Social media has become a key marketing tool for restaurants, helping to attract more customers, build brand loyalty, and drive online reviews. With platforms like Facebook and Instagram, restaurant owners can post pictures, promote specials, share behind-the-scenes action, and connect with their local community.
A strong restaurant social media marketing strategy helps boost visibility, increase direct messages, and showcase food content that encourages positive reviews. Whether you’re managing multiple social media accounts or focusing on one platform, quality content can influence restaurant choices and bring in new followers across different age groups.
Restaurant social media marketing is one of the most powerful ways to grow a food business and connect with customers. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and other popular platforms offer restaurant owners a direct way to showcase their menu offerings, promote specials, and highlight their restaurant's name through high-quality content. A strong social media presence enables food and beverage companies to build brand recognition, attract new followers, and influence restaurant choices through social proof, online reviews, and personal recommendations.
Social media for restaurants goes beyond just posting beautiful photos of food. It allows businesses to create content that reflects their unique selling points, values, and services. Behind-the-scenes content, Instagram stories, and posts about local events can make your restaurant feel more relatable and authentic. These give customers more reasons to follow and engage with your business.
Social media users also rely on different social media platforms when deciding where to eat. From checking reviews to browsing trending hashtags or watching videos of a new dish, potential customers are constantly influenced by what they see on their mobile devices. This makes a restaurant’s social media strategy a key part of the marketing mix.
With the right social media management, restaurant owners can connect with a wider audience, target local communities with paid social ads, and generate user-generated content that builds credibility. A social media manager can help keep social media accounts active, respond to direct messages, and plan content across multiple social media channels.
Many restaurant owners fall into the trap of trying to be active on every social media platform. They believe that a broader presence will attract more customers. However, this approach can drain resources and time without delivering meaningful results. The key is to focus on the social media platforms where your target audience is most active.
Maintaining multiple social media accounts requires consistent content creation, engagement, and monitoring. Spreading efforts too thin can lead to mediocre content and missed opportunities to connect with potential customers. Instead, a strategic approach to social media marketing involves identifying the platforms that align with your audience's preferences and investing in quality content for those channels.
Understanding the demographics of different social media platforms can guide your restaurant's social media strategy. Here's a breakdown of platform usage by age group:
Most Used Platforms: YouTube (93%), Instagram (76%), Facebook (68%), Snapchat (65%)
Usage Insights: High engagement with visual content; ideal for showcasing food content and behind the scenes action.
Most Used Platforms: YouTube (94%), Facebook (78%), Instagram (66%), Pinterest (43%)
Usage Insights: Active users seeking information and recommendations; Facebook is effective for promoting specials and local events.
Most Used Platforms: YouTube (86%), Facebook (70%), Instagram (36%), LinkedIn (30%)
Usage Insights: Prefer platforms with straightforward interfaces; Facebook remains a strong marketing tool for this group.
Most Used Platforms: YouTube (65%), Facebook (59%), Pinterest (22%), Instagram (19%)
Usage Insights: Facebook is the primary platform; focus on clear communication and positive reviews.
Sources: (Sprout Social)
A smart social media strategy can turn casual scrollers into loyal customers. Below are practical tips to help restaurant owners enhance their social media presence, increase engagement, and maximise the impact of each post.
First impressions count, especially on social media. Your restaurant’s social media accounts should look complete, consistent, and credible at a glance. Start by uploading a clear profile picture—ideally your logo or a recognisable image of your restaurant name. Add a cover photo that shows off your atmosphere, food, or staff in action.
Fill out every available field on each social media platform. Include your physical address, contact numbers, website link, operating hours, and links to your menu. This makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you without leaving the app.
On Facebook or Instagram, you can use featured images or pinned posts to highlight your top-selling menu items or promote specials. Create a photo album for your menu offerings or a short behind-the-scenes video showing how a new dish is made. These give your brand more personality and help with social proof.
Complete profiles also help your social media presence appear more reliable to both users and social media platforms, which improves visibility in search results. Whether you're managing it yourself or working with a social media manager, making sure the basics are covered is a small step that drives real results for your restaurant business.
Strong visuals are the heart of restaurant social media marketing. A beautifully captured dish or an inviting shot of your dining space can instantly draw attention and influence restaurant choices. Social media users often decide where to eat based on what they see—so presenting your food and ambience in the best possible way is key to attracting more customers.
Low-quality images or poorly framed videos can work against your brand. On platforms built for visuals like Instagram or Facebook, that first impression matters. Share quality content that reflects the care you put into your menu items and the experience you offer. Think warm, moody shots of your restaurant's interiors, crisp overhead photos of a shared plate, or a video walkthrough showcasing your space during golden hour.
Feature your best-sellers or seasonal items in regular posts. Highlight your most photogenic dishes, desserts, and drinks. If you have a unique setting—whether cosy, modern, or heritage-inspired—include that in your feed. Your visual content should help customers imagine themselves at your table.
If you need help creating professional visuals, If and When offers photography and video production services made for food and beverage companies. From high-end flatlays to venue shots made for social media ads, we help restaurants capture content that works across different social media platforms and drives real results.
Featuring your staff on your restaurant’s social media accounts is a great way to build trust and strengthen your brand’s personality. But to make it work, go beyond simple shoutouts. Utilise creative formats and high-quality content that showcase the human side of your business while maintaining a visually consistent brand.
