23 Social Media Ideas for Restaurants

Photos courtesy of Society Insurance

1. Invite a food blogger or “food-tographer” with a social media presence to your restaurant
   Yes, there is such a thing as a “food-tographer.” Ask if you can comp their meal in exchange for them taking photos of your restaurant and some of your best menu items.
2. Share the story behind your restaurant
   What is your restaurant best known for? Take a moment to think about it. As simple or as elaborate as the story may be, social media users love human interest stories.
3. Post upcoming events to Facebook
   Many people use the events feature of Facebook to make their plans for their nights and weekends, so make sure to utilize this function for your business as well.
4. Launch a birthday club
5. Highlight special holidays
6. Ask people to help design your menu and/or next special
   Make it into a contest because there aren’t many people that don’t love a good contest.
7. Host a GIF drop
   Create a simple prompt such as: “How’s your Monday?  Explain by posting a GIF in the comments!” or “What would you do if you won a $50 gift card from (insert restaurant name)?  Post a GIF of your reaction below!”
8. Showcase a local cause
9. Cross-promote local events & businesses
10. Feed local thought leaders and influencers
11. Share information about restaurant week
12. Share your positive reviews
13. Post employee testimonials
14. Monitor and share media mentions
15. Share special occasions and milestones on your networks
16. Create videos
    Try live videos and the boomerang feature. Have some fun and use pop culture to your advantage.
17. Capitalize on election years
    It’s not a good practice to post your political views, but there are ways to use election years to be playful on social media. You could post things like, “LIKE THIS PIZZA PHOTO. Why? Because it has nothing to do with politics.” or “We can’t stop the political ads on tv, but we can offer 2-for-1 drinks tonight from 4-6 p.m.” Many people will enjoy the light-hearted humor.
18. Television premieres, finales and events
19. FAQs
20. Merchandise for sale
21. Third-party delivery
22. Pop-up restaurants
    Are you serving your food at a local festival or another off-site location?  If it’s something that’s open to the public, it should be shared through your networks before, during, and after.  If it’s not public, share it later and thank the customers after the fact.
23. Green policies & local sourcing
    Is your restaurant implementing practices that are environmentally friendly? Paper straws, zero waste cooking, and chemical-free cleaning are all things that you could highlight on social.

Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

Coming up with new post ideas is only half the battle when it comes to a good social media strategy. To stay on top of your social media strategy, try creating a content calendar. As Brian Tracy once said: “One minute of planning saves 10 minutes of execution.”

Contact a local Society agent near you for specific questions about restaurant insurance coverage.

This information is provided as a convenience for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice, and does not establish compliance with any law, rule or regulation.