How OTT Advertising Could Save Restaurant Foot Traffic in 2025

Jul 29

Hey, restaurant owners—are you feeling the pain of dwindling foot traffic? It's not just you. From May 2024 to May 2025, visits to restaurants by customers dropped by an astonishing 42% [1][2]. That's a hard pill to swallow. But while the dining rooms are empty, there's a new force lighting up screens everywhere: OTT viewership. And with reports of OTT audiences exploding [3][4], there's a goldmine waiting for smart restaurant owners like you.

So how do you take streaming stats and turn them into tables full of people? The answer is OTT advertising—a revolution in both social media marketing for restaurants and advertising digital marketing . This is not just spraying ads into the digital void. You're hitting the right people at the right time. And with partners like Joyco Digital , an award-winning agency specializing in digital advertising, you can use that power to drive measurable growth. Here's how OTT advertising can bring hungry people back through your doors.

Why OTT advertising? The change in consumer behavior

Imagine: it's Friday night, and your potential customers are binge-watching their favorite series on a streaming service. They aren't even flipping through dusty phone books. They're not even on social media. They're watching OTT. This is not a trend; it's a revolution. With tens of millions of people watching Netflix and Hulu and Roku, OTT is now the center of the world where you want to reach diners—where they are.

Unlike TV ads, OTT advertising lets you target specific groups. Need more families at your pizza place? Target parents in your town. Want to attract millennials for your trendy brunch spot? Target that age group. That kind of targeting is what makes OTT such a powerful force for advertising digital marketing in the restaurant business.

The Restaurant Foot Traffic Crisis: Do the Math

Let's not mince words: restaurants are hurting. That 42% drop in foot traffic [1][2] is not just a number. It's empty chairs and silent kitchens and shrinking budgets. Maybe you've noticed fewer regulars. Maybe you've felt the sting of slow weekends. It sucks, but it's not game over.

The good news? Consumers are behaving in ways you can take advantage of. They may be eating out less, but they're streaming more. And that's where OTT advertising becomes a life preserver. It connects you directly to people who are one click away from craving your signature dish.

Crafting Your OTT Strategy: Know Your Customer

Before you leap into OTT advertising, let's get one thing straight: you have to know who you're talking to. Figuring out your ideal customer is the first step in any successful campaign. Are you a family-friendly diner? A hip gastropub? A cozy cafe? Whatever you are, you need to know who you are. That's how your ads hit home.

Ask yourself:

Who is my target diner—age, location, interests?
What kind of messaging will grab them?
When are they most likely to watch streaming stuff?

Once you've mastered that, you're ready to start doing pinpoint-accurate campaigns. And if you're feeling out of your depth, Joyco Digital has your back. Their combination of data-driven strategies and creative storytelling will let restaurants like yours create campaigns that not only reach people but move them.

Setting Yourself Up to Win: Budgets, Timelines, and Metrics

Now let's get practical. OTT advertising isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of thing. You have to do a lot of prep work to have a campaign that works. Begin by specifying a few things to keep you on course.

Here's how to do that:

Decide on your budget: Don't be a wimp; decide how much you can spend. Even a very small amount will work if you target well.
Pick a campaign length: How long do you want your ads to run? A short, punchy campaign creates a sense of urgency, while a long campaign builds brand awareness.
Plan your measurements: How will you measure success? You could measure the spikes in foot traffic from the ads, or the online orders, or even coupon redemptions from them.

These steps aren't just checkboxes—they're your plan for converting views to visits. And when you have a plan like that, you're not hoping for results—you're engineering them.

The Power of Storytelling in OTT Ads

Here's a secret: people don't buy food—they buy experiences. Your OTT ads shouldn't just show a burger; they should make people feel the sizzle, smell the grill, and want to be in your restaurant. Stories are your superpower.

Think about a quick 15 second spot: a family laughing over pizza at your place, or a couple sharing a romantic dessert under your twinkling lights. That's the sort of thing you remember. That's what makes someone say "let's go there tonight."

Need help telling that story? That's where Joyco Digital comes in. Their specialty is making content that hits people in the feelings and also drives measurable results. They can make OTT ads people don't just see but feel.

Why OTT Beats Advertising for Restaurants

Let's unpack this. Traditional advertising, like billboards or radio, is like shooting a shotgun into the air. You're paying for eyeballs that don't even care about your restaurant. OTT is a sniper rifle. You're not wasting a single dollar.

Consider the advantages:

Geo-targeting : Reach customers within a certain radius of your restaurant.
behavioral targeting: show ads to people who've searched for places to eat or been to similar places.
Real-time analytics: track impressions, clicks, and conversions to see what works

This isn’t just advertising; it’s smart advertising. And for restaurants looking to boost foot traffic, it’s a no-brainer.

Real World: Streaming to Steps

Imagine: someone in your neighborhood is watching your OTT ad while they're streaming in the evening. It's just a quick clip of your fajitas sizzling, and a limited-time offer. But their stomach growls. Next thing you know, they're walking through your door, phone in hand, ready to redeem it.

This is no pipe dream—this is the reality of OTT advertising. And if you combine this strategy with ordinary social media marketing for restaurants you have a multichannel approach that is even more powerful. One ad ignites curiosity; one social post seals the deal.

Overcome your inhibitions: is OTT for you?

Perhaps you're thinking "This sounds great but I'm not technical." Or maybe you're worried about costs. Let me reassure you. OTT ad platforms are designed to be easy to use, and with the right partner you don't need to be a digital wizard to make them work.

Start small if you have to. Test a short campaign, measure what happens, and then scale up as you become confident. That's the great thing about digital marketing: you're in control.

A Thoughtful Path Forward: Getting Your Restaurant Buzzed Again

The restaurant business isn't what it once was, but that doesn't mean your restaurant has to be. Foot traffic is way down; OTT viewership is way up. Now's the time to switch gears. Be a billboard. Reach people where they already are. Make them want not just your food but you.

OTT advertising isn't just a fad—it's the way to restore the buzz about your restaurant. And with experts like Joyco Digital in your corner, you're not merely adjusting to the future; you're winning it. Everything they do, from digital advertising to social media, makes your campaigns hit harder.

So what are you waiting for? Jump. Define your audience, set your budget, and let OTT bring the hungry masses back to your tables. Your restaurant deserves to be full again... and it will be, if you do this right.

OTT advertising is a digital marketing strategy that reaches consumers through streaming services, which is important because consumer viewership is rapidly increasing, making it the ideal place to reach potential diners.
Restaurants are experiencing a significant decline in customer foot traffic, with a 42% drop in visits reported from May 2024 to May 2025.
OTT advertising enables targeting specific demographics, locations, and interests, allowing restaurants to reach the most relevant potential customers, such as families or specific age groups.
Key steps include identifying the target diner, crafting compelling messaging, setting a budget, deciding on campaign length, and planning how to measure success.
OTT advertising offers precise geo-targeting, behavioral targeting, and real-time analytics, making it more efficient and effective than the broad, untargeted nature of traditional advertising.
Success can be measured by tracking spikes in foot traffic, online orders, or coupon redemptions that can be attributed to the advertising efforts.
Storytelling is crucial to make ads memorable and emotionally resonant, focusing on the dining experience to encourage potential customers to visit the restaurant.