On The Map

Book Your Free Audit

On The Map

Book Your Free Audit
Local Link Building for Restaurants: 30 Proven Tactics

Local SEO for Restaurants • Updated

Local Link Building for Hospitality: 30 Proven Tactics

Written by Hospitality On The Map

Quick answer: The best restaurant links come from real‑world relationships—local press, events, suppliers, charities, tourism boards, universities and community calendars. Build useful pages (menus, events, guides), pitch concise stories with photos, and always ask for a link to the most relevant page.

New to the series? Start with the hub Local SEO for Restaurants in 2025, and make sure your Google Business Profile and website are solid—links amplify assets that already convert.

Local PR story angles that earn links

  • Seasonal menus (Mother’s Day brunch, autumn game days, festive set menus).
  • Chef milestones (new head chef, award, cookbook, TV appearance).
  • Community initiatives (charity partnerships, food‑bank drives, litter‑pickup).
  • Supplier stories (farm‑to‑table features, new brewery collab).
  • Neighbourhood upgrades (new terrace, accessibility improvements, art installations).

30 proven link tactics (copy this)

PR & Content

  1. Menu launch press with photos and a booking link.
  2. Chef interview/Q&A with local media or food blogs.
  3. Recipe feature (your signature dish) on local publisher sites.
  4. Behind‑the‑scenes video published on a partner’s blog.
  5. Awards submission (city awards, lifestyle mags) with winner/shortlist links.
  6. Neighbourhood guide (“48 hours in [Area]”) linking to your locations.
  7. Match‑day guide (pubs/bars) with fixtures—great for seasonal SEO.
  8. Private dining case studies for corporate events.
  9. Event pages (tastings, classes) that local calendars can list.
  10. Media kit page with logo, photos, bios and facts (easy to link).

Partnerships & Community

  1. Supplier features (farms, roasters, breweries) asking for a partner link.
  2. Tourism board listings and city guides.
  3. Chamber of Commerce and BID/merchant associations.
  4. Festival sponsorships (food, film, music) with sponsor pages.
  5. Youth teams & clubs (kits, hospitality)—link on team websites.
  6. University & college links (careers, placements, alumni events).
  7. Charity auctions (gift‑card donations) listing donors.
  8. Neighbourhood associations and community calendars.
  9. Hotel concierge/partner pages (reciprocal linking with care).
  10. Brewer/winery collabs with joint announcement posts.

Foundational & Reclamation

  1. Unlinked brand mentions: ask writers to add a link.
  2. Image credit reclamation: request credit for press‑used photos.
  3. Broken link building: replace competitors’ dead event/menu links.
  4. High‑quality citations: tourism/chamber/authoritative review sites.
  5. Apple Maps/Bing Places and key data aggregators.

Occasion‑Driven

  1. Culinary classes (cocktail making, pasta) listed by community sites.
  2. Pop‑ups/guest chef nights with partner cross‑links.
  3. Local causes (cleanup, charity run) with PR photos and recap.
  4. Corporate neighbour perks (staff discount page that links back).
  5. Holiday menus (Easter, Christmas, NYE) pitched to lists & calendars.

Where should links point? Use the most relevant page: the location page, menu/reservations page, event/seasonal page, or your press kit.

Outreach: subject lines & email scripts

Keep it short and local. Personalise with the journalist’s recent work.

Subject: New [City] menu with [local supplier] — photos & chef quotes

Hi [Name],
We’re launching our new [season] menu in [City] featuring [supplier/produce].
Two photos + the 5 key dishes are here: [media kit link].
Happy to share a quick quote from chef [Name] and host you for a tasting.
If you cover it, could you link to: [relevant page URL]?

Thanks,
[Your Name] — [Role], [Restaurant], [Phone]

Create linkable assets

  • Media kit page (logos, bios, photos, facts, contact).
  • Event pages with a clear date/time and booking link (mark up with Event schema—example below).
  • Neighbourhood guide with embedded map and local partners.
  • Private dining page with menus, capacities and enquiry form.

Event schema (example you can adapt)

{
"@context":"https://schema.org",
"@type":"Event",
"name":"Italian Wine Dinner",
"startDate":"2025-11-20T19:00",
"endDate":"2025-11-20T22:00",
"eventAttendanceMode":"https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
"eventStatus":"https://schema.org/EventScheduled",
"location":{
  "@type":"Place",
  "name":"Brand Manchester",
  "address":"10 King St, Manchester M2"
},
"image":"https://example.com/images/events/wine-dinner.jpg",
"description":"Five courses with Piedmont pairings.",
"offers":{"@type":"Offer","price":"75","priceCurrency":"GBP","url":"https://example.com/events/italian-wine-dinner/"},
"organizer":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Brand Restaurants","url":"https://example.com/"}
}

Measuring impact & ROI

  • Log every link (URL, anchor, page target, date, domain type, DR if you track it).
  • Tag shared assets with UTM parameters to attribute bookings and enquiries.
  • Watch non‑brand impressions/clicks grow in Search Console.
  • Report assisted conversions from referring sites in GA4.
  • Fold wins into paid: use strong placements in ad sitelinks and Performance Max assets.

FAQs

Do we need separate PR for every venue?

Big stories (awards, brand news) can be national; most stories should be localised with venue‑specific photos and links.

What anchors are best?

Natural anchors are safest: brand name, venue name, or descriptive phrases (e.g., “Italian restaurant in Leeds”). Avoid repetitive keyword‑stuffed anchors.

What’s the risk with sponsorship links?

Sponsorships are fine when they deliver genuine exposure. Avoid networks that sell links or mass guest posts.

Related reading

Want high‑trust local links that move rankings?

We build PR, partnerships and assets that earn editorial links—and bookings.

Request a free Postcode Coverage Report

Authored by Hospitality On The Map • Part of our Local SEO for Restaurants series (hub).

Daniel Turner