Restaurant visits are down, loyalty is fragile, and younger diners are quick to switch. How do restaurants cut through the noise and get people into seats? Winners in the space tap local creators to turn menu launches, openings, and LTOs into can’t-miss neighborhood moments.
We looked at recent restaurant campaigns from brands big and small. The results: creators driving lines around the block, sales lifts in slow seasons, and viral hacks that turned into record digital orders. Each campaign demonstrates the impact of creator content when it connects directly with the people and places it’s meant for.
JINYA Ramen Bar
The challenge
JINYA Ramen needed to generate awareness and foot traffic for its new San Antonio location. The goal was to spark immediate demand on opening week and establish JINYA as a must-visit dining spot amid a competitive local food scene.
The solution
JINYA’s agency, Embark Marketing, invited San Antonio-based food and lifestyle creators to an exclusive soft-opening preview. Influencers created Instagram Reels, TikToks, and photo posts that highlighted the restaurant’s dishes and the in-store experience, all tagged with San Antonio-specific geotags to drive local relevance. This flurry of content was paired with a local PR push, securing coverage in prominent city food publications and blogs. In total, the campaign yielded 36 social mentions and extensive buzz on launch day.
The results
The combined influencer and press activity generated 1.74M+ estimated views, 31 online press pieces, and $643K+ in advertising value equivalency. On the ground, the impact was undeniable: customers lined up around the block with waits of up to 90 minutes, making San Antonio one of JINYA’s strongest U.S. openings to date.
Why it worked
- Find the right local creators: By leaning on trusted voices in San Antonio’s foodie community, JINYA ensured content reached audiences who could actually show up.
- Activate authentic content: Local foodies documented their genuine experiences at the soft opening, creating mouthwatering content that resonated with their followers.
- Amplify what works: Parallel PR coverage magnified the impact of creator posts, sparking buzz across both social and local media.
Source: Embark Marketing case study, JINYA Ramen Bar San Antonio Grand Opening
Pho UK
The challenge
Pho, a Vietnamese casual-dining chain with 30+ U.K. locations, needed to drive traffic during a traditionally slow January period, all while repositioning itself as a healthy choice for fitness-conscious consumers. The brand wanted to reach beyond its core foodie audience to tap into a new segment that valued nutrition and wellness.
The solution
Pho launched the “Go Pho It” campaign, building a sub-brand specifically for health- and fitness-minded audiences. Instead of relying on food bloggers, they recruited fitness influencers, trainers, and wellness coaches across the U.K., prioritizing creators with deep ties to local gyms and studios. Each creator produced content showing how Pho fit into their active lifestyle, ranging from Instagram posts to blog reviews. To maximize relevance, Pho repurposed this creator content in targeted landing pages optimized for high-intent local searches (e.g., “healthy lunch in Manchester”), as well as paid ad campaigns.
The results
The campaign delivered a record month of 124K website visits, a +7% year-over-year sales increase during a historically soft month, and 3M+ impressions to new audiences. Conversion was strong: 40% of landing-page visitors took an action (menu view, booking, store lookup). Sentiment also shifted positively, with 82% of campaign mentions being coded as positive, reinforcing Pho’s credibility in a new category.
Why it worked
- Find the right local creators: Partnering with fitness-community voices instead of foodies allowed Pho to authentically enter a new consumer segment while still targeting diners near its restaurants.
- Measure what resonates: Tracking traffic, conversion, and sentiment alongside sales tied creator impact directly to business outcomes.
- Amplify what works: By repurposing creator content into targeted landing pages and ads, Pho stretched every dollar, feeding both organic and paid channels.
Source: Ignite case study, Go Pho It Campaign
Chipotle
The challenge
Chipotle wanted to stay culturally relevant with Gen Z and Millennials while driving digital orders and loyalty signups. Meanwhile, a viral “menu hack” created by two food TikTokers—a fajita-veggie quesadilla customization—was gaining organic traction. The challenge? Harness grassroots creator buzz, make it scalable nationwide, and prove it could translate into incremental digital sales, not just social engagement.
