How much should a Canadian restaurant spend on marketing?

Most independent Canadian venues we work with put 3–6% of revenue into marketing, split between agency fees and ad spend. A single-location restaurant typically starts around C$900/mo in fees plus C$800–1,500/mo in Google and Meta spend, then scales once the numbers prove out.

Do you work with venues in Québec and bilingual markets?

Yes. For Québec and other bilingual catchments we run French and English versions of listings, ad creative and landing pages, so your venue is visible to the whole local market rather than half of it.

How do you handle the winter and shoulder-season slowdown?

We plan the year around your real demand curve: offer-led campaigns and rate strategy for quiet January and February weeks, patio and festival pushes in summer, and early capture of holiday party and event bookings in the autumn.

Can you reduce our reliance on OpenTable, Booking.com and delivery apps?

That is usually the fastest margin win. We rebuild the direct booking and direct ordering journey on your own site, then use search and social to send demand there first, shifting channel mix toward the revenue you keep.

Do you help with Google Business Profile and local search in Canadian cities?

Yes — Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect and Yelp are all part of the foundation work. We optimise each listing, keep hours, menus and photos accurate, and build a steady review flow that lifts your position in the local map pack.

How long before we see results?

Paid campaigns can move covers within the first two to four weeks. Local SEO and review-driven ranking gains usually build over three to six months. We report monthly on bookings, revenue and channel mix so you can see the direction early.

Canada

Hospitality marketing for Canadian restaurants, pubs and boutique hotels

HMRA works with independent Canadian restaurants, pubs, cafés, boutique hotels and inns — building local demand through the long winter months and capturing peak-season visitor revenue without giving margin away to the platforms.

Where we work in Canada

Remote-first, region-aware

Remote-first, with calls scheduled across Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern and Atlantic time. We work with operators nationwide, with campaigns built around your catchment rather than a national average.

Toronto & southern Ontario

Montréal & Québec

Vancouver & British Columbia

Calgary, Edmonton & Alberta

Halifax & the Maritimes

Banff, Whistler & resort towns

Built for the Canada market

What we do differently here

Win local search in your neighbourhood

Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect and Yelp all shape discovery in Canadian cities. We optimise each listing, keep hours and menus accurate, and build the review flow that lifts map rankings.

Keep more of every booking

OpenTable, Booking.com, Expedia and delivery apps take a real cut. We make direct booking and direct ordering the easiest path for guests and shift channel mix toward the revenue you keep.

Built for winter and shoulder season

Patio summers and quiet Januaries need different campaigns. We plan the offer calendar and rate strategy around your real demand curve, not a flat annual spend.

Bilingual where it matters

For Québec and bilingual markets we run French and English creative, listings and landing pages so you are not invisible to half your catchment.

Services

The same six services, localised

Every engagement is built from these six areas, adapted to Canada platforms, search behaviour and booking channels.

Website Design & Landing Pages

Sites that turn browsers into bookings, not just brochures.

Paid Advertising — Google & Meta

Reach hungry locals and weekend planners the week they're deciding.

Local SEO & Google Business Profile

Own the map pack for 'restaurant near me' in your town.

Social Media Management & Content

A feed that looks as good as the plates leaving your kitchen.

Revenue Management & Pricing Strategy

Charge the right price on the right night — and protect margin.

Online Ordering & Booking Setup

Fewer phone calls, fewer no-shows, more direct revenue.

Pricing in CAD

Canada retainers

Starter

From C$900/mo

One location, foundations fixed: listings, local SEO and a single ad channel.

Ad spend billed separately, always in your own accounts

Enquire about Starter

Growth

From C$2,200/mo

Google + Meta ads, social content, booking setup and quarterly revenue review.

Ad spend billed separately, always in your own accounts

Enquire about Growth

Full-Service

From C$4,400/mo

Multi-location or hotel operators who want the whole engine run for them.

Ad spend billed separately, always in your own accounts

Enquire about Full-Service

Prices are illustrative starting points shown in CAD and converted from our UK rate card for guidance. Final scope, currency and fees are confirmed after the audit. Taxes are not included.

Illustrative results

What this looks like in Canada

Independent bistro

Toronto, Ontario

Challenge. Strong weekend trade but near-empty Tuesday and Wednesday services, with most reservations arriving through a commission-charging booking platform.

What we did. Rebuilt the direct reservation journey on their own site, added a midweek prix fixe landing page and ran tightly geo-fenced Google and Meta campaigns aimed at a 5 km radius.

+38%

midweek covers in 4 months

Boutique hotel

Banff, Alberta

Challenge. Heavy OTA dependence in peak ski and summer season, with soft shoulder-season occupancy and no direct-booking incentive.

What we did. Direct booking engine setup with a best-rate guarantee, shoulder-season package pages, and paid search capturing branded and destination queries year-round.

+27%

direct room revenue in 6 months

Neighbourhood brasserie

Montréal, Québec

Challenge. Invisible in French-language local search and losing discovery to nearby competitors with stronger review volume.

What we did. Bilingual Google Business Profile and site content, a steady review-request flow at point of payment, and French-first creative for local social campaigns.

3.1x

monthly profile actions in 5 months

These are illustrative examples showing the kind of work we do and the outcomes it can produce — not verified claims from named clients. Results vary by venue, market and budget.

FAQs

Canada hospitality marketing questions

How much should a Canadian restaurant spend on marketing?: Most independent Canadian venues we work with put 3–6% of revenue into marketing, split between agency fees and ad spend. A single-location restaurant typically starts around C$900/mo in fees plus C$800–1,500/mo in Google and Meta spend, then scales once the numbers prove out.
Do you work with venues in Québec and bilingual markets?: Yes. For Québec and other bilingual catchments we run French and English versions of listings, ad creative and landing pages, so your venue is visible to the whole local market rather than half of it.
How do you handle the winter and shoulder-season slowdown?: We plan the year around your real demand curve: offer-led campaigns and rate strategy for quiet January and February weeks, patio and festival pushes in summer, and early capture of holiday party and event bookings in the autumn.
Can you reduce our reliance on OpenTable, Booking.com and delivery apps?: That is usually the fastest margin win. We rebuild the direct booking and direct ordering journey on your own site, then use search and social to send demand there first, shifting channel mix toward the revenue you keep.
Do you help with Google Business Profile and local search in Canadian cities?: Yes — Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect and Yelp are all part of the foundation work. We optimise each listing, keep hours, menus and photos accurate, and build a steady review flow that lifts your position in the local map pack.
How long before we see results?: Paid campaigns can move covers within the first two to four weeks. Local SEO and review-driven ranking gains usually build over three to six months. We report monthly on bookings, revenue and channel mix so you can see the direction early.

Other markets

United Kingdom United States Australia New Zealand Ireland Switzerland Singapore United Arab Emirates South Africa Scotland

Operating in Canada?

Free Growth Audit for Canada operators

We'll review your local search presence, booking journey and channel mix, then show you the changes most likely to add covers and room nights in Canada.

Get a Free Canada Growth Audit View Pricing