Social media marketing for restaurants isn’t just posting pretty food shots. It’s knowing who you want to reach, why they should choose you, and how to turn views into bookings. This guide breaks down the exact steps to build a strategy that actually fills tables.

On 10 July, Instagram quietly rolled out an update that’s changing how diners discover where to eat: posts from the platform can now pop up directly in Google search results. For independent restaurants and cafes, this is big news. Your Instagram posts could now appear on Google even if your website doesn’t make the cut.

You’re out. You’re hungry. You’re tired of arguing about where to go. So you do what everyone does: open your phone, ask Google or TikTok, and pray for divine algorithmic intervention.

Restaurants are still shelling out for glossy, cinematic content but it’s not landing like it used to. You could have the lighting of The Great British Bake Off tent and a drone shot of your sourdough… but the clip that’ll actually go viral? Sharon from front of house filming the gravy pour and muttering “bit of a naughty one” under her breath.