Your kitchen
Set up your kitchen
NearbyPost takes 0% commission — you keep your full dine-in/takeaway margin. Orders come straight to your WhatsApp, and buyers pay you directly. Buyers collect it themselves or book their own rider on Grab Express or Lalamove — charged per trip, so they save more too. No middleman, no cut of your sales.
And with your full margin, you have room for promotions that pull orders in — free delivery over a set amount, or a free item above a certain spend — for more organic sales.
What each step does
- Your kitchen Your name, what you cook, where you are, and the WhatsApp orders come to.
- When you are open Your opening hours, so buyers only order when you are cooking.
- Your menu Your dishes, prices and photos — this is what buyers pick from.
- How buyers get it Self pick-up, dine-in, or you deliver — you choose how buyers get it.
- Promotions Optional deals — a discount, a free item, or free delivery — to pull orders in.
- Marketing material A ready-made flyer and QR code to bring your own regulars over.
- Ad Advisor How to get more customers — fix your menu, share it free, then paid ads only if you want them, with the costs worked out.
How NearbyPost helps you
- A proper page buyers find in local search — no website to build.
- Orders arrive in the WhatsApp you already use, with the items and a pick-up number filled in.
- You keep 100% of your price — NearbyPost never touches the payment.
- Neighbours can share your page, so word of mouth does the marketing.
Ads bring customers. Your food brings them back.
Regulars order again and again, spend more over time and bring their friends — at no extra cost to you. They are what keeps a kitchen going.
Out of 100 customers, 7 are regulars
Those 7 regulars place 50 of every 100 orders
Toast restaurant data, 2026 (US)
Know the maths before you pay
A paid ad can cost RM10–RM30 for each new paying customer, who may order a RM10 meal. On that first order you can lose money. You only win when they come back and order again — and those repeat orders cost you nothing.
Here is where the RM10–RM30 comes from. Example: a Google ad at RM20 a day for 7 days — RM140 in total. Every step loses people, and each step depends on one factor:
- 438–3,900see your adCritical success factor
- 35–117open your menuCritical success factor
- 5–15WhatsApp youCritical success factor
- ✓pay for an orderCritical success factor
Tap a factor to see how to get it right.
- About 3–8 in 100 people who see the ad tap it, and each tap costs RM1.20–RM4.
- About 13 in 100 people who open your menu message you on WhatsApp.
- So RM140 ÷ 5–15 messages ≈ RM9.33–RM28 for each message.
A better photo gets more taps, a better menu gets more messages, a promotion turns messages into orders, and a quick reply closes the sale. Improve them and each customer costs you less.
Typical Malaysian costs. Pick Google Search or Facebook below to see the numbers for your own budget.
Your checklist: 6 steps to more customers
Each step you finish gives your kitchen a better chance of steady orders. Start at 1 and tick them off as you go - the first five are free, paid ads come last.
- Fix your menu and set a promo first. Pick the dishes you do best and drop the weak ones. Add a bright, real photo of every dish, clear names and prices, and a promotion that gives people a reason to order today. Your menu is your shop.
Buyers judge you on your menu page — it is your shop. Before anything else:
- Pick the dishes you do best and drop the weak ones.
- Add a bright, real photo of every dish.
- Write clear dish names and prices.
A promotion is the reason someone orders today instead of “maybe later”. Set it up before you tell anyone about your menu, so every visitor sees it.
- Free delivery above a minimum, like RM25 — people add one more dish to reach it.
- A free drink or side with a set, or a family combo at a better price.
- A first-order treat for new customers, like RM3 off.
Know your competitors: the food apps
On most food apps, a meal plus delivery for one person lands around RM21–RM27. And of what the buyer pays for the food, the app keeps about 30% — so the kitchen gets much less.
So ask yourself: what can your promotion offer that beats that? Mathematically, you can. Order direct and that 30% stays with you — give some of it back to the buyer, and ordering from you becomes the better deal.
NearbyPost takes no commission, so you keep the margin that pays for the promotion — a better deal than you could afford on the big food apps.
