Food & Drink Marketing in New Orleans
New Orleans asks a lot of a restaurant's marketing. Locals have strong opinions, visitors arrive with lists, and the competition runs from corner po-boy shops to MICHELIN-starred dining rooms. Our work for dining rooms, bars, coffee shops, caterers and packaged food makers in Orleans and Jefferson parishes aims at three things: winning searches, filling seats and keeping regulars coming back between festivals.
Eating out, by the numbers
Hundreds of kitchens
County Business Patterns lists 548 full-service restaurants in Orleans Parish for 2023, next to 377 counter-service and fast-casual spots, while Jefferson Parish adds 364 and 418. Full-service dining rooms alone employed 13,657 people in Orleans. The 2022 Economic Census put Orleans' accommodation and food service sales at about $3.97 billion, more than twice Jefferson's total.
Recognition raises the bar
When the MICHELIN Guide revealed its first American South selection in November 2025, three New Orleans restaurants received stars, including the only Two Star restaurant in that first regional edition, and 11 New Orleans spots were named Bib Gourmands. For everyone else on the block, clear menus, current photos and a steady flow of reviews carry more weight than ever.
Licensing shapes the offer
Louisiana's Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control grants a restaurant permit only when food and nonalcoholic drinks bring in more than half of average monthly revenue, and that permit covers drinks served with meals on site, not packaged sales to go. Happy hours, specials and delivery promotions should fit the permit on the wall.
Pressures on local kitchens
Two kinds of diners
Visitors search by neighborhood and by dish; locals search by habit and value. Menus, ads and listings need to answer both without confusing either.
Reviews decide the walk-in
Guests check ratings on the sidewalk before they open the door. We help you ask every guest for a review and respond to each one you receive.
A calendar full of swings
Carnival, festival weekends, conventions and summer heat move traffic up and down. Promotions and budgets should follow those swings instead of fighting them.
Marketing for food and drink
Areas we serve
Diners in these neighborhoods and nearby towns are reachable through our food and drink campaigns:
- French Quarter
- Garden District
- Uptown
- Mid-City
- Marigny
- Warehouse District
- Bywater
- Metairie
- Kenner
- Gretna
Questions and answers
Through the places travelers plan: Google Maps, search, Instagram and travel content. New Orleans & Company tallied 19.46 million visitors for 2025, and Port NOLA says most of its out-of-state cruise guests spend a day or two in town. We target trip-planning searches and keep listings complete so you land on their list.
An ATC permit. The Class A-Restaurant permit requires food and nonalcoholic beverages to exceed 50 percent of average monthly revenue and allows drinks with meals on the premises, not packaged sales to go. A new location must post Notice of Intent signs before applying if no permit was held there in the prior six months.
We handle listings, the website and ads. Physical signs in the Vieux Carré need a Vieux Carré Commission permit first, and the Commission advises not buying signage until you hold one. Online branding is then kept consistent with whatever the Commission approves.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns: Orleans Parish, LA (all sectors, trades, health, personal care, food and drink)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns: Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes, LA
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New Orleans city, Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish
- Michelin: MICHELIN Guide inaugural American South selection (November 5, 2025)
- Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control: FAQs
- New Orleans & Company: 2025 visitation results (May 8, 2026)
- Port of New Orleans: Port NOLA marks ninth year surpassing one million cruise passenger movements (January 21, 2026)
- City of New Orleans, Vieux Carré Commission: Application Process
Checked 2026-10-31.