Restaurant operators are increasingly investing in first-party marketing channels as rising third-party delivery commissions put pressure on profitability. A newly published industry guide from Evok Restaurant Marketing highlights how email and SMS marketing are becoming essential tools for restaurants seeking to build direct customer relationships, improve guest retention, and reduce dependence on delivery marketplaces.

The economics of restaurant marketing are shifting as operators seek greater control over customer relationships.

With commission rates from food delivery platforms continuing to increase, many restaurants are prioritizing owned marketing channels—including email and SMS—to drive repeat business without relying exclusively on third-party marketplaces.

Reflecting this trend, Evok Restaurant Marketing, a hospitality-focused marketing agency, has released a 2026 guide outlining best practices for building customer databases, automating communications, and measuring marketing performance through first-party engagement channels.

The publication arrives amid growing industry concern over customer acquisition costs and the long-term sustainability of marketplace-dependent marketing strategies.

Rising Delivery Costs Increase Focus on Owned Audiences

Third-party delivery platforms have become an important revenue channel for restaurants, but they also introduce significant operational costs.

According to the report, commission structures across major delivery providers now range from approximately 15% to 30% per order, depending on service levels and marketing options.

While these platforms continue expanding customer reach, restaurant operators are increasingly evaluating the financial trade-offs associated with acquiring repeat customers through intermediaries.

In contrast, first-party marketing channels allow restaurants to communicate directly with guests who have already interacted with the business, eliminating recurring platform commissions on future promotions and customer engagement.

The growing emphasis on owned audiences reflects a broader marketing trend seen across retail, ecommerce, and hospitality, where organizations are investing more heavily in first-party data strategies amid changing digital advertising economics.

Loyalty and Retention Deliver Long-Term Value

Customer retention is becoming a higher priority than customer acquisition for many restaurant brands.

Industry data cited in the guide indicates that loyalty program members account for a disproportionately large share of restaurant visits and tend to visit restaurants more frequently than non-members.

This reinforces the role of email and SMS marketing as retention channels rather than purely promotional tools.

Instead of continuously purchasing visibility through advertising platforms, restaurants can use automated communications to encourage repeat visits, promote seasonal menus, share personalized offers, and strengthen long-term customer relationships.

For hospitality businesses operating in competitive local markets, repeat guests often represent a more predictable source of revenue than one-time customer acquisition.

Automation Is Becoming Standard Practice

Marketing automation continues to reshape customer engagement across the restaurant industry.

Modern restaurant marketing platforms increasingly integrate with reservation systems, point-of-sale (POS) software, online ordering platforms, Wi-Fi networks, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

These integrations enable restaurants to automatically trigger personalized communications based on customer behavior rather than relying on manually scheduled campaigns.

Common automation workflows include welcome messages for new subscribers, birthday promotions, post-visit follow-ups, abandoned reservation reminders, and win-back campaigns targeting inactive customers.

Research from Omnisend suggests that automated email campaigns generate a disproportionately high share of marketing revenue despite representing only a small percentage of total email volume, illustrating the growing value of behavioral automation.

Data Quality and Segmentation Drive Better Results

Beyond automation, marketers are placing greater emphasis on customer segmentation.

Rather than sending identical promotions to every subscriber, restaurants increasingly personalize communications based on purchase frequency, spending behavior, visit history, menu preferences, and engagement levels.

This approach aligns with broader enterprise marketing trends that prioritize first-party customer data and personalized experiences.

Industry benchmarks from Mailchimp continue to show that segmented campaigns outperform generic email campaigns across both open rates and click-through performance, reinforcing personalization as a key driver of marketing effectiveness.

Compliance Remains a Business Priority

As SMS adoption accelerates, compliance has become an increasingly important consideration.

Restaurants collecting customer phone numbers must comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which requires explicit customer consent before promotional messaging.

Operators must also follow updated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations governing opt-out requests and consumer privacy.

For multi-location restaurant groups, automated consent management and centralized customer databases are becoming essential components of digital marketing operations.

Market Interpretation

The publication reflects a broader transformation in restaurant marketing, where first-party customer relationships are becoming increasingly valuable as acquisition costs rise.

Major marketing technology providers including Salesforce, Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon continue expanding AI-powered personalization, customer data, and marketing automation capabilities that enable businesses to strengthen direct customer engagement.

According to Gartner, first-party data strategies remain a top investment priority as organizations prepare for a privacy-first digital ecosystem. McKinsey & Company has also identified personalization and customer retention as significant drivers of long-term business growth, while Statista continues to report steady expansion in digital food ordering and restaurant technology adoption.

For restaurant operators, the competitive advantage is increasingly shifting from simply reaching more customers to building stronger, data-driven relationships with guests they already serve.

Market Landscape

The restaurant industry is moving toward first-party marketing strategies as businesses seek greater ownership of customer relationships and reduced reliance on third-party delivery platforms.

Email marketing, SMS automation, loyalty programs, customer data platforms (CDPs), and AI-powered personalization are becoming core components of modern restaurant MarTech stacks. As privacy regulations and digital advertising costs continue evolving, restaurants are expected to invest further in technologies that improve customer retention, marketing attribution, and long-term lifetime value.

Top Insights

• Rising delivery platform commissions are encouraging restaurants to strengthen first-party marketing channels such as email and SMS to improve profitability and customer retention.

• Marketing automation enables restaurants to deliver personalized communications triggered by reservations, purchases, and guest behavior, improving engagement with minimal manual effort.

• Customer segmentation using first-party data helps restaurants increase campaign relevance while driving stronger open rates, click-through rates, and repeat visits.

• Compliance with TCPA and FCC messaging regulations has become essential as SMS marketing adoption accelerates across the hospitality industry.

• Restaurant marketing strategies are increasingly centered on owned customer data, loyalty programs, and measurable lifetime value rather than paid marketplace acquisition.

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