The majority of our partnerships are retainer based. Most of our retainers fall somewhere between $3,500 and $9,000 per month depending on scope, services, and what you're trying to achieve. That range reflects how custom our packages are - no two clients look the same. What matters more than the number is what you're actually getting: a specialized team, a unified strategy and an accountable partner who's invested in your brand's growth. The discovery call is where we figure out what the right scope looks like for you - and what that investment actually means for your business.

A few things that actually matter: We work exclusively with restaurants and food brands - this is all we do, not a vertical we stumbled into Our average client stays with us for 32+ months, with some going 8+ years - that kind of retention only happens when the work delivers We price by brand, not by location - no per-door penalties for multi-location operators Our packages are fully custom - built around your goals, not a pre-set tier Content creation and social management are one integrated service - we don't split the two We have a 45-day guarantee - if you're not happy in the first 45 days, your first invoice is waived with no upfront payment required The discovery call is where you get to pressure-test all of this directly.

Everything is custom. We don't have pre-built tiers that every client gets pushed into. Some clients come to us for social only. Some for ads only. Some for both, plus email and influencer management. We've work alongside PR agencies, collaborated with an in-house team or supported a solo internal marketing lead. The model flexes around your business - not the other way around.

We don't make specific performance guarantees - no honest agency should. What we do offer is a 45-day guarantee. If within the first 45 days you're not happy with our team, our process, our communication, our strategy or our initial results - your first invoice is completely waived. No upfront payment required, no hard feelings.

Our minimum engagement is 6 months, which begins after the 45-day guarantee period. The first 45 days are covered by our guarantee. If you are not satisfied with our team, process, communication or early progress, your first invoice is waived and you can walk away with no upfront payment and no hassle. If you continue past that point, the 6-month contract begins. We structure it this way because restaurant marketing compounds over time. Consistent content, stronger guest data, better campaigns and regular communication help drive repeat orders, bring guests back more often and turn one-time customers into regulars.

This comes up often, and we have a proven process for it. Ludlow’s founders started as food photographers, so content creation is core to how we think, work and hold creative to a high standard. If we don't have an existing creator in your market, we will identify and partner with someone local who act as our hands on the ground. Every creator is reviewed, interviewed and confirmed to have the right skills, equipment and experience to execute at a professional level. From there, our team handles the strategy, shoot planning, creative direction, editing, post-production and quality control. The local creator captures the content, but the vision, standards and final output are led by our internal team. If the creative does not meet our standards, we find someone new at no charge. This is rare because of how seriously we take the vetting process, but we stand behind the quality of the work. Content creation is included in our Organic Social Management packages, so there are no surprise fees.

Either or - depending on what you're looking for. We collaborate with in-house teams, solo marketing leads and external partners like PR agencies regularly. The goal is to plug into your existing structure in a way that makes everything stronger - not to replace people or create unnecessary complexity. We'll sort out the right working model together during onboarding.

Occasionally. Because our pricing is brand-based, not location-based, the economics don't always make sense for a single-unit restaurant. We are typically the best fit for multi-unit restaurant brands. If you are a single-unit restaurant preparing for expansion or a CPG brand selling direct-to-consumer or through retail, we may still be a fit, which we can discuss on a discovery call.

In most cases, yes. We're experienced with the platforms and tools commonly used in the restaurant and food space (Olo, Toast, Lunchbox, Paytronix, Popmenu, ChowNow, Owner.com, Appfront, Square, GoTab, BentoBox and more). During onboarding we'll discuss your existing setup and flag anything that might be creating gaps. If you're using specific platforms right now, bring them up on the discovery call and we'll tell you exactly how we'd approach it.

It depends on what you’re measuring. Paid advertising can start generating traction within the first week once campaigns are live, especially for clear goals like online orders, catering leads, reservations, loyalty signups or app downloads. Organic social and email build momentum differently. For restaurants, the real value comes from consistency - staying top of mind, bringing guests back, turning first-time visitors into repeat customers and turning repeat customers into regulars. That compounding effect usually takes 3-6 months to show up in a consistent, measurable way.

It's a fair question, and for some brands it makes sense. But here's the honest comparison: Hiring in-house means one person - with one skill set, one capacity, and a salary, benefits, equipment, and onboarding cost .That person likely covers one or two disciplines well. It's rare (if not impossible) to find a single person that can: lead strategy, create content, design graphics, edit videos, setup ads, run emails, manage influencers, track progress, and more. Freelancers can fill specific gaps but they come with real limitations - inconsistent availability, no unified strategy, no accountability structure, and no one making sure everything works together. You end up project-managing multiple people instead of running your business. With us, you get a full team of specialists - strategy, creative, paid media, social, email, influencer - all under one roof, working as one system, for less than the cost of a single senior in-house hire. And unlike a freelancer or a new employee, we're accountable to results from day one with a 45-day guarantee to back it up.

