The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Calendar for Influencer Campaigns

If you're a restaurant owner or marketer, you already know: timing is everything. Whether you're launching a new dish, hyping a holiday menu, or just trying to boost midweek reservations, a well-planned influencer campaign can be the difference between a slow night and a line out the door. 🙌

But here’s the thing—most restaurants wait too long to start planning. And by the time you want that buzz? It’s already too late.

That’s why we built this:
👉 The Ultimate Restaurant Influencer Marketing Calendar — your month-by-month playbook for driving traffic and sales with local creators.

Let’s dive in 👇

🎯 Why Use an Influencer Marketing Calendar?

Think of this as your roadmap to:

• 🌟 Stay ahead of seasonal trends
• 🧾 Align influencer posts with key menu moments
• 🎥 Build consistent social content without scrambling
• 📈 Increase ROI by planning promos when people are actually looking to eat out

At Mustard, we help restaurants manage influencer campaigns at scale—and the highest performers always think ahead.

📅 Month-by-Month Influencer Campaign Ideas

🧊 January: New Year, New Cravings

• Theme: Healthy menu items, detox specials, cozy comfort food
• Influencer angle: “Where I’m eating clean in 2025” or “Healthy local eats”
• Campaign goal: Re-engage customers post-holidays, promote new specials
• Mustard Tip: Focus on micro wellness influencers and lunch traffic!

💘 February: Valentine’s & Galentine’s Day

• Theme: Romantic prix fixe, dessert collabs, date night vibes
• Influencer angle: “Romantic spots in [your city]” or “Best places for a Galentine’s dinner”
• Campaign goal: Boost reservations for Feb 10–14
• Mustard Tip: Invite influencers early to preview the menu and post before the big rush.

🍀 March: Spring Menus + St. Patrick’s Day

• Theme: Seasonal launches, brunch drinks, green-themed cocktails
• Influencer angle: “Spring sips and seasonal bites” or “Best green cocktails in town”
• Campaign goal: Promote new menu rollouts and attract groups
• Mustard Tip: Host a seasonal tasting and let creators co-promote.

🐣 April: Easter + Patio Season Kickoff

• Theme: Family-friendly brunches, outdoor dining, Easter specials
• Influencer angle: “Where I’m brunching this Easter”
• Campaign goal: Drive weekend traffic + showcase your space
• Mustard Tip: Invite family-focused influencers or foodie parents!

🎓 May: Mother’s Day + Graduation Season

• Theme: Celebration menus, upscale brunches, private dining
• Influencer angle: “Best spots to celebrate Mom” or “Grad dinner plans in [your city]”
• Campaign goal: High-margin bookings + multi-person reservations
• Mustard Tip: Capture UGC from influencers celebrating their own families.

☀️ June: Summer Specials + Pride Month

• Theme: Pride-themed drinks, rooftop menus, summer launches
• Influencer angle: “Where I’m eating this summer” or “Pride month eats”
• Campaign goal: Social buzz and weekday summer traffic
• Mustard Tip: Collaborate with LGBTQ+ creators for inclusive content!

🎆 July: 4th of July + Heat-Friendly Menus

• Theme: BBQ, cold drinks, grab-and-go picnic bundles
• Influencer angle: “Best summer bites to beat the heat”
• Campaign goal: Promote summer menus + to-go orders
• Mustard Tip: Schedule posts a week before the holiday for pre-orders.

🧃 August: Slow Season = Brand Building

• Theme: Limited-time menus, influencer exclusives, staff spotlights
• Influencer angle: “Hidden gems I’m loving this month”
• Campaign goal: Fill slower weeks + build content library
• Mustard Tip: Run a mid-month collab series with nano creators.

🏫 September: Back to School, Back to Routine

• Theme: Lunch deals, family-friendly dinners, fall flavors
• Influencer angle: “Where I’m eating post-summer”
• Campaign goal: Rebuild weekday habits
• Mustard Tip: Target local student and parenting creators.

🎃 October: Halloween & Fall Flavors

• Theme: Pumpkin spice, spooky desserts, themed drinks
• Influencer angle: “Halloween eats in [your city]” or “Coziest food spots for fall”
• Campaign goal: Theme-based visibility + UGC
• Mustard Tip: Launch an influencer costume contest or tasting.

🦃 November: Friendsgiving + Holiday Previews

• Theme: Warm dishes, big tables, early gift card push
• Influencer angle: “Where I’m hosting Friendsgiving”
• Campaign goal: Group bookings and gift card sales
• Mustard Tip: Collaborate with foodies and lifestyle creators for cozy vibes.

🎄 December: Holidays + Year-End Push

• Theme: Holiday prix fixe, NYE menus, gift card blitz
• Influencer angle: “Where I’m celebrating the holidays”
• Campaign goal: Maximize event bookings and gift purchases
• Mustard Tip: Reuse influencer content in your emails, ads, and Google Business photos!

📦 Bonus: Campaign Themes That Work Year-Round

No matter the month, you can always run influencer campaigns for:

• New menu launches
• Staff highlights
• Delivery or takeout promos
• Happy hour and brunch features
• Community involvement or fundraisers
• Customer spotlights or testimonials

🎯 The key is consistency. One campaign can help—but a rhythm of campaigns builds momentum.

📊 How to Track Influencer Campaign ROI

To make your calendar more than just a checklist, track key metrics:

• 👀 Views / reach on posts
• 🔗 Clicks to your reservation or delivery link
• 🗓️ Reservation spikes by date
• 💬 Comments like “We have to try this!” or “Saving this!”

💡 Mustard tracks all of this in one place—so you can see exactly which creators drive traffic, orders, and buzz.

🤝 Let Mustard Help You Run It All

Planning a full year of influencer marketing sounds overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s what Mustard does:

• Finds local food creators in your city
• Schedules them month-by-month
• Delivers content you can reuse across all your channels
• Tracks performance so you know what’s working

✨ Whether you want a summer push or a year-round strategy—we make influencer marketing easy (and fun).

👉 Start your restaurant influencer calendar with Mustard

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