Introduction
With so many new and emerging marketing strategies—from influencer partnerships to AI-powered customer engagement—restaurant owners and marketers are starting to ask: Is email marketing still worth it in 2025?
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!It’s a fair question. Trends change fast, and what worked yesterday may not be as effective today. If you’re thinking about whether to keep investing in those email campaigns or shift your energy elsewhere, you’re definitely not alone.
It’s easy to assume that email marketing may have lost its spark. But before you write it off, let’s take a step back.
In the blog below, we’ll explore the current landscape of email marketing for restaurants, look at what’s changed over the years, and whether it still has a place in your 2025 marketing toolkit.
As digital marketing expert Ann Handley says:
“The most powerful content is the kind that doesn’t just inform—but connects.”
So, does email still connect? Let’s find out.
Also Read: SMS Marketing for Restaurants
Email Marketing Still Works (But the Approach is Different)
Before we jump into how to run a successful email campaign in 2025, let’s settle the big question first: Does email marketing still work for restaurants today?
The answer is yes. It absolutely does.
But not in the way it used to. The old-school “blast everyone with the same promo” approach? Or sending that generic reminder, welcome emails. That’s gone.
Today’s successful restaurant email campaigns are targeted, personalized, engaging, and data-driven—and that’s exactly why they still work.
As marketing expert Neil Patel puts it:
“Email marketing is not dead—it’s evolving. And the brands that keep evolving with it are the ones that see results.”
In 2025, 53% of restaurants have automated their email marketing efforts, indicating a significant shift towards leveraging technology for personalized and timely customer engagement.
So, how has email marketing evolved for restaurants?
- It’s smarter – Thanks to AI and automation, restaurants can now send emails based on behavior (like a birthday, a recent order, or a table reservation) rather than guesswork.
- It’s more personal – Tools allow hyper-personalized content, like recommending dishes based on past orders or sending localized promotions.
- It’s driven by data – Modern email platforms offer detailed analytics—open rates, clicks, time of engagement—allowing you to refine and improve with every send.
- It’s visual and interactive – Emails aren’t just text anymore. Think of beautiful menu previews, GIFs of sizzling dishes, or a “Reserve Your Table” button that’s one tap away.
The present & future of email marketing looks bright(but only when you do it the right & smart way). And, if you’re wondering how, then in the next section, we’ll walk you through the 10 best email marketing tips and strategies restaurants can use in 2025 to connect better, convert more, and keep customers coming back.
Also Read: Social Media Marketing for Restaurants
10 Best Tips & Strategies to Ace Email Marketing in 2025!
1. Segment Your Email List Like a Pro:
In 2025, customers expect emails that speak directly to them, not mass blasts. Personalization can be hard, but smart segmentation will give you peace of mind. It helps you divide your list based on behaviors, preferences, or demographics, so your messaging feels more personal and relevant.
Segmented campaigns generate 14.31% higher open rates & 100.95% higher click-through rates.
How to Do It?
- Segment by order history: Group customers by their favorite items or past purchases.
- Use location-based targeting: Send emails based on proximity to your restaurant.
- Separate new vs. loyal customers: Newbies may need welcome offers, while loyal fans love VIP deals.
- Track behavior: Use engagement data (opens, clicks, visits, spending, recent orders & more) to segment by interest level.
- Dietary preferences: Create segments based on dietary preferences like vegan, gluten-free, or keto to send personalized dish recommendations or updates.
Here’s a thing: Manually doing this will take a lot of time & it is quite a hassle. Instead, get an AI platform for your restaurant. Just integrate with your existing tools & get segmentation.
Remember: The more relevant your email is to the recipient, the more likely they are to engage with it.
Chad S. White, Author of Email Marketing Rules
Also Read: Business Intelligence for Marketing
2. Personalize Beyond the Name:
Mostly, businesses think personalizing the email means simply writing the name at the start. But, adding “Hi John” doesn’t cut it anymore. In 2025, personalization means using customer data to tailor content, timing, offers, and even visuals based on individual preferences.
Did you know, emails with personalized subject lines generate 26% higher open rates?
How to Do It
- Dynamic content blocks: Show different menu items based on what they’ve ordered before.
- Time-based personalization: Send emails based on their usual ordering time (lunch/dinner).
- Geo-personalization: Suggest the nearest branch or offer pickup-specific discounts.
- Behavioral triggers: Send emails when they abandon a cart or don’t visit in 30 days.
