A restaurant does not need a big marketing budget. It needs a small one spent in the right order.

First, the basics that people check before booking: a current menu, real photos of the actual plates, correct hours and a map pin that works. Most tables are lost here, quietly, before a single ad runs.

Second, the regulars. It costs far less to bring back someone who already loves the place than to find a stranger. A simple message to last month's guests fills a slow Tuesday faster than any billboard.

Only then, paid reach, aimed tightly at the neighbourhood. In a busy Beirut street, being known by the people nearby beats being seen by everyone.