Compare the complete system, not one line item. Include labour, content production, advertising spend, software, coordination time and the path from campaign to booking. The cheapest quote can become expensive when the venue still has to organise everything around it.
Both answers can be true because “restaurant marketing” can describe completely different work.
A person scheduling posts is not directly comparable with a team handling content, pages, Meta, Google, email and reporting.
The five common ways to buy restaurant marketing
1. Do it yourself
The direct cost can be low.
The venue may still pay for:
- Design software
- Scheduling tools
- Email software
- Website hosting
- Advertising spend
- Occasional photography
- Booking and tracking tools
The main cost is time.
If an owner spends five hours each week writing, designing, posting and checking campaigns, that is more than 250 hours per year. Those hours are no longer available for rosters, suppliers, service, menu work or growth.
DIY can make sense when cash is limited and someone in the business genuinely has the skill and time.
It breaks when marketing only happens after a quiet week.
2. Hire one freelancer
A freelancer is often the cleanest answer to one defined gap.
Examples:
- A photographer for a menu launch
- A designer for campaign graphics
- A social media manager for planning and publishing
- A Google Ads specialist
- A copywriter for email
The value depends on the scope.
A strong specialist can be better than a larger agency when the venue already has the rest of the system covered.
The risk is assuming one person will handle every discipline equally well.
3. Coordinate several specialists
A venue can hire separate people for photography, design, copy, social media, websites and advertising.
This creates depth, but it also creates management work.
Someone still needs to:
- Set the commercial priority
- Brief each supplier
- Keep the creative consistent
- Approve the work
- Join the reporting
- Decide what changes next
Five good suppliers do not automatically become one good system.
4. Hire in-house
An internal marketer gives the venue access and speed.
It also carries the normal costs of employment.
Jobs and Skills Australia reports median full-time earnings of $1,957 per week before tax for the broad category of Advertising and Marketing Professionals, using May 2025 ABS earnings data.
Annualised, that is about $101,764 before super. With the current 12 per cent super guarantee, the salary and super component is roughly $113,976 per year, or about $9,498 per month, before recruitment, software, equipment, advertising and specialist production.
That is not a quote for a particular social media manager. It is a broad occupational benchmark and should be treated as one.
A single employee may still need outside help with:
- Professional photography
- Video
- Design
- Website development
- Media buying
- Analytics
- Strategy
An in-house role makes more sense when a group has enough daily marketing work to justify it and someone can manage the position well.
5. Use an agency or managed system
An agency retainer can combine several functions under one fee.
The useful comparison is not “agency versus freelancer”.
It is:
What work is included, who coordinates it and what commercial result is the system built to produce?
HospoPro’s current public offer combines a Brand Kit, daily social content, Studio Shots, landing pages, Meta advertising and reporting on every plan. Email and Google are included from Grow, while Pro adds a second focus and local outdoor media.
The HospoPro homepage currently advertises a first month from $199, with no lock-in, while the pricing page states that month one is 50 per cent off and all prices are ex GST.
Those are HospoPro’s published product terms, not an industry benchmark.
Separate management fees from media spend
Advertising spend is the money paid to Meta, Google or another media owner.
Management is the work involved in:
- Building the campaign
- Producing creative
- Choosing audiences and keywords
- Creating the landing page
- Configuring tracking
- Monitoring performance
- Making changes
A quote should show both clearly.
HospoPro states that Meta and Google spend runs from the venue’s own accounts and card at cost, without a media mark-up.
That gives the venue visibility over the actual platform spend.
The costs usually left out
Before comparing options, check whether the quote includes:
Photography and content
- How often are images produced?
- Are food, room and people shots included?
- Is video included?
- Are there travel or shoot fees?
- Who owns the files?
Landing pages and website changes
- Does each campaign get a useful destination?
- Who updates menus, prices and dates?
- Is the booking path tested?
Email and customer data
- Who writes and sends the campaign?
- Is list growth included?
- Is the account owned by the venue?
Advertising setup
- Are Google and Meta accounts already configured?
- Is conversion tracking included?
- Are platform fees separate?
The venue’s time
- Who supplies ideas?
- Who chases approvals?
- Who resizes assets?
- Who joins the reporting?
A low invoice can still create a high internal workload.
Do not calculate break-even from gross revenue alone
Suppose a campaign costs $1,500.
A table of four spending $60 each generates $240 in gross revenue.
That does not mean seven tables make the campaign profitable. The venue still has direct costs associated with serving those guests.
A more useful starting formula is:
Break-even covers = total campaign cost divided by contribution per cover
Contribution per cover is the revenue left after the direct variable costs of serving that guest.
The calculation can become more detailed, but it should not confuse sales with profit.
A practical comparison table
| Model | Direct cost | Internal time | Breadth | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY | Low | High | Depends on owner | Cash is tight and skill is internal |
| One freelancer | Variable | Medium | One speciality | One clear gap needs solving |
| Several specialists | Medium to high | High | Broad | A capable internal lead coordinates them |
| In-house employee | High fixed cost | Medium | Depends on hire | The group has enough full-time work |
| Agency or managed system | Retainer plus media | Low to medium | Broad | One team needs to own the system |
The table is a decision framework, not a price list.
Questions that make quotes comparable
Ask every provider:
- What exactly goes live each month?
- Who makes the photos and graphics?
- Are Meta and Google management included?
- Is media spend separate and visible?
- Are landing pages included?
- Is email included?
- Who owns the accounts and content?
- How much venue time is required?
- What results are reported?
- Is there a minimum term?
The real question
Do not ask only:
How much does restaurant marketing cost?
Ask:
What is the least complicated system that can produce measurable demand for this venue?
A cheaper service is good when it genuinely solves the problem.
A more complete service is good when it replaces several costs, reduces owner time and improves the booking path.
Compare the current HospoPro plans
HospoPro is built specifically for restaurants, cafés, bars, bistros, bakeries and pubs, with month-to-month plans and a 28-day money-back guarantee.
We run the photos, posts, ads, email and reporting for hospitality venues across South East Queensland. Everything in this guide comes from doing the work on live venues, not a textbook.
