Turn Your First 90 Days Into a Fully Booked Venue
Opening a new restaurant, bar, or café in Perth is a big move. You are investing in fit-out, staff, stock, and hoping your local crowd shows up. Hope is not a plan, especially when you are competing with venues that are already active on social, building hype long before their doors open.
What works now is a clear 90-day launch roadmap that treats your marketing like your service: planned, consistent, and focused on the right people. Across social media, email, your website, booking system and CRM, every week should have a job to do, from building awareness to filling tables and keeping guests coming back.
In this guide, we walk through a week-by-week go-to-market plan for Perth hospitality owners, with practical content ideas, offers and setup tips. It is built for new restaurants, bars and cafés, especially those timing openings around late winter and spring when locals are ready to get out more.
We are a Perth-based social media and digital marketing agency focused on hospitality, so this is the kind of launch work we live and breathe day in, day out.
Map Your 90-Day Launch Window Like a Pro
Think of your first 90 days as four clear phases:
- Pre Launch Hype: Day -60 to -15
- Soft Opening: Day -14 to -1
- Launch Week: Day 0 to 7
- Post Launch Retention: Day 8 to 90
Perth has its own rhythm. As winter eases, people start planning wildflower trips, footy finals catch ups and end of year functions. That means your opening date, offers and content themes should line up with how locals actually go out.
Each phase has its own goals:
- Pre Launch: awareness and email list growth
- Soft Opening: test operations and collect first reviews
- Launch Week: book out key nights and grow followers and database
- Post Launch: turn first timers into regulars and lock in group bookings
A strong social media strategy in Perth blends organic posts, smart paid ads, local influencers and partnerships with nearby hotels, events and precinct promos. The key is to know which channel is doing what at each stage instead of posting the same thing everywhere.
Pre Launch Hype That Fills Your Booking List
Before you post a single teaser, get your brand basics straight. Lock in:
- Visual identity and logo
- Menu pillars and hero dishes
- Clear positioning, like neighbourhood wine bar, family-friendly coastal spot, or late-night laneway venue
Then build hype from Day -60 to -15.
Instagram and TikTok ideas:
- Fit-out progress clips and time lapses
- Chef and owner introductions
- Tasting sessions and menu testing Reels
- Staff recruitment with personality
- Polls like “name our signature cocktail”
Facebook and Google Business Profile:
- Location reveal and easy directions
- Parking and public transport tips
- Early menu sneak peeks
- “Coming soon” post pinned with an email sign up link
- Thoughtful engagement in local suburb and foodie groups
Email and SMS:
- A simple “Founding Foodies” waitlist sign up page
- One clear incentive like priority booking, opening week discount or free snack on first visit
- Clean tagging in your CRM from day one, so you know who your locals and early fans are
Start low-budget geo-targeted ads focused on your suburb and nearby catchments. Test a few audiences and creatives with short video and strong visual hooks.
At the same time, build a list of 10 to 20 local Perth food influencers, hospitality media and community pages. Follow them, comment with intent, and start soft invites for later soft opening and launch events.
Nail Your Soft Opening and Early Reviews
The job of your soft opening window, Days -14 to -1, is not to squeeze every seat. It is to test systems while giving a select group a great first experience.
Pick a booking platform that locals know and make sure it connects into your email tool and CRM. Set it up so every booking is tagged by source like Instagram, Google or direct website. Then turn on:
- Automated confirmations and reminders by email and SMS
- Post visit follow ups with a friendly review request
- Direct links to your Google profile and key review spots
Plan your soft opening as invite-only previews:
- Neighbours and nearby businesses
- Influencers and media
- Your “Founding Foodies” waitlist
Be clear about time slots, set menus, feedback forms and photo rules so the night runs smoothly.
On social, this is where you start showing real guests, not just fit-out shots:
- Ambience videos from table-level
- First reactions to hero dishes
- User-generated content reposts with credit
- “One week until public launch” countdowns
Encourage early visitors to leave Google and social reviews while their experience is fresh. Reply to every review, even the tricky ones, to show future guests that you pay attention and act on feedback.
Launch Week That Drives Bookings and Buzz
Launch week, Day 0 to 7, is about full tables and loud proof that you are worth a booking. You want three things: strong bookings, visible social proof and fast audience growth.
Channel by channel, focus on:
Instagram and TikTok:
- Daily short-form clips of doors opening, first cocktails and signature dishes
- Stories that feel “as live” from service
- Reposts of customer content with tags
Facebook and Google:
- Clear “Now Open” posts with trading hours and booking links
- Pinned posts so key info is always at the top
- Launch night photo albums for social proof
Email and SMS:
- Launch announcement to your full list with one strong call to book
- Segmented follow ups for locals, foodies from other suburbs and corporate groups
- Last minute table alerts on slower nights
Launch offers can be simple but powerful:
- “First 100 Diners” get a complimentary dessert, welcome drink or chef’s snack
- Invite-only launch event for industry, influencers and media with a professional photographer
Plan usage rights for those photos and videos so they feed your content for months.
Inside the venue, run a same-week feedback loop. Quick daily chats with your team to review guest comments, social DMs, reviews and booking patterns help you tweak service and content in real time.
Turn New Diners Into Regulars in 90 Days
From Days 8 to 90, your job shifts from “new and shiny” to “favourite local”. You want repeat visits, group bookings and recurring events that make your revenue more stable.
Use your CRM as a loyalty engine, not just a contact list. Set up simple tags and segments like:
- Locals vs visitors
- Corporate and group bookers
- Families
- Date night diners
- Dietary needs, like vegan or gluten free
Then personalise offers around them. Keep the framework light-touch, such as:
- Birthday offers
- A perk on the third visit
- Email first access to special menus, tasting nights or chef’s table events
Your ongoing content rhythm might include:
- Weekly social posts showing menu highlights and seasonal produce
- Chef and staff stories that keep your brand human
- Footy finals specials, alfresco moments and spring-themed drinks where it fits
- Regular reposting of guest content to reward your community
Back it up with monthly email marketing. A “What’s On” style update with new dishes, events and early-bird function packages lines up nicely with how Perth groups plan.
Do not forget local partnerships. Cross promote with nearby bars, cafés, galleries or events for:
- Pre-theatre or pre-show dining
- Sunday sessions around live music
- Long-weekend specials or precinct promos
Finally, track what matters. Look at booking sources, repeat visit rate, list growth, review ratings, average spend and which content formats pull the most clicks and bookings. Use that data to adjust your social media strategy in Perth, shift your ad spend and plan your next 90-day cycle with more confidence and less guesswork.
Boost Your Local Brand With A Tailored Social Media Plan
If you are ready to turn your online presence into real results, our team at Your Hive can help craft a targeted social media strategy in Perth that suits your goals and budget. We focus on clear actions, practical timelines and content that actually connects with your audience. To chat through what you need and get a customised proposal, simply contact us today.