The solution
When TikTok creators Keith Lee and Alexis Frost popularized the hack in early 2023, Chipotle quickly partnered with them to co-launch an official LTO version of the quesadilla, exclusive to the Chipotle app and web. The brand leaned into creator-led storytelling, allowing the creators to document the item authentically for their audiences while Chipotle amplified the content across its owned channels.
The results
The “Fajita Quesadilla Hack” campaign produced two of Chipotle’s top digital sales days of all time, doubled quesadilla sales, and drove a +37% week-over-week increase in Rewards enrollments. Earned and owned content delivered 34M impressions, while the collaboration itself was widely covered by traditional press and TikTokers. By routing the offer through digital-only ordering, Chipotle was able to attribute incremental sales and loyalty signups directly back to the creator-driven campaign.
Why it worked
- Activate authentic content: The item originated in creator communities, helping the promotion feel fan-driven and authentic.
- Amplify what works: Chipotle codified the hack as a menu item and promoted it nationally through app/web exclusivity, scaling local buzz into nationwide demand.
- Measure what resonates: Tying the promotion to digital ordering allowed Chipotle to track results in real time, linking creator-driven buzz to record-breaking sales and loyalty growth.
Source: Shorty Awards, Chipotle Mexican Grill Quesadilla Hack
Abuelo’s
The challenge
Abuelo’s, a nationwide Mexican casual-dining chain, wanted to deepen community engagement and drive awareness for its flagship Plano, Texas location. The goal was to strengthen local ties during the holiday season by making Abuelo’s feel like a gathering place, while also testing whether influencer-led events could scale interest in a key market.
The solution
Abuelo’s hosted a Friendsgiving-themed tasting event at its Plano restaurant, inviting a select group of Dallas–Fort Worth food and lifestyle influencers. The creators sampled seasonal dishes, met the Abuelo’s team, and were encouraged to share their experiences via Instagram posts and stories. Many of the invitees had previously posted about Abuelo’s, making the content feel authentic rather than transactional.
The results
The event generated 11 Instagram posts and stories from seven creators, with a combined reach of ~125,000 local users and nearly 900 engagements (likes and comments). The buzz extended beyond the event itself: several influencers continued to post about Abuelo’s organically in the weeks afterward, effectively turning one-time participants into ongoing advocates. The campaign proved that a relatively small, well-curated influencer event could deliver meaningful local reach and lasting impact.
Why it worked
- Find the right local creators: By selecting influencers already familiar with the brand, Abuelo’s ensured content came across as genuine endorsements to a Plano-area audience.
- Activate authentic content: A real-world event gave creators engaging material to share while aligning with the holiday theme, making posts timely and relatable.
- Build an always-on community: The decision to nurture relationships paid off, with creators posting about Abuelo’s even after the campaign, extending the value of the initial activation.
Source: Next PR case study, Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant Friendsgiving Campaign
A Recipe for Success
The success in these stories isn’t luck. It’s repeatable, and any restaurant brand can cook up the same results.
- Find the right local creators
Start with creators whose audiences actually live near your restaurants. Use geo-targeting and audience insights to go beyond broad reach and get hyper-local relevance. - Activate authentic content
Give creators real moments—LTOs, openings, app features—to share in their own voice. Authenticity is what gets their followers to act, not scripted ads. - Measure what resonates
Track what matters to your business: Earned Media Value (EMV), creator retention, and SOE (share of engagement) go beyond vanity metrics to tell a more complete story. - Amplify what works
When a post takes off, don’t let it fade. Put spend behind it, focusing paid distribution at the neighborhoods around your stores.
Together, these steps turn local creator content into a scalable system, helping any restaurant to take what worked in one market and repeat it everywhere. Read the full playbook for restaurant brands below.
