The Journal
Ideas for venues that want to grow.
Practical writing on restaurant marketing, content and growth.

"Retargeting Ads for Restaurants: How to Bring People Back"
31 Aug 20260 viewsRetargeting ads for restaurants quietly reach the people who already looked you up, so you fill more tables without paying to find strangers twice.

How to Promote Private Events for Restaurants and Bars
27 Aug 20260 viewsA practical guide to promote private events at your restaurant or bar — fill function rooms, package hire, and turn quiet nights into booked-out spaces.

How to Promote Bottomless Brunch with Meta Ads
24 Aug 20261 viewWant to fill weekend tables? Here is how to promote bottomless brunch with Meta ads, target the right local crowd, and turn scrolls into group bookings.

"Restaurant Ad Creative: What Type of Photos and Videos Convert?"
20 Aug 20261 viewYour restaurant ad creative decides whether a scroll becomes a booking. Here is the type of photos and videos that actually convert local diners.

Best Meta Ads Audiences for Restaurants
17 Aug 20263 viewsThe best Meta ads audiences for restaurants are the people near you ready to book — here is how to target them so your spend turns into covers.

How Much Should a Restaurant Spend on Meta Ads?
13 Aug 20261 viewNot sure what your restaurant Meta ads budget should be? Here is a clear starting figure, what it actually buys you, and how to avoid wasting it.

"Meta Ads for Restaurants: Boosted Posts vs Proper Campaigns"
10 Aug 20261 viewBoosted posts vs Meta ads for restaurants — why the Boost button quietly burns budget and what a proper campaign does instead to fill tables.

Social Media Manager vs Restaurant Marketing Agency: Which Do You Need?
6 Aug 20261 viewStuck on the restaurant social media manager vs agency question? Here is how to choose, what each costs you, and which one actually fills tables.

Salon Website Design: How to Turn Browsers Into Appointments
4 Aug 20261 viewSmart salon website design in London turns curious browsers into booked appointments. Here is the checklist that gets your chairs filled.

How to Turn Instagram Followers Into Table Bookings
3 Aug 20264 viewsA practical guide to turning Instagram followers into bookings for your restaurant, so every reel and post moves people from scrolling to sitting down.

Why Your Restaurant Social Media Is Not Bringing Bookings
30 Jul 20261 viewIf your restaurant social media is not bringing bookings, the problem is rarely effort. Here is what actually turns followers into tables and full nights.

Law Firm Website Checklist for Local Search
28 Jul 20261 viewA practical law firm website design checklist to help your practice get found in local search and turn quiet enquiries into booked consultations.

"Instagram Captions for Restaurants: What Actually Makes People Book?"
27 Jul 20261 viewMost Instagram captions for restaurants get likes but no covers. Here is what actually turns a scroll into a booking, with a copy-and-use framework.

30 Restaurant Reels Ideas for Cafes, Bars and Bistros
23 Jul 20261 viewStuck for restaurant reels ideas? Here are 30 ready-to-film concepts for cafes, bars and bistros that turn scrolls into bookings and full tables.

Clinic Website Design: What Patients Need to See Before Booking
21 Jul 20261 viewA practical guide to clinic website design London practices can use to win patient trust, answer the right questions, and turn visits into booked appointments.

How Often Should a Restaurant Post on Instagram?
20 Jul 20261 viewWondering how often should a restaurant post on Instagram? Here is a realistic posting rhythm that fills tables without burning out your team.

"Restaurant Social Media Management: What Should Be Included?"
16 Jul 20261 viewWondering what restaurant social media management should actually cover? Here is the full checklist of what a proper monthly service includes and delivers.

"Website Design for Local Businesses: What Should Be Included?"
14 Jul 20261 viewA clear guide to website design for local businesses in London: the pages, features and proof every site needs to turn searches into real enquiries.

Common Restaurant Photography Mistakes That Make Food Look Cheap
13 Jul 20261 viewThe most common restaurant photography mistakes that make your food look cheap online, and a clear checklist to fix every one before your next shoot.

20 Food Photo Ideas for Restaurants, Cafes and Bars
9 Jul 20262 viewsStuck for food photo ideas for restaurants? Here are 20 shots that fill a content calendar, look great on mobile and turn scrolling into bookings.

