Six weeks out - claim your digital footprint
Before a single post goes up, own your listings. Create and verify Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook and Instagram.
Lock your name, address and phone number identically everywhere. Reserve the exact-match handle on every platform even if you won't use it. Buy the domain and get a one-page "opening soon" site live with your city and cuisine in the title tag.
Five weeks out - build the countdown content library
Shoot the build-out. Drywall, equipment delivery, the neon going up, the first test batch. Construction content outperforms polished food photos before you open because it's the only thing nobody else has.
Build a useful bank of photos and clips so you're not scrambling during opening week. Start a text and email list with a clear opening offer.
Four weeks out - menu, photos and print
Finalize the menu and get it professionally photographed and designed. You need menu photos for the website, delivery apps, Google, social and print - one shoot covers all five.
Order signage now: banner, A-frames, window decals, table tents. Print vendors need lead time, and that is easy to underestimate.
Three weeks out - invite the people who matter
Build a focused soft-open list: local food creators, neighborhood group admins, nearby business owners, apartment community managers, and local press.
Pitch food writers now - they publish "new restaurants opening this month" roundups two to three weeks ahead of print.
Two weeks out - staff, systems and rehearsal
Build enough staffing coverage for an opening week that may not behave like a normal week. A difficult first service can shape reviews long after opening day.
Run at least two friends-and-family services. Test POS, online ordering, delivery-app tablets, and the review-request flow end to end.
One week out - soft open and paid launch
Host the influencer and neighbor night. Assign one staff member to nothing but capturing content. Give every guest a reason to post: a signature dish moment, a photogenic wall, a printed handle card at the table.
Turn on geo-fenced paid social to a 5-mile radius with a hard date and a hook. Set an opening-week advertising budget that fits the full launch plan instead of choosing a number at the last minute.
Opening day and the 30 days after
Day one: signage ready before service, enough staffing coverage for uncertainty, and one manager focused on the door and the wait. Capture the day as it happens.
Then the part everyone skips: build a steady, policy-compliant review request habit. Use QR cards at the table, links on receipts, and a consistent staff ask. Early guest feedback helps the team see what needs attention.
We run this whole sequence as a grand opening campaign, and the review machine as review management.