What a better menu and a promotion add Food delivery app data, US · DoorDash, 2022 · Grubhub
Where RM18 of food goes On a food appDirect on NearbyPostYou keep App fee Extra for the buyer
Example: RM18 of food, about 30% app commission. Direct, you can give that RM5.40 back as a free drink, a bigger portion or cheaper delivery — and still earn the same RM12.60.
- Share it free, watch who reorders. Send your menu link to the people who already know you — regulars, friends, family and followers. It is the cheapest and best way. Watch who orders again; with enough regulars you can skip step 6.
Referrals: the cheapest and most effective way
Send your menu to people who already know you: regulars, friends, family, followers. They trust you, so they order and come back — and that tells Google your menu is worth showing.
86% of Malaysians trust people they know — about twice as many as trust online ads.
It beats paid ads and costs nothing to try. And people who trust you pass your menu on to their friends.
- Put your menu flyer with its QR code at your counter, on your tables and in your packaging.
- WhatsApp your menu link to your regulars and post it in your WhatsApp groups.
- Post it on your Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, and pin it to the top.
- Ask happy customers to share it with friends who live nearby.
Your menu link to share
https://nearbypost.com/go/food/your-kitchen?s=waBut first, make your menu and promotion worth their trust
Trust is easy to lose. Dark photos, missing prices or no reason to order, and they won’t come back — or pass it on. Before you share:
- Use bright, real photos of your dishes.
- Give every dish a clear name, a price and a short line.
- Set a promotion that gives people a reason to order today.
- Keep it fresh: update dishes, prices and promotions as things change.
Serious merchants keep working on their menu and promotions. It is what makes every other step pay.
Money you risk to learn if your food works Paid range: typical Malaysian costs.
Who Malaysians trust Nielsen, 2015 (Malaysia)
Word-of-mouth customers are worth more Villanueva et al., 2008
20×more effect than marketing eventsTrusov et al., 2009+16%more value, and they stay longerSchmitt et al., 2011The goal: free customers from Google
When someone within 10 km searches for food like yours, Google shows your menu near the top — and that visit costs you nothing. This free traffic is the goal.
People click Google’s free results far more than its ads: the top free result gets about four times the clicks of an average ad.
Clicks per 100 people who see it on Google Backlinko, 2025 · WordStream, 2024
Enough referrals? You don’t need paid ads
If the people you know bring enough orders, you don’t need to spend a ringgit on ads.
Then watch who comes back. If people don’t reorder, go back to step 1 — change the dishes, photos, prices or promotion. Don’t pay for ads until they do.
- Ask customers for a testimonial. After a good meal, send your regulars your testimonial link. Real words from real customers make new people order with confidence - and every message reminds them you exist.
- Send it on WhatsApp right after a happy order, while the meal is fresh in their mind.
- Ask your regulars first - they already love your food and are glad to help.
- Never write one yourself. A real name and real words are what make people believe it.
Why testimonials are worth it
- Trust: new customers check what others say before they contact you. Every testimonial builds your profile, so strangers trust you sooner.
- A reminder that you exist: each message puts you back in a past customer’s mind - next time they or a friend need you, they know where to find you.
- You look organised: a page with real testimonials shows you run a proper, systematic business.
- It is free and it adds up: every testimonial stays on your page and keeps working for you.
Sample - this is what your customers will receive. Your own link and invitation appear here once your page is published.
Hi! 👋 Thank you again for choosing Your Business Name. We are now more organised: we have our own page on NearbyPost with everything about us in one place, so it is easy to find us whenever you or your friends need us again. Could you spare one minute to write a few words about your experience? Your words help other families nearby trust us. Just tap here: https://nearbypost.com/testimonial/food/your-business Thank you so much! 🙏Send by WhatsApp Copy messageOr copy just the link
- Be the local voice of your area. Post what’s happening around your kitchen: a new shop, a road closure, a festival. It’s free, and every post carries your name.
- Your name on local news. Readers tap it and reach your profile, one tap from your menu.
- People can follow you, so your next post finds them again.
- Neighbours trust a name they already know more than an advert.
