can show your ad, on top of YouTube

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Websites
  • Mobile apps
  • YouTube

Source: Google Ads Help, create a Display campaign, read on 16 October 2026.

Stay Visible Across The Web

Scrollingfacebook.com · Facebook app

FacebookCatching Up

They catch up with friends, groups and their local area. Your ad slots into that feed, or into Marketplace when they look for something nearby.

35.2 to 41.5 millionpeople aged 18 and over reachable in the UK on Facebook

The whole country’s audience, platform by platform

Instagram31.1 to 36.6 million
Facebook35.2 to 41.5 million

Source: Meta, audience size estimate from the Marketing API, one platform at a time (reach optimisation), aged 18 and over, United Kingdom, pulled on 16 October 2026. A Meta estimate, best read as an order of magnitude.

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Feed
  • Stories
  • Marketplace
  • Video feed
  • Search results

Source: Meta, Marketing API, placement targeting, read on 16 October 2026.

Get Seen On Facebook

Scrollinginstagram.com · Instagram app

Instagram

They scroll their feed, stories and reels to unwind. The image takes the first step: your offer gets discovered here, and people who already visited your site find you again.

31.1 to 36.6 millionpeople aged 18 and over reachable in the UK on Instagram

The whole country’s audience, platform by platform

Instagram31.1 to 36.6 million
Facebook35.2 to 41.5 million

Source: Meta, audience size estimate from the Marketing API, one platform at a time (reach optimisation), aged 18 and over, United Kingdom, pulled on 16 October 2026. A Meta estimate, best read as an order of magnitude.

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Feed
  • Stories
  • Reels
  • Explore
  • Search results

Source: Meta, Marketing API, placement targeting, read on 16 October 2026.

Askingchatgpt.com · ChatGPT app

ChatGPT

They ask their question and read a full answer. The ad appears below that answer when the topic of the conversation matches what you offer: the need is already detailed, constraints included.

31European countries in the expansion announced by OpenAI, France and Spain included

Where Your Ad Appears

  • Below the answer, in the conversation

Source: OpenAI, ad platform documentation, conversation context targeting, Expansion and eligibility pulled on 1 September 2026, targeting read again on 16 October 2026.

Be Present On ChatGPT
Théo Maupilé, freelance Paid Media

Restaurant Marketing With Google Ads & Meta Ads

I'm Théo, a freelance Paid Media specialist with 100+ clients on Google Ads & Meta Ads. I work with a restaurant on Google Ads, with conversion tracking in place and decisions based on its data. Same standard for every venue: campaigns built around the services you need to fill, and measurement that follows each booking and each order with its value. I work directly with you.

The 3 Paid Media Projects For Restaurants

Fill The Quiet Days

Every venue has busy services and quiet ones, and a caterer has free dates. I focus campaigns on what is left to fill, and the budget goes down when the room is fully booked.

Competition On The Same Street

The EU has almost 1.6 million food and drink service businesses (Eurostat, 2024). On a search like "restaurant + area", your venue shows next to its neighbours: your photos, your menu and your reviews help it stand out.

Direct Bookings And Orders

A booking or an order that comes through your website or your phone is fully yours: its whole margin, and the customer's contact to bring them back.

The Method, Applied To Restaurants

  1. 1

    Audit Of Your Services

    Busy and quiet services, average spend, area and competition: what campaigns need to fill, and at what cost.

  2. 2

    Booking And Order Tracking

    Online booking, call, directions, takeaway or delivery order: every contact is recorded as a conversion, with its value when there is one.

  3. 3

    Campaigns For Key Moments

    Google Search campaigns on what people search in your area, Meta to show your dishes, and dedicated campaigns for your key moments (end-of-year parties, private hire, catering).

  4. 4

    Steering By Average Spend

    Budgets moved week after week toward the services, offers and days that bring in the most.

They Feed Their Guests, I Run Their Campaigns

★★★★★

Excellent travail avec Théo sur la gestion de nos Google Ads. Approche stratégique claire dès le premier échange, communication fluide et transparente, vraie capacité à challenger nos hypothèses quand c'est nécessaire. Setup tracking pro, décisions data-driven, et un ROAS qui se maintient à un très bon niveau. Je recommande sans hésiter.
TThomasLa Cantine de Thomas

Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant Marketing

Can A Restaurant Or A Bar Mention Alcohol In Its Ads?

Yes, within a clear framework. Google Ads allows alcohol ads in the countries where alcohol advertising is permitted, including the UK, the US, France and Spain, as long as they follow local law. These ads reach people of legal age to buy alcohol, and they run without remarketing. In France, article L3323-4 of the Public Health Code limits their content to objective information, such as strength, origin or composition, and requires a health message. I review every ad that mentions alcohol with you before it runs.

When Should A Restaurant Or A Caterer Launch Campaigns?

Before the peak: the calendar above shows that in the UK, restaurants are searched most in August, and caterers in February. Campaigns ramp up a few weeks before, so they learn while demand rises.

What About Caterers And Fast Food?

The method stays the same, the goal changes. A caterer sells events (weddings, company meals, end-of-year parties), so campaigns aim for quote requests and follow the event calendar. Fast food sells orders, so tracking focuses on the takeaway or delivery order.

What Happens After You Click

  1. 1

    7 Questions

    A short form: your website, your budget, your goal. Two minutes is all it takes.

  2. 2

    A 20-Min Call

    You walk me through what has already been done, your goals and your challenges. Then we look at how we can work together.

  3. 3

    Your Access And My Onboarding

    You give me access to your accounts, and I send you my onboarding document to go into the detail of your business, your market and your positioning.

  4. 4

    Building Your Strategy

    We start building your strategy from everything you have shared with me.

  5. 5

    Our Day-To-Day Communication

    I adapt to your team's tools: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail or Google Chat for the roadmap and project follow-up. WhatsApp is kept for urgent requests.

    • Slack
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Gmail
    • Google Chat
    • WhatsApp

Let's Talk About Your Food Business

You walk me through what has already been done, your goals and your challenges. Then we look at how we can work together.

Fill My Tables
  • 20 minutes
  • No strings attached
  • Reply within 24h
Google PartnerSuperMalter (top 10%)61 five-star reviews on Malt and LinkedIn100+ clients
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