Interior Photography for Restaurants: Why It Matters for Google and Bookings
6 Jul 20261 viewRestaurant interior photography shapes how people judge your venue before they arrive. Here is why it drives Google clicks and bookings, and how to get it right.

Food Photography vs Food Videography: What Does Your Restaurant Need First?
2 Jul 20261 viewFood photography vs food videography is the wrong question to start with. Here is how restaurants decide what to shoot first for more bookings.

Restaurant Photography Shot List: What to Capture in One Shoot Day
29 Jun 20262 viewsA practical restaurant photography shot list so one shoot day fills your website, menu and a month of social with images you will actually use.

Squarespace vs Custom Website for Restaurants
25 Jun 20263 viewsSquarespace vs custom restaurant website, explained plainly so you can pick the build that actually wins you more bookings, not just looks tidy.

Best Restaurant Website Sections: Menu, Booking, Gallery, Reviews
22 Jun 20261 viewThe restaurant website sections that actually turn visitors into bookings — menu, booking, gallery and reviews — and how to lay each one out.

Restaurant Website vs Instagram Page: Why You Need Both
18 Jun 20261 viewThe restaurant website vs Instagram debate has a simple answer for owners who want more bookings: you need both, working together, doing different jobs.

Why Slow Restaurant Websites Lose Bookings
15 Jun 20261 viewA slow restaurant website quietly loses you bookings every night. Here is what loading speed costs you and how to fix it before diners leave.

Why Your Restaurant Menu Should Not Be a PDF in 2026
11 Jun 20261 viewA restaurant PDF menu pinches to read, hides from Google and slows your site. Here is why it costs you bookings, and what to use instead in 2026.

Restaurant Website Redesign Checklist: 15 Things to Fix Before You Lose Bookings
8 Jun 20261 viewA restaurant website redesign checklist of 15 fixes that stop a slow, outdated site quietly leaking bookings to the venue down the road.

Food Cost Percentage Explained (and How to Lower It)
4 Jun 202616 viewsWhat food cost percentage really means for a UK restaurant, how to calculate it, the benchmark to aim for, and seven practical ways to bring it down without cutting quality.

How to Price a Dish for Profit (UK, 2026)
3 Jun 20265 viewsA step-by-step method for pricing a restaurant dish — recipe costing, wastage, target GP and VAT — with a worked example and a free calculator to do the maths for you.

What GP Percentage Should a UK Restaurant Aim For?
2 Jun 202610 viewsA straight answer on target gross profit for UK restaurants in 2026 — the benchmarks for food and drink, why GP slips, and how to check any dish in 30 seconds.

Meta Ads for Restaurants: How to Turn Scrolls Into Bookings
31 May 20261 viewA working playbook for Meta ads that actually drive restaurant bookings — campaign structure, creative angles, budget logic and the conversion events that matter.

Restaurant Content Calendar: What to Post Each Month
29 May 20263 viewsA monthly content calendar template restaurants and cafés can run themselves — what to post each week, in what cadence, and how to keep it from going stale.

How Much Does Restaurant Social Media Management Cost in the UK?
27 May 20265 viewsA no-nonsense breakdown of UK restaurant social media management pricing in 2026 — virtual assistants, junior freelancers, agencies and hospitality studios — and what each actually delivers.

How One Restaurant Shoot Day Can Create 30 Days of Content
24 May 20261 viewThe content sequencing playbook we use to turn a single full-day shoot into a month of organic posts, reels, stories and paid ads — without re-using the same hero shot twice.

How to Prepare Your Restaurant for a Photo and Video Shoot
22 May 20261 viewA working checklist of what to prep in the seven days before a restaurant shoot — kitchen, room, team and timing — so you actually get a month of content out of a single day.

Restaurant Photography & Videography Pricing in London
19 May 20268 viewsWhat restaurant photo and video shoots actually cost in London — from £450 reel packs to full-day, multi-photographer productions — and what to expect at each tier.

What Makes a Good Restaurant Website in 2026?
15 May 20261 viewThe 12-point checklist we run every London restaurant website against — mobile speed, menu structure, booking flow, schema and the small details that move bookings.

How Much Does a Restaurant Website Cost in London?
12 May 20263 viewsWhat a London restaurant website actually costs in 2026 — from £200 template builds to £15k custom builds — and what each price tier really gets you.