Social media marketing strategies for restaurant growth

Key points

• Social media marketing drives real restaurant revenue, not just likes. With 84% of diners wanting to see food photos on social media before visiting, your profile are critical conversion channels.
• Video dominates, but engagement wins. Short-form video is the most algorithm-friendly content format in 2025. But restaurants that prioritize two-way conversations see 3.5x higher engagement than those just broadcasting posts.
• Data turns guesswork into growth. Track engagement rates, click-throughs, and conversion metrics to identify which content drives reservations and online orders – then double down on what works and eliminate what doesn’t.

Your next customer – scrolling on social media – is one enticing post away from making a restaurant reservation.

Implementing a restaurant social media strategy has an enormous impact on consumer dining decisions, making it a pivotal marketing channel for brands. Survey data from Toast shows that 84% of diners want to see photos of food and drinks on restaurants’ social channels.

For restaurants, this shift represents a huge opportunity. A customer-attracting social media strategy requires consistent effort and time, but the payoff is real. Restaurants that execute social marketing strategies effectively see measurable increases in foot traffic, online orders, and customer loyalty.

This guide provides a step-by-step framework for building a social media strategy for your restaurant brand that converts followers into paying customers. We’ll cover everything from profile optimization to analytics-driven decision-making, with actionable tactics you can implement immediately.

Social media is your restaurant’s new front door

Social media is often the first interaction potential customers have with your brand. Before they read your menu, check your hours, or make a reservation, they’re eyeing your social presence.

The proof is in the data:

• 41% of diners research restaurants on social media, and that rises to 67% among Gen Z and Millennials
• 55% of TikTok users visited a restaurant after seeing it on the platform because the food looked appetizing, and 51% visited because of a unique menu item they saw showcased.
• Nearly half (48%) of consumers say AI-powered customer service in food delivery and restaurants would improve their experience, signaling that diners expect sophisticated digital engagement from restaurant brands.

The restaurants winning on social media know that every post is either opening or closing their digital front door. Beyond posting pretty food photos, your social media presence should communicate your restaurant’s atmosphere, showcase your team’s personality, and tell the story behind your dishes. It’s about creating an experience that makes potential customers think, “I need to visit this place.”

Read on to learn the steps to social media marketing success for your restaurant brand.

Step 1: Optimize restaurant social profiles for customer discovery

Your social media profile needs to have digital curb appeal. When potential customers land on your page, they’re making split-second decisions about whether your restaurant is worth their time and money. Here’s how to ensure the answer is always yes.

Maintain consistent branding across platforms

Your logo, color scheme, and visual identity should be instantly recognizable, whether someone finds you on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. This consistency across platforms builds trust and makes it easier for potential customers to recall your brand. Use the same profile picture – typically, your logo is best – across platforms and ensure your bios are consistent in voice and tone.

Include essential information upfront

Your profile should answer basic questions immediately by including the following:

• Location and hours: Make it easy for hungry customers to find you
• Direct link to menu and online ordering: Ensure there are as few steps as possible between discovery and purchase
• Cuisine type and specialties: Help customers understand what you offer at a glance
• Contact information: Phone number for reservations and inquiries

Leverage platform-specific features

Using platform-specific features can boost your restaurant marketing efforts. You can create Instagram Highlights, for example, for:

• Menu items and pricing
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• Behind-the-scenes kitchen footage
• Special events and seasonal offerings
• Directions and parking information

These Highlights let new followers learn more about your restaurant without having to scroll through your entire feed.

For restaurants targeting local customers, Google Business Profile integration is critical. Ensure your social media profiles link to your Google listing, where customers can see reviews, hours, and photos in one centralized location.

Step 2: Create restaurant social media content that converts

Content is where restaurant marketing ideas come to life. You don’t need a huge budget or flashy production; you just need to focus on connecting with your audience.

Prioritize short-form video

Video content dominates social media algorithms in 2025, particularly on TikTok and Instagram.

For restaurants, video offers unique advantages. You can show:

• The sizzle of a steak hitting the grill
• The plating process for a signature dessert
• A tour of your dining space
• Chef specials and seasonal preparations
• Team members sharing their favorite menu items

To maximize your time and effort, embrace a “document, don’t create” mindset when it comes to video. Whatever is already happening in your kitchen or dining room, capture it. Authentic, behind-the-scenes footage shot on a smartphone often performs better than overly polished content. Where you want more polish: showcasing your food in static photos.

Feature high-quality food photography

While video drives engagement, stunning food photography is still essential to promote core menu items. These images will be used across your website, menu, and social feeds, so investing in professional photography pays dividends.

For daily content that features still images of items on your menu, maintain quality standards without breaking the bank:

• Use natural lighting whenever possible
• Keep compositions simple and uncluttered
• Maintain consistent editing styles for brand cohesion
• Shoot from multiple angles to give yourself options

Harness user-generated content from your diners

User-generated content (UGC) is increasingly one of the best social media marketing strategies to turn browsers into diners. Brands using Emplifi’s UGC platform in Q3 of 2025 achieved conversion rates more than 10x higher than posts not using UGC.

UGC is gold for restaurants. Customers sharing photos of their meals or the atmosphere are providing authentic social proof that influences other potential diners.