No - we price based on the brand, not the number of doors. This makes us a strong fit for multi-location operators and franchise groups who want consistent, strategic execution across their entire footprint without paying a per-location premium.

Our average client has been with us for 32 months, and some of our partnerships have been running for 8+ years. In an industry where most agencies lose clients after 6-12 months, we think that speaks for itself. When the work is good and the relationship is strong, there's no reason to leave.

We hear this a lot, and it's a completely fair concern. The most common reasons clients leave agencies are poor communication, generic strategy, slow execution, and no accountability. Our structure is built to address all four. Every client has direct daily access to our team. Strategy is custom-built for your brand and reviewed weekly. And we back everything up with a 45-day guarantee - if you're not satisfied with how we work in the first 45 days, your first invoice is waived. Our 32-month average client tenure means we're not just good at starting relationships - we're good at keeping them.

We work with multi-location and franchise restaurant and food brands. We don't typically take on single-location concepts unless there's a clear, near-term goal of multi-unit expansion - in that case, we're very much the right partner to help build the foundation for that growth. If you're unsure whether you qualify, bring it up on the discovery call and we'll be honest with you.

Really well - and it's one of the most common setups we operate in. Internal teams bring deep brand knowledge, institutional context, and day-to-day visibility that's genuinely valuable. What they often lack is specialized execution capacity - the paid media expertise, the content production infrastructure, the influencer relationships, or the bandwidth to run everything at a high level simultaneously. We slot in where we're needed most and stay out of the way everywhere else. Your internal team drives the brand direction; we bring the specialized firepower. We share reporting, align on strategy together in weekly calls, and communicate clearly so nothing gets duplicated or dropped. The result is usually better than either side working alone.

We work exclusively with restaurants and food brands. That's a deliberate decision, not a coincidence. We understand the seasonality, the margins, the guest lifecycle, the local competition dynamics, and what actually drives covers and orders. You won't be educating us on your industry - we already live in it.

Every engagement includes a dedicated onboarding month before we go live. That month is focused entirely on learning your brand - brand questionnaires, kick-off meetings, team strategy sessions, and building your custom plan. We also handle all the technical backend setup during this time: ad accounts, tracking, integrations, and campaign infrastructure. Everything is built and tested before launch. By the time we go live, we have a clear strategy, a defined timeline, and a team that already knows your brand.

Yes. Community management is part of our Organic Social Management service. We handle inbound DMs, comments, story replies, and general engagement on your owned social channels in your brand voice. This is distinct from review management on platforms like Yelp, Google, or third-party delivery apps - that falls outside our scope.

Yes. We produce content for menus, websites, campaign launches, and any other brand need - not just social, paid and emails. We also design assets like menus, posters, signage, and flyers. If it's branded and visual, we can handle it.

We don't offer traditional PR, SEO, website design or management, or review management on Yelp, Google, or third-party delivery platforms. We're focused on social media, paid advertising, email marketing, influencer management, and content creation - and we do those things at a high level. If you need PR or SEO, we're happy to work alongside the right partner.

Because creative quality and social performance are directly connected - and we can't be accountable for results we don't control. Our process is designed as one integrated system: from shoot planning through editing, publishing, and optimization. Splitting creative from management breaks that system. It's a standard we hold for every client because it's what actually produces results.

We do the heavy lifting - but we need you engaged, especially during onboarding. Your team will need to be available for meetings, provide timely feedback on strategy and creative, and hand over brand materials, assets, and account access when requested. Once we're fully up and running, your day-to-day involvement becomes much lighter. The clients who see the best results stay engaged at the strategic level and trust our team on the execution.

Good - let's figure out where we add the most value and where your team is already strong. Our modular structure is built for exactly this scenario. A lot of our partnerships involve brands with an in-house team or coordinator handling certain things, while we bring in specialized expertise and bandwidth for the rest - paid ads, content production, influencer management, email strategy. We collaborate with internal teams all the time and know how to work alongside people without creating overlap or friction.

Yes - strategy is built into every engagement, not sold as a separate add-on. Every client starts with a Strategic Foundation that includes weekly strategy calls, unified direction across all active services, and consolidated performance reporting. We're not just running tasks - we're building toward specific business goals and making sure every channel is working together to get there.

Your team is matched based on your brand, your market, and the services in your scope. We don't assign whoever's available - we make sure the right people are on your account. During the discovery call and onboarding, you'll get to know who's working on your brand and how our team operates before anything goes live.

Yes. Nothing goes live without your approval. We build content calendars and creative in advance specifically so there's time for review, feedback, and revisions before anything is published. You have full visibility at every stage.

You do. All ad accounts, social accounts, content, and assets we create belong to your brand. If we ever part ways, everything transfers cleanly - no holdups.