- Specials: Track birthdays and anniversaries—and send personalized greetings with exclusive discounts.
Bonus Tip: Leverage the right tool that can analyze data in real-time & suggest real-time recommendations, or automate the emails for smarter & more efficient email marketing for your restaurant.
Also Read: How Businesses are Adapting to AI in Decision-Making
3. Create Mobile-First, Visual Emails:
Your customers are always browsing on the go & through their mobile phones—especially when they’re hungry and looking for food options. A clunky, text-heavy email won’t cut it anymore. In 2025, your restaurant’s emails need to look beautiful and function perfectly on mobile devices.
Over 81% of emails are now opened on mobile devices, and 70% of users delete emails that don’t display well on their phones.
How to Do It
- Use responsive design: Your email layout should automatically adapt to screen sizes.
- Keep it bite-sized: Short, snappy text paired with high-quality food images works best.
- Use tappable CTAs: Buttons like “Order Now” or “Book a Table” should be large and clickable.
- Limit columns: One-column layouts are easiest to read on phones.
Design for the thumb. If your email isn’t easily scrollable and clickable on a phone, it’s going in the trash.”
— Justine Jordan, Email UX Expert
Le Petit Bistro’s Mobile-Optimized Email Campaign to Surpass the Industry Average of Revenue Per Email!
In 2025, Le Petit Bistro revamped its email marketing strategy to prioritize mobile-first, visually engaging designs. Recognizing that 76% of their emails were opened on mobile devices, they implemented responsive templates, high-quality food imagery, and concise, readable text.
This approach led to a 50% increase in customer engagement within three months. Notably, their open rates rose from 19.7% to 32.4%, and click-through rates improved from 2.9% to 5.7%. Additionally, revenue per email increased to €1.47, surpassing the industry average of €0.95.
Also Read: Key-Metrics What Restaurants Owner Should be Tracking
4. Use Trigger-Based Emails to Stay Timely:
When it comes to emails, you need to set the right triggers for the customers. It works the best. With the right tools, you can automate the trigger-based emails based on customer actions or milestones, making them feel special, relevant, and timely without you lifting a finger. These can significantly boost engagement and retention.
Trigger-based emails drive 70.5% higher open rates and 152% higher click-through rates compared to general email blasts.
How to Do It?
- Welcome series: Automatically send a thank-you and first-time offer when someone joins your list.
- Birthday or anniversary emails: Delight customers with surprise treats.
- Order follow-up: Send a “Thank you” or ask for a quick review.
- Re-engagement emails: Target customers who haven’t ordered or visited in a while.
Timing is everything in marketing. Triggered emails are your always-on sales team—personal, relevant, and perfectly timed.
— Neil Patel, Digital Marketing Expert
Take It a Step Ahead: Leverage the AI tools to automate hyper-personalized triggers, like sending a deal on their favorite pizza after a missed order cycle.
Case Study: Smashin Crab’s Success with Trigger-Based Email Campaigns
Smashin Crab, a seafood restaurant chain based in San Antonio, Texas, implemented a series of automated, trigger-based email campaigns in 2023.
What did they & what are the end results?
- Welcome New Guests: Sent to first-time visitors, generating $1,490 in less than a month.
- High Spenders: Targeted at customers with higher spending habits, resulting in $13,615 in revenue.
- Thank Repeat Guests: Expressing gratitude to returning customers, bringing in $777.
- Remind Guests to Visit Again: Aimed at re-engaging patrons who hadn’t visited recently, earning $13,305.
Collectively, these automated emails generated $29,187 in revenue within just 30 days. This approach boosted sales while also enhancing customer engagement with timely and personalized messages.
Also Read: SMS Marketing for Restaurants
5. Include User-Generated Content (UGC) in Emails:
People trust people. People generate business. And, to ensure that you can include UGC content, like customer reviews, photos, or social posts, in your emails. It is engaging, adds authenticity, and drives more clicks than brand-generated content. For restaurants, it’s as simple as showcasing a smiling selfie of a happy diner or a delicious dish shared on Instagram.
Emails that include user-generated content see a 73% higher click-through rate.
How to Do It
- Feature top customer photos: With permission, highlight photos shared on social media in your weekly emails.
- Share short reviews or testimonials: Include quotes from recent diners or Google reviews.
- Run a hashtag campaign: Encourage customers to tag your restaurant and pick weekly winners to feature in your emails.
