Kirk's Steakburgers case study
Three burger locations, one Google Maps discovery system.
Kirk's needed more than ads in the abstract. Campbell, Palo Alto, and Santa Clara each needed to show up when nearby diners opened Google Maps, saw the brand, checked photos and directions, and chose where to eat.
The numbers at a glance
Proof box.
Published August 3, 2026. Measurement window: February through June 2026.
| Client type | Independent three-location Bay Area steakburger brand: Campbell, Palo Alto, and Santa Clara |
|---|---|
| Objective | Drive measurable dine-in visits from Google Maps and local search while preserving location-level control |
| Channels | Google Search, Google Maps, Google Business Profile, local SEO signals |
| Measurement period | February through June 2026 monthly reporting window, with May 2026 as the public peak-month proof point |
| Primary outcome | 2,741 incremental confirmed restaurant visits in May 2026, up 19% from April |
| Google Ads spend | $2,275 in May 2026 |
| Modeled value | Roughly $66,271 in attributable value from confirmed restaurant visits and calls |
| Modeled return | About 29x in May 2026; roughly 18x to 29x monthly modeled return across the reporting window |
| Attribution status | Confirmed restaurant visits are attributed to Google advertising. Return is modeled from visits, calls, average check, and conversion assumptions. |
Starting condition
A high-volume independent chain has a different marketing problem than a single dining room. The operator needs guests in seats, but also needs to know which location is earning the traffic, whether spend is balanced, and whether the restaurant's brand is visible enough in the local map moments where diners choose lunch or dinner.
The work
Campaigns and local-search reporting were structured around the three restaurants instead of one combined number. Monthly reports surfaced confirmed restaurant visits, calls, directions, and local profile behavior by location so the operator could see where dine-in demand was scaling and where the Maps/profile system needed attention.
Deliberately excluded: treating the strongest location as proof that the whole chain is healthy. Multi-location restaurant marketing only works if each location can be read clearly.
Methodology and limits
Confirmed restaurant visits are visits attributed to Google advertising. May 2026 value math used 2,741 confirmed restaurant visits at a 95% attribution assumption and a $25 average check, plus 67 calls at a 70% conversion assumption, then compared the modeled value with $2,275 in Google ad spend. Logo/profile visibility, photos, and map presence are treated as discovery inputs. Santa Clara had Google Business Profile verification/reporting gaps during part of the window, so per-location GBP claims are caveated separately.
Results
What the spend produced.
All case studies Local search program Ask about the methodology