Restaurant social media posts: 25 ideas that fill tables

The restaurant social media posts that fill tables are the ones that help someone nearby decide where to eat: what is new on the menu, tonight's special, who is cooking, what is happening this weekend and when you are open. Below are 25 ideas grouped by what they achieve. Pick five or six that suit your kitchen, turn each into a template, and post them on a rhythm. A feed that answers questions beats a feed that only shows pretty plates.

Restaurant post sizes to design at

Design each post at its platform's own size so nothing gets cropped. Diners mostly see you on Instagram, Facebook and in Google search, so these four cover nearly everything.

Google Business posts are easy to forget and show up right where people search for somewhere to eat. The full spec is in Google Business post size.

Menu and food post ideas

1. New menu drop. One cover post naming the season, then a carousel of the new dishes.
2. The dish of the week. One plate, one line about where an ingredient comes from.
3. Ingredient spotlight. The supplier's produce on the pass before it becomes a dish.
4. Menu in a sentence. A typographic post: "Wood fire, small plates, natural wine."
5. Plating in a Reel. Ten seconds of a dish being finished, filmed from above.
6. Last chance. A dish leaving the menu this week, so regulars come back for it.
7. Drinks pairing. The dish and the glass side by side, with one line on why they work.

Specials and offers that bring people in

1. Today's special as a story every service, posted before people decide on lunch or dinner.
2. Set lunch for local office workers, with the days and the time it ends.
3. Early evening menu for pre theatre diners or families.
4. Weekday quiet night offer, aimed at the night you most want to fill.
5. Gift vouchers before holidays and birthdays, with how to buy them.

People: the staff and guests behind the food

1. Meet the chef. A portrait and the dish they would cook on their day off.
2. Front of house intro. The person who will greet you, by name.
3. Kitchen before service. The quiet hour of prep, filmed as a short Reel.
4. Guest review. One real line from a review, credited with permission.
5. Regulars' order. The dish your regulars always come back for.

Review posts work because they are someone else's words. Quote the review exactly, keep it short, and set it in your brand type rather than screenshotting the platform. Testimonial post design shows how to lay one out.

Events and seasonal posts

1. Supper club or guest chef night, with a countdown in stories.
2. Live music or quiz night, the same template every week.
3. Holiday bookings open, posted early with the set menu.
4. Private dining, showing the room set for a party.

Practical posts people actually need

1. Opening hours, pinned and updated whenever they change.
2. Holiday closures, posted a week ahead and again the day before.
3. How to book, with the link in your bio and in a story sticker.
4. Find us, a photo of the front door so first timers recognise it.

That is 25. The practical ones are the least glamorous and often the most useful, because they answer the exact question a hungry person has at six o'clock.

How to keep restaurant food photos on brand

Plates change colour every day, so the dish can't be your signature. The frame around it can. Keep food photos natural and appetising, shot in daylight near a window, then let the background, type and layout stay constant. For atmosphere shots such as the dining room, the street or a hand pouring wine, a duotone tint in your brand colours ties the feed together.

Gradiently's Studio can tint any photo in your Mark's colours as mono, duotone or a soft wash, and the Mark keeps the words readable by calming itself behind the text. Its templates include menus, posts and stories, so the menu board and the feed share one look. A palette drawn from your own food helps too: see food colour palettes.

A simple weekly plan

For the bigger picture, café and restaurant branding covers the identity behind these posts, and restaurant menu design covers the menu they should match.