Want to know more? Read "Your area is your content"
- A shop opening or closing nearby
- Roadworks, jams and closures
- Floods, storms and power cuts
- A pasar malam, festival or community event
- Something lost or found in the neighbourhood
Post what you saw yourself, add a photo if you can, and keep it news, not an advert. Your menu is already one tap away on your profile.
Post what’s happening nearby → Want to know more? Read "Your area is your content" →Who Malaysians trust Nielsen, 2015 (Malaysia)
- Free customers from Google. Comes from steps 1 to 4. When people keep ordering through your menu link — not straight on WhatsApp — and reading your testimonials and local posts, Google learns your menu is worth showing and sends you visitors for free. It takes weeks, not days.
Always send people to your menu link to order — not straight to your WhatsApp number. Every visit and order through your menu page builds the traffic Google ranks; a WhatsApp number builds nothing for Google.
Your menu link to share
https://nearbypost.com/go/food/your-kitchen?s=waGoogle looks at how people treat your menu page. When visitors stay, browse, order and come back, it sees a page people value.
- Visitors who stay and look through your dishes, instead of leaving at once.
- People coming back again, and searching for your kitchen by name.
- Your menu link shared in chats and posted on social media.
- A complete page: real photos, clear prices, a line on each dish, your hours and where you are.
This is why your menu page matters more than your Facebook Page: it is the page you want Google to rank, because it is where people order.
Once Google trusts your menu, it starts showing it near the top when people nearby search for food like yours. This is called organic, or free, traffic.
- Someone within 10 km searches “food near me” or your dish name — your menu can appear, and that visit costs you nothing.
- The more people order and come back, the more often Google shows you.
- AI answers, like Google’s AI and ChatGPT, also tend to recommend pages people trust.
- It takes time — usually weeks, not days — so keep steps 1 to 3 going.
This is the goal of the whole plan: customers who find you by themselves, every day, for free.
Clicks per 100 people who see it on Google Backlinko, 2025 · WordStream, 2024
People searching nearby are ready to buy 76%of people who search for something nearby on their phone visit a business within a day28%of those nearby searches end in a purchaseThink with Google, 2016
- Last, grow faster with paid ads (optional). Only once people reorder. Google Search, Facebook & Instagram or a food app bring new people nearby for a few ringgit a day — you run the ad yourself and pay the platform directly.
Paid ads show your menu to hungry people nearby who don’t know you yet. You only need them if the free ways aren’t bringing enough orders.
- Google Search catches people who are already searching, like “nasi lemak near me”.
- Facebook & Instagram show a photo of your food to people within 10 km who weren’t searching yet.
- Start small — RM15–RM30 a day for a week — and keep only what brings WhatsApp messages.
- You run the ad in your own account and pay Google or Meta directly. No agency needed.
Ads work best after steps 1 and 2: a good promotion and a menu people already order from turn more of the paid visitors into customers.
Pick where to advertise
What your money buys
a day, for
How an ad turns into paying customers
- –see your adCritical success factor
- –open your menuCritical success factor
- –WhatsApp youCritical success factor
- ✓pay for an orderCritical success factor
Tap a factor to see how to get it right.
–
Lower the costIf your photo, menu and promotion make twice as many visitors message you, each message costs half.Grow each orderSets, family combos and free delivery above a minimum turn one dish into a bigger order.Win regularsYou pay for the ad once. A customer who likes your food orders again and again at no extra cost — that is where the ad earns its money.4 things decide whether your ad pays
1Image Stops people scrolling and makes them tap. Use one bright, close-up photo of your best dish.2Content Makes them want to order once they open your menu: real photos, clear dish names, prices and a short line on each dish.3Promotion turns a message into an order Gives them a reason to order today, like free delivery above a set amount. It turns a question into a paid order.4Prompt reply closes the order Reply within minutes. A hungry customer who has to wait will order somewhere else.Honest ranges for a Malaysian local audience, not a promise. A great photo and a clear offer move you to the good end.
Your ad link
Paste this exact link into your ad. It opens your menu page and lets NearbyPost count the visits and messages this ad brings you.
https://nearbypost.com/go/food/your-kitchenSomething went wrong. Please try again.
Who should use paid ads
- New kitchens that don’t have regular customers yet.
- Kitchens whose regulars already know them, but want more orders, faster.