Strategies to encourage UGC:

• Create Instagram-worthy moments in your restaurant – eye-catching wall art, unique table settings, dramatic lighting. You can even dedicate a special section to selfies and provide a phone stand for people to set up in front of a fun, branded backdrop.
• Use branded hashtags and encourage customers to tag your location
• Feature customer photos on your social feeds (with permission)
• Run photo contests with prizes like gift cards or free appetizers
• Train staff to suggest photo opportunities to diners when presenting signature dishes

Show the humans behind the food

Behind-the-scenes content humanizes your brand and builds emotional connections with your audience.

Try sharing:

• Team member profiles
• The story behind menu development
• Supplier relationships and ingredient sourcing
• Daily kitchen prep and mise en place
• Family or founder stories that explain your restaurant’s purpose

This content doesn’t need to be fancy – authenticity matters more than production value. A chef explaining why they source tomatoes from a specific local farm creates more connection than a generic food shot.

Step 3: Build an engaged restaurant community on social media

Follower count is a vanity metric. What matters more is building an engaged community of customers who advocate for your restaurant – on and off social media. This requires active participation, not just broadcasting.

Prioritize engagement over posting frequency

Social media engagement is about two-way conversations. According to Emplifi data, restaurants saw a 3.5x increase in social media engagements after implementing proper community management strategies.

Make engagement a daily habit:

• Respond to every comment on your posts, even if it’s just a thank you
• Reply to direct messages within 30 minutes during business hours
• Acknowledge and share customer tags and mentions
• Like and comment on content from local businesses and customers

This level of engagement signals to social media algorithms that your content sparks conversation, which increases its distribution in followers’ feeds.

Turn social media into a reputation management channel

Your social presence is a crucial part of customer experience management. How you handle feedback – both positive and negative – publicly demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

For positive comments:

• Thank customers specifically for what they mentioned
• Ask if they’d share their experience in a review
• Invite them back for new menu items or upcoming events

For negative feedback:

• Respond quickly and professionally
• Acknowledge the concern without being defensive
• Offer to resolve the issue privately via DM or phone
• Follow up after resolution to demonstrate you care

Never ignore negative comments. Potential customers are watching how you handle criticism, and a thoughtful response to a complaint can actually build more trust than a dozen positive reviews.

Leverage local influencer partnerships

Influencer marketing for restaurants doesn’t require celebrity endorsements or huge costs. Local food bloggers and micro-influencers often have highly engaged audiences in your target market.

When reaching out to influencers:

• Research their content style and audience demographics
• Offer a genuine experience, not just a transactional free meal
• Be clear about expectations but allow creative freedom
• Track results through unique promo codes or dedicated landing pages

The most successful restaurant marketing campaigns involving influencers feel authentic – like a friend recommending a great spot, not an obvious advertisement.

Create social-exclusive promotions

Give your social media followers reasons to stay engaged by offering exclusive benefits:

• Flash sales and limited-time discounts
• Early access to new menu items
• Special tasting events for loyal followers
• Birthday rewards for customers who follow and tag you

These tactics help drive immediate sales and incentivize followers to keep notifications turned on for your posts. You can also promote and incorporate elements of your loyalty program on social media. Nearly half (48%) of diners say they participate in restaurant loyalty programs, which can be powerful incentives for returning.

Step 4: Use social media analytics to grow restaurant sales

Without data, you’re guessing about what resonates with your customers. With the right analytics, you’re making informed decisions that directly impact your bottom line.

Track what actually matters

Not all metrics are created equal. Focus on data that connects to business outcomes:

• Engagement rate: Are people interacting with your content? High engagement signals that your content resonates and tells algorithms to show it to more people.
• Click-through rate: How many people who see your posts actually visit your website or online ordering page? This metric directly correlates with conversion potential.
• Conversion tracking: Which posts drive reservations or online orders? Use UTM parameters on links to trace the customer journey from social post to purchase.
• Audience demographics: Who’s actually following and engaging with your content? Does this align with your target customer profile?
• Peak engagement times: When is your audience most active? This informs optimal posting schedules.

Use insights to refine your content strategy – and menu

Data is only valuable when it drives action. Regularly analyze your performance to answer questions like:

• Which types of content (video vs. photo, behind-the-scenes vs. product shots) generate the most engagement?
• What time of day gets the strongest response from your audience?
• Which posts drove the most website clicks or online orders?
• Are certain platforms significantly outperforming others?

Use these insights to double down on what works and eliminate what doesn’t. If behind-the-scenes kitchen videos consistently drive more engagement than static food photos, shift your content mix accordingly.

You can also home in on what types of dishes and experiences are resonating with your customers through social listening. Ensure your social team reports regularly to your operations team so they can share valuable social insights that could influence menus and events.

Leverage AI for efficiency without sacrificing authenticity

AI tools can streamline content creation and engagement, but authenticity remains critical – so it’s important to approach integrating AI thoughtfully. For example, you’d never want to use AI to generate images of your menu items, but you could use it to help edit a video of your specials and turn that video into different formats for posts across platforms.

AI tools can help create and optimize content. Emplifi’s AI Composer helps restaurants generate ready-to-publish social media copy while maintaining brand voice and tone.

Final thoughts on social media marketing for restaurants

The restaurants that drive the most business through social media show up consistently, engage authentically, and use analytics to make smarter decisions about where to invest their time and resources.

Emplifi’s social media management platform helps restaurants execute these strategies at scale, with tools for content publishing, community management, and unified social media analytics that turn social media efforts into measurable business growth.