How Catering Businesses Can Convert More Orders: Retargeting & Lookalike Audiences Guide
In today's competitive digital landscape, catering businesses must leverage advanced marketing strategies to maximize conversions. With Meta's recent introduction of Creator Management Tools, agencies and businesses now have more streamlined ways to collaborate with influencers and optimize ad performance. However, beyond influencer partnerships, two of the most powerful tools for driving sales are retargeting and lookalike audiences. These strategies help businesses re-engage past customers and expand their reach to high-intent prospects. For catering companies, where repeat orders and word-of-mouth referrals are crucial, implementing these tactics can significantly boost ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) while lowering customer acquisition costs.
This article explores how catering businesses can use Facebook Ads, retargeting, and lookalike audiences to convert more orders, backed by real-world case studies from brands like Wendy's, Domino's, and WaBa Grill.
I. Leveraging Facebook Ads for Catering Businesses
Facebook Ads offer a variety of ad formats tailored to different marketing goals. Video ads, carousel ads, and Stories ads are particularly effective for food businesses because they showcase menu items in an engaging way. Wendy's, for example, used carousel ads featuring their signature burgers and Frostys, driving orders through Grubhub. The swipeable format allowed them to highlight multiple dishes while keeping the messaging concise.
Another powerful tool is Advantage+ campaigns, which use AI to optimize FB Ads placements and budgets automatically. Domino's Pizza Spain tested this by comparing manual campaigns against Advantage+ shopping campaigns. The results were striking—2X lower cost per purchase and 2.1X higher ROAS with automation. This shows that catering businesses don't need complex setups to succeed; instead, they can rely on Meta's AI to find the best-performing audiences and placements.
For brands looking to create buzz quickly, Reels-style content works exceptionally well. Carl's Jr. partnered with a celebrity creator to promote their Hangover Burger in a Meta Moment Maker campaign, reaching 43.4 million people in just five days. The vertical, mobile-first format led to a 20-point lift in conversations about the product. This proves that catering businesses can capitalize on trending formats to amplify their reach without massive ad budgets.
To maximize the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, Topkee utilizes TAG precision targeting, which refines audience segmentation by analyzing user behavior across platforms like Facebook and Instagram and integrating data for seamless cross-platform ad synchronization. Topkee's TTO CDP further streamline the process of making creative adjustments, ensuring that Facebook Ads stay engaging and avoid ad fatigue. For instance, by segmenting audiences according to their interaction history, such as past buyers or social media engagers, Topkee customizes creatives—like exclusive limited-time offers for loyal customers—to enhance relevance and click-through rates.
II. Retargeting Strategies to Re-Engage Customers
Retargeting is one of the most cost-effective ways to convert past visitors into paying customers. Wendy's successfully re-engaged users who had ordered via Grubhub in the past 90 days, ensuring their Facebook Ads reached people already familiar with their food. By using Custom Audiences, they delivered personalized carousel ads that reminded customers of their favorite meals, leading to higher conversions.
Domino's took retargeting a step further by integrating in-app order data into their campaigns. They used dynamic creatives to show tailored offers based on users' previous purchases. For example, someone who frequently ordered pepperoni pizza might see an ad for a discounted combo featuring that item. This level of personalization reduces ad fatigue and increases the likelihood of repeat orders.
For smaller catering businesses, retargeting doesn't have to be complicated; straightforward strategies such as running FB Ads in Stories to promote weekly specials can produce significant results. The fundamental approach involves segmenting audiences according to their interaction history—including website visitors, past customers, and social media engagers—and delivering relevant content.
In this context, Topkee's remarketing solutions enhance the process by leveraging TAG-collected data on page views and cart abandonments to create customized retargeting lists. By syncing these lists with multi-platform ad placements on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, Topkee ensures consistent messaging across channels. Additionally, the call tracking module links ad interactions to phone inquiries, providing closed-loop attribution and allowing for optimized budget allocation focused on high-intent leads, thus maximizing the effectiveness of even the simplest retargeting efforts.
III. Lookalike Audiences to Expand Reach
While retargeting focuses on existing customers, lookalike audiences help businesses find new ones. These audiences are built using data from high-value customers, allowing Facebook to find users with similar behaviors. WaBa Grill, a healthy fast-casual chain, used this strategy to lower cost per acquisition (CPA) by 14% compared to manual targeting.
Carl's Jr. also benefited from broad targeting by using Meta's AI-powered placements to find potential customers beyond their usual demographics. Their Hangover Burger campaign didn't just rely on interest-based targeting—instead, Meta's algorithm identified users most likely to engage, leading to a 7.1-point lift in ad recall.
For catering businesses, lookalike audiences deliver optimal results when integrated with other strategies. Start by creating a Custom Audience of recent buyers and then develop a lookalike audience with a 1%–5% similarity level to expand reach, while using Advantage+ placements for automated Facebook Ads delivery optimization.
In this process, Topkee's TAG-driven audience expansion comes into play, analyzing first-party data like purchase history to build highly accurate seed audiences. By leveraging TTO topic management, Topkee extracts the unique selling propositions of products and services, crafting compelling ad creatives that resonate with lookalike segments.
IV. Best Practices for High-Converting Campaigns
To maximize Facebook Ads performance, catering businesses should follow these best practices:
- Prioritize Mobile-First Creatives – Since most users browse Facebook on mobile, vertical videos (9:16 ratio) perform best. Carl's Jr.'s Reels-style ads were designed for full-screen viewing, making them more engaging.
- Use Automated Placements – Domino’s and WaBa Grill both saw better results with Advantage+ placements, which distribute ads across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger based on real-time performance.
- Test Different Ad Formats – Carousel ads (like Wendy's) work well for showcasing multiple dishes, while video ads can highlight food preparation or special offers.
- Measure Beyond Clicks – Track ROAS, CPA, and brand lift metrics (like ad recall) to understand true campaign impact.
Conclusion
Retargeting and lookalike audiences are powerful tools for catering businesses looking to boost orders and reduce acquisition costs. By learning from brands like Wendy's, Domino's, and Carl's Jr., even small caterers can implement these strategies effectively using Facebook Ads. If you're ready to optimize your FB Ads but need expert guidance, consider consulting a digital marketing specialist to tailor these strategies to your business.
