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Email marketing for restaurants: what actually works

For a restaurant, email works on three things: a menu that changes, events and closures, personal invitations. Clicks, not opens.

Key points

  • A restaurant email sells a reason to return, not a discount: a new menu, an event, a free table.
  • Consent must be collected before the first send and recorded; article 130 of the Italian privacy code requires specific consent for promotional messages.
  • Opens stopped being reliable after Apple Mail tracking protection in 2021: clicks and bookings are the measure.
  • Allergens in an email that reproduces the menu must follow regulation (EU) 1169/2011, article 14.

Email marketing for restaurants works when every message carries a concrete reason to come back: a menu that changes, an event, a night with free tables. Generic discount campaigns end up in ignored promotions, because they say nothing the guest did not already know.

The list first, the copy second

A bought list is not a list. What works in the dining room is simple: a QR code on the table or the bill leads to a page with an email field and an unticked box explaining what will arrive. Whoever leaves an address knows they will get the menu of the month, not «news and offers». That difference decides the unsubscribe rate on the first send.

Keep a second, separate list for people who book online: they already have an active relationship, and the thank-you message can ask for consent with more context. Do not merge the two lists without a reason: segmentation exists to send fewer emails, not more.

What to send, and what not to

    Frequency and measurement

    One or two emails a month are enough for a neighbourhood restaurant; weekly makes sense only if you have real events every week. Measure clicks and bookings that arrive from the link, not opens: since 2021 Apple Mail downloads images in advance and reports an unread email as opened. The useful figure is how many people tapped «book» and how many finished.

    Processing an email address rests on regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016: article 6 for the legal basis, article 7 for the conditions of consent, article 13 for the notice. Promotional messages add directive 2002/58/CE, article 13, and in Italy article 130 of the Personal Data Protection Code, decreto legislativo 30 giugno 2003, n. 196: you need specific, recorded consent, and every message must carry a simple way to unsubscribe. If the email reproduces the menu with allergens, regulation (EU) 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011, article 14, applies: substances causing allergies or intolerances must be indicated, and article 44 governs how that information is given for non-prepacked food.

    The code: build the email once

    An email hand-written with div and flexbox breaks in Outlook. MJML, MIT licence, compiles declarative markup into tables that the common clients understand. Keep the source file in the repository and rebuild on every send: the command below produces the HTML to upload to the platform.

    npx mjml newsletter.mjml -o newsletter.html

    Maximum width 600 px, one level of nesting, images with alt text and a plain unsubscribe link: four constraints that prevent most rendering and delivery problems.

    Where this guide stops

    We have no measurement of opens or bookings from real restaurants: the numbers on this page concern the EneUI catalogue, not a campaign. Delivery depends on the domain, sender reputation and provider; a clean list can still land in spam if the domain is new. And no email replaces an up-to-date Google Business Profile, which for «near me» searches matters more than ten sends.

    Where to start

      Frequently asked questions

      How often should a restaurant email its guests?

      Once or twice a month is the frequency that holds without tiring people. Increase it only if you have a real event every week: sending to fill a calendar lowers opens and raises unsubscribes.

      Do I need consent to send the menu by email?

      Yes. Article 130 of the Italian privacy code, decreto legislativo 30 giugno 2003, n. 196, requires specific, recorded consent for promotional messages. Consent must be collected before the first send and must be revocable.

      Can I email the guests who book a table?

      Only if you asked for consent to promotional messages. An address collected to manage a booking serves that purpose: reusing it for marketing without consent breaches article 6 of regulation (EU) 2016/679.

      Are email opens a reliable figure?

      No, since 2021 Apple Mail Privacy Protection downloads images and reports unread emails as opened. Measure clicks on the booking button and actual bookings.

      Must I list allergens in the menu email?

      Yes, if you list dishes. Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011, article 14, requires indicating substances that cause allergies or intolerances; article 44 governs how that information is given for non-prepacked food.