We work hard to win and keep clients. So why would I tell one to let us go?
When Restaurants Usually Start Seeing Marketing Results
Most restaurants hire my agency for one reason: sales. Usually, strong, consistent marketing starts showing up in the numbers within 60 to 90 days. Sometimes it takes longer, especially when a business has little marketing infrastructure in place. But in most cases, we can help move sales in the right direction after just a few months.
We’ve seen big turnarounds. One restaurant came to us in 2024 with steadily declining sales. Now it regularly sees 10 to 20% year-over-year monthly growth, resulting in multiple six figure increases in sales each year. Another had slowly declining sales after 25 years of being a neighborhood staple, and the owner was concerned enough to reach out. It took a lot of pushing and hard work together, but in month 7, we are finally seeing consistent YOY growth each month.
What Happens When Sales Don’t Move?
But every so often, the numbers don’t budge.
This month, while reviewing client sales with our team, I noticed that a restaurant that hired us in December was still posting declining year-over-year sales in month four with no clear signs of positive projections ahead.
We had done the work. We launched promotions we believed would resonate and pushed them across every channel: email, social, influencers, in-store, their reservation platform, and Google Business Profile. We built consistency around email and social, brought in targeted influencers, and leaned on the tactics that usually drive traffic quickly. When that didn’t work, we pushed harder with weekly promotions such as tap takeovers, date-night specials, and all-night happy hours on slower nights.
And sales were still down.
So my account manager and I dug deeper. We reviewed customer feedback, online reviews, influencer notes, and our own observations from multiple visits.
The Real Problem Wasn’t the Marketing
The restaurant had been open for 10 years, and some operational issues were starting to show. The space felt worn down. The tables looked dirty because of water stains, even though they were clean. Dated heavy curtains made the front look dark. There was no curb appeal. A longtime manager had left, staff training and morale had suffered, and as sales declined, some of the strongest servers and bartenders left for better opportunities. Service slipped, and guests noticed.
When we started working together, the owner was renegotiating a lease that would include money for renovations. That timeline kept getting pushed back.
When It Makes Sense to Pause Restaurant Marketing
At that point, I asked myself a simple question: If this were my business, what would I do?
I would stop spending money on marketing that wasn’t likely to pay off yet. I would fix the guest experience first.
Marketing works best when the product or service is ready for the market. When it isn’t, marketing dollars often just amplify the problem.
Why I Told the Owner to Stop Paying Us
So I called the owner and told him to fire me.
More accurately, I told him to pause our work. Until they addressed the operational issues holding the restaurant back, our marketing was unlikely to generate the return either of us wanted. We agreed they would spend the next three to four months making improvements, including a two-week closure for renovations, and revisit working together after that.
The Best Client Relationships Are Built on Honesty
That wasn’t an easy decision. But I believe in long-term relationships, not short-term retainers. This owner has three restaurants. We market another one of them, and it’s doing well. He’s also respected in the industry and, more importantly, a good person doing his best to keep his business and team afloat.
Sometimes, the most strategic thing I can do for a client is tell them not to spend money with me.
That decision also kept me aligned with why I do this work in the first place: to help small businesses grow through effective, honest marketing. The same day I recommended the pause, a new client approved a substantial contract. The next day, an existing client asked to meet about marketing a new location.
It was a reminder. You don’t have to cling to revenue that isn’t serving the client. If you do the work, and take a real hard look at the results, clients will stick with us, and send new ones our way.
We won’t win every time. And when marketing isn’t helping a business, I would rather a client pause, fix what needs fixing, and come back when the timing is right.
Is your restaurant, bar, bakery or distillery ready to invest in marketing but you don’t know where to start? Read more here.