My restaurant has never spent a dollar on marketing. Where do I start?

First, three years with no marketing means people like your food and tell their friends. That’s the hard part, and you’ve already done it.

Before you spend a dollar, make sure the free stuff is excellent. For most restaurants, the Google listing is the marketing.

• Your Google Business Profile. Current hours, including holidays. Your menu, as text, not just a photo. Lots of recent food photos. The right categories. Turn on reservations or ordering links if you have them.
• Apple Maps and Yelp. Claim both and make them match Google. Plenty of people search from Apple Maps.
• Reviews. A small card with the check, or a QR code on the table. Reply to reviews, good and bad.

Once that’s solid, here’s where I’d put money:

• Instagram first. Restaurants are visual, and short videos of food coming out of the kitchen do well. You don’t need to be a creator. Post what’s already happening.
• Small, local Meta ads. A few hundred dollars a month to people within a few miles, promoting a specific thing: a new dish, a happy hour, an event.
• Google Ads last. They can work, but most people searching for a place to eat click the map, not the ad.

And start collecting emails or texts now. A list of regulars you can reach on a slow Tuesday is worth more than any ad.