The Takeaway
Grandma’s House Catering used a restaurant billboard program in the Los Angeles area to build brand awareness and lift catering orders. Digital strategist Louise Sattler ran eight campaigns across six digital boards, delivering 29,135 blips at an average cost of $0.03 per blip. Overall sales have climbed more than 340% since the program started, and specific menu items featured on the boards have become new best sellers.
Why Grandma’s House Catering Turned to Billboard Advertising
Grandma’s House is a Los Angeles catering service founded by Chef Mario Johnson as a homage to the family barbecue recipes he grew up with. Known for customizable menus and inclusive options, the team wanted broadcast media that could build brand awareness, drive sales, and support long-term client relationships.
Digital strategist Louise Sattler had looked at traditional out-of-home options and found that most were cost-prohibitive for a small caterer. She wanted a channel that offered restaurant billboard design flexibility with placements the team could adjust as menus and events changed. Blip fit the way the business actually operated.
How Grandma’s House Catering Built Its Billboard Campaign
The team ran a rolling program rather than one large flight, matching creative to the menu they wanted to promote each month.
- Boards selected: Six digital boards in the Los Angeles area, including placements close to industrial business corridors where catering demand was strongest.
- Creative approach: Product-forward artwork built around one hero dish. Louise used bold food photography and the brand mark. The first flight featured the popular burger meal.
- Menu rotation: Creative rotated as the menu did. When the hamburger bar hit the boards, orders followed. When the artwork switched to Cajun gumbo and King Cake for Mardi Gras, the same pattern repeated.
- Budget approach: Pay-per-play at an average cost of $0.03 per blip across eight campaigns, so spend followed delivery.
The Creative
Every design led with one dish and the brand mark. For catering and restaurant teams considering restaurant billboard design, Blip’s billboard design guidelines cover what is legible at driving speed. A photo-led billboard for restaurant menus tends to outperform copy-heavy layouts.
What Grandma’s House Catering’s Campaigns Delivered
Since the first flight, overall sales have grown more than 340%. Grandma’s House had been growing already, but the team saw a steeper trajectory once the campaigns began. Eight flights across six digital boards produced 29,135 blips at an average cost of $0.03 per blip.
Two other patterns showed up. First, the menu items pictured on the boards became new best sellers, especially when placements sat close to industrial business areas. Second, the campaigns lifted the team’s social presence, roughly doubling Instagram following in a four-month window. That is what a well-timed billboard restaurant program can support when the creative changes with the season.
As a digital strategist, you need to find different avenues for your clients to stand out. I looked into other billboard options and found that many of them were cost-prohibitive. Blip is affordable, easy to use, and effective. I loved seeing the excitement and the results that Blip made possible for Grandma’s House Catering.
Louise Sattler, Media Specialist
Why This Campaign Worked
- Menu-led creative: Each design promoted one dish, not a general brand message.
- Proximity to demand: Boards near industrial corridors caught the offices that book catering.
- Rotation with the calendar: Cajun gumbo for Mardi Gras, King Cake for the same window, and hamburgers when they were the seasonal draw.
- Steady pay-per-play: $0.03 per blip meant the program could run flight after flight without a large upfront commitment.
What Restaurant and Catering Owners Can Take From This Campaign
Independent operators can put these ideas to work without an agency:
- Feature one dish per flight: A billboard restaurant campaign works better when the artwork shows a specific menu item rather than a general brand line.
- Match the creative to the calendar: Rotate the featured dish with the season, a holiday, or a local event.
- Place near the demand: For catering, that often means industrial and office corridors, not tourist strips.
- Treat design as the biggest lever: Strong restaurant billboard design tends to boost both orders and social engagement simultaneously.
Run a Restaurant Billboard Campaign Like Grandma’s
Choose boards near the offices and neighborhoods your customers actually work in, rotate the featured dish with the season, and let the food do the selling.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grandma’s House Catering’s Billboard Campaign
How many billboards did Grandma’s House Catering use?
Six digital boards in the Los Angeles area, across eight campaigns.
How much did the program cost per play?
The average cost per blip was $0.03. Blip prices pay-per-play, so the cost per blip varies by board and market.
What sales lift did Grandma’s House see?
Overall sales have climbed more than 340% since the campaigns began. Menu items featured on the boards became new best sellers.
What restaurant billboard design works best?
One dish, one photo, and the brand mark. Save the full menu for the website. A billboard for restaurant marketing has about two seconds to work, so give the reader one thing to remember.
Where should a catering brand place its boards?
Close to the offices and industrial corridors where catering orders come from, rather than general tourist areas. A billboard restaurant program works best when the placement matches how the food actually gets ordered.
How much does a billboard for restaurant marketing cost per play?
Grandma’s House averaged $0.03 per blip. Blip prices pay-per-play, so a billboard for restaurant flights varies by board and market.