What We Have Done, What We Got Wrong, and What We Would Do Differently Today For Restaurants

I am going to do something most agencies never do.

I am going to tell you exactly what we have done for our clients over the past five years—the wins and the gaps. Then I am going to tell you what we got wrong, what we missed, and what we would do differently if we were starting today.

This is not a sales pitch. This is an honest assessment.

Because the only way to build trust is to tell the truth. And the truth is: we have learned a lot, we have produced real results, and we still have significant room to improve.

If you are a restaurant owner evaluating whether to work with us—or any growth partner—this post will show you how to think about what actually matters.

How It Started

I started working with restaurants in 2020. I worked for free at an agency that gave me five restaurant clients to manage. Three months of unpaid work that taught me the fundamentals. I still have not received payment for those months.

Then I left and focused everything on one insight: marketing might be similar across restaurant types, but the messaging must be singular to each cuisine's culture.

Too many agencies work with restaurants without understanding this. They apply generic tactics to Indian restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Italian restaurants—all the same. They do not understand that people do not just eat food. They want to experience the culture. The authenticity matters.

This became our focus. Indian and Asian-fusion restaurants. Understanding the culture deeply enough to communicate it authentically.

What We Have Actually Done

Let me share specific results. Not theory—actual client outcomes.

Curry and Ketchup (Oslo, Norway)

Indian restaurant and Indo-Asian streetfood spot. When we started, they had 2,000 Instagram followers and 900 Google reviews.

What we told them: focus only on creating quality content—images and video. We handle everything else.

Results after one year:

• Instagram followers: 2,000 → 6,000

• Google reviews: 900 → 4,500+ (in 6 months)

• Real engagement on posts—likes, comments, shares

• Advertising ROI: 40% conversion rate to bookings

• Paid ads performing using data from best organic content

This restaurant had the food right, the experience right, and the location right (only Indo-Asian fusion spot in that area). We added the distribution. The formula worked.

Indispice

Different approach. Pure advertising play. Google Ads, TripAdvisor, tracking every booking. We identified that this restaurant could win with ads alone—so we went all in on that channel.

Result: becoming the local favorite. Scaling consistently.

Wok to Bowl (Bloomington, Illinois)

This one is special. The owner, Siva, completely rebranded his Indian restaurant into a concept that hits perfectly—stir fry, fried rice, curries, biryanis, noodles—while keeping authentic Indian touches.

In just over one year:

• 4.9 rating on Google

• 1,219 reviews

• Custom-built website and ordering system

• Their own app—all customer data owned and protected

• Customer base growing 200-300 people per month

• Planning 2 more locations in 2026

This is not just marketing. This is building toward a franchise.

Red Chillez and Tikka Temple

Following the Curry and Ketchup playbook. Restaurants create content, we handle distribution.

We brought in influencers, regular customers, honest food critics—building trust through third-party validation. Used all platforms, scaled with ads.

December 2025: added 1,000 new customers to Red Chillez.

But here is where I have to be honest.

What We Got Wrong

January and February 2026, Red Chillez traffic started fluctuating. The growth was not consistent.

Why? I think it was a combination of factors:

Problem 1: Content velocity dropped.

The restaurant got busy. They stopped posting as consistently. And we did not have a system in place to maintain content flow when the client slowed down.

This is a pattern we see repeatedly. Restaurants think they are too busy to post. They do not want to pay extra for someone else to post. So content production stalls and results suffer.

Problem 2: We were too dependent on the client for content.

Our model asks restaurants to create the raw content while we handle distribution. This works when they actually do it. When they do not, we have a gap.

We should have built a system that produces content independently—or makes it so easy for restaurants that "too busy" is not a valid excuse.

Problem 3: We did not systematize retention.

We were good at adding new customers. We were not systematic enough about bringing them back.

Adding 1,000 customers means nothing if they visit once and disappear. We tracked customer base growth but not repeat visit rates. We tracked acquisition but not lifetime value.

This is a fundamental gap we are now fixing.

What We Would Do Differently Today

If I were building our system from scratch with everything I know now, here is what would change:

1. Retention as a primary metric, not secondary.

The power law problem for restaurants is demand instability—especially on weekdays. New customers help, but repeat customers stabilize.

