Instagram Marketing
Instagram Ads for Restaurants: How to Turn Scrollers into Delivery Customers
As a restaurant owner, you're no stranger to the challenge of getting your food in front of hungry customers. With the rise of food delivery, Instagram ads have become a crucial channel to reach potential customers. But are you using them effectively?
75↑
Percentage of 18-34-year-olds using food delivery
According to a recent survey
40↑
Percentage of restaurants using Instagram ads
Based on industry benchmarks
25↑
Average return on ad spend for food delivery businesses
Reported by Facebook
12↓
Average cost per click for restaurant ads on Instagram
Tracked by AdEspresso
Understanding Your Target Audience on Instagram
To create effective Instagram ads for restaurant delivery, you need to understand who your target audience is. On Instagram, your potential customers are likely foodies, busy professionals, and families looking for convenient meal solutions. They're scrolling through their feeds, and you need to grab their attention.
- Identify your ideal customer: age, location, interests, and behaviors
- Use Instagram's built-in features, such as polls and quizzes, to engage with your audience
- Share user-generated content to build trust and authenticity
Pro Tip
Want expert help? DataLatte's Meta Ads management service is built specifically for local small businesses.
Creating Effective Ad Creative
Your ad creative is the first thing potential customers will see, so make it count. Use high-quality visuals, clear messaging, and a strong call-to-action (CTA).
- Use eye-catching images or videos of your food
- Highlight your unique selling points, such as "delivery" or "limited time offer"
- Include a clear CTA, such as "Order Now" or "Get 10% Off"
Targeting and Budgeting for Instagram Ads
To get the most out of your Instagram ads, you need to target the right audience and set a realistic budget.
- Use Instagram's targeting options, such as location, interests, and behaviors
- Set a daily or total budget for your ad campaign
- Monitor your ad performance and adjust your targeting and budget as needed
Measuring and Optimizing Ad Performance
To ensure your Instagram ads are driving real results, you need to track and measure their performance.
- Use Instagram's built-in analytics tools to track ad performance
- Monitor metrics such as click-through rate, conversion rate, and return on ad spend
- Adjust your ad creative, targeting, and budget based on your performance data
Average Return on Ad Spend by Industry
Food DeliveryBest
$300Restaurant
$200Retail
$150Travel
$100Based on industry benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I really need to spend $1,000/month to see results?
No. I’ve seen results with $300/month for a coffee shop in Portland. But that only works if you’re highly targeted in a small delivery zone. If you’re in a city like NYC or LA with high CPMs, expect $800–1,200/month minimum. At $500/month, you can test but don’t expect to scale. The minimum viable budget is roughly the cost of one delivery order per day for 30 days — figure out that number and multiply by 30.
Q: Can I run Instagram ads myself, or should I hire someone?
You can run them yourself. The question is whether you should. If you’re the owner, you probably spend your day making food, managing staff, and dealing with suppliers. Learning Meta Ads Manager takes real time. I’ve had clients burn $2,000 in their first month because they didn’t understand how to set conversion events or exclude the wrong locations. If your time is worth more than $50/hour, hire someone. If you want to learn, start with a $200 test and don’t scale until you see positive ROAS at that level.
Q: Is Instagram better than Facebook for restaurant ads?
For delivery orders? Yes. Instagram Stories and Reels generate higher intent for immediate actions. Facebook is better for event promotion or building long-term loyalty. I put 70% of restaurant budgets on Instagram and 30% on Facebook as a retargeting channel. If you only have budget for one, pick Instagram.
Q: How long until I see a return on ad spend?
If you set it up correctly, you should see orders within the first week. Not revenue — orders. If you don’t get at least five delivery orders in the first week, something is wrong with your creative, targeting, or landing page. Fix that before you spend more. I’ve had clients see positive ROAS in the first three days, and others take three weeks because their checkout process was broken.
Q: Do I need to run ads for DoorDash and Uber Eats separately?
No. Run one Instagram campaign with a link that goes to a page where customers can pick their preferred delivery partner. That way you track all orders from one source. Or set up separate campaigns with different links and track which platform converts better. The latter is more accurate but more work. Most small businesses do the first option and it works fine.
Q: What if I don't use any ordering platform? Just phone orders?
Then Instagram ads are harder to track. You can still run them — use a call-to-action button that says “Call now” — but you won’t know which orders came from ads unless you ask every caller. I’d recommend getting a free Square Online account or Toast free tier just to set up a basic ordering page. It costs nothing and makes your ads trackable.
I’ve been doing this long enough to know that most of the advice you’ll find online about Instagram ads for restaurants is written by people who have never run a campaign for an actual restaurant. They use screenshots from generic dashboards and say things like “optimize your funnel.” Meanwhile, you’re trying to figure out why nobody’s ordering your sandwich.
The uncomfortable truth is that most restaurant ad budgets fail for boring reasons: wrong link, wrong photo, wrong radius. Fix those three things and you’re already ahead of 80% of the competition. The other 20% — the ones who consistently convert — are the ones who treat their ads like they treat their kitchen: measure everything, adjust constantly, and never serve something that isn’t ready.
If you want to skip the testing phase and go straight to what works for restaurants in your city, Book a free consultation. I’ll tell you exactly what I’d do with your budget, and whether it makes sense to spend anything at all.
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Nataliia
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
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