Social media for restaurants: a simple system that turns posts into orders
Updated 19 October 2026
Short answer: Good restaurant social media marketing is simple and steady. Pick two platforms where your local customers already are, usually Instagram plus Facebook or TikTok. Post 3–5 times a week from a few content themes. Film short videos on your phone. Put one order link in every bio and story. Then judge it by orders and bookings, not likes.
This guide gives you a system you can run in about 30 minutes a day: which platforms to use, what to post, a weekly plan, filming tips, small local ads and the UK rules.
Written for UK restaurants, cafés, pubs and takeaways. Updated October 2026.
Every post needs somewhere to send hungry people. put one link in every bio.
Choose your platforms (two is enough)
You don't need to be everywhere. Choose the two where your customers spend time, and do them well.
| Platform | Best for | Who you'll reach | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food photos, Reels, Stories, order links | A broad local audience | Medium | |
| Local groups, events, older customers, pub quizzes | Families and community groups; tends to skew older | Low | |
| TikTok | Behind-the-scenes, personality, trends | Tends to skew younger, including students | High |
| Google Business Profile posts | Specials and hours, right where people search | People ready to eat now | Low |
| Offers to regulars who opted in | Your existing customers | Low |
Good pairs:
- Takeaway: Instagram + Google posts
- Café: Instagram + Facebook
- Pub: Facebook + Instagram
- Student-area restaurant or dessert shop: TikTok + Instagram
Set up your profiles properly
Before you post, fix the basics. People check your profile before they visit.
- Name and handle: the same on every platform if you can.
- Bio: what you serve, where you are and one call to action. For example: "Wood-fired pizza in Harrogate. Collection and delivery, Tue–Sun 5–10pm. Order direct 👇"
- One order link: your own ordering page, not a delivery app. See how many links you can put in your Instagram bio.
- Highlights: Menu, Reviews, Find us, Allergens.
- Contact buttons: phone, directions and, on Instagram, the "Order food" button linked to your own site. See how to link your ordering site to the Instagram order button.
What to post: five content themes
Rotate through five themes, so you never stare at a blank screen.
| Theme | Examples | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The food | A slow pour of gravy, cheese pull, steam off a curry | It makes people hungry, right now |
| 2. The people | Meet the chef, the family, a long-serving regular (with permission) | People buy from people |
| 3. Behind the scenes | Dough prep at 8am, a delivery from the local butcher | Shows care and freshness |
| 4. Offers and news | Tonight's special, bank holiday hours, a new dish | Gives a reason to order today |
| 5. Your customers | Reshared stories and reviews (with permission) | Social proof from real people |
A good mix is about 60% food and people, 20% behind the scenes and 20% offers. If every post is an offer, people stop watching.
Need words to go with your posts? See our restaurant Instagram captions.
A weekly social media plan for restaurants
Post before people decide what to eat. For lunch, that's late morning. For dinner, it's late afternoon. The times below are suggestions to start from, not research: check your own insights after a month and adjust.
| Day | Post | Story | Time to post |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Behind the scenes: weekly prep or a supplier | Opening hours this week | 4pm |
| Tuesday | — | Quiet-night deal | 4:30pm |
| Wednesday | Meet the team | Poll: "Which special next week?" | 11:30am |
| Thursday | Food Reel: your best seller | Order link sticker | 5pm |
| Friday | Tonight's special or weekend menu | Countdown to opening | 4pm |
| Saturday | Customer repost or review | Busy kitchen clips | 12pm |
| Sunday | Sunday roast, brunch or a family deal | "Last orders at 9pm" | 11am |
That's 5 posts and 7 stories a week. If that's too much, do 3 posts and keep the stories.
Film better food videos on your phone
- Use daylight. Film near a window. Avoid the yellow light over the pass.
- Clean the lens. Kitchen phones get greasy.
- Keep it short. 7–15 seconds is plenty for a food clip.
- Show action. A sauce pour, a slice, a crunch. Movement stops the scroll.
- Film vertical. Reels, TikTok and Stories are all tall.
- Add captions to speech. Many people watch with the sound off.
- Batch it. Film 10 clips on a quiet afternoon. Post them over two weeks.
Make your venue "Instagrammable"
Some places get posted for free because guests want to share them. You don't need a big budget:
- One wall or sign that looks good in photos, with your name or handle on it
- Good light on the tables in the evening
- A signature dish that looks dramatic: a tall stack, a flaming dessert, a sharing board
- Branded cups, boxes or bags that show up in customers' photos
- A small sign: "Tag us @yourname"
For more on looks and identity, read our guide to restaurant branding.
