How Effective Are Flyers for Marketing Fast Food Restaurants?

May 15

In the world of fast food, timing and visibility are everything.

You're competing for hungry attention spans—customers who want to make a decision in seconds. That’s why fast food and quick-service restaurant owners often ask: how effective are flyers for marketing in an industry that moves so quickly?

The answer? Flyers are one of the most efficient, cost-effective, and conversion-driven marketing tools for fast food brands. Whether you're trying to fill your dining area, increase takeout orders, or promote limited-time items, flyers give you the power to directly reach the people most likely to take action—right in your neighborhood.

Let’s explore why this old-school tactic still delivers in today’s fast-paced food business.

1. Fast Food Marketing Needs Local Impact—Fast

Most fast food orders are made within a short distance of your store. That’s what makes localized flyer delivery such a perfect fit. Whether you're operating in a busy plaza or serving a suburban area, flyers allow you to reach customers right before they decide where to eat.

With Flyer Canada’s targeted delivery, you can drop flyers to residential homes, apartments, dorms, and even local businesses within your ideal delivery radius.

💡 Want to know why smart targeting beats a “spray and pray” approach? Read why targeted flyer delivery beats mass distribution.

2. Results That Speak for Themselves

You don’t have to guess whether flyer marketing works for food service. At Flyer Canada, we’ve helped QSRs and franchise owners unlock big numbers with strategic flyer campaigns:

4.4% average conversion rate, compared to 1.41% across the marketing industry
51.8% lower customer acquisition costs
3x to 29x return on investment (ROI)

Those are more than just stats—they’re meals sold, upsells made, and returning customers earned.

📈 Want proof? Check out this 6-figure success story and see how flyer strategy can be adapted for any local business.

3. Flyers Are Perfect for Meal Deals & Limited-Time Offers

Need to push your Tuesday BOGO burger special? Launching a new spicy chicken combo? Running a back-to-school snack deal?

Flyers allow you to feature:

High-impact food images
Limited-time pricing
QR codes for online ordering
Delivery or pickup instructions
Loyalty or app download incentives

Unlike digital ads that might get lost in a feed, a flyer gets placed on the fridge, passed to roommates, or dropped in a car console for quick reordering later.

To create a flyer that gets people hungry and clicking, check out how to design flyers that inspire immediate action.

4. Flyers Drive Delivery and App Orders

Many QSRs now rely heavily on delivery and app-based ordering—but digital acquisition costs on those platforms can be steep.

Flyers provide a low-cost way to:

Promote your app directly
Offer flyer-exclusive promo codes
Encourage direct (non-third-party) ordering
Build awareness in new areas

One pizza franchise we worked with saw a 34% spike in app downloads after distributing 10,000 flyers with a QR-linked “$5 Off First App Order” campaign.

5. Brand Visibility = More Repeat Business

In fast food, consistency and recognition matter. The more familiar your brand feels, the more likely someone is to choose you over another nearby option.

That’s where repetition helps. Dropping flyers monthly or quarterly keeps your name top-of-mind—so when someone’s hungry, you’re the first option they remember.

🔁 Learn more about how repetition increases sales in this article on flyer marketing frequency.

6. Design That Drives Immediate Action

Flyers for fast food should be:

Visual (mouthwatering food images)
Simple (clear offer, address, hours)
Action-oriented (“Order Now”, “Use This Coupon”, “Scan to Save”)

Design isn’t just about looking good—it’s about getting results.

To understand why aesthetics alone don’t cut it, explore why flyer design values conversion over just appearance and how to make every inch of space count.

7. Case Study: Fast Food Chain Sees 9.4x ROI

A quick-serve burger shop with two locations in Mississauga wanted to increase weekday lunch traffic and app orders.

They dropped 15,000 flyers around office buildings and residential zones offering a “$7 Combo Deal” and “App Order = Free Fries” incentive.

Over 4 weeks:

489 new in-store customers
273 app orders using flyer-exclusive codes
Revenue jump of $14,730
ROI = 9.4x

The campaign also boosted loyalty program signups and brought in repeat traffic over the following month.

8. Flyers Pair Seamlessly With Online Channels

You don’t have to choose between flyers and digital—combine them.

Smart flyer strategies include:

QR codes linking to online menus
Promo codes to track conversion
Offers that require app download
Google Review incentives for a freebie

Flyers can drive traffic to your online tools, not compete with them.

🛠 Need an overall plan? Our article on how to use flyers effectively in your business breaks it all down.

9. Predictable Budgeting in an Unpredictable Market

Online ad costs fluctuate constantly. Flyers don’t.

You know exactly:

How many homes you’ll reach
What neighborhoods you’re hitting
What the campaign costs
How to track results via coupon codes or QR scans

That means better budget control for your franchise or independent restaurant—and fewer surprises.

So… How Effective Are Flyers for Marketing Fast Food Restaurants?

Flyers work—especially when done right.

They deliver direct impact, strong ROI, and brand visibility that builds over time. For fast food businesses competing for attention in a crowded market, flyers offer a physical, repeatable, and results-driven way to win loyal customers.

Whether you’re looking to boost walk-ins, grow delivery orders, or launch new locations, flyer marketing deserves a place in your playbook.

Ready to Grow Your Fast Food Sales With Flyers?

Flyer Canada helps QSRs, franchises, and independent fast food spots across Canada design, print, and deliver flyer campaigns that fill registers and build repeat traffic.

📞 Ready to boost your fast food orders quickly and reliably? Flyer Canada is here to help.

Let’s start your successful fast food flyer campaign today!

Emerson Buhat