- Anyone who wants to reach hungry people beyond their own street.
Haven’t told the customers you already have? Do the free steps first — they cost nothing and work fastest with people who know you.
Send every ad to your menu page
Whether you use Google or Facebook, every paid visitor should land on your NearbyPost menu page. That is the page you want Google to rank, because it is the page where people can order.
https://nearbypost.com/food/your-kitchenDon’t send people to your Facebook Page. It can’t take orders, and Facebook won’t push it up for you. You only need a Facebook Page because Meta requires one to set up an ad.
Why Facebook & Instagram
Most people scrolling near you weren’t looking for food — until a great photo stops them. It’s the cheapest way to get your kitchen seen by hungry people a few km away.
The bonus: free traffic later
People who see your ad remember your name. Later they search for you on Google, share your menu and come back — and that is what slowly earns you free visits from Google search (SEO) and from AI answers like ChatGPT and Google’s AI (GEO).
Who to show your ad to AreaWithin 10 km of your kitchenAge20–45Interests to add
Make the ad work
- Use your best food photo — bright, close up, one dish.
- Give a reason to order today, like free delivery above a set amount.
- Show it to people within 10 km of your kitchen, aged 20–45.
Set it up, step by step
- No Facebook account yet? Create one first. Sign up for Facebook ↗
- Make a Facebook Page for your kitchen. Meta only runs ads from a Page — you won’t send anyone there; your ad points to your menu. Create a Page ↗
- Open Meta Ads Manager. When it asks how you want to pay, choose prepaid: online banking (FPX) or GrabPay - no card needed. Choose this first: it cannot be changed later. Open Ads Manager ↗
- Top up a small amount to start, RM30 to RM50, under Billing and payments, then Add funds. Your ads spend only what you topped up and stop when it runs out - no surprise bill. The money goes from your bank straight to Meta; NearbyPost never sees it.
- Click Create and choose Traffic, so people land on your menu.
- Set your daily budget, drop the pin on your kitchen, then add the radius, age and interests above.
- Upload your photo, write one line about the dish, and paste this link as the website (it opens your menu page):
https://nearbypost.com/go/food/your-kitchen?s=fb - Publish. Check back after 3–4 days: keep what brings WhatsApp messages, stop the rest.
What you need - A Facebook account
- A Facebook Page — Meta needs one to run ads
- Online banking (FPX) or GrabPay to top up - no card needed
- Your ad link from the plan above
Choose prepaid (FPX or GrabPay) the first time you open Ads Manager. If a card is added first, the ad account usually cannot switch to prepaid later.
Meta adds Malaysian tax to what you spend - your receipt under Billing shows the exact amount.
Stuck? Let AI walk you through it
Don’t know how to set it up? Copy this prompt into ChatGPT. It already has your kitchen, your ad link, your area and your budget, and it will teach you step by step. Ask it anything along the way — it will help you solve it.
Works in Gemini or any other AI chat too.
New to AI assist? Don't worry, we guide you from zero
If you can send a WhatsApp message, you can use AI. Really.
What is AI?
AI is a free helper you chat with - just like chatting on WhatsApp. You type in normal words, in any language, and it answers in a few seconds, like a patient teacher who never gets tired of your questions. The best-known ones are ChatGPT and Gemini (from Google).
What is a "prompt"?
A prompt is simply the message you send to the AI. You do not need to write it - we already wrote yours, with your business name, your link and your budget filled in. You only send it.
How to use it, step by step
- Tap the Open ChatGPT button. ChatGPT opens in a new page, usually with your message already typed in. If it asks you to log in, you can tap Stay logged out, or sign in with your Google account so your chat is kept.
- If the message box is empty: come back here, tap Copy, then in ChatGPT press and hold the message box (it says Ask anything) and tap Paste.
- Tap the round send arrow ↑.
- Read the answer and do only the first step it gives you. Then type done and send - it gives you the next step. One small step at a time.
- Stuck? Ask in your own words: "I cannot find the button", "What does this mean?". You can even send a screenshot of your screen with the + button.
This is what it looks like
Good to know
- It is free. Asking ChatGPT questions costs nothing.
