By the Third Eye Marketing team · Updated 14 October 2026 · 7 min read
The short answerChoose an agency that can name your goal in calls, bookings or covers, shows real data you can verify, does the work in-house, reports in plain English, works month to month and refuses to promise a ranking. Ask for examples of the same work for a similar business, and check their own website and profile for the things they sell.
Start with your goal
Before you speak to anyone, decide what success means: more weeknight covers, more catering enquiries, more direct orders, a launch, or being found when people search “best Indian restaurant near me”. An agency that starts with your goal, not with its menu of services, is usually a better fit.
Ten questions to ask
1. Who will actually do the work?
Ask whether strategy, creative, development and ads are done in-house or outsourced, and who your day-to-day contact is.
2. Can you show restaurants you have worked with?
Ask for examples and, where possible, the client’s own account or site so you can see the work in public.
3. How do you measure results?
Good answers mention calls, bookings, direction requests, Search Console and Analytics, not just followers or impressions.
4. Will I see the data myself?
Ask for a live dashboard or direct access, not a monthly PDF only.
5. What do you do for Google Maps and reviews?
Restaurants are chosen on Maps and reviews. BrightLocal found 47% of consumers will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. Ask how reviews are earned without incentives.
6. How do you handle AI search?
Ask how they make a restaurant easy for ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI to find, and how they measure it. Be wary of promised positions. See how we measure.
7. Do you produce photo and video?
Real food photography and reels make every other channel work harder. Ask who shoots and edits.
8. What does month one look like?
You want an audit, a plan and fixes to the foundations, not just a content calendar.
9. What are the contract terms?
Month-to-month with clear scope is a good sign. Be cautious of long lock-ins with unclear deliverables.
10. What would you not do?
A good agency tells you what is not worth doing for your situation.
Red flags
- Guaranteed rankings, a guaranteed number of customers or “#1 on ChatGPT” promises.
- No named people and no examples you can verify.
- Fake or bought reviews, or incentivised reviews, which break platform rules.
- Reports full of vanity metrics and no calls, bookings or enquiries.
- An agency whose own website is slow, vague or out of date.
What a good first 90 days looks like
- Days 1 to 30: audit, baseline, fix your Google profile, listings and website foundations.
- Days 31 to 60: content production (photo, video, reels), review system, answer-first pages and FAQs.
- Days 61 to 90: local ads where useful, measurement review, and a plan for the next quarter.
How to compare proposals
Compare scope, not just price: what is included, who does it, how it is measured and how long you are committed. Our approach is on how we work, and you can see our restaurant marketing and client work.
Sources
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, published 11 February 2026 (1,002 US adults).
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