Food and Instagram: 5 Reasons Your Dishes Need It

Written by Justine Nightingale
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 09:56pm CDT

It used to be that restaurants decorated their interiors with a thought to their ambiance, the type of restaurant and service, and their customer’s comfort.

Today’s restaurant owners design their interiors with Instagram in mind. This includes the décor as well as the color of the plates, the tablecloths, and more.

Why? Restaurant owners and managers realize the importance of making their restaurant and their food shine on Instagram. Some restaurant owners go as far as picking out their table décor, so it looks good with their menu items when they photograph them for Instagram.

Because of the value of Instagram for your restaurant, let’s look at food and Instagram and five reasons your dishes need it.

 #1: Instagram has a Huge Reach

With more than one billion active monthly users and a focus on visuals, Instagram is the perfect social media platform to showcase your restaurant’s dishes.

Not only can you reach a large part of your local community, but you can tantalize them with photos and videos of your mouthwatering menu items.

Because of the potential for a large audience reach, you can use Instagram to build relationships with your current customers as well as potential ones. Diners want to feel connected to you through your social media photos. (tweet this)

They want to see a dish on Instagram and think, “I just ate that, and it was great,” or “That looks terrific. Let’s go there tonight.”

Finally, because of the enormous reach, you’ll find that paid advertising opportunities to highlight your food on Instagram are cost-effective and may provide a great return on your investment.

#2: Instagram Engagement Rates are High

You’ll find that when you post photos of your food on Instagram, you’ll enjoy larger engagement rates than you would on Facebook or Twitter.

Instagram is the perfect place for your restaurant because of all the posts on Instagram, users really gravitate to the ones about food.

Everyone eats, and most people like to eat good food. They also like to see what they’re eating before they eat it. This is why a visual platform like Instagram has such a fantastic reach.

You can connect with more social media users on Instagram than on many other platforms.

Tips on how to really explode your Instagram reach include:

• Use Instagram stories and reels – videos have huge reach and engagement potential.
• Have a professional take your photos – you want to make sure you highlight your food in the best light possible.
• Take Instagram users inside your restaurant with posts highlighting your chef, your staff, and even your recipes.

#3: You Can Reach Millennials and Gen Z Users

Millennials eat out at restaurants more than any other generation, and Gen Z isn’t far behind.

With more purchasing power than Baby Boomers, these two groups are not to be ignored. They are both more likely to rely on social media when they’re making purchasing decisions.

Millennials and Gen Z Instagram users want to know where others are eating. They want to go to places that are “cool” and hip. What’s more, they are heavy Instagram users, so you can easily market to them on the platform.

You can bet that the Millennial and Gen Z group are hitting Instagram before deciding where they want to eat, make a reservation, or place a carryout order.

By showcasing your dishes on Instagram, you can be where your diners are. Through organic posting, stories, reels, and Instagram ads, you can ensure your restaurant is top of mind.

Millennials and Gen Z Instagram users can make an informed decision on whether to dine at your restaurant based on your Instagram content.

You also benefit from targeting these groups because they are the ones most likely to share your content. So, you can increase your reach without any cost to you.

#4: Businesses Matter on Instagram

One statistic shows that 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business on the platform. This statistic alone shows you another solid reason that your dishes and your restaurant need Instagram.

You can not only grow your community on Instagram, but you can grow your business. You can build and deepen connections with your followers, encouraging and enticing them to visit your restaurant for your delicious food. (tweet this)

#5: You Can Tell Your Story

The diners of today want to engage with your restaurant. They want to feel attached to your staff and your food.

Through Instagram stories, which are temporary posts, you can easily showcase the inner workings of your restaurant. You can highlight how dishes are made, show event prep, introduce specials, showcase behind-the-scenes activities, and more. You can also make stories stick around by pinning them as story highlights.

Take it a step further, and an Instagram Reel is the way to go if you have a video.

Both stories and videos help you build and grow your brand by highlighting your restaurant’s story.

Final Thoughts on Instagram for Restaurants

People eat with their eyes. According to Philippe Bernay, Cargill’s EMEA commercial marketing lead, this notion has never been more important than in the age of social media.

When today’s consumers choose where to eat, you can bet they’re hitting your Instagram page. They want to see your food before they eat it.

You have the unique opportunity to promote your restaurant and your dishes to customers on Instagram. With professional-looking photos and a fun description, the images of your menu items will draw Instagram users in.

With this powerful social media platform, you have the visual arena at your fingertips. You can harness its power in your overall digital marketing strategy to engage users and bring them into your restaurant in ways that weren’t possible 10 years ago.

The bottom line is that Instagram works for restaurants to drive traffic and grow revenue by leveraging the power of relationship building.

At Restaurant Engine, not only do we create great, responsive websites, but you can count on us to create a website and online menu that harness the power of social media, too. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! Ready to take the plunge and create a new website? Get your free website consultation today!

Images:  S O C I A L . C U T and Alexander Shatov on Unsplash