Influencers are going to keep influencing. But what can a bar owner, restaurateur, or manager do to expand his or her venue’s presence on social media from within? Plenty! In fact, proprietors have an edge in communicating what their businesses do best in innovative food & beverage and interesting ambiance, events, and specials to engage followers and attract new patrons.
According to marketing experts and restaurant reps we spoke to, what happens behind the scenes—at the bar and in the kitchen—packs a punch among discerning current and prospective clientele who want to know more about what they order beyond the camera-ready finished product. And it’s not just about how it is made, but also what inspired the chefs, bartenders, and restaurateurs to differentiate themselves in an always competitive space. Today’s diners are not just hungry and thirsty for food. They want knowledge and insights as well.
Creating “Content-ed” Customers
Across the pond, London’s Pearl Lemon Café serves as a textbook case of how social media can maximize the impact of product innovation, community building, and ambiance to build upon existing word-of-mouth. Feliciah Namusonge, speaking on behalf of CEO Deepak Shukla, says a simple but solid social media plan allows a business to stand out and reach more people. This course of action successfully humanizes a brand, as posting pictures of chefs, baristas, and customers gives potential guests insight into the passion and personal touches that goes into the food, drinks, and environment.
“Tell your tale and share behind-the-scenes content,” she says. “Try to post a couple of times a week because consistency is more important than frequency. Without a marketing crew, high-quality content may be produced with the use of programs like Canva and InShot. The value of user-generated material is enormous as customers can enhance their experiences and create social proof by tagging [your business] in their posts. To remain current without deviating from our brand, You can use popular noises on Instagram and TikTok.”
Stateside, The Red Chickz boasts over 245K+ Instagram followers, 1.1 million TikTok followers, and 35.5 million likes. Not surprisingly, CEO and Co-Founder Shawn Lalehzarian credits social media’s role in the operational strategy that helped convert hype and “crave-worthy food content” into scalable fast-casual growth and viral demand. This success has led to entry into markets beyond its native California, including Texas, New Jersey, and North Carolina with more states to follow.
“User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most effective ways to build trust,” affirms Natalie Brier, director of Social Media + Digital Strategy at Miami, FL-based RockawayMore, whose client roster includes dozens of restaurants at varying price points; food festivals in Fort Lauderdale, South Beach, and Palm Beach; Mandarin Oriental Miami; and several Ritz-Carlton hotels in South Florida. The secret ingredient for success in every social media plan is treating each channel (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook) as an extension of the guest experience.
“What goes out on the “socials” should be in alignment with business goals,” she says. “Whether the goal is building loyalty, promoting limited-time offers, or raising awareness for a new concept, every piece of content should serve a purpose and connect back to the brand’s reason for existing. It’s real, readible, and often better at showing off the guest experience than professional photos. Encourage tagging by making your handle visible on menus and signage. When guests post great content, reshare it with context. Add a caption that highlights what they ordered or why the moment mattered. We also recommend building a UGC highlight [reel] on Instagram, which gives first-time profile visitors immediate proof of what your restaurant feels like in real life.”
While Instagram concentrates on visual storytelling, culture, and top-of-funnel discovery, Facebook delivers strong results with “legacy” guests and works well for sharing events and operational updates. However, there should be consistency in voice and message while optimizing format and cadence for each channel’s strengths. Brier and some of the other experts, however, say posting constantly is not always desirable as the algorithm favors consistency and engagement over volume. For most restaurants, two to three high-quality posts per week is the right balance, as it keeps a brand active and visible without overwhelming a restaurant’s social media team.
Sunny Singh, co-founder of Canadian fast-casual chains Adobo Fresh Burrito and Indolicious, also touts tailoring social media strategies to reach different demographics using the different platforms in a similar fashion, with Facebook targeting older diners with promotions and community engagement, and Instagram and TikTok touching younger audiences with visually appealing posts, reels, and engaging short videos. However, with multiple location restaurants, the broad brand tone, colors and identity the should be consistent. Content focusing on elements specific to each location, however, should be in the mix to drive business on a more local level.
