Instagram ideas

Instagram post ideas for restaurants

Restaurant posts that work on Instagram make someone hungry, then tell them how to get a table. These 63 ideas cover dish shots, the kitchen at work, menu news, bookings and events, the people and the room, and the practical posts guests save, such as how to book.

Updated 6 October 2026 · 63 ideas

Make people hungry · 9

  1. A noodle lift: chopsticks raising a tangle of noodles slowly out of the broth.
  2. Steam rising from a bowl against a dark wall, posted on the first cold day of the year.
  3. Sauce poured at the table in one continuous shot, from jug to plate.
  4. The whole order for a table of four, shot from above as the last plate lands.
  5. Focaccia torn open by hand, close to the lens, while it’s still warm.
  6. The spoon breaking through: the crack of a crème brûlée, the soft centre of a chocolate fondant.
  7. A skillet arriving at the table still sizzling, with the sound left on.
  8. A pizza sliding off the peel, filmed from beside the mouth of the oven.
  9. A cocktail built in one shot, ending as the garnish goes in.

The kitchen at work · 9

  1. Morning prep in numbers, written over the clip: 30 kilos of onions, 200 dumplings, one cook.
  2. The stock pot that has been simmering since 6am, and everything that went into it.
  3. The pass at 8pm on a Saturday: tickets on the rail, plates going out, nobody talking to the camera.
  4. The 7am fish delivery, with what came in and what it becomes on tonight’s menu.
  5. Staff meal before service: what the team eats, who cooked it, and why it never makes the menu.
  6. A thank-you to the kitchen porter, with how many plates go through the dishwasher on a Saturday.
  7. The chef plating the signature dish, talking through each element as it goes on.
  8. The pre-service tasting: the floor team trying each special so they can describe it to guests.
  9. Closing down the kitchen: hoods off, floors scrubbed, tomorrow’s prep list on the board.

Menu news and specials · 10

  1. This week’s special, shot before service, with the price and the days it runs.
  2. A menu-change carousel: what’s leaving, what’s arriving, and the one dish that survived.
  3. One ingredient in season and the three dishes it appears in this month.
  4. Three test versions of a new dish, and the one that made the menu.
  5. A new wine or drink by the glass, and the dish it goes best with.
  6. The kids’ menu at real portion size, next to the adult plate.
  7. Every plant-based dish on one slide, so vegan guests don’t have to ask.
  8. The set lunch explained: what the price includes, how long it takes and the hours it runs.
  9. Last week for a seasonal favourite: a goodbye post that says when it should be back.
  10. The off-menu dish regulars order by name, and how anyone can ask for it.

Bookings, events and quiet nights · 10

  1. A reason to come on a Tuesday: pasta night, a set price, or the chef’s choice at the counter.
  2. Quiz night or live music, with the date, the start time and whether to book.
  3. The private room laid for twelve, with how many it seats and how to enquire.
  4. The day bookings open for Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, with the set menu on slide two.
  5. Early evening: the room at 5:30 with the sun still coming in, and the set menu that runs until 6:30.
  6. Bar seats kept for walk-ins every night, shown with the stools empty and waiting.
  7. A pairing dinner with a local brewery or winery, posted as a collab so it appears on both profiles.
  8. A chef’s table night with eight seats, released at a set date and time.
  9. “Comment PARTY for our group menu”: the details arrive by DM, so the organiser has them saved.
  10. Gift vouchers at the start of December, showing the card, the amounts and how to buy one.

The people and the room · 9

  1. Meet the head chef: where they learned to cook and what they eat on a day off.
  2. Tips for getting a table on a busy night, from the person who runs the floor.
  3. The longest-serving member of staff, and what has changed since their first shift.
  4. The story of the building: what it was before, with an old photo if you can find one.
  5. Before opening: chairs coming down, candles lit, the first table laid.
  6. The table regulars request by number, and how to book it.
  7. The odd object on the wall that guests always ask about, and its story.
  8. The room through the day in one carousel: breakfast light, the lunch rush, candles at dinner.
  9. A proposal at table six, shared with the couple’s blessing.

Posts guests save · 9

  1. How to book, change or cancel, and what any deposit covers, in one post.
  2. Getting here after dark: the nearest station, where to park and a photo of the entrance lit up.
  3. Step-free access, the accessible toilet and space for a wheelchair at the table, photographed.
  4. What families need to know: high chairs, baby-changing, and which tables have room for a pram.
  5. When it’s quiet and when it’s loud: the best times to book for a calm dinner or a lively one.
  6. How to tell staff about an allergy, both when booking and when ordering.
  7. What to order on a first visit: three dishes the kitchen would choose for you.
  8. A before-or-after-dinner guide to what’s within a five-minute walk.
  9. The recipe for a dish that has left the menu, so fans can make it at home.

Get guests talking · 7

  1. Guess the secret ingredient in the house sauce, with the answer in Friday’s Story.
  2. Your first printed menu with the prices hidden: ask people to guess what each dish cost back then.
  3. The most-ordered dish of the year, with how many plates went out.
  4. Guests’ photos of your food, reshared with credit and their permission.
  5. Coriander in the salsa, yes or no? Let the comments settle the kitchen’s oldest argument.
  6. The plate that most often comes back clean, the one that doesn’t, and what you changed.
  7. Three staff, three ways to eat the same dish, and a question: which one is right?

Tips for using these ideas

  1. Pin three posts to the top of your grid: the menu with prices, how to book and how to find you. They’re what a hungry visitor checks before deciding.

  2. Shoot dishes by a window before service. Heat lamps and dim evening light turn food orange; daylight shows it the way it looks on the plate.

  3. If your booking or delivery system is an Instagram partner, add a Reserve or Order food button to your profile. A business profile shows one action button at a time, so choose the one that earns more.

  4. When a post asks people to comment a word, such as PARTY, the first DM to each commenter has to be plain text. Ask them to reply, then send the menu link. DMFast can do both, at 2am as well as 2pm.

  5. Measure what fills tables: profile visits, taps on the booking button or link, and DMs asking about tables, more than likes. For a month, ask new guests how they heard about you and write it down.

  6. Tag the restaurant’s location on every post, so anyone opening that location sees your photos alongside guests’ and gets a quick sense of the food and the room.

Questions people ask

What should a restaurant post on Instagram?

A mix of dishes up close, the kitchen at work, the people who run the place, and practical posts: the menu with prices, how to book, how to find you. Specials and events give people a reason to come this week; the practical posts make it easy for them to actually do it.

Should a restaurant post its full menu on Instagram?

Yes, as a carousel with prices, pinned to your grid. A photo of the paper menu is hard to read on a phone, so set the text large on a plain background, and update the post whenever dishes or prices change so it never contradicts what’s on the table.

Can guests book a table through Instagram?

Yes, in a few ways. A business profile can show a Reserve button linked to a supported booking partner, the link in your bio can go straight to your booking page, and people can ask by DM. Whichever you use, name it in the caption of every booking post.

Can I repost guests’ photos of our food?

Ask first, and credit them. A guest’s photo belongs to the guest, so get their okay in a comment or DM before it goes on your grid. Story mentions are simpler: the message Instagram sends you usually lets you add their Story to yours.

How often should a restaurant post on Instagram?

Often enough that the newest post is still true. If the latest photo shows a dish that left the menu in spring, people wonder whether you’re still open. A steady rhythm, such as the special every Monday and a kitchen video every Thursday, is easier to keep than bursts followed by silence.

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