Digital Marketing with Instagram for Restaurants

Instagram and your restaurant.

Or maybe it's Instagram and your part time food service business. Or maybe it's Instagram and your food truck.

Either way, you've heard or read that Instagram is a powerful tool for marketing your restaurant, but you're not sure where to start.

What you are certain of is that you need to be on Instagram to promote your restaurant, but for some reason, you haven't gotten around to it yet.

So, what best describes you?

• You have a vague sense that you need to be on Instagram to promote your restaurant, but you have been too busy to focus on it.

• Perhaps you're already on Instagram, but you don't know how to use it effectively.

• Or maybe you have no idea what Instagram is or how it works.

No matter where you are in your Instagram journey, this guide will help you understand how to use Instagram to promote your restaurant.

Instagram is a social media platform that allows users to share photos and videos.

It was created in 2010 and has since grown to become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, consistently ranked 3rd biggest after Facebook and YouTube.

Instagram is particularly popular among younger users, with over 76% of its United States users being under the age of 30.

What about income data for Instagram users? Let's look at some statistics for users in the United States.

Although not considered “wealthy” by most standards, Instagram users tend to have disposable income to spend on dining out. Many users are young professionals or students who are willing to spend money on experiences, including food.

• 47% of Instagram users have an annual income between $30,000 and $69,999.

• 54% of Instagram users have an annual income between $70,000 and $99,999.

Young adults with money for dining out and who really like to dine out... sounds like the perfect audience for your restaurant.

Do you still feel that you're too busy to get familiar with Instagram? Yeah, that's what we thought.

Be aware, though, that simply posting pictures isn't enough — they need to be goal driven, happen on a frequent basis, and be part of a larger strategy.

You need a plan on what to post and when to post. You have to reach more people through simple ads or local food influencers.

We'll cover all of that and more.

Why Should Restaurants Care About Instagram in 2025?

If you don't need further reasons to use Instagram to market your restaurant, you can skip ahead to the next section.

Instagram is an excellent platform for restaurants to utilize in 2025 to market themselves and engage with their customers.

We already mentioned that Instagram has strong appeal to younger users who have disposable income to spend on dining out — the exact type of customers that restaurants want to attract.

Let's look at some specific reasons why Instagram is so effective for restaurant marketing.

• 1. People Eat with Their Eyes First

  We all know this to be true because we all do it, whether we realize it or not.

  When we see a beautifully plated dish or a trendy drink on Instagram, it makes us want to try it out for ourselves.

  This works particularly well on Instagram since the whole platform is built around sharing images and videos.

• 2. Builds Relationships, Not Just Reach

  What do we mean by this? You build reach by increasing your number of followers, but you build relationships by engaging with those followers — your audience.

  Use Instagram to engage with your audience by replying to comments, responding to direct messages (DM), sharing customers' posts, and also celebrating staff members alongside guests in real-time.

• 3. Instagram Drives Discovery

  People do not use phonebooks or randomly search on Google when looking for places to eat in 2025. Younger generations most likely don't even know what a phonebook is.

  Instagram is a natural place for people to discover new restaurants based on posts by their friends, influencers, or even through hashtags.

  Additionally, Instagram Reels, which we discuss later, are a great way to showcase your restaurant's food and atmosphere in a short, engaging video format which is then promoted by Instagram's algorithm to a wider audience than just your followers.

• 4. Converts Viewers into Customers

  By choosing to have a Business Account for your restaurant on Instagram, you can take advantage of features that help convert viewers into customers.

  These include the ability to use Instagram as an online store or have it integrate to a third-party website that offers online ordering, reservations, or delivery.

  You can also add a "Contact" button to your profile, which allows users to call or email your restaurant directly from your Instagram profile.

• 5. Allows Ads to Reach Specific Audiences

  With Instagram Ads, you can market to specific audiences that include location, age, interests, and dining habits so that you can direct the right traffic to your restaurant.

How Can a Restaurant Use Instagram to Attract More Customers?

Now that we've established the “why” that you should do Instagram marketing for your restaurant, let's look at some of the “how” of using Instagram marketing to attract more customers.

We can do this by posting photos, hosting events, and telling stories about your restaurant's food. Doing any single one of these can help attract more customers, but maximum impact comes from combining them all.

Remember, we said that Instagram isn't just about reach, but also about building relationships.

• 1. Posting quality photos and stories is a no-brainer with Instagram. Use high-quality images and engaging captions to showcase your restaurant's unique offerings.

• 2. Instagram Stories and Reels keep restaurants in customers' minds. With over 500 million daily users viewing Instagram Stories, it allows your restaurant to draw attention to what makes your restaurant desirable as a dining destination.

  Although the life of an Instagram Story is only 24 hours, Instagram Reels (video content) has no such limitation and even better, Instagram promotes it to non-followers of your restaurant's profile as well, which can help you reach new audiences.

  Instagram Reels reach a mind-boggling 2 billion monthly views.

• 3. User generated content (UGC) means that the content is being produced by your customers. Having user generated content is a form of user engagement that can help build a community around your restaurant.

  Encourage your customers to share their experiences by using hashtags (discussed next) associated to your restaurant in their posts.

