Carefully craft a social media strategy to grow your business.
In the world we live in, social media isn’t optional. It’s absolutely essential, and especially so for restaurants.
Because of this, we look at social media dos and don’ts for today’s restaurateurs.
Why Social Media?
Let’s look at the facts that show us just how important social media is to the success of your restaurant.
- One source says that nearly 90% of diners visited a restaurant after they first saw it on social media.
- In addition, that same source says that nearly 70% of social media users follow restaurants online.
- Studies show that people are using social media platforms for search more often than traditional search engines. This is especially true in the younger generations.
So, you can see that being a savvy social media marketer is key to your restaurant’s bottom line. Now let’s look at the most important do’s and don’ts.
DO: Know Your Audience
Before you can craft engaging content, you first have to know who your audience is.
What is your target market? Is it millennials who want a trendy brunch spot? Or is it families looking for a budget-friendly, healthy dinner out. It may even be older couples looking for fine dining.
The demographic you are targeting is key not only to your content but also to your platform. For example, you may choose Instagram or TikTok for younger demographics who are looking for rich video content. If your demographic skews older, you can target them effectively on Facebook.
Pro tip: You don’t need to be on every platform. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Dominate one or two platforms where you can find your target audience. This way, you have time to craft quality content that reaches the right audience.
DO: Post Consistently & Strategically
Consistency builds recognition. And when you are consistent, the social media algorithms may just reward it. (tweet this)
You want to post every day on most platforms and sometimes multiple times per day, depending on where you’re posting.
According to experts, visual content is key. Think high-quality photos, native videos, Reels, Stories, and TikToks.
Here are some ideas for consistent, strategic content:
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Video reviews
- Employee highlights
- Dish prep
- Customer moments
- User-generated content
- Menu items
In addition, to be a power-poster, make sure you create a posting schedule. Plan your calendar weekly, bi-weekly, or even by the month. This ensures your posting consistency.
Social media posting calendars are key to your consistency.
DO: Optimize Your Profiles
Ensure all of your social bios are complete.
You want a clear profile picture, branded handle, current hours, contact info, “Book Now” buttons, and website links where applicable.
Don’t forget to optimize your Google Business page.
DO: Use Analytics
Use business profiles to access your analytics. Use these tools for post-performance tracking.
Dive into metrics and look at your post engagement, reach, and impressions. Then, you can pivot where you need to. Analytics helps you see what’s working and what’s not. (tweet this)
Take what’s working and do more of it.
DO: Engage with User-Generated Content
Social media thrives on interaction. It’s a relationship-building tool, so make sure you are engaging with your users.
Always reply to comments, questions, and reviews (whether positive or negative) promptly.
Share guest-tagged photos or posts to increase your marketing reach. Encourage UGC (user-generated content) through contests or simple calls to action, like “Tag us enjoying our special dish!”
This helps build loyalty and trust through social proof.
DO: Use Targeted Ads
Organic reach has limits.
You want to invest in paid ads to reach local diners beyond your followers. You can target by location, interests, and demographics. This is perfect when you want to promote events, specials, or seasonal menus.
DON’T: Spam or Over-Promote
Nothing alienates followers faster than repetitive, overly promotional content.
Concentrate on posting engaging stories or mouth-watering visuals. If you’re posting ads or sales-y content, keep it to less than 20% of your schedule. Ensure you have a balanced content mix with humanizing content.
Your goal is to create value and not contribute to the noise.
DON’T: Expect Instant Results
Social media growth takes patience. It can take a while to see some traction. Be patient and don’t abandon your efforts if your start is slow. If nothing is working, regroup, refine your content, monitor what resonates with your followers, and stay consistent.
Trust that long-term strategy wins over flash.
DON’T: Ignore Your Brand Identity
Low-quality or inconsistent visuals weaken your brand. Avoid blurry, dim, or cluttered images that make your dishes look less appealing.
And pay attention to your brand identity. Stay true to your brand’s tone, voice, and styling so you don’t confuse your followers.
Use consistent colors, fonts, and voice across posts to build recognition, whether your vibe is witty, casual, refined, or playful.
Your brand should be recognizable across platforms.
DON’T: Silo Your Channels
Avoid operating each platform in isolation.
While you want to post different things on different platforms, you can repurpose content. For example, transform a blog post into multiple tweets, an Instagram Story, and a Facebook update. This extends your reach while maintaining consistency and meeting the needs of each platform.
Trends to Watch
- Social SEO: posts need to be discoverable: In 2025, your social feed is not just for followers. It’s for search engines, too. This means optimizing posts with keywords, location tags, hashtags, and accessible copy so you show up in social searches. Regular use of geotags and strategic hashtags helps hungry diners find you.
- Authenticity vs. saturation: The appetite for viral videos is shifting. People don’t want content that’s overly polished. They want authentic content from real people. Be sure to listen to your customers and give them what they want.
Final Thoughts on Social Media Do’s and Don’ts
Social media is a dynamic and powerful channel for driving restaurant growth. But you need to execute it thoughtfully and strategically.
Do know your audience, post frequently, engage earnestly, and leverage paid ads.
Don’t spam, skimp on your visuals, ignore performance, or expect overnight success.
Your social media feeds work to build relationships, but they are also part of your digital storefront, and they work as a search engine, too.
Your goal is authenticity, consistency, and a strong strategy. If you do it right, social media is a marketing tool and a community where you turn first-time diners into loyal fans and clicks into customers.
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Images: Elevate and Spencer Davis on Unsplash