Start with a simple staff spotlight post. Take a well-lit portrait of a team member in their work environment, like your barista holding their favourite blend or your chef next to the pass. Add a short caption with their name, role, and a fun fact or go-to menu pick. These posts are great for introducing new staff or celebrating long-time team members.
Short-form videos work well too. Try filming a quick “60 seconds with [staff name]” where they answer a few casual questions or talk about their favourite dish. Keep it natural, relaxed, and shot in a clean part of the restaurant with good lighting.
Another idea is to use carousel posts or Instagram Stories to show a “day in the life” of your staff—from morning prep to closing. You can also create simple template-based posts with consistent graphics for birthdays, anniversaries, or achievements.
When featuring staff, always use proper social media management practices: get their permission, tag them if they’re comfortable, and keep the tone respectful and upbeat. Posts like these make your restaurant’s social media presence feel more welcoming and relatable, helping you connect with your local community and loyal followers.
Behind-the-scenes content helps social media users connect with your restaurant on a deeper level. It shows the effort, craft, and passion behind every dish, without revealing your trade secrets. With the right approach, you can share prep moments that feel personal, authentic, and on-brand.
Start with short video clips of general food preparation—such as chopping herbs, mixing sauces, or plating a dish. Frame it tight so the focus is on textures, colours, and movement. You don’t need to include measurements or full ingredient lists. A 10-second reel of someone adding the final garnish to a pasta dish or stretching dough just before it hits the oven can be both satisfying and eye-catching.
You can also share “before and after” content. For example, show raw ingredients on a chopping board, followed by the final plated meal. Use carousels on Instagram or short transitions in Reels or TikTok. These visuals are ideal for showcasing your menu items and building anticipation without revealing the whole process.
Another easy idea: share clips of the kitchen coming to life before service—pans heating, counters being wiped down, ingredients being laid out. These create atmosphere and help set the tone for your food and service style.
If your restaurant is planning to launch a new dish, tease it with a close-up shot of it being fired in the oven or topped with sauce, without naming the dish yet. Add captions like “Something new is coming…” to build excitement.
You don’t have to overproduce. Keep it concise, genuine, and visually appealing. Behind-the-scenes content works well across most popular platforms. When shared consistently, it adds depth to your restaurant's social media strategy without revealing too much.
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most powerful tools in restaurant social media marketing. When customers tag your restaurant in their posts, stories, or reviews, they’re giving your brand free, authentic promotion. Re-sharing this content shows appreciation and builds trust, while also providing you with ready-made material for your feed.
Monitor your social media accounts for mentions, tags, and check-ins. Look out for well-shot photos of your menu items, short videos of the dining experience, or positive reviews on social media sites. Once you spot great content, ask permission if needed, then share it to your feed or stories, tagging the original creator.
You can also create a “Customer Favourites” story highlight on Instagram or a dedicated album on Facebook to showcase these posts. Captions like “Spotted: our burger in the wild 🍔” or “We love seeing this on your feed” add a friendly tone and encourage more people to tag you.
User-generated content boosts your social media presence by showing real people enjoying your food. It builds social proof, strengthens customer relationships, and helps your restaurant reach more potential customers, without the extra effort of creating new content from scratch.
While many reviews appear on your official pages, some customers post feedback on their own social media accounts. These can include tagged posts, public stories, or posts shared in local community groups.
Don’t rely on notifications alone. Make it a habit to search your restaurant name, hashtags, and location tags across social media platforms. Look for public mentions that may not appear in your tagged section. These posts often carry genuine feedback and offer a chance to engage directly with your customers.
If someone posts a positive review or photo, leave a friendly comment or re-share it (with permission). If the feedback is negative or mixed, respond in a respectful and professional manner. Thank the customer, address any concerns, and offer to speak privately if needed. A thoughtful reply can often turn a bad experience into a good impression—not just for that customer, but for anyone else reading it.
Having a social media manager or dedicated time for social media management can help stay on top of this. Being proactive with your social media presence shows you care, builds trust, and supports long-term growth for your restaurant business.
Your brand persona and story are what set your restaurant apart from the others. The way you present yourself online should reflect your values, tone, and personality. That identity helps people remember you, and more importantly, it helps them trust you.
It's tempting to ride every trend or viral meme that shows up on social media. A well-timed joke or trending audio can get you a spike in engagement. But if your restaurant’s social media accounts rely too heavily on humour or randomness, you risk losing the essence of your brand. When the joke fades or the trend becomes outdated, your content won’t have a lasting impact.
You can still have fun. Reels, trending hashtags, and playful content have their place in your social media strategy. Just make sure these are balanced with posts that stay true to your restaurant’s values, menu offerings, and customer experience. Think of it like seasoning. A little goes a long way.
If you want your restaurant to be taken seriously, your brand story needs to be present in what you create. Every caption, every photo, and every post should reflect the kind of experience you offer in real life. Stick to your tone, highlight your unique selling points, and build a consistent social media presence that lasts longer than the next viral meme.
A strong social media presence can attract more customers, increase reviews, and establish your brand beyond the plate. With the right mix of content, consistency, and strategy, your restaurant can stand out on the most popular platforms. If you need support with visuals, content creation, or social media management, If and When is here to help you create content that fills tables.
Want to stand out with scroll-stopping food content and venue shots that reflect your brand? Book a shoot with If and When and get professional photography and video services for your restaurant. Let your food, space, and story speak for themselves.
