Build a lookalike seed from your highest-value guests
What the answer looks like
Illustrative output on sample data
Illustrative example: how Lexi answers this for an upscale casual group with 15 venues. It ranks guests by annual spend across all venues, matched across POS, reservations and loyalty.
- Includes the top 5% of guests by spend in the past 12 months, across every venue.
- Includes only guests with two or more visits.
- Excludes staff, comped accounts and corporate event bookers.
- Uses hashed email and phone for matching.
What the data shows
8,200 guests qualify, spending $2,300 a year on average, against $210 across all guests.
What it means
A seed of these guests gives the ad platforms a clear picture of who to look for, which an email list seed cannot.
What to do
Replace the current email list seed with this one and compare new guest spend after 90 days.
Want me to push the seed to Meta and Google Ads?
Why it matters
Lookalike audiences are only as good as the seed. Seeds built from email lists or recent visitors find more people like your average guest. A seed built from your highest-value guests, measured across the whole group, points ad platforms toward people likely to spend like your best regulars.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good lookalike seed for a restaurant?
Use guests who are actually valuable, ranked by spend and visits across all your venues, with enough people for the platform to learn from. A seed built on value finds more high-spending guests than one built on email sign-ups or recent visitors.
How big should a lookalike seed be?
Big enough for the platform to find patterns, usually a few thousand matched people or more. Very small seeds limit matching, while very broad seeds dilute the value signal. Start with your top few percent and adjust.
Why measure guest value across the whole group?
A guest who spends a little at each of four venues can be among your most valuable, but no single venue would rank them highly. Matching visits across the group shows their true value, so they are included in the seed.