The Takeaway
Big Nick’s BBQ wanted more morning traffic after adding breakfast service. The team ran a single digital board near the restaurant and scheduled it for breakfast hours only, on a $5 daily budget. The campaign delivered 2,628 blips and 4,155 estimated impressions at an average of $0.03 per play. Sales tripled within the first three days.
Why Big Nick’s BBQ Turned to Billboard Advertising
Big Nick’s BBQ is a small barbecue restaurant in Sylva, North Carolina, owned by Tim Fisk. Tim learned the trade from his father, Big Nick, and brings his own flair to it.
Independent restaurants live on foot traffic and word of mouth. Big Nick’s had a specific problem: it had started serving breakfast, and nobody in town knew. A new menu is worth nothing if the people driving past at eight in the morning still think you open at eleven.
The team was already using Facebook, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. Those channels reach people who are searching for somewhere to eat. They do not reach the driver who passes the building every morning on the way to work.
A billboard for restaurant hours is a different job, and it needed a different channel. Restaurant billboard advertising had to fit a single-location budget, so Big Nick’s needed a way to stay visible without taking on a full-time billboard commitment.
How Big Nick’s BBQ Built Its Billboard Campaign
- Boards selected: One of the boards in Sylva, very close to the restaurant, so the ad and the front door were part of the same trip.
- Creative approach: The name, the new service, and the hours. Nothing else.
- Schedule: The ad ran during breakfast hours only, which is when the message was useful.
- Budget approach: A $5 daily budget, with an average cost of $0.03 per play.
Tucker Horne of TH Social Media ran the campaign as Big Nick’s social strategist. The scheduling decision is the part most operators miss. Paying to advertise breakfast at four in the afternoon is money spent on a message nobody can act on. Restricting the board to the morning put every play in front of someone who could turn the car around.
The Creative
The board carried the name Big Nick’s Barbecue and the line Now serving Breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
That is a complete offer. Name, what is new, and when. A driver passing at speed has only a moment to take it in, so a good restaurant billboard gives them one decision, not a menu. These restaurant billboard design examples show the same idea in practice, and Blip’s billboard design guidelines explain how to keep artwork readable at speed.
What Big Nick’s BBQ’s Billboard Campaign Delivered
The campaign ran as one campaign on one digital billboard and delivered 2,628 blips. Each blip is a single eight-second play, so the breakfast message appeared more than two and a half thousand times during morning hours.
Those plays produced 4,155 estimated impressions. The average cost per blip was $0.03 and average daily spend was $5, which is what let the restaurant keep the board running rather than stopping after a couple of days.
Within the first three days, sales tripled. Tucker expected a lift and was surprised by the size of it. It is worth being precise about what this shows. The board was the new thing in the mix, and the sales moved, but a single location over three days is one restaurant’s experience rather than a rule. Most businesses should plan for recognition to build over weeks of repeated exposure, and treat a fast response like this one as a bonus.
You can really easily create ads that are effective and that complement other portions of your campaign for a very small budget. We’ve used other forms of marketing, like FB, yelp, and trip advisor, but using billboards in our marketing mix really helped us reach the local community in a new way. Blip definitely gives power to the little guy.
Tucker Horne, President, TH Social Media
Why This Billboard Campaign Worked
- Proximity: The board sat close to the restaurant, so seeing the ad and arriving were the same journey.
- Right message, right hour: Breakfast copy ran during breakfast. Every play reached someone who could act on it.
- One idea only: New service and the hours. No slogan, no phone number, no social handles.
- Steady spend: A $5 daily budget kept the board live day after day instead of burning through the money at once.
- It supported the rest of the mix: Facebook and review sites kept doing their job. The board covered the people those channels never reached.
What Restaurant Owners Can Take From This Campaign
- Advertise the thing people do not know: New hours, a new location, or a new service beats a general brand message on a billboard for restaurant traffic.
- Buy close to the door: The nearest board usually beats the busiest one, because it reaches people who can turn in now.
- Schedule around service: Run lunch copy at lunch and dinner copy at dinner. It costs nothing to be relevant.
- Keep it running: Billboard advertising only helps if the board stays up long enough for regulars to see it several times. Check what billboards cost before you set a daily figure.
Run a Restaurant Billboard Campaign Like Big Nick’s
Choose a board near your location, set the hours your message matters, and start with a budget you are comfortable with. Submit your campaign for review and start displaying after approval.
Frequently Asked Questions About Big Nick’s BBQ’s Billboard Campaign
How much did Big Nick’s BBQ spend on billboard advertising?
The campaign ran on a $5 daily budget with an average cost per blip of $0.03. Blip does not require a minimum spend, so the restaurant set the number that suited it.
How many billboards did Big Nick’s BBQ use?
One digital billboard, chosen because it sat very close to the restaurant. That single board delivered 2,628 blips and 4,155 estimated impressions.
How long did Big Nick’s BBQ’s billboard campaign run?
The restaurant reported tripled sales within the first three days and kept the campaign running on its daily budget. One campaign was recorded for this success story.
Is restaurant billboard advertising effective?
It works well for telling nearby drivers something specific, such as new hours or a new location. Restaurant billboard advertising builds recognition through repeated exposure, so give it enough weeks for regular commuters to see it more than once.
What should a billboard for restaurant advertising say?
Your name, one offer, and when it applies. Big Nick’s used a single line about breakfast hours. If a driver cannot take it in at a glance, the board is doing too much.
Do I need a contract to run a billboard ad?
No. There are no contracts and no minimums. You pick the boards, the schedule, and the spend, and you can adjust any of them as your needs change.