We would build automated email and SMS sequences from day one. Post-visit follow-ups. Weekday-specific offers to regulars. Birthday campaigns. Anniversary of first visit campaigns. Make returning feel natural.

Every client should have a retention system that runs without their attention.

2. Weekday-specific campaigns built into every engagement.

Friday and Saturday handle themselves. Monday through Thursday is where restaurants struggle.

We would design campaigns specifically for slow days. "Tuesday Tastings." "Wednesday Wine Night." Recurring reasons for regulars to visit mid-week. Paid ads targeting previous customers for weekday visits.

This is not something we systematized early enough. It should be core to every restaurant growth plan.

3. Content creation that does not depend on client bandwidth.

The "restaurants are too busy to create content" problem is real and predictable. We should have built around it instead of fighting it.

Solutions:

• Content shoot days where we capture 30-60 days of content in one session

• Shot lists and templates so restaurants know exactly what to capture

• UGC programs where customers and creators produce content continuously

• AI-assisted content creation for captions, variations, and repurposing

The goal: content never stops, even when the restaurant is slammed.

4. First-party data ownership as standard.

Wok to Bowl has their own app. They own their customer data completely. This should be the standard, not the exception.

Restaurants dependent on third-party platforms are vulnerable. Own your customer list. Own your ordering system. Own your data.

We would make this part of our standard implementation for every client.

5. Predictive campaigns, not reactive ones.

Using historical data to predict slow periods—and campaigning before they happen, not after.

If we know January is slow, we start December campaigns to fill January. If we know Tuesday lunch is weak, we build offers that specifically target Tuesday lunch two weeks in advance.

Proactive demand generation instead of reactive panic.

6. Review velocity systematization.

We grew Curry and Ketchup from 900 to 4,500+ reviews. But the system for doing this should be automated and consistent across all clients.

Automated review requests post-visit. QR codes on receipts. Follow-up texts. Make leaving a review frictionless and expected.

More reviews equals more trust equals more customers. This should be on autopilot.

7. AI integration everywhere it makes sense.

We are using AI now, but we should systematize it more:

• AI-assisted review responses (maintaining the restaurant's voice)

• AI for ad copy testing and iteration

• AI for content caption generation

• AI for customer service and FAQ handling

• AI for predicting which content will perform before posting

The goal is not replacing humans. It is multiplying output while maintaining quality.

8. Cultural calendar integration.

For Indian restaurants, Diwali, Holi, Navratri—these are massive opportunities. We should have cultural marketing calendars built into every client's annual plan.

Pre-designed campaigns. Pre-written content. Ready to deploy when the season arrives.

Same for local events, holidays, and community moments. The restaurant should never miss an opportunity because no one was paying attention to the calendar.

9. Catering and group booking as a standard revenue stream.

Higher margins. More predictable revenue. Yet most restaurants undermarket this.

We should have dedicated campaigns for corporate catering, private events, group bookings. A separate funnel, separate tracking, separate offers.

This stabilizes revenue in ways that dine-in alone cannot.

10. Loyalty programs that actually work.

Not punch cards. Real loyalty systems integrated with their customer data.

Points for visits. Rewards for referrals. Exclusive offers for top customers. Gamification that makes returning feel rewarding.

We did not prioritize this. We should have.

The Honest Assessment

Here is where we stand after five years:

What we are good at:

• Understanding Indian and Asian restaurant culture authentically

• Growing social presence and engagement

• Paid advertising with real ROI tracking

• Building distribution systems that reach new customers

• Working with restaurants who trust the process

What we are still improving:

• Retention and repeat visit systems

• Content production that does not depend on client bandwidth

• Weekday-specific demand generation

• First-party data implementation across all clients

• Predictive rather than reactive campaigns

• AI integration at scale

What we know for certain:

• The fundamentals work: product, experience, distribution

• Restaurants that trust the process and maintain content velocity see results

• Restaurants that stop creating content see results stall

• New customers matter, but repeat customers matter more

• The system must run without requiring constant owner attention

What This Means for You

If you are a restaurant owner evaluating growth partners, here is what you should look for:

Do they understand your culture?