- Never type your bank password, card number or IC number into the AI.
- AI can make small mistakes. If your screen looks different from what it says, just tell it - it will correct itself.
- Write in the language you are comfortable with - Malay, Chinese, English or any other.
Take your time. There is no silly question - the AI never gets impatient.
Already use ChatGPT or Claude? Meta now lets them connect to your ad account - sign in with Facebook inside the AI app - and set up the ad for you. It spends from your prepaid balance.
Your AI prompt I run a small home food kitchen called "Your kitchen" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I want to run my first Facebook & Instagram ad myself in Meta Ads Manager. Objective: Traffic. Send people to this link: https://nearbypost.com/go/food/your-kitchen?s=fb. Location: 10 km around my kitchen. Age: 20–45. Interests: Food & drink, Restaurants, Food delivery services, Foodies near Kuala Lumpur. Daily budget: about RM20. If I do not have a Facebook account or a Facebook Page yet, help me create them first. When we set up payment, make sure I choose prepaid with online banking (FPX) or GrabPay, not a card, and top up only RM30 to RM50 to start. Teach me one step at a time and wait until I say "done" before the next step. I am using my phone and I have never run an ad before, so use simple words.Open ChatGPT ↗Both are worth doing: Facebook makes people know you, Google catches people ready to order — and both lead to the free traffic that comes later.
Why Google Search
These people are already typing “nasi lemak near me”. You get fewer clicks than Facebook, but each one is closer to ordering.
Keywords to use Target about 10 km around your kitchen.
The bonus: free Google traffic later
Your ads bring people to your menu page. When they search your name, look around, order and come back, Google sees that people want your page — and starts showing it higher in the free results (SEO), and in AI answers too (GEO).
So your menu page has to be good enough to keep them — Google favours pages people like:
- Nice, bright photos of your real dishes.
- Clear dish names, prices and a short line on each dish.
- A few words about your kitchen, your opening hours and where you are.
Keep advertising long enough and keep the page good, and Google starts sending you visitors for free.
Clicks per 100 people who see it on Google Backlinko, 2025 · WordStream, 2024
Set it up, step by step
- No Google account yet? Create one — a Gmail address works. Create a Google account ↗
- Put your kitchen on Google Maps for free with a Business Profile, and add your NearbyPost menu link as your website. Open Business Profile ↗
- Open Google Ads and start a new campaign. If it offers Performance Max, switch to a Search campaign — you want people who are searching. Open Google Ads ↗
- Add a payment card under Billing. You pay Google directly — NearbyPost never sees it.
- Target your area (about 10 km around your kitchen), set your daily budget and add the keywords above.
- Write the ad — your kitchen name and best dish as the headline — and paste this link as the final URL (it opens your menu page):
https://nearbypost.com/go/food/your-kitchen?s=google - Publish. Check back after a week: raise the budget on keywords that bring messages, pause the rest.
What you need - A Google account (Gmail works)
- A free Google Business Profile
- A payment card, paid to Google directly
- Your ad link from the plan above
Stuck? Let AI walk you through it
Don’t know how to set it up? Copy this prompt into ChatGPT. It already has your kitchen, your ad link, your area and your budget, and it will teach you step by step. Ask it anything along the way — it will help you solve it.
Works in Gemini or any other AI chat too.
New to AI assist? Don't worry, we guide you from zero
If you can send a WhatsApp message, you can use AI. Really.
What is AI?
AI is a free helper you chat with - just like chatting on WhatsApp. You type in normal words, in any language, and it answers in a few seconds, like a patient teacher who never gets tired of your questions. The best-known ones are ChatGPT and Gemini (from Google).
What is a "prompt"?
A prompt is simply the message you send to the AI. You do not need to write it - we already wrote yours, with your business name, your link and your budget filled in. You only send it.
How to use it, step by step
- Tap the Open ChatGPT button. ChatGPT opens in a new page, usually with your message already typed in. If it asks you to log in, you can tap Stay logged out, or sign in with your Google account so your chat is kept.
- If the message box is empty: come back here, tap Copy, then in ChatGPT press and hold the message box (it says Ask anything) and tap Paste.
