What To Do With Your Restaurant Marketing in January

Happy New Year. I don’t know what the Larry David statute of limitations is on saying that, but let’s assume we’re still in the acceptable window.

January is a very unique month in the restaurant business. Some concepts bloom and flourish. Others slow down, button up, and wait for warmer weather and wider wallets.

Either way, January is a good time to do a few things that help set the year in motion the right way.

Here is your January marketing checklist:

Over the course of the year, we add things to our link in bio, tweak our website, turn on promotions, pin posts, test offers, and make dozens of digital changes that never get revisited once the promotion ends.

January is the perfect time to clean this up.

Run a full digital audit. Look at Google, your website, social profiles, third-party platforms, and every channel you actively use to market and promote your brand.

Make sure nothing is outdated, broken, confusing, or leftover from a past promotion that no longer applies.

Along with that, double-check your listings. This includes but is not limited to Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Bing, Apple Maps, Siri, Waze, and any other platforms where your restaurant appears.

Pay special attention to hours, menus, and any holiday leftovers that should be gone.

If you’re using a tool like Marqii , that makes this significantly easier. If you’re not, this is still work that needs to be done.

Who are you? Who do you do this for? Why do you do it? How do you do it?

If January is slower for your business, it’s a great time to deepen your relationship with your guests. One of the best ways to do that is by telling better stories about your restaurant.

Guests may not be in peak cheeseburger, taco, or pizza mode right now, but that doesn’t mean they’re not paying attention.

We just came off a heavy promotional season. Lots of offers. Lots of calls to action. Lots of noise.

January is a chance to rebalance that.

Talk about your dishes. Your people. Your purpose. Your brand promise. Your loyalty or rewards program. The things that make your restaurant different from the one down the block.

If all of your marketing is promotions, discounts, and urgency, congrats, you’re a commercial.

That stuff has its place. But if people don’t feel personally connected to your restaurant, you’re just another transaction.

At Handcraft Burgers and Brew, and with the brands I’m working with, January is about reinforcing brand promises and going deeper on menu storytelling, especially around the items that drive retention.

Yes, it’s whipping week at the gym. Yes, people are pretending sugar doesn’t exist.

But Sundays are still for football, and the Super Bowl is right around the corner.

If the Big Game matters for your business, you should already have a plan and start promoting it now.

If you’re a watch destination, start planting the seed that plans and reservations matter. If off-premise is your focus, start promoting pre-orders for pickup and delivery now.

There’s no such thing as too early.

There is such a thing as too late.

Right after the Super Bowl comes Valentine’s Day, and people will start making plans sooner than you think.

If Valentine’s Day is relevant for your business, get ahead of it with your marketing.

And if you’re selling heart-shaped pizzas and actually want to sell a ridiculous amount of them, I’ve got a free playbook that walks through exactly how to do that, step by step.

Everything you need is in there, but it does require starting now.

AI is here, and it can help your business.

A lot of people are talking about it. I’ve shared plenty about it too. But I’m telling you from firsthand experience at my own restaurant and with the brands I support, we’ve brought AI into the room as a thought partner.

So far this year alone, I’ve personally used AI to help with menu analysis, updating internal social media guidelines, and social copy.

And it’s only the first full week of January.

If you want a starting point, I’ve got a quick-start guide you can check out this guide.

Once you’ve done that, download your 2025 sales history by item, upload it, and ask AI to ingest it, analyze it, and make suggestions.

Trust me on this one.

And if you’re going to be using AI regularly, consider a paid subscription to ChatGPT or Gemini. It’s cheaper than almost any outside help you’ll ask for, and you’ll get far more out of it.

Did this hit the mark for you?

Are you doing something different this January that’s working?

Please share it.

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Where do you need help? Reach out and ask.

[email protected]

- Rev Ciancio

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