Generic tactics applied to your cuisine will feel inauthentic. Your growth partner should understand what makes your food, your experience, and your community unique.

Do they have a system for retention, not just acquisition?

Anyone can run ads and bring new people. The question is: do those people come back? Ask about repeat visit rates, not just new customer numbers.

What happens when you get too busy to create content?

Because you will get busy. If their model depends entirely on your bandwidth, results will suffer when you are slammed. Ask how they handle content production when you cannot.

Do they track what actually matters?

Followers are vanity. Engagement is interesting. Revenue is what pays your bills. Make sure they measure the things that connect to your actual business outcomes.

Are they honest about what they do not know?

If a growth partner claims to have everything figured out, they are lying. The landscape changes constantly. AI is changing everything. What worked last year might not work next year. You want partners who are honest about gaps and actively improving.

Where We Are Going

We have worked with over 44 clients. We have consulted with over 1,000 restaurant owners. We have been in the trenches for five years, learning what works and what does not.

We are no longer positioning ourselves as an agency. Agencies deliver tactics. We are building something different: a restaurant growth operation with systems that produce predictable outcomes.

Our goal for 2026: 50 active clients. Best-in-class retention systems. AI-integrated workflows. Content production that never depends on client bandwidth. Weekday demand generation as a core offering.

We are not there yet. But we are closer than we were last year. And we will be closer still next year.

The Invitation

If you are running an Indian or Asian-fusion restaurant and you want a growth partner who is honest about what they know and what they are still learning—we should talk.

We will tell you what we think will work for your specific situation. We will be direct about whether we are the right fit. And we will not promise things we cannot deliver.

Send an email to [email protected]

Tell us about your restaurant. Your current situation. Where you want to go. What has not worked before.

We will read every word. We will respond personally. And we will give you an honest assessment—even if that assessment is "we are not the right fit."

Because trust is built on truth.

And the truth is: we are good at this, we are getting better, and we still have work to do.

That is the kind of partner you actually want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you being so honest about your gaps?

Because restaurants have been burned by agencies who overpromise and underdeliver. The only way to build real trust is to tell the truth—including the parts that are not flattering. We would rather you know exactly what you are getting.

What makes you qualified despite admitting these gaps?

Five years of focused experience. 44+ clients. 1,000+ conversations with restaurant owners. Real results with real restaurants. The gaps we are honest about are gaps we are actively closing. Most agencies have the same gaps but will not admit them.

How do you handle the "too busy to create content" problem?

We are building systems that do not depend on constant client content production: bulk content shoots, UGC programs, AI-assisted creation, shot templates. The goal is content flow that continues regardless of how busy you get.

What is your approach to retention vs acquisition?

We are shifting to prioritize retention. Acquiring a new customer costs 5-7x more than keeping an existing one. Our systems now include email/SMS sequences, loyalty program support, and repeat visit campaigns as standard.

Do you only work with Indian restaurants?

Our deepest expertise is Indian and Asian-fusion restaurants. We understand the culture, the customer, the nuances. We are expanding to other cuisines, but our core strength remains here.

What results can I realistically expect?

It depends on your starting point, your product quality, and your willingness to participate in content creation. Restaurants that follow the system see measurable growth in followers, reviews, and customer base within 90 days. Revenue impact typically follows in 90-180 days.

How much do your services cost?

It varies based on what you need. We are not the cheapest option—we are focused on results, not price competition. If budget is your primary concern, we are probably not the right fit.

What if I have been burned by agencies before?

Many of our clients have. That is why we focus on measurement, transparency, and honest communication. We show you what is working, what is not, and what we are doing about it. No smoke and mirrors.

How involved do I need to be?

The more you can contribute to content creation, the faster results come. But we are building toward a model where you can hand everything off. The goal is peace of mind—you focus on your restaurant, we focus on growth.

What makes your system different from other agencies?

Culture-specific understanding. Honest assessment. Systems designed for predictability. Willingness to admit and fix gaps. Focus on retention, not just acquisition. And a commitment to continuously improving based on what actually works—not what sounds good in a pitch.