• 4. Due to their prevalence in social media, you're most likely already familiar with the hashtags, which is created with the # sign followed with a word/words with no spaces.

  Examples would include: #TacoTuesday, #datenight, #starbuckslatte, or #GlutenFreeFriday.

  Hashtags are a way to categorize content on Instagram, making it easier for users to discover posts related to specific topics. A user can use the search field in Instagram to search for a hashtag and find posts that have been tagged with it.

• 5. Instagram Ads allow you to target people based on location, interests, dining habits, and more. For instance, you can show your lunch specials to people within a 5-mile radius during weekday mornings. You set the budget, timing, and audience. It's a powerful way to boost visibility and reach customers who are likely to walk through your door.

Avoid finding yourself doing only one of these things. Instagram provides you the tools, so use them all in ways that align with your restaurant's digital marketing strategy.

It can easily feel overwhelming if you try to do everything at once, especially if you are learning as you go.

Take your time to explore each feature, cross reference what you read in this article with Instagram's help center or other similar resources on the Web.

Remember, you are the captain of your restaurant's Instagram marketing ship, and you can steer it in the direction that best suits your business goals at a pace that works for you.

Which Instagram Tools Can Restaurants Use for Marketing?

Let's get familiar with the tools that Instagram provides to help restaurants market themselves.

The first in our list is a Business Account. Although not a tool per se, it is a must-have for restaurants to use Instagram effectively since it unlocks features like Instagram Insights and the ability to run ads.

Aside from that, having a Business Account on Instagram is how a restaurant identifies their Instagram account as a business, rather than a personal account.

1. Business Accounts

Instagram distinguishes between personal and business accounts, which is not all that surprising, but it is important to be aware of since it affects the features and tools available to each type of account.

An additional detail is that Instagram further distinguishes among the types of business accounts, which can be a Creator Account or a Business Account.

A Creator Account is designed for influencers, artists, and public figures, while a Business Account is specifically designed for businesses, including restaurants.

Unless you know for sure that you wish to create a Creator Account, you should create a Business Account for your restaurant. More details on the differences between the two types of accounts can be found at Instagram's official help page regarding professional accounts.

The official Instagram help page provides a step-by-step guide on how to set up a Business Account, but we'll summarize the key steps here:

• 1️⃣ Make your restaurant's Instagram profile into a Business Account (or convert from a personal account) to present yourself professionally to customers.

• 2️⃣ Enter or update your restaurant's contact details so customers can find and visit you.

• 3️⃣ Decide on the category that best describes your restaurant so users can see you in their searches.

• 4️⃣ Include a button to guide guests to do something directly, such as making a reservation or ordering food for delivery.

2. Instagram Insights

Instagram Insights is free analytics for Business accounts. If the term “analytics” is not familiar to you, it refers to the collection and analysis of data to better understand your audience and improve your marketing efforts.

How to use it:

• ✅ Find posts that people love.

• ✅ Know a follower's age and geographic location to further refine your marketing strategy.

• ✅ Post when most of your fans are awake and/or most engage with Instagram to maximize visibility.

• ✅ Look at what your fans like. Use this to make your own posts into something that will attract their attention.

3. Instagram Ads

Instagram Ads are exactly as they sound like: paid ads that are shown to people based on where they are, what they like, how old they are, etc.

Ways to use them:

• ✅ Show your popular posts or deals to people around your eatery.

• ✅ Show ads to specific groups, such as local food enthusiasts or those who enjoy dining out.

• ✅ Have ads for new items on the menu, events, or offers.

• ✅ Check how well your ads are doing using Instagram tools. This helps you change how much you spend and what you show.

4. Instagram Stories

Stories are brief videos/pictures that vanish after a day. They have polls, quizzes, and question stickers, among other things, to drive up engagement.

Ways to use them:

• ✅ Share daily specials, kitchen prep behind the scenes, or staff members to connect with.

• ✅ Ask people in polls/questions (e.g., “Which dish next?”).

• ✅ Show urgent time-limited offers/events by posting.

• ✅ Post several stories every day so that followers have something new.

5. Instagram Reels

Reels are short videos that include music and effects. These appear on the Explore tab – they can reach many viewers.

How to use it:

• ✅ Show off your restaurant's vibe, new dishes, or quick cooking demos in fun and engaging ways.

• ✅ Use trending sounds or challenges to reach more people.

• ✅ Post regularly to grow your followers.

• ✅ Ask staff or customers to create reels and tag your restaurant.

6. Instagram Shopping

Tag products in posts and stories so customers can make purchases directly within the app.

How to use it:

• ✅ Tag merchandise, packed food, or gift cards to boost sales.

• ✅ Highlight popular items or special bundles.

• ✅ Combine shopping tags with stories and reels for more visibility.

• ✅ Keep your catalog linked and updated for a smooth shopping experience.

What Makes Instagram Marketing Different from Facebook, TikTok, or X?

No discussion of Instagram marketing is complete without comparing it to other platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).

Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, and understanding these differences can help you leverage the right platform for a particular goal.

