The 15-Minute Marketing Check-In That Actually Works
You know that feeling when you realize you haven't posted on Instagram in three weeks? Or when a customer mentions they never got your email about the new menu, and you think, "Wait, did I actually send that?"
Yeah. We've all been there.
Here's what usually happens: Marketing gets pushed to tomorrow. Then next week. Then suddenly it's been two months and you're wondering why things feel so... quiet.
The problem isn't that you don't care about marketing. It's that you think it needs to be this massive, time-consuming project. Spoiler alert: it doesn't.
What if I told you that 15 minutes on Monday morning—with a coffee in hand—could keep your marketing consistent, catch problems before they become problems, and actually move the needle?
Let me show you the exact system we use with our hospitality clients. It works because it's realistic, sustainable, and doesn't require you to become a marketing expert overnight.
Why Most Marketing "Check-Ins" Fail
Before we get into what works, let's talk about why most restaurant owners abandon their marketing routines:
They're too complicated. You don't need a 47-point checklist. You need clarity on what actually matters.
They focus on vanity metrics. Likes are nice. Reservations pay the bills.
They create more work than they solve. If your "quick check" turns into a two-hour rabbit hole, you'll stop doing it.
They're guilt-driven. You open your analytics, see something scary, feel overwhelmed, and close the tab. Not helpful.
The system I'm about to share flips all of that. It's simple, focused on metrics that matter, and designed to give you confidence—not anxiety.
The Monday Morning Marketing Check-In (15 Minutes, That's It)
Grab your coffee. Open your laptop. Set a timer for 15 minutes if it helps you stay focused.
Here's your routine:
Minutes 1-3: The Google Business Profile Pulse Check
What to do: Open your Google Business Profile and check three things:
Any new reviews? If yes, respond to them (even just a quick "Thanks for coming in!" counts)
Are your hours still correct? Especially important if you have holiday closures or seasonal changes coming up
Any questions from customers? Google lets people ask questions directly—make sure they're not sitting unanswered
Why this matters: Your Google profile is often the first place potential customers interact with your brand. A few minutes here catches issues before they cost you business.
Red flag to watch for: If you're getting the same question repeatedly ("Do you have gluten-free options?"), that's a sign you need to update your profile description or menu.
Minutes 4-6: The Social Media Reality Check
What to do: Don't scroll. Don't get sucked into comments. Just check:
When did you last post? If it's been more than a week, schedule something today
Any unresponded comments or DMs? Quick replies build loyalty
What's your most recent post's engagement? (Not to judge yourself—just to notice patterns)
Why this matters: Consistency matters more than perfection. A simple post once a week beats elaborate content posted sporadically.
What you're looking for: Are people engaging? Are they asking questions you can answer? Is there a type of content (food shots, behind-the-scenes, staff features) that clearly resonates more?
Pro tip: If you notice a post did really well, take 30 seconds to note why. Was it the image? The time you posted? The story you told? Do more of that.
Minutes 7-10: The Email and Customer Communication Check
What to do: Open your email marketing platform (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, whatever you use) and check:
Your last email's open rate. Industry average for restaurants is 20-25%. How'd you do?
Your list growth. Did you gain or lose subscribers this week?
Any scheduled emails coming up? Make sure they're still relevant and timely
Why this matters: Email is still one of the highest-ROI marketing channels for restaurants. A 30% open rate on an email to 1,000 people means 300 people just heard about your special—without you spending a dime on ads.
Red flag to watch for: If your open rates are tanking or you're losing lots of subscribers, your content might not be hitting the mark. Time to rethink your approach (or call us—we'll help).
Quick win: If you haven't sent anything in a while, schedule a simple "Hey, here's what's new" email for this week. Keep it short, personal, and include one clear thing you want them to do (make a reservation, try a new menu item, etc.).
Minutes 11-13: The "What's Actually Working" Metric Check
What to do: Look at the three numbers that actually matter for your business:
Website traffic - Are people finding you? (Google Analytics takes 10 seconds)
Reservation/order volume - How are bookings compared to last week/month?
Source of new customers - Where are people coming from? (Ask new customers, check your reservation notes)
Why this matters: You need to know what's working so you can do more of it and stop wasting time on what isn't.
The magic question: "Did any marketing thing I did this week directly lead to a customer walking through the door?"
If you can't answer that, your marketing isn't connected to your business. Let's fix that.