Local ads on a small budget
Boosting posts can work if you keep it local and tight.
- Target a small radius around your venue or delivery area.
- Advertise your best-selling dish, not your logo.
- Send people to one place: your order page or a WhatsApp chat.
- Start small: for example, £5 a day for a week. Then check the orders that came in.
- Stop what doesn't work. If a week of ads brings no orders, change the dish, photo or offer.
Some restaurants send ad clicks straight to WhatsApp so they can keep in touch with the customer. Read our WhatsApp Business guide for restaurants.
Influencers, giveaways and the UK rules
Food influencers. If you give a local creator a free meal and they post about it, the post is an ad under UK advertising rules. It should be clearly labelled, for example with "#ad" or "Ad" at the start. "#gifted" alone isn't enough under ASA guidance. Agree this with them before they visit.
Giveaways. "Win dinner for two" is fine if you:
- Make entry free (don't require a purchase unless there's a free way to enter)
- State the closing date, the prize, who can enter and how you'll choose the winner
- Pick the winner at random, or with an independent judge for a competition
- Follow Instagram's own promotion rules, including saying it isn't run by Instagram
Alcohol. Don't aim drinks posts or offers at under-18s, and don't encourage heavy drinking.
Other people's photos and music. Ask before you repost a customer's photo, and only use music cleared for business use. On Instagram, business accounts may not get the full music library, so use Meta's Sound Collection. On TikTok, businesses should use the Commercial Music Library.
What to measure
Likes feel nice, but they don't pay the rent. Track:
- Orders from social media: use a tracking link (a UTM tag) on your bio link, or a code like "INSTA10" on your ordering page.
- Profile visits and link taps each week.
- Messages and booking enquiries from social.
- Follower growth from your local area, not total followers.
Check once a month. Do more of what brings orders, and drop the rest.
How Menuthere fits your social media
- One ordering page for your bio, Stories and Google profile, with collection, delivery and dine-in.
- 0% commission, so orders from your posts don't go to a delivery app.
- Coupon codes (Lite and above, from US$17 a month, billed in US dollars) to track which posts bring orders.
- Allergens and calories on every dish (every plan, including Free), so a follower who taps through from a post can check before they order.
- WhatsApp ordering and broadcasts from your own number (Pro), for customers who'd rather chat than browse.
For more ideas beyond social, read our 48 restaurant marketing ideas. Planning for December? See our Christmas marketing ideas.
Turn followers into orders, with no commission.
FAQs
Which social media is best for restaurants?
Instagram suits most restaurants, because food is visual and it supports order links. Add Facebook for local groups and older customers, or TikTok if you have a younger crowd and someone who enjoys filming.
How often should a restaurant post on social media?
Three to five posts a week plus daily stories is a good target. Consistency matters more than volume. Three good posts every week beat ten posts one week and nothing the next.
What should a restaurant post on Instagram?
Rotate five themes: the food, the people, behind the scenes, offers and news, and your customers. Short food videos and "meet the chef" posts usually do well.
Do I need to pay for social media ads?
No, but a small, local budget can help. Boost your best-selling dish to people within a few miles, send them to your order page, and check orders after a week.
Do food influencers have to say a free meal is an ad?
Yes. Under ASA and CMA guidance, a post about a free meal is an ad and should be clearly labelled, for example with "#ad" at the start. "#gifted" on its own isn't enough.
How do I know if social media is working for my restaurant?
Track orders, not likes. Use a tracking link in your bio or a social-only discount code, and count how many orders and bookings come from it each month.
Sources (6)
- ASA/CAP, Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads (3rd edition, 23 March 2023). Accessed 11 October 2026. https://www.asa.org.uk/resource/influencers-guide.html
- CAP Code, Section 8: Promotional marketing (prize promotions: significant conditions, closing dates, random selection). Accessed 11 October 2026. https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/08.html
- CAP Code, Section 18: Alcohol. Accessed 11 October 2026. https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/18.html
- Instagram Help Centre, Promotion guidelines (full release of Instagram by each entrant; acknowledge the promotion isn't sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram; no inaccurate tagging). Accessed 11 October 2026. https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/179379842258600
- Gambling Commission guidance on prize competitions and free draws (free entry routes), as reproduced by Orkney Islands Council. Accessed 11 October 2026. https://www.orkney.gov.uk/media/cb3bec40/free_draws_and_prize_competitions_guidance.pdf
- Instagram Help Centre, music on business accounts (Meta Sound Collection for commercial use), https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/402084904469945 ; TikTok, Commercial Music Library, https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/commercial-music-library . Accessed 11 October 2026.