Double Promoting with AI

The Next Evolution in Restaurant Marketing

Jay Ashton, Canada's Restaurant Guy

In the crowded landscape of restaurant marketing, standing out has never been more challenging. Traditional campaigns, often operating in silos, struggle to capture the fragmented attention of today’s diners. Enter double promoting, a transformative strategy that leverages multiple layers of promotion simultaneously to amplify brand visibility, engagement, and revenue. When powered by AI, this approach becomes not just effective but revolutionary.

Double promoting is more than just running parallel campaigns. It’s a cohesive effort where every touchpoint, whether on social media, in the restaurant, through collaborations, or in loyalty programs, works together seamlessly. Picture a restaurant launching a new seasonal menu. On Instagram, a series of posts and reels tease the dishes, encouraging reservations. In-store, table tents with QR codes direct guests to behind-the-scenes videos of the chef creating the menu. At the same time, local influencers share their experiences tasting the menu, linking followers back to the restaurant’s app or website. Each element supports the others, creating a layered and immersive promotional experience.

AI is the engine that drives this strategy into high gear. Today’s AI tools can segment customers, tailor messaging to individual preferences, and even predict the effectiveness of campaigns. Platforms like HubSpot and Klaviyo allow restaurants to identify patterns in guest behavior, ensuring promotions reach the right audience at the right time. Tools such as Jasper and Canva AI make creating high-quality visuals and copy more accessible than ever, enabling restaurateurs to craft professional marketing materials without a large budget or team. These advancements lay the foundation for truly impactful double promoting.

Looking at where we are today, restaurants can start implementing double promoting strategies by combining social media campaigns with local partnerships. AI can help identify micro-influencers with strong local engagement, ensuring every dollar spent on influencer marketing delivers results. Pairing digital promotions with in-store activations adds another layer of effectiveness. For example, restaurants can use AI-driven geofencing ads to attract nearby customers while simultaneously offering exclusive in-store discounts or experiences. AI-powered chatbots and email automation can further enhance these efforts, ensuring consistent communication with guests.

The possibilities for double promoting with AI are vast, and the future promises even more exciting developments. Hyper-personalization will take center stage as AI creates individualized experiences for each guest. From recommending menu items based on past orders to sending tailored promotions, this level of customization will make marketing feel less like advertising and more like a service. Augmented reality will bring new dimensions to engagement, allowing customers to virtually experience dishes or restaurant spaces through social media platforms. Predictive analytics will play an even larger role, guiding restaurants on when and where to run campaigns for maximum impact. Voice AI will open up new promotional channels, with platforms like Alexa and Siri becoming conduits for real-time marketing.

For Gen Z and Gen X restaurant owners, double promoting is especially powerful. Both generations are digital natives, adept at navigating social platforms and understanding the nuances of online engagement. TikTok and Instagram are fertile ground for creative campaigns, where trending audio and viral challenges can drive incredible visibility. AI tools like OpenTable Insights and Toast provide data-driven insights that these tech-savvy owners can use to align promotions with guest preferences and behaviors. Storytelling becomes another critical component, with AI enabling messaging that resonates deeply with each generation. Gen Z may respond to humor and authenticity, while Gen X might value nostalgia and a focus on quality.

As attention spans grow shorter and competition intensifies, double promoting with AI offers a way for restaurants to not only keep up but leap ahead. This strategy combines the power of layered messaging with the precision of AI, creating marketing campaigns that are as efficient as they are effective. The result is a holistic approach to engagement that meets customers where they are, delivering a seamless and memorable brand experience.

Double promoting is not just a strategy for the future—it’s one that restaurants can implement today. Those who embrace it now will not only see immediate benefits but also position themselves as leaders in the next wave of restaurant marketing innovation. In a world where marketing is becoming more complex, this layered, AI-enhanced approach could very well be the game changer the industry has been waiting for.