Seven Strategies for a Full Restaurant on Mallorca

1. Google Business Profile — your single most important first step

Over 60% of guests search for a restaurant on Google first. That means: when someone is looking for a place to eat in Palma tonight, they type “restaurant Palma” into Google and look at the results. If your profile isn't up to date there, you simply don't exist for that person.

What absolutely needs to be correct: accurate opening hours (including public holidays), current photos (upload new ones every two weeks), a reply to every single review — positive or negative — and regular short posts about promotions or events directly in Google. Also: set up a reservation button directly in your profile so guests don't have to navigate to your website first.

Our tip: Enter your profile in at least three languages — German, Spanish, and English. Google automatically shows visitors content in their own language. It sounds like a minor detail, but it makes a noticeable difference in the number of clicks you get.

2. Instagram — with a plan, not on gut feeling

The most common mistake: posting only when you happen to have time. The problem is Instagram's internal algorithm — that's the system that decides who actually gets to see your post. If you post irregularly, Instagram shows your content to fewer people. Three solid posts per week beats ten posts in one go followed by two weeks of silence.

Alternate between three types of content: regular feed posts (for beautiful photos), Reels (short videos that Instagram currently favours and therefore shows to more people), and Stories (short daily updates visible for only 24 hours). Posting Stories every day is the most underrated tool available — it measurably delivers 40% more reach to the same profile.

Hashtags (the # terms below your post that help others find you): Since late 2025, Instagram enforces a hard limit of 5 hashtags per post — any more are simply ignored by the system. That means: less is more. Choose 5 targeted hashtags rather than ten random ones. A good example for a restaurant in Palma: #Mallorca, #PalmaFood, #TapasMallorca, #MallorcaFoodie, and a fifth one relevant to the specific post — like #Paella, #SeaView, or #SummerMenu.

3. Meta Ads — paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram

Do you actually need paid advertising? Probably yes. Organic reach — posts without ad spend — is rarely enough to reach people who don't already know you. But that's exactly the goal: winning new guests.

Imagine being able to set your ad so it only appears to people who are currently on holiday in Mallorca, within a certain age range, and interested in good food. That is possible — and it's exactly what makes Meta Ads (advertising on Facebook and Instagram) so powerful for restaurants.

The three campaign types every restaurant needs: First, Local Awareness — your ad appears to people within a 5 km radius of your restaurant. Second, Tourist Targeting — you reach holidaymakers who are already on Mallorca or planning to visit. Third, Retargeting — you remind people who have already visited your website about your restaurant.

What to expect budget-wise: Under €300 per month is difficult because you collect too little data to improve your ads. €300 to €500 per month is a realistic starting point. From €800 upwards you start to really scale.

4. Glovo — a second restaurant without extra rent

Many restaurant owners see Glovo as a nice side earner. But when set up properly, the platform is a completely independent revenue stream — without new rent costs and without extra staff.

Your Glovo profile is everything: professional photos instead of quick smartphone snapshots, precise and appetising dish descriptions, and smart categorisation so customers can find you easily. This optimisation alone can double your revenue on the platform.

What improves your Glovo ranking: a high rating (at least 4.5 stars), a fast preparation time (under 25 minutes is the sweet spot), and promotions that Glovo's algorithm — the internal system deciding who appears at the top — favours, for example “buy 2 get 1 free” or 15% off orders above €30.

5. Email list — the channel almost nobody uses

Email marketing delivers the highest return on investment of all marketing channels in hospitality — meaning the best value for every euro spent. Yet 90% of restaurants don't do it at all, or do it without any system.

How to build an email list: Anyone who wants to connect to the restaurant Wi-Fi provides their email address. For reservations, the email is already required anyway. A small comment field on the bill — “Would you like to hear about our Christmas menu first?” — works surprisingly well. And a simple newsletter link in your Instagram bio costs nothing.

How to maintain the list: one newsletter per month, maximum three topics. Exclusive offers only for subscribers. Special events — New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, new summer menu — announced to the list first, then made public. A good benchmark: in the hospitality sector, an average of 35% of recipients open a newsletter. If you're below 20%, something is off with your subject lines or content.

6. Produce photos and videos in one go

The most common argument against social media: “I don't have time for it.” That's true — if you're approaching it the wrong way. The solution: produce everything at once.

In practice this means: two hours once a month with a photographer (or with us). The result: 30 to 80 usable photos that cover four to six weeks of posts. No daily photographing, no stress.

Even simpler: your head chef plates a dish — someone films it for 15 seconds — and you have a Reel (a short Instagram video). A waiter with a special guest — a quick Story video. Real, unplanned moments often outperform expensive professional productions.

The most important principle: always have four weeks of content ready in advance. That way you never skip a day because “there wasn't time today”.

7. Advertise seasonally — not the same all year round

Mallorca has a very pronounced seasonal rhythm. If you advertise with the same budget year-round, you're burning money at the wrong times and saving at the wrong ones.

Here's a sensible annual calendar: January to March — focus on residents (Germans and other Europeans living permanently on the island). April to June — tourism picks up, now actively attract new guests. July to August — peak season: less marketing is often needed because tables fill up anyway. September to October — shoulder season with an older, more affluent target audience. November to December — Christmas business and New Year's Eve, plus a return to a resident focus.

Your marketing budget should follow the revenue potential: invest more in March and May, pull back in August, ramp up again in October.

In summary

None of these seven strategies is complicated. But most restaurants implement two of them at most — and then wonder why the results are mediocre.

The secret is in how they work together: Google brings you new guests, Instagram keeps them engaged, email brings them back, Glovo fills the quiet lunchtimes. Each channel amplifies the others. Those who combine all seven have a system — not a patchwork.

We implement all seven strategies as a gastro marketing agency on Mallorca for our clients — from social media to reservation systems.