“Each type of image plays a valuable role in social media strategy,” he says. “Food and beverage images are highly effective for capturing attention, especially when they showcase visually appealing dishes or drinks,” he says. “They create cravings and encourage engagement from potential customers. Images of staff members chefs, bartenders, and servers humanize the brand and foster a sense of connection and trust. Highlighting their expertise can make the restaurant or bar feel more welcoming. Customer action shots such as people enjoying meals, celebrating, or interacting with staff showcase the overall experience, making it relatable and enticing.”
A Captivated Audience
New York City-based Tailor Brands is all-in-one platform that helps different genres of small businesses start, manage, and grow with personalized guidance and over 30 integrated tools. However, Head of Media Noam Giras insists that good social media for a restaurant isn’t about going viral, but getting personal. Those starting out choose one or two platforms where potential diners already spend time and show up consistently. As TikTok’s algorithm favors authentic and unfiltered content, for example, restaurateurs can take advantage by posting behind-the-scenes moments such as prepping ingredients at 6:00 am, chatting with a sous-chef, plating a signature dish, or showing a late-night cleanup.
“This kind of day-in-the-life content increases discoverability and creates a personal bond with the audience,” he says. “The key is to be real and relatable. There’s no need for anything fancy just a phone camera. Just speak directly to the camera. Share stories from your journey, explain the inspiration behind a dish, or talk about your values. Engage directly with your local community. Respond to comments and use your content as an invitation. Build a sense of belonging, and your audience will feel like they’re part of your story.”
According to Singh, small businesses should only select relevant trends, sounds, and challenges that are true to their brand identity. Rather than copying a trend exactly, they can adapt it to showcase popular menu items with a viral sound or using a challenge to highlight team culture. Maintaining a consistent aesthetic, engaging with authenticity, and acting quickly on the right trends help maximize visibility. Collaborating with influencers can also boost reach while ensuring the content feels natural and brand-appropriate.
With UGC optimization, Singh says reposting tagged photos on Instagram feeds showcases real customer experiences, making the brand feel more relatable. Highlighting positive Google reviews and featuring them on websites adds credibility and social proof. “Businesses can create campaigns that encourage customers to share their experiences, such as contests where diners post photos using a specific hashtag for a chance to win a discount or free drink,” he says. “Leveraging UGC strategically not only strengthens brand loyalty but also drives organic reach without additional marketing costs.”
According to Tracy Green, managing director at hospitality-focused Estes Public Relations in Louisville, Ky., the two big first steps to a social media plan are developing your plan and collecting content. From there, a restaurateur should pinpoint the goals and vision is for posting, how its voice and style to be conveyed, and then stay on top of photos and videos as fresh content is constantly needed. To save on costs, she suggests having a plan for how and who is shooting photos, and whenever possible take advantage of UCG, especially if having enough content is a challenge.
“Do what you can...just be consistent,” she says. “Two posts a week can be enough if that’s all you can do, but make sure you do it every week. Mix up the days and times you post, unless you’re doing a specials of the week-type post. For most restaurants, three to five static posts a week works well, plus additional sharing and specials posted to stories. UGC [provides] a way to show you appreciate your customers, and when someone sees their content shared, they will usually share it too and you’ll get more engagement overall. Be sure to tag them when you repost! If you have influencers asking for comp meals, make sure you’re having them agree to share content with you, and you always want them to add your restaurant as a collaborator on their posts.”
Regardless of where you are in your social media journey, Brier says it’s always necessary to define what you want to be known as every brand has a point of view, whether it is centered around the food, the experience, the hospitality, or the people behind it. There should always be three to five content pillars that represent the core of a concept whether it is food and beverage, team culture, guest experience, community involvement, or seasonal promotions. While trends are worth noting, the key is to only adopt those that fit the venue’s tone and space.
“Your Instagram and Facebook profiles should reflect those pillars clearly,” she says. “That includes a searchable name field, a concise bio with your location and concept type, updated contact information, and a working link in bio. These details may seem small, but they shape the way new followers and potential guests experience your brand before they ever visit in person. Social media should support your broader business goals, whether that means filling seats, promoting events, building community, or reinforcing what makes your concept unique. Strong content is not about perfection. It is about clarity, consistency, and creating value for your audience over time.”
