Be the first thing they see — while they’re still hungry.
Restaurant searches don’t wait. We pay to put you at the top of Google when someone in your postcode is two thumb-taps from ordering a curry.
- Right postcode, right time of day
- Right kind of search (“curry near me”, not “curry recipe”)
- Money only spent when someone clicks
What is Google Ads for restaurants, and how is it different from generic Google Ads?
Restaurant Google Ads — sometimes called PPC (pay-per-click) — is paid search built around three takeaway-specific levers: delivery radius (your money never shows to someone outside the area you can serve), dayparting (ads run when the kitchen is open and people are hungry, not at 4am), and intent keywords ("biryani near me", "kebab open now", not "indian food jobs"). Generic Google Ads ignores all three, which is why most agencies burn through 30% of a restaurant's budget on irrelevant clicks.
How do Google Ads work for a local takeaway?
Google runs an auction every time someone searches. Three things decide whether your ad shows: how much you bid per click, your Quality Score (Google's 1–10 rating of how relevant your ad is to the search), and the searcher's location. We optimise all three — tight keyword lists, ad copy that matches the search intent, and a delivery-radius polygon so spend stays inside the area you can actually serve.
We don’t spray your budget at everyone. We aim it.
Numbers above are illustrative. Your actual cost-per-order depends on your cuisine, postcode and ticket size — we’ll tell you straight in the audit whether your area has the search volume to make it work.
What does it actually cost to run Google Ads for a takeaway?
Most UK takeaways start at £15–£30 a day. The cost-per-click sits between £0.80 and £2.20 depending on city and cuisine competition, and a well-built campaign converts 3–5% of clicks into orders — which works out to roughly £4–£12 per attributable order before profit margins are considered. We never recommend going below £15/day because there isn't enough data to know what's actually working.
Google Ads vs Meta Ads vs Just Eat sponsored — which paid channel?
Google Ads catches people who are already searching. Meta Ads catches people scrolling who weren't necessarily hungry yet. Just Eat sponsored listings catch people already on the platform. They serve different stages of intent — for most independents the right mix is Google Ads for hungry-now demand, with Meta Ads layered on later for retargeting and brand building.
| Channel | Best for | Cost model | Time to first orders | Typical cost per order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads (search) | Hungry-now searches | Pay per click | 3–5 days | £4–£12 |
| Meta Ads (FB / IG) | Brand + retargeting | Pay per impression / click | 1–2 weeks | £8–£20 |
| Just Eat sponsored | Marketplace placement | Commission per order | 1–2 days | 14–30% of order value |
Will Google Ads help me show up in ChatGPT and AI search?
Indirectly, yes. Google Ads itself does not feed ChatGPT or Perplexity. But the same campaign data — what queries convert, what cities click, what dietary keywords matter — sharpens the schema and landing-page structure that AI engines do read. The clients who run ads alongside Local SEO compound faster because the ad data tells us which queries are worth optimising the organic and AI-search content for.
The whole report. Four lines on WhatsApp.
Most agencies bury you in 18-tab dashboards. We send you four lines you can read between the school run and the lunch rush.
- SpendWhat we burned
- OrdersWhat you got back
- Cost / orderAre we making money?
- One thingWhat we changed last week
The full live dashboard is always there — but you don’t need to look at it. Numbers in the message above are illustrative.
When will I see results?
Google Ads is the fastest channel in the studio. First click and first order usually land within 3–5 days of launch. By week 2–3 you have enough data to know which keywords convert and which to pause. Month 3 is the honest check-in — if we're below break-even on attributable orders, we have a straight conversation about pausing or pivoting. The live dashboard is always honest, the Monday WhatsApp always shows real numbers.