Bonus Tip: Offer a small discount or free dessert to customers whose content you feature—it encourages more sharing!
“UGC is word-of-mouth at a digital scale—nothing builds trust and community faster.”
Ekaterina Walter, Marketing Strategist at Forbes
Tip to remember: Use the right AI tool to automatically find, filter, and feature high-quality user content from social media that matches your brand tone.
Also Read: What is the Main Reason of Using Data Analytics in Revenue Analysis
6. Incorporate Loyalty & Rewards in Emails:
It is cost-effective to bring back your customers, rather than jumping onto new ones. Plus, they even spend more than the new ones. So, your loyal customers are your most valuable ones, and they love to feel appreciated. Email is the perfect place to remind them of their points, offer exclusive rewards, and nudge them back through your doors.
Members of loyalty programs spend 67% more than new customers.
How to Do It
- Send monthly loyalty summaries: Let customers know how many points they’ve earned and what they can redeem.
- Use exclusive email-only perks, like double points on specific weekdays or free add-ons.
- Re-engage lapsed members: Use personalized emails offering bonus points if they visit again soon.
- Gamify your emails—add a progress bar showing how close they are to their next free meal!
Bonus Tip: Use the right AI tool that can help you analyze spending patterns and send hyper-targeted rewards, like “You usually come on Fridays—here’s 2X points this Friday only!” It can even automate sending those emails at the right time.
A well-run loyalty program, integrated into email, drives not just retention, but advocacy.”
Phil Rubin, Loyalty Strategy Expert at Forbes
Starbucks’ Result-Driven Email Marketing Strategy
Starbucks, a global coffeehouse chain, has effectively utilized email marketing to enhance customer engagement and loyalty. They integrated their loyalty program with targeted email campaigns to deliver personalized content & maximum ROIs..
The integration of personalized email campaigns with the Rewards program has contributed to increased customer engagement and loyalty, reinforcing Starbucks’ position as a leader in retention marketing.
Also Read: How Livelytics can Help Restaurants Boost Revenue
7. Encourage Two-Way Conversations:
In 2025, email marketing isn’t a one-way street. Restaurants that treat their emails like a dialogue—inviting customers to respond, ask questions, or share opinions—build stronger loyalty and stand out in crowded inboxes.
Emails with interactive elements like polls or reply prompts see up to 73% higher engagement rates.
How to Do It
- Ask questions like “What dish should return to our menu?” or “What’s your favorite sauce combo?”
- Include polls or quick surveys directly in the email.
- Invite direct replies (and respond to them!).
- Share responses or votes in the next email.
Email will continue to thrive, but only for brands who treat it as a conversation, not a broadcast channel.
— Val Geisler, Customer Retention Expert
Take It a Step Ahead with AI: The AI tool can collect the data, recommend engaging conversions based on the customer preferences to automate the process.
Also Read: 9 Step Process Question Mining
8. Run Email-Exclusive Contests or Giveaways:
Contests and giveaways have always been great for attracting attention, but in 2025, restaurants are using email-exclusive contests to drive real engagement and build loyalty. By keeping these campaigns limited to email subscribers, you’re not just growing your list—you’re rewarding your most engaged audience and giving them a reason to stay.
How to Do It
- Launch a monthly “subscriber-only” giveaway, such as a free brunch for two, a special tasting menu, or VIP invites to new menu launches.
- Ask users to enter by replying to the email, clicking a CTA button, or filling out a short embedded survey or poll.
- Use referral incentives—shareable links that earn extra entries when friends sign up.
- Announce winners in the next email to maintain transparency and build anticipation for the next round.
“Giveaways give people a reason to open your emails—beyond just discounts.”
— Noah Kagan, Founder of App Sumo
A tip to remember: AI can optimize your email-exclusive contests by automatically testing subject lines, entry formats, send times & personalize content. This turns a simple giveaway into a smart, data-driven engagement tool that keeps your audience active and loyal.
Also Read: How to Open a Convenience Store
9. Showcase “Before & After” Changes & Key Updates:
Your customers want to feel connected to your journey, not just your food. Whether you’ve launched online ordering, joined a new delivery platform, revamped your menu, or redesigned your interiors, showcasing these changes in a “before & after” or “what’s new” format keeps your email list in the loop and emotionally invested. This isn’t just about glow-ups; it’s about celebrating growth with your community.
How to Do It
- Highlight tangible updates: new menu items, redesigned space, faster service, or seasonal changes.
