Maui Restaurant Group — 4.2× Return on Marketing Investment

A three-location restaurant group on Maui — serving both locals and tourists — struggled to appear in Map Pack results despite strong reviews and excellent food.

The Challenge

Outdated GBP profiles with no tourist-specific keyword targeting, entirely missing from AI restaurant recommendations, and previous marketing focused only on Instagram with zero SEO infrastructure.

Our Approach

Dual-funnel local SEO strategy: one track targeting kamaʻāina locals with community-focused content, one track targeting high-intent tourists with “best restaurant [location]” keywords. Added multilingual content in English and Japanese. Deployed AEO and GEO optimization for AI platform citations.

The Results

#1 in Map Pack for 8 target terms. Cited by Perplexity for “best restaurants Lahaina.” A 4.2× return on total marketing investment over 6 months. Consistent bookings even during typically slow seasons.