Restaurant marketing in Vancouver: the complete guide.

By the Third Eye Marketing team · Updated 14 October 2026 · 9 min read

Where Vancouver diners decide

Most diners decide before they reach your website: on Google Maps, in a profile, in reviews, in an Instagram reel or in an AI answer. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey found 45% of US consumers had used ChatGPT or another AI tool for a local business recommendation in the past year, and 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. Those findings are US data, but the behaviour is global.

The eight pillars

1. 1. Strategy

   Know your guests, your neighbourhood competitors and your goal. See restaurant marketing.

2. 2. Local SEO and Google Business Profile

   Accurate details, the right categories, photos, the menu and hours. Start with our Google Business Profile guide and local SEO for restaurants.

3. 3. Reviews and reputation

   Ask every guest and reply to every review. See how to get more Google reviews.

4. 4. Photo and video

   Real food and real people, produced for every surface. See photo and video and 15 reel ideas.

5. 5. Social media

   Planned content, not a posting habit. See social media marketing.

6. 6. Website and menu

   Fast, mobile-first, with the menu as readable text. See restaurant menu SEO and restaurant website design.

7. 7. Paid ads

   Google and Meta campaigns that capture demand near you. See paid ads for restaurants.

8. 8. Retention

   Email and SMS that bring guests back, with consent. See customer retention.

A 90-day plan

• Month 1: fix facts and listings, complete your Google profile, start the review habit, publish the menu as text.
• Month 2: shoot photo and video, publish reels, add answer-first FAQs and structured data, plan content around your best dishes and events.
• Month 3: add local ads, review results and double down on what brings bookings, add AI-readiness checks. Run our free scan.

Measuring what matters

Track Google Business Profile calls, direction requests and website clicks, reservations by source, review count and rating, and Search Console clicks for your key searches. Our Basant case study shows what honest reporting looks like, including the searches not won yet.

Common mistakes

• Posting daily while the Google profile is incomplete.
• A PDF menu and no text on the page.
• Chasing followers instead of bookings.
• Buying reviews or offering incentives.
• Expecting results in a week and quitting at week six.

If you want help, see how we work or book a free call.

Sources

1. BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, published 11 February 2026 (1,002 US adults).
2. BrightLocal, AI directory sources study, 26 August 2026 (US, UK and Australia; 60,970 checks across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT; Canada was not covered).

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