In case you're wondering, there is no reason to only use Instagram for your restaurant marketing, or only Facebook, or only TikTok.

A good digital marketing strategy will use multiple platforms to reach different audiences and achieve various goals.

We will look at a basic digital marketing strategy for Instagram later in the article or you can skip ahead to that section..

For the moment, let's briefly look at how Instagram stacks up against these other platforms.

Instagram vs. Facebook:
Facebook is better used for attracting comparatively older diners and as a support platform, but not ideal for building a trend-focused brand.

Instagram vs. TikTok:
TikTok is ideal if your restaurant can create fun, creative video content, especially for younger crowds. On TikTok, however, it is harder to maintain visibility over time. Not every brand can keep up with the fast-paced trends of TikTok.

Instagram vs. X (Twitter):
X is more about real-time updates and conversations. Because it has a text-based focus, X is more useful for customer service but not as visual or trend-driven as Instagram or TikTok. X is best suited for announcements or niche engagement.

Do Instagram Ads Work for Restaurants?

Yes. Instagram ads help restaurants pull in more clients. Displays of the yummy food and pleasant surroundings make folks wish to dine there.

Ads can be targeted at nearby folks of certain ages and interests. This leads to wise spending of funds to yield good results.

By checking the number of viewers, clicks, and purchases from the ads, eat houses modify them for better effectiveness.

Stories, Reels, and IGTV can stir up engagement. Questions, polls, and swipe-ups for orders create connections and bookings.

Instagram ads are cheap yet powerful for restaurants' marketing. In tandem with true engagement and good content, its potential to increase revenue and fill tables is great.

A Successful Instagram Marketing Strategy for a Restaurant

By this point, we've looked at the various features of Instagram that can be used to market your restaurant. We've covered how to use Instagram Stories, Reels, and Shopping, as well as how to run ads.

Now, let's put it all together into a successful Instagram marketing strategy for your restaurant.

1. Define Your Goals and Target Audience

Define your goals first. What do you want to achieve with Instagram? Goals can be:

• ✅ More brand awareness

• ✅ More online orders or reservations

• ✅ Promote special vents or menu

• ✅ Build loyal followers

Next, find your target audience. Consider these:

• ✅ Location (locals, tourists)

• ✅ Demographics (Millennials, families, etc.)

• ✅ Dining habits (fast-food, vegan, etc.)

Know their interests to create relevant content.

2. Create a Consistent Visual Brand

Instagram is about visuals. Your posts must show your brand. Here are ways to make your brand stand out:

• ✅ Select a color palette and font style that suits your restaurant's aesthetic (e.g., rustic, modern, or vibrant).

• ✅ Use high-quality photos and videos that effectively highlight the food and atmosphere.

• ✅ Consider hiring a professional food photographer or using editing apps like Lightroom or VSCO to maintain a polished look.

Your restaurant needs to maintain a consistent color palette and font throughout, so people can easily recognize it.

3. Research and Use Hashtags

You can use up to 30 hashtags per post, which is not a well known fact. If you use more than 30, Instagram will not post your content.

• 💡 Use a branded hashtag that is unique to your restaurant, like #YourRestaurantName.

• 💡 Use a mix of popular and niche hashtags to reach a broader audience while targeting specific communities.

• 💡 In the captions of your posts, use 3-5 relevant hashtags to keep the area from looking cluttered..

• 💡 In the first comment of your post, though, you can add more hashtags to increase discoverability without cluttering the caption.

4. Develop a Content Strategy

Content is important, but it should display variety as well as consistency. The plans must consist of:

• 🚀 Post daily if you can, but at least 3-5 posts should be created weekly to keep followers engaged.

• 🚀 Mixing types of content, including images, short videos, stories, reels, and IGTV videos, to showcase different parts of the restaurant.

• 🚀 Providing behind-the-scenes content showcasing chefs at work, food preparation processes, visits to suppliers, or highlighting employees, to create authenticity.

• 🚀 Encouraging users' participation by posting polls/questions/interaction stickers within stories to foster two-way communication channels.

Interesting posts attract new followers who ultimately become loyal customers.

5. Engage With Your Audience

Reply to comments and messages fast. Ask questions in captions or stories. It gets people talking about the food you have.

Give a prize for sharing food photos. Followers grow that way and help spread the word.

6. Analyze and Optimize

Use Insights to see how posts and ads work. Look at reach, likes, clicks, and buys.

Adjust strategies based on the outcome. Try different stuff, like what kind of pictures or text works best with followers on Instagram.

7. Leverage Influencers and User-Generated Content

Collaborate with local bloggers or food influencers to tap into their large follower base.

They will vouch for your establishment, making it easier to attract new customers.

Encourage regulars to snap pictures of their lunch in your restaurant. Tagging your place with every mouth-watering shot you post strengthens the bond you have with them, as well as cultivating loyalty over time.

Conclusion

This was a relatively short article, but it covered the basics of how to use Instagram to market your restaurant.

Do yourself a favor and take the time to re-read this article a few times so all of the points stick in your mind.

The users on Instagram are the exact type of people you want to attract to your restaurant, so it is worth the time and effort to learn how to market to them effectively.