A Social Media Tool Kit
Restaurants operating with a limited social media budget or just starting their channels should have these free or affordable apps at their disposal, according to our experts:
- Your smartphone camera
- Canva, a platform for creating menus, social media posts, flyers, and branding materials
- CapCut, a video editing app, perfect for TikTok and Instagram reels
- InShot, another easy-to-use video editing tool with great features for social media
- Grammarly, which helps refine written content to ensure it's clear and professional
- Buffer, for scheduling and managing social media posts efficiently.
- Meta Business Suite for post scheduling.
- Google Trends, for pinpointing trending topics that can shape engaging content.
- HeyOrca, a collaborative, client-facing content scheduling solution.
- Instagram Edits, the platform’s recently released native editing suite. “As Instagram continues to prioritize its own tools in the algorithm, using in-app features like this can help improve reach and visibility without needing external software,” says Natalie Brier.
Tips and tricks:
- Be sure profile details are complete and consistent across platforms, using high-quality images, and crafting a bio that clearly communicates the brand’s unique identity.
- Put links into your stories and captions, but make sure they work and are easy for users to find.
- As influencer marketing is still growing rapidly, collaborating with the right local food bloggers or social media influencers can help boost brand credibility and visibility.
- Research hashtags before you throw them in posts, and invite only media and influencers who make sense for your venue and audiences.
- Regularly analyze performance metrics such as engagement rates, follower growth, and conversion rates allows for refinement of strategies over time.
- Paid advertising on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can help target specific audiences based on their interests and behaviors.
- If you have limited time and resources, develop a well-structured content bucket and posting schedule to make social media management more efficient while driving engagement.
- Post three posts per week, focusing on high-value content that highlights menu items, promotions, or customer experiences.
- Trend-hopping can boost visibility, so keep room for spontaneous posts that align with trending topics or viral moments.
- Set aside short windows to respond to comments, messages, and interact with followers.
- Avoid getting distracted by what other places and people are doing.
- Own your channels with the same personality and feeling people get when they physically walk in.
- Create relevance through seasonality, aligning content with what people are talking about, whether its a summer menu item or a food holiday like National Rosé Day or National Burger Month.
- Showcase a staff or guest favorite menu item paired with a short quote or video clip explaining why to add warmth and authenticity.
- Turn guest content into brand storytelling by going beyond the repost, as it transforms user-generated content into social proof that feels curated, not passive.
- Add a caption that tells the story behind the moment, calls out what they ordered, or invites followers to have the same experience.
Some overlooked social media platform features to consider:
- Instagram “Highlight”: “They’re often the first thing someone sees when they land on your profile,” says Green. “They give new followers a sense of the brand quickly and help answer questions before someone even visits your website.”
- Instagram’s “Close Friends” list: Adam Wagner, COO at San Diego-based advertising and marketing agency Raindrop suggests using it to pop in secret menu items, flash deals, or first-look events. It feels exclusive, and that drives loyalty.
- Interactive polls and Q&A stickers on Instagram stories and Facebook: These tools engage followers by encouraging direct participation, whether it’s voting on a new cocktail, choosing a weekend special, or asking for feedback on menu changes. Singh says using these features strategically can help restaurants and bars create a more interactive experience that strengthens brand loyalty, boost engagement, and gain customer insights.
Operators can save time and increase reach by repurposing one piece of content across platforms through:
- Adapting formats: Turning a blog post into an infographic, short video, or social media snippets.
- Cross-posting videos: Sharing TikTok videos on Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories
- Sharing highlights of all the stories
- Tailoring captions: Adjusting tone and length to fit each platform’s audience
- Using scheduling tools: Planning and automate posts for consistent presence
- Maintaining a “content bucket” to ensure you are always prepared to post that include “evergreen” content (signature dishes, staff highlights, customer testimonials); “promotional” content (special offers, events, happy hour deals); and “trending” content (viral challenges, local happenings, or seasonal trends).
- According to Wagner, examples of “quick-win” content ideas may include:
- “What our bartender’s drinking after shift?”
- Staff picks of the week.
- A customer reaction to your most underrated menu item.
Are you registered for our Crave and Crave on the Menu newsletters? Sign up today!
Plan to Attend or Participate in Our Events:
- Register Now for the 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo Colorado, October 26-28, 2025, Denver, Colorado
- 2026 Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 23-25, 2026, Las Vegas, Nevada.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at our events, fill out our form.
Also, be sure to follow Bar & Restaurant on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest industry news and trends.