You post when there's time, which means almost never during the week.
A stop-and-start profile gets shown to fewer people, including those who already follow you. Then you start from scratch every time.
Social media for restaurants
Social media marketing for restaurants: likes don't sit down at your tables. Guests do.
We create social content for restaurants with one stated goal: covers. An editorial plan tied to your restaurant's calendar, photos and video produced by us, and a clear path from profile to booking.
L&C
We were born inside Longino & Cardenal, which for over thirty years has been sourcing and delivering ingredients to chefs and restaurants across Italy. We know restaurants from the kitchen side, long before the marketing side.
Your restaurant★★★★★ 4.8 (312) · Recent photos · Book from the profile
Book
Trattoria whose last post was in April★★★★☆ 4.2 (58) · Inactive profile
Call
Pizzeria with no link in bio★★★★☆ 4.0 (21) · No direct contact
Website
From post to profile, from profile to table. If the path breaks, the content did little.
If two of these sound familiar, the problem isn't your content. It's that it leads nowhere.
These are the five signs we see most often when we open up a restaurant's social profiles. None is serious on its own. Together, they turn time spent on social media into time wasted.
Photos are taken on a phone, in the evening, under dining-room lighting.
The best dish on your menu looks mediocre. People discovering you judge the restaurant from that, before they even read a review.
You have seven thousand followers and a half-empty dining room on Tuesdays.
Followers gained through giveaways and viral content don't live in your neighborhood. Big number, zero covers.
There's no way to book from the profile: the bio only has a phone number.
People who discover you at 11 p.m. don't call. If there's a gap between the post and the table, your content works for the platform, not for you.
You post more or less the same things in January and in August.
New menus, holidays, long weekends, events in town: the occasions that fill the dining room go by without anyone telling the story in time.
Self-assessment
Seven questions. One minute. How hard your social media is working, right now.
Answer honestly: nobody sees it but you. If you like, send us your result and your audit starts right here.
Is there a written editorial plan for the next four weeks?
A file, not a list of ideas in someone's head.Do you post at a steady frequency, even in busy weeks?
Better two fixed posts than seven in a burst followed by silence.Are your food photos and videos shot with proper lighting and equipment?
Look at your last ten images side by side.Can people get from your profile to a booking in two steps?
Bio, link, button: try it yourself on your phone.Does your content follow the season, events in town and your restaurant's calendar?
New menus, holidays, long weekends, closures.Do you know how many of your followers live or work in your area?
The data is in your profile's insights.Do you check every month which content brought in contacts, not just likes?
Saves, profile visits, link clicks, messages.What we build on social media, as your restaurant marketing agency
Content is the centerpiece, not the only piece. We design it together with your restaurant's calendar and the path that takes a person from the feed to the table, and from the table back again.
They discover you
An editorial plan built on your restaurant's calendar
- Themes, formats and frequency set for a whole month
- Season, new menus, events in town, long weekends and holidays
- What you post and what we produce
They watch you
Photos and video shot at your restaurant
- On-site shoots, with proper lighting and equipment
- Dishes, dining room, people and service, not just the plated dish
- A content library that lasts for weeks
They message you
From profile to table
- Bio, link and booking button with no unnecessary steps
- Replies to messages and comments with a method
- Local campaigns at the moments that count
They come back
Measure and adjust
- Saves, profile visits and link clicks, messages received
- Which content brings in contacts and which only likes
- Next month's plan is written from the data
Every month we look at the same numbers: reach, saves, clicks to booking, messages received. If a format isn't delivering, we change that format, not the whole plan.
Brands that have already put us to the test
Figures measured through platform connectors (Meta, Google, Analytics), not promises. The next case study on this page could be your restaurant.
Restaurant · social and content
Ristorante Da Alice
Photos and video shot by us at the restaurant, an editorial plan tied to the restaurant's calendar, a profile connected to booking. In four months, digital became a booking channel, not just a showcase.
100+online bookings in 4 months
600+calls from the Google Business Profile
x2.6social reach in one month
Seafood specialties · editorial plan
Don Gambero
Fifty pieces of content designed to be remembered and to spark messages, not to fill the feed. Formats and frequency planned in advance, not improvised week by week.
+25%engagement rate
43Kimpressions
50posts
How we work
Four steps, always in the same order
1 · First two weeks
30-day social audit
We review your last thirty days of content, your profile numbers and what your competitors are doing.
2 · One call
Plan
We decide themes, formats, frequency and who does what. With the month's calendar and the materials to prepare.
3 · Every month
Production
Photo and video shoots at your restaurant, content written and edited, publishing on the agreed calendar.
4 · Every month
Measurement
Reach, saves, clicks to booking, messages. A report you can read in five minutes.
Where to start
We always begin with an audit of your last thirty days on social media. Then we choose the engagement format that fits your restaurant, not the biggest package.
Step 1
30-day social audit
- Review of your last thirty days of content and numbers
- Comparison with your competitors
- Check of the path from profile to booking
- The three priorities with their expected impact
Step 2 · The typical project
Editorial plan and content production
- A monthly calendar tied to season, menu and events
- Photo and video shoots at your restaurant
- Writing, editing and publishing
- Connecting profile, website and booking
- Training for your team
Step 3
Ongoing management
- Production and publishing every month
- Comments and messages handled with a method
- Local campaigns when they make sense
- Monthly report
Social media marketing for restaurants: the questions every restaurateur asks us
Short answers. For the long ones, there's the audit.
How many posts does a restaurant need each month?
It depends on the restaurant and on who can be in front of the camera. We prefer a few well-crafted, consistent posts to a packed calendar that falls apart after three weeks. In the audit we recommend a frequency that's sustainable for you, not a standard number.
Can we take the photos ourselves on a phone?
Some of them, yes, and they work very well: a full dining room, service, people, behind the scenes. Dishes need proper lighting and some basic equipment, otherwise your menu looks worse than it is. In typical projects we handle the production ourselves at your restaurant.
Do we need paid ads, or is the profile enough?
Your organic profile builds your reputation; campaigns reach people who don't follow you yet but live nearby. We never start with advertising: content and the path to booking come first, then budget if it makes sense.
How do I know if social media really brings in covers?
We track clicks to booking, messages received and inquiries that mention a specific post. Not everything can be tracked to the last cent, and we're upfront about that. But the difference between a profile that brings in contacts and one that only brings likes shows clearly in the numbers.
We don't have many followers. Is it worth starting?
Yes, and it's often easier: a small but local profile is worth more than a large, scattered one. The goal isn't follower count, it's how many people in your area see you, save your posts and message you.
Who replies to messages and comments?
Usually you do, because the restaurant's voice is yours: we leave you a method and sample replies to adapt. If you'd rather we handle it, that's included in ongoing management.
Read this before you call us
If you'd rather understand first and talk later, these articles are the place to start.
30-day social audit
Show us your last month. We'll tell you what isn't working.
Within 48 hours you receive a document analyzing your last thirty days of content, a comparison with nearby restaurants and the three priorities. No barrage of sales calls, no commitment.
- Review of your last thirty days of content and numbers
- Check of the path from profile to booking
- Three priorities, with the expected impact on contacts and covers
- If a project is needed, a clear quote. If it isn't, we'll tell you.