Content pillars for restaurants, with a month of post ideas
A restaurant needs four content pillars: the food, the people, offers and occasions, and the place. Give the food the biggest share, around 40% of the month, because it is what people come for. Post four times a week, shoot the food in natural light, and end every caption with something a person can reply to or act on.
The four pillars, and the share each gets
These are the pillars in Planist's restaurant playbook, which its planner starts from for any food and beverage brand before the brand's own strategy takes over.
- The food40%
- The people20%
- Offers and occasions25%
- The place15%
At four posts a week, a month holds about seventeen posts. That is roughly seven about the food, four about occasions and offers, three about the people and three about the place.
The food, 40%
The dish is the hero, but a plate on its own gets old fast. Tell something about it.
- The one dish people order on their first visit, and why
- Where an ingredient comes from, named
- A dish being made, in under thirty seconds
- What changes on the menu this season
- The dish the kitchen eats on its break
The people, 20%
People return to places where they know someone. Show the team as people, not as a staff photo.
- The chef's first job, in one line
- The person who has worked here longest
- What the floor team recommends when you cannot decide
- A regular, with their permission
Offers and occasions, 25%
Occasions give people a reason to come this week rather than someday. Name the day.
- This week's set menu, with the price and the currency
- Friday and weekend nights
- Ramadan iftar and suhoor, Eid, national days, Mother's Day
- Group bookings and private events
- Something new, the week it arrives
A price only goes on a post when it is a real offer, and always with its currency. "Special price" without a number makes people work for the information, and most of them will not.
The place, 15%
The room is part of what people pay for. Show it the way a guest sees it.
- The best table, and why
- The room at the hour it looks best
- The terrace when the weather turns
- The table set before the doors open
Rules that make restaurant content work
These three are the rules Planist's restaurant playbook holds every post to:
- Real food, in natural light, never a stock image. Stock food is recognisable at a glance and makes a restaurant look like it has something to hide.
- Prices only when they are a real offer, and always with the currency.
- Captions people can reply to. Ask a question, invite them, name the day.
Two more from running restaurant accounts:
- Post food before people decide where to eat. For most places that is late morning for lunch and late afternoon for dinner. Check your own analytics for when your followers are online.
- Answer every comment and message on the day. On a restaurant account the DMs are the booking line.
Questions people ask
- What should a restaurant post on social media?
- Mostly the food, with the story behind it, then the occasions that give people a reason to come this week, the team, and the room. A split of about 40% food, 25% offers and occasions, 20% people and 15% place works for most restaurants.
- How often should a restaurant post?
- Four times a week on the feed is a good rhythm, with stories in between for the day's specials and the room as it fills.
- Should a restaurant post prices?
- Yes, when the post is a real offer, and always with the currency. Leave prices off posts that are not about an offer.