Minutes 14-15: The "What Needs Attention This Week" Decision
What to do: Based on what you just reviewed, pick ONE thing to focus on this week.
Not five things. Not ten. One.
Examples:
"I need to respond to those reviews and update my Google hours for Thanksgiving"
"I'm going to schedule three Instagram posts for the week"
"I'm sending that re-engagement email to customers who haven't visited in 60 days"
"I need to fix that broken link on my website someone mentioned"
Why this matters: Fifteen minutes of focused attention beats three hours of scattered effort every single time.
Write it down. Put it in your calendar, your task list, wherever you actually look during the week. Make it specific and achievable.
The 3 Metrics That Actually Matter for Restaurants
Let's get real for a second. Most marketing dashboards are overwhelming and filled with numbers that don't actually tell you if your business is healthy.
Here are the only three you need to check regularly:
1. New Customer Acquisition Rate
What it is: How many new customers are you getting each week/month?
Why it matters: If this number is flat or declining, your marketing isn't reaching new people. You're relying on the same repeat customers (which is great, but not sustainable long-term).
How to track it: Simple. Ask new customers, "How'd you hear about us?" Keep a tally. After a month, you'll see clear patterns.
2. Repeat Customer Rate
What it is: What percentage of customers come back?
Why it matters: Acquiring a new customer costs 5-7 times more than keeping an existing one. If people aren't returning, you've got a product or experience problem—not a marketing problem.
How to track it: If you have a POS system or CRM, it should show this. If not, a simple loyalty program gives you the data.
3. Marketing ROI (Return on Investment)
What it is: For every dollar you spend on marketing, how much revenue comes back?
Why it matters: Because you're running a business, not a hobby. If you're spending $500/month on Instagram ads and it's bringing in $200 in revenue, that's a problem.
How to track it: This is trickier without proper systems, but start simple—track where your reservations/orders are coming from, and assign rough value to each source.
Your Simple Weekly Checklist (Print This Out)
Here's the checklist format you can literally print and keep by your computer:
☐ Check Google Business Profile (reviews, hours, questions)
☐ Review social media (post this week? respond to comments?)
☐ Check email marketing (open rates, list growth, upcoming sends)
☐ Review key metrics (traffic, reservations, customer sources)
☐ Pick ONE focus area for the week
That's it. Five checkboxes. Fifteen minutes.
When You Know Something Needs Attention (But Don't Have Time to Fix It)
Here's the honest truth: Sometimes you'll do this check-in and realize something's broken. Your email platform isn't syncing. Your Google reviews are piling up unanswered. Your social media has been crickets for a month.
And you don't have time to fix it.
That's not a personal failing. That's reality when you're running a restaurant.
This is exactly why we built our Platform Cleanup & Ongoing Support service. We do the weekly check-ins, catch the problems, and handle the fixes—so your Monday morning routine can be about reviewing progress, not scrambling to catch up.
Think of it this way: Would you rather spend 15 minutes reviewing what's working and making strategic decisions, or 3 hours trying to figure out why your email list export isn't working?
The Real Win: Marketing That Doesn't Own Your Life
Here's what we've found with our hospitality clients: The businesses that win aren't the ones doing the most marketing. They're the ones doing consistent marketing that actually connects to revenue.
A 15-minute Monday check-in gives you:
✅ Visibility - You know what's happening with your marketing
✅ Control - You catch issues before they become crises
✅ Confidence - You can make decisions based on real data, not guesswork
✅ Sustainability - You're not burning out trying to "do all the things"
And here's the best part: Once you've done this for a few weeks, patterns emerge. You'll start to see what times work best for posting, which emails get opened, where your customers actually come from.
That's when marketing stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like a tool you actually know how to use.
Ready to Make Marketing Feel Manageable?
If you've been doing the "check-in when I remember" approach and it's not working, you're not alone. Most restaurant and hospitality owners tell us the same thing: "I know marketing matters. I just don't have the time or systems to do it consistently."
We get it. That's literally why we exist.
Here's how we help:
We handle your weekly marketing check-ins, optimization, and execution—so you can focus on what you do best (running an incredible business). From platform management to email marketing to keeping your online presence current, we've got you covered.
It's like having a marketing team member who actually shows up every week, knows what they're doing, and doesn't add more work to your plate.
Let's talk about what consistent, sustainable marketing could look like for your business.