- Announce digital improvements: “We’re now on Door Dash,” “Try our new online ordering system,” or “Book tables via Instagram.”
- Visuals are key: Include visual comparisons or transformation videos (before vs. after shots).
- Add a personal touch: share staff reactions or customer shout-outs regarding the upgrades & key changes to build curiosity & drive customers.
Customers don’t just want updates—they want to be part of your progress. Make them feel like insiders.
— Joanna Wiebe, Copywriting Expert, Copy hackers
Bonus Tip: Include a mini “What’s New This Month” section in your regular emails to make subscribers feel like VIPs.
Take It a Step Ahead with AI: AI can automatically detect and prioritize the updates most likely to matter to each segment, like promoting your new vegan menu only to plant-based customers or announcing your Uber Eats launch to those who’ve ordered takeout before. It can also A/B test formats (carousel vs. video vs. text) to learn which style drives more clicks and excitement.
Also Read: How Does Data Analytics Help Restaurants Grow
10. Track, Analyze, and Optimize Based on Data:
You can’t just launch email marketing campaigns, keep on sending campaigns & hope one day you’ll get the results. One of the biggest advantages of email in 2025 is how much you can track—opens, clicks, redemptions, and even what items they looked at on your menu. That data is gold—use it!
You need to keep on tracking everything over time, see what’s working, what’s not working, and make changes accordingly. It can give you the results you want for your business & ensure the best conversions.
Only 35% of restaurants currently analyze full email performance data—those that do see 41% higher ROI.
How to Do It
- Track metrics beyond opens: Click-through rate, revenue per email, time spent on menu links.
- Run A/B tests regularly: Try different subject lines, send times, or CTA buttons.
- Set up reporting dashboards: Use platforms like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or even your POS-integrated tools.
The Thing to Remember: The right AI tool can, over time, collect all the data from the emails, customers & give you insights on open rates, click rates, what worked best, the ROI & other things. Based on the data collected, businesses can customize their marketing efforts.
Bonus Tip: Create a “what worked best” email once a quarter based on your data—repurpose those elements in future emails.
Also Read: How Data Analytics Process Automation Help Businesses
What Does the Future of Email Marketing for Restaurants Look Like?
Email marketing has long been a reliable channel for restaurants, helping drive repeat visits, promote seasonal menus, and fill tables during off-peak hours.
But like everything in the digital world, it’s evolving fast. The truth?
Email marketing still works, but it’s no longer “easy wins” with mass emails or generic offers. The bright side is clear: email marketing still offers the best returns on investment in the digital space.
So, how do you stay ahead?
Here are some practical ways to future-proof your restaurant’s email strategy:
- Send fewer, better emails – Weekly is fine if your content is engaging.
- Use visuals and storytelling – Showcase new dishes, customer reviews, or chef spotlights.
- Ask for feedback – Short polls or post-visit ratings help improve service and increase engagement.
- Combine email with SMS – For time-sensitive promos (like lunch-hour offers), text can complement your emails effectively.
- Invest in a smart AI-powered tool – Choose an AI tool that integrates seamlessly with your restaurant’s systems for automation & tap into the email marketing benefits in a smart & efficient manner.
Restaurants can’t win inbox space with discounts alone anymore. Relevance, timing, and tone are everything.”
— Ann Handley, Marketing Profs
In short, email marketing still holds strong potential for restaurant growth—but only if you’re willing to adapt. Customers want value, not spam. If your emails feel like a real extension of your hospitality—offering help, delight, and something worth their time—they’ll keep reading, clicking, and visiting.
Also Read: Advantage of Business Intelligence in Retail
Looking to Get Started? Keep Reading!
If you’re ready to take your strategy a step further and get the most out of email marketing, it’s time to explore Livelytics—a smart, AI-powered data platform designed to work like your restaurant’s digital assistant.
With Livelytics, you can:
- Collect and analyze customer data effortlessly
- Uncover trends and behavior patterns to personalize your emails
- Get clear recommendations on what to send, when, and to whom
- Use predictive intelligence to plan smarter promotions
- Simplify decision-making with easy-to-understand dashboards
Backed by AI, machine learning, and automation, Livelytics doesn’t just help you send emails—it helps you grow your restaurant business with insight-driven marketing.
Ready to power up your strategy? Let Livelytics show you how to make your data work harder and smarter.
Still confused & wondering what to do? Well, don’t worry. Book a free Livelytics demo & see how it fits into your business processes to make the right decision.