A new restaurant marketing plan in Toronto should start about eight weeks before opening and run through the first 90 days. Build the audience before the doors open: claim your Instagram handle and Google Business Profile early, post the build-out, run an invite-only soft opening for friends, neighbours and a few well-chosen creators, then keep posting, answering reviews and running small local ads once you’re open. The opening week gets the attention. The weeks after it decide whether people come back.
This is a social-first plan, because that’s where Toronto diners find new places now. It assumes a small team and a real budget, not a launch party with a DJ and a step-and-repeat.
Eight to six weeks out: claim everything
- Lock the handle. Same name on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Set up the bio with the neighbourhood, “opening soon” and a link where people can join a list.
- Set up your Google Business Profile. Google lets you add an opening date up to a year ahead. Once the business is verified, the profile shows up 90 days before that date, and you can post updates and progress photos while you build. Diners can’t leave reviews or photos until you’re officially open.
- Don’t announce a date you can’t keep. In Toronto, you need an Eating or Drinking Establishment licence, which requires an approved zoning review before you can even apply. Licensing, inspections and contractors slip. Announce the month first, the day later.
- Think about the patio now. If you’re opening in spring or summer and want a CaféTO curb lane patio, the City’s 2026 application window closed on February 11, with most curb lane cafés aiming to be ready for the Victoria Day long weekend. Miss it and your first patio season happens without you.
Five to three weeks out: post the build and the people
An empty feed with a logo isn’t a pre-launch. The build-out is your best content, because it only happens once. Post the reveal of the space, the first test dishes, the chef or baker at work, the sign going up and the family story if there is one. Make the neighbourhood part of it: people on Roncesvalles care about a new place on Roncesvalles far more than people in Markham do.
- Post three to five times a week, mostly short vertical video.
- Reply to every comment. Early commenters are your first regulars.
- Start a short, simple list (an email signup or a “DM us to get on the soft opening list”) so you have people to invite.
- Run small Meta ads aimed at the surrounding neighbourhoods behind your best build-out Reel. Local reach is worth more than city-wide reach this early.
Two weeks out: soft opening, creators and media
A soft opening is a trial period before the grand opening, usually with shorter hours, a narrower menu and fewer guests. Use it to fix the kitchen and service, and to fill your feed with real people enjoying real food.
- Invite in layers. Friends and family first, then neighbours and nearby businesses, then your list, then a small number of local creators.
- Pick creators for fit, not follower count. A handful whose audiences actually live in Toronto beats one big name. Be clear whether it’s a hosted visit or a paid post, and cover the tip. Our guide to working with Toronto food influencers covers briefs and choosing creators.
- Expect disclosure. Under Ad Standards’ guidelines, creators invited to an event should say so, for example with #InvitedGuest, and free meals count as a connection that needs disclosing.
- Pitch the food media. Outlets like blogTO and Toronto Life regularly cover new openings. Send a short note with the story, the address, the opening date and good photos. Be honest about the date.
Opening week
- Turn on your Google Business Profile fully: hours, menu, reservations or waitlist, and photos of the room, the food and the exterior.
- Put your reservation or ordering link everywhere: Instagram bio, Google profile, website, every Story with a link sticker.
- Post every day. Opening day itself, the first line, the first table, the team before service.
- Reshare guest content (with permission) and thank people by name in Stories.
- Have one person own the DMs and comments. Questions about hours and parking go unanswered fast in opening week.
The first 90 days
Google shows a “Recently opened” tag on your profile for 90 days after you open. Treat that window as your launch, not the first weekend.
- Reviews. Ask happy guests to leave a Google review, and reply to every one, good or bad, within a day or two.
- Content rhythm. Settle into a steady schedule once the opening rush fades. See how often a restaurant should post on Instagram.
- A second wave of creators. Invite a few more once the kitchen has found its feet. Their content will be better than the opening-week chaos.
- Something new every few weeks. A weekend special, a brunch launch, patio opening day, a collaboration with the café next door. Each one is a reason to post and a reason to return.
- Keep ads small and local. Put budget behind posts that already earned saves and shares, aimed at the neighbourhoods that are actually showing up.
What a new restaurant should post
- The signature dish being made, start to finish, in under 20 seconds.
- The owner or chef explaining one thing they care about, to camera.
- The room at its best hour: golden hour on the patio, a full bar on Friday.
- Guests’ first bites and reactions, with permission.
- The practical stuff: hours, how to book, what’s new this week.
- Behind the counter: prep at 7 a.m., the bread coming out, the team.
Momentum can come quickly when the content is right. When Molisana Bakery, an Italian bakery, worked with Socialite, it reached nearly 4K followers in under a month and more than 1M views, with a noticeable increase in customers coming through the door. If you’re opening in Toronto or the GTA, our restaurant and hospitality work covers content days, creators and paid social in one plan. Tell us your opening date.