- Tap the round send arrow ↑.
- Read the answer and do only the first step it gives you. Then type done and send - it gives you the next step. One small step at a time.
- Stuck? Ask in your own words: "I cannot find the button", "What does this mean?". You can even send a screenshot of your screen with the + button.
This is what it looks like
Good to know
- It is free. Asking ChatGPT questions costs nothing.
- Never type your bank password, card number or IC number into the AI.
- AI can make small mistakes. If your screen looks different from what it says, just tell it - it will correct itself.
- Write in the language you are comfortable with - Malay, Chinese, English or any other.
Take your time. There is no silly question - the AI never gets impatient.
Your AI prompt I run a small home food kitchen called "Your kitchen" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I want to run my first Google Search ad myself in Google Ads. Use a Search campaign (not Performance Max). Final URL: https://nearbypost.com/go/food/your-kitchen?s=google. Location: 10 km around my kitchen. Keywords: malay food near me, food delivery kuala lumpur, your kitchen. Daily budget: about RM20. If I do not have a Google account or a free Google Business Profile yet, help me set them up first. Teach me one step at a time and wait until I say "done" before the next step. I am using my phone and I have never run an ad before, so use simple words.Open ChatGPT ↗Both are worth doing: Facebook makes people know you, Google catches people ready to order — and both lead to the free traffic that comes later.
Use food apps as your ad — within their rules
You already pay the app about 30% commission, so let it work as your ad. But apps have rules: many ban a cheaper price elsewhere for the same item, and flyers in their orders that pull buyers away. Break them and you can be banned. Stay inside the rules:
- Keep the two menus different. List a few signature items on the app. Put your full menu, sets and specials on NearbyPost. No identical items means no price to compare.
- Some food apps advise merchants not to put QR codes or flyers in their orders. Let your branding do the work instead: your kitchen name and logo on the packaging, and food people remember.
- Put your QR code where you own the space. Your counter, your stall, your social media and your Google Business Profile.
- Offer what the app doesn’t. Family sets, party and bulk orders, pre-orders and self pick-up — only on NearbyPost.
Two menus, two jobs Different items on each, so there is nothing to compare.
Critical success factor: being remembered
Buyers who love your food look for you by name — and your NearbyPost menu can be what they find. That depends on:
- Branding. The same name and logo everywhere: packaging, stall, social media.
- A menu worth finding. Good photos, clear prices, and the dishes and sets they can’t get on the app.
- Promotion. A reason to order direct, on items that are only on NearbyPost.
Rules differ between apps and change over time. Read your merchant agreement, and ask the app if you’re unsure.
Once your ad is running, press this so NearbyPost can show you what it brought.
Saved. Come back here in a few days to see what it brought.
Your photo decides whether people stop scrolling and tap. It is the first thing they see, before any word you write.
- One dish, close up, filling the frame.
- Bright, natural light — near a window. Never dark or yellow.
- Real food you actually serve, not stock pictures.
- A clean plate and a plain background, nothing messy behind.
This is the first step: if nobody taps, nothing else happens.
Your menu page decides whether visitors message you or leave. They decide in seconds.
- A photo for every dish.
- Clear names and prices — never “ask for price”.
- A short line on each dish: what is in it, the portion, how spicy.
- Your hours, your area and how to order, easy to find.
- An irresistible promotion that tempts them to order now — people love the feeling of a value deal.
A clear, complete menu keeps people long enough to order.
An irresistible offer tempts people to order now, not “maybe later” — everyone loves the feeling of a value deal.
- Free delivery above a minimum, like RM25.
- A free drink or side with a set.
- A treat for first-time customers, like RM3 off.
- Keep it to one simple offer people understand at a glance.
NearbyPost takes no commission, so you keep the margin that pays for it.
A customer who messages you is hungry and ready to order — right now.
- Reply within minutes, especially at meal times.
- Turn on WhatsApp notifications and keep your phone close.
- Use WhatsApp Business quick replies for your menu link, prices and hours.
- Busy? Send a short “Got it, I’ll reply in 10 minutes”.
Wait too long and they order somewhere else — and the money you spent on the ad is gone.