Expanding Your Menu? 9 Marketing Tips to Get Dining Guests Excited

Are you expanding your menu at your restaurant? Introducing new menu items is a great idea because it keeps your restaurant fresh and competitive in an ever-growing industry.

In this article, we look at nine marketing tips to get your dining guests excited for your new menu. While you may still have everyone’s favorites on your menu, it may take a bit of convincing to get your diners to try new items. These tips can help you do just that.

Whether you’re adding locally inspired entrees, the newest trending flavors, plant-based dishes, or revamping your entire lineup, a new menu shows diners you and your chef are creative, and you want to showcase your growing palette of food.

But no matter how mouthwatering your new dishes are, they can’t sell themselves. Your customers need to know about them, and the most important thing is that they need to get excited about them.

Marketing your updated menu should be as strategic as the recipe development itself. From pre-launch buzz to post-launch engagement, your goal is to drive foot traffic and build and enhance customer loyalty. (tweet this)

Here are nine marketing tips to get diners excited about your new menu and turn your curious guests into brand ambassadors and customers who return again and again.

#1: Tease the Launch on Social Media

Think of the launch of your expanded menu like a movie premiere.

You want to build some anticipation before the big day. You might consider teasing the launch with “something new is coming,” and as you get closer to the date, start releasing more information.

For example, you can tease photos of ingredients, shots of your kitchen staff working on your new dishes, and partial photos/videos of the dishes. Then, when it’s time to launch, you can showcase everything.

Try these tactics:

• Use Instagram Stories to reveal one new ingredient per day.
• Run a countdown clock on your website to your launch date.
• Post a blurred-out photo and ask followers to guess the new dish.

This kind of slow build creates anticipation and keeps your restaurant top of mind.

#2: Host an Exclusive Preview Night

Invite a mix of loyal customers, area food influencers, and members of the local media to a tasting event. Make it feel exclusive with printed invitations and a chef’s presentation. Encourage attendees to take photos, share their experiences, and tag your restaurant on their social media accounts.

You can even offer a behind-the-scenes tour of the kitchen or a Q&A session with the chef to add value to your preview night.

By offering this group of people a special invite-only launch, you create deeper brand loyalty and generate authentic word-of-mouth.

#3: Update Your Website and Google Business Profile

When customers visit your website and view your online menu, it’s often the first interaction they have with your restaurant.

Make sure it’s accurate and visually appealing. Add high-resolution photos, clear descriptions, and pricing. Update the “Menu” section on your Google Business profile and any third-party platforms like Yelp or TripAdvisor.

When highlighting your new menu items, be sure to call them out so people know what’s new. Here are some other best practices:

• Include keywords related to your new items for search engine optimization (SEO).
• Tag unique items like allergy-friendly dishes or vegan options for easy filtering.
• Use eye-catching icons like “New!” or “Chef’s Pick.”

A current digital presence builds trust and helps guests make informed decisions before they arrive. Once you’ve launched your new menu, make a splash on your website.

#4: Tell the Story Behind the Expanded Menu

Your customers care about why you do what you do. Was your new flatbread inspired by a trip to Naples? Is your cocktail list now 100% local spirits?

Tell your stories through blog posts, social captions, and videos on your website and social media pages. Give people an extra reason to want to dine at your restaurant and try your expanded menu. Here are some storytelling ideas to get you started:

• Why are you using seasonal ingredients?
• Do you have any local partnerships, like with organic meat producers or local gardens?
• Is there cultural or personal inspiration behind each dish?
• Do any of your dishes incorporate sustainability efforts?

Sharing your values and your creativity helps get an emotional buy-in from diners.

#5: Offer Limited-Time Deals on New Dishes

Use pricing promotions to drive urgency. Consider offering 10% off new items during the first week or bundle them in a sampler platter. You can also offer the first 25 diners a free dessert for trying a new entrée. Here are some more creative ideas:

• First Taste Fridays: discount new dishes every Friday night.
• Give extra loyalty rewards for people who try a new item.
• Include QR codes on table tents that unlock a one-time offer on new items.

#6: Run a Social Media Contest

Contests are a great way to involve people in your menu launch. Try a caption contest for a new dish photo or ask guests to vote between two new dessert names. The more they engage, the more visibility your post gets. You can also try these ideas:

• Guess the Ingredients challenge: Offer a free item to the winner.
• Name This Dish: Whoever wins, give them the dish free for a month.

By increasing social buzz around your expanded menu, you engage new and current diners and get more people inside your doors.

#7: Train Your Staff to be Ambassadors

Your servers are part of your overall marketing strategy. Make sure they’ve all tasted the new dishes, know their stories, and are confident about talking about them.

Give them an extra bonus or incentive for every new menu item they sell.

#8: Highlight New Items in Email Marketing

Email is one of your highest ROI (return on investment) marketing tools. Create a campaign with a series of emails that showcase your new offerings with vibrant images, pricing, and a clear link to your online reservation system or ordering platform. (tweet this)

You also want to use email marketing as you tease your new menu and you launch it. Be sure to offer special coupons for your email list as well as full stories on each of your new dishes.

#9: Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

Encourage your diners to share their new menu experience on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. Set up photo-friendly moments in your restaurant and offer small incentives for posting and tagging your account. Here are some best practices:

• Repost tagged photos and stories.
• Create a custom hashtag (e.g., ForkFresh2025).
• Host “Diner of the Week” features on your page.

Using UGC helps you build a strong social community, and it lets you leverage free and authentic content.

Final Thoughts on Marketing Your Expanded Menu

Introducing new menu items is an amazing marketing opportunity. Not only does it enhance your brand, but it can also energize your staff while giving diners either a reason to try your menu for the first time or a reason to come back again.

You want to create a moment your diners will remember, talk about, and share. From the first social media teaser to the last bite of dessert, you want to build excitement and tell your story.

With the right mix of creativity, strategy, and amazing customer service, your new menu is a celebration of your restaurant and your food and an opportunity to grow your business.

Is your website ready to showcase your expanded menu? Can visitors order your new dishes right on your website? At Restaurant Engine, we can create a website for you that highlights your menu. Your website is the centerpiece of your online marketing, and it needs to look beautiful and perform well. You can also count on us to create an amazing website that is optimized for SEO and works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your new business using website data!  

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website?

Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Max Burger and Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash