Restaurant Marketing Secrets: Turning Local Searches Into Paying Customers with Mario Russo

Restaurant marketing is changing fast with AI search, voice tools, and local discovery reshaping how customers find food businesses. This episode breaks down strategies that drive real foot traffic. In this episode of Truth About Social Ads, host Jason Smith speaks with Mario Russo, founder of W3 Marketing and co-founder and CTO of MealDeals, a location-based platform helping restaurants drive local visibility and customer traffic. Mario shares insights from nearly 20 years in digital marketing across Brazil, Canada, and the U.S. The discussion covers how restaurants can use geo-targeted ads, structured data, and AI search optimization to stay competitive after the rise of delivery apps. They also explore how voice search and generative AI are changing how customers discover local businesses, and why traditional SEO is no longer enough on its own. Mario breaks down MealDeals’ three-layer marketing system and explains why tracking ROI in local marketing requires a different approach than e-commerce campaigns. Mario Russo is the founder of W3 Marketing and co-founder and CTO of MealDeals. With nearly 20 years of experience in digital marketing and web development, he has worked across Brazil, Canada, and the United States. His expertise includes SEO, paid advertising, structured data, and AI-driven search optimization, with a strong focus on helping restaurants improve local visibility and customer acquisition through geo-targeted strategies.