UgcBoard lets a restaurant owner or marketing manager hire US creators to film short, honest videos on location: a first bite reaction, a menu launch, a date night walkthrough, a "this is what $40 gets you here" clip. You post a brief for free, creators apply with their rate, you fund the campaign into escrow and pay only for videos you approve. No monthly plan, so a restaurant that needs three videos for a new menu pays for three videos.
A restaurant sells an experience that people judge by how it looks on a phone before they ever walk in. Stock photos and a polished brand reel do not show what a table looks like at 8 pm on a Friday. A local creator who orders, films the plate, the room and their own reaction gives a diner the proof they look for in a short video. On UgcBoard you brief the visit, set the payout, state where the video may run (Instagram, TikTok, Meta ads for your area) and get the file with a written license. Because the filming happens at your location, pick creators who live within reach of it.
The creator orders signature dishes, films the plate as it arrives and says what they actually taste. The brief lists the three dishes, the one line you want said out loud and what must not be claimed, such as allergen or health statements.
A new menu or a seasonal item needs to land in the first week. Brief two or three creators with different audiences, for example a local couple, a student and a food account, and keep the hook that earns the most saves.
A walkthrough from the door to the table shows parking, noise level, portion size and price, which is what a first time diner worries about. It also works as the video on your Google Business Profile and your reservation page.
If you plan to boost the video with local Meta or TikTok ads, say so in the brief. A creator who posted a visit on their own feed has not licensed you to advertise it. See UGC contract and usage rights for what each right adds to the price.
You choose the payout per video, with the typical US range shown in the campaign builder, instead of accepting an agency menu price. The UGC rates page shows how rights change the number.
Name the dishes to order, the days and hours the creator may film, the maximum number of guests, the claims allowed and the ad rights. The UGC brief guide has a structure creators can film from. Say clearly whether the meal is comped, so the creator can disclose it.
Pick a payout per video and fund the campaign into escrow. The money is held until you approve a video.
Creators apply with a portfolio and a rate. Check the city on the profile and look for food, lifestyle or neighborhood accounts with clear audio and steady, well lit footage.
Book the table, let the creator film, then review the video. Ask for up to two revision rounds. On approval the payout goes out, your license starts and you can post or run the clip.
Say you launch a fall menu and want three creator visits at a $125 payout each, with paid use on Instagram and TikTok ads for three months. Planning the rights at +40% of the base, the campaign budget is $525.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Production, 3 x $125 | $375 |
| Paid use 3 months, +40% | $150 |
| Total funded into escrow | $525 |
| Platform fee inside the budget, 15% | $78.75 |
| Creator payouts, 85% | $446.25 |
Each creator receives $148.75, and no fee is added on top of the $525. The cost you carry yourself is the food. If each visit is two guests and the comped bill is about $90 at menu price (an assumption, use your own), add $270 and the whole batch costs about $795 in cash and menu value. If the average table spends $70 and the videos bring 12 new tables, that is $840 in sales, before counting repeat visits. The figures are an example, not a quote or a prediction.
Prices of other options come from public pages in October and November 2026 and change often, so confirm before you buy.
| UgcBoard | Local influencer on a DM deal | Agency retainer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | None | None | Monthly fee |
| Who sets creator pay | You, per brief | Negotiated by message | The agency |
| Payment protection | Escrow until approval | Usually none | Contract terms |
| Ad rights | Written per brief | Often unclear | Check the contract |
| Best for | 2 to 6 videos around a launch | One neighborhood account you already know | Ongoing multi location management |
See the best UGC platforms roundup and the UGC agency alternative page for the longer comparison.
One location, one new dish, a few hundred dollars. You get a handful of videos without a retainer.
Brief each opening separately, with creators in that city, and reuse the winning script across locations.
No dining room to film, so the creator unboxes and tastes the delivery order. The same flow works for packaged food, covered by UGC for dropshipping style product briefs.
Post a campaign on UgcBoard with the dishes to order, the filming window, the payout and the ad rights. Local US creators apply with a portfolio and a rate. You choose, host the visit, review the video and approve it. The file and a written license are yours.
You set the payout per video and pay one flat 15% platform fee inside the budget. Paid ad rights add to the base fee, and a comped meal is your own cost. A three video launch with three months of paid use is $525 in the example above. The UGC rates page has a worked budget.
Yes. The FTC says a material connection, including a free meal, must be disclosed clearly. Put a disclosure line in the brief and ask for it in the caption or the video. See the FTC endorsement guidance.
Yes if the brief and agreement say so. Choose a paid ads term and, if you want to run the ad from the creator's handle, ask for that authorization in the brief.
No. There are no subscriptions, packs or seat charges.
Post the brief, fund it when you are ready, and pay creators exactly what the campaign card says.
Post a paid UGC campaign or apply to one.