As explained by Maserai Digital, the boom of agencies promising to fill restaurants has left many restaurateurs with flashy campaigns and the same empty tables. A movement is growing that demands to pay for marketing by results and not by deliverables.
Spanish hospitality is experiencing a paradox. The sector already has 280,403 establishments —1.6% more than the previous year, according to the UVE Data Market Horeca 2025 report— and, collectively, more than 300,000 companies that bill over 157 billion euros and contribute about 4.8% of GDP, according to Hostelería de España. However, revenue growth has moderated —around 4.6% year-on-year in 2025, compared to double-digit figures the previous year— and profitability is narrowing.
To the pressure of labor costs —which account for approximately one-third of a restaurant's expenses— is added a less visible cost: dependence on booking portals. Platforms like TheFork, present in more than 65,000 restaurants in Spain, charge commissions of between 1.50 and 4 euros per diner depending on the plan, while reservations made through the establishment's own website or phone do not incur this charge.
According to Maserai Digital's analysis of public sector data, a medium-sized restaurant that channels a large portion of its reservations through these platforms can spend several thousand euros a year on commissions, a bill that is repeated even with regular customers and, moreover, leaves the diner's data in the hands of the platform and not the restaurant. For example, an establishment with about 50 weekly reservations through a platform that charges 2 euros per cover can exceed 13,000 euros annually in commissions.
The problem is aggravated by cancellations: unconfirmed online reservations register no-show rates of between 15% and 25%, according to industry sources, which translates into tables that are considered occupied and ultimately remain empty.
"The restaurant ends up paying to attract customers it already knew in many cases, and gives its data to a third party," summarizes Manu Cánovas, CEO of Maserai Digital. The consultancy advocates reorienting efforts towards direct reservations and the establishment's own database —supported by artificial intelligence supervised by its team— and applies a fee model linked to results, with a reduced base fee plus a variable based on generated reservations, instead of the traditional fixed fee.
Maserai Digital, born on the Costa del Sol and expanding throughout Spain, works with the restaurant and real estate sectors.
Maserai Digital is a digital growth consultancy specializing in restaurants and real estate, born on the Costa del Sol (Málaga) and expanding throughout Spain. It combines artificial intelligence with human supervision and a fee model tied to results so that its clients depend less on intermediaries and build their own customer base. More information at maserai.digital/marketing-restaurantes.