Restaurant, Cafe and QSR Advertising

This category puts brand messages on the things diners see and handle inside restaurants, cafes and quick-service outlets, from table cards and coasters to tissue boxes, takeaway packaging and counter screens. The audience is seated or queuing, so the message gets a longer look than it would on a road. Space is bought outlet by outlet, or across a set of outlets in a chain or food court.

Who it reaches. Urban and semi-urban diners inside a chosen set of outlets, plus the delivery customers who receive branded packaging at home.

The category covers branded items inside dining outlets. Typical formats include restaurant table tents, restaurant menu branding and restaurant tray mats, along with tissue boxes, cup sleeves and counter screens. The message sits on the table or in the customer's hand during the entire visit, so it is seen while the person is choosing, eating or waiting for a bill. Some items, such as packaging and cups, travel out of the outlet with delivery orders and continue to carry the message into homes and offices.

Audiences are diners already inside the outlet, either seated or in line, plus anyone who handles branded packaging later. Because the customer stays in place for a period, the creative can include more detail than a roadside panel. This approach is generally chosen for Youth-focused brands, App downloads and Sampling and trial.

Independent outlets are negotiated one at a time with the owner or manager, usually for a month of display, while chains are bought centrally through the marketing team as a bundle of outlets. Printed items such as coasters, tray mats and cup sleeves are commissioned as a print run and stay in circulation until stock is used, so the campaign length depends on outlet throughput. Counter and menu screens are sold as slots inside a loop, and menu boards themselves are often reserved for the outlet's own menu.

Planner tip. Buy the item the customer actually picks up, because a coaster, tissue box or cup sleeve stays in hand for the whole sitting while a table tent is the first thing a server moves to lay the table.

Planning usually starts with deciding whether to cover individual outlets or a chain bundle. Independent cafes and quick-service restaurants are approached individually, often for a display period negotiated with the owner, while chains are handled through a central team as a bundle of locations. Printed pieces such as tray mats, coasters and cup sleeves are produced as a batch and remain in circulation until the stock is exhausted, so the duration depends on how quickly the outlet serves customers. Counter screens near the till usually carry branded messages as slots within a content loop. Most outlets require GPS-tagged photo proof to confirm that the material is in place.