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The simple social media plan for cafés & restaurants that brings in customers

Most cafés and restaurants know they should be active on social media, but the biggest challenge is knowing what to post and how often.

Many businesses either post randomly when they remember, or only upload photos of their menu.

The problem is that social media works best when there is a simple structure behind it.

In this guide, we’ll show you a straightforward weekly social media plan that cafés and restaurants can use to stay consistent, build a local following, and bring more customers through the door.

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Why social media matters for cafés and restaurants.

For cafés and restaurants, social media isn’t just about posting nice photos.

It’s often the first place potential customers discover your business.

When someone is deciding where to eat, they’ll usually check:

  • Instagram

  • Google

  • TikTok

  • Facebook

Your social media helps them quickly answer questions like:

  • Does the food look good?

  • Is the place busy?

  • What’s the atmosphere like?

  • Do people enjoy going there?

A well-run social media presence makes your café or restaurant feel popular, trusted and worth visiting.

The 3 types of posts that bring customers in.

Instead of trying to constantly come up with new content ideas, the most effective café and restaurant accounts usually repeat a few types of posts that consistently perform well.

These posts work because they create curiosity, conversation, and a reason for people to visit.

1. The “what should I order?” post

These posts help customers decide what to try when they visit, which removes friction and makes it easier for them to choose your restaurant.

Examples include:

  • “If it’s your first time here, order this.”

  • “Our 3 most popular brunch dishes.”

  • “What our regulars always order.”

  • “Staff favourite menu items this week.”

You can film a short video showing the dishes, or create a simple carousel post.

These posts work well because customers love recommendations and shortcuts when choosing food.

2. The quick kitchen moment

Short, natural clips from the kitchen often perform extremely well because they show the craft and effort behind the food.

Examples include:

  • A chef finishing a dish with the final garnish

  • A dessert being plated

  • Coffee being poured with latte art

  • Fresh bread or pastries coming out of the oven

These videos don’t need to be polished. In fact, the raw and real moments often perform best.

A simple 5–10 second clip can easily become a Reel or TikTok.

3. Fun staff-involved videos

Videos that include staff members can perform extremely well because they make your café or restaurant feel more personal, human and relatable.

Customers enjoy seeing the personalities behind the counter, and this type of content often gets more engagement than simple food photos.

Examples include:

  • Staff answering “this or that?” questions (coffee or matcha, sweet or savoury brunch, pancakes or waffles)

  • A quick “meet the team” clip introducing a barista or chef

  • Staff sharing their favourite item on the menu

  • A short “day in the life” moment from the kitchen or coffee bar

These videos don’t need to be scripted or polished. A quick clip filmed on a phone often works best because it feels natural and authentic.

A simple weekly social media posting plan.

One of the biggest problems cafés and restaurants face with social media is inconsistency.

Posting randomly every few weeks rarely builds momentum or keeps your restaurant visible to potential customers.

Instead, it’s much easier to follow a simple weekly structure. This removes the pressure of constantly thinking of new ideas and helps keep your content consistent.

A simple example could look like this:

  • Monday – Kitchen or preparation content.
    Share a quick kitchen moment, coffee preparation, or food being plated.

  • Wednesday – Menu recommendation post.
    Highlight a dish and help customers decide what to order when they visit.

  • Friday or Saturday – Staff or personality content.
    Post a short staff video, a fun question, or a quick interaction between the team.

This approach keeps your page active while showing the three things customers care about most:

  • The food

  • The people

  • The experience

Even posting two or three times per week can make a big difference if you stay consistent.

Which platforms cafés and restaurants should focus on.

Most cafés and restaurants don’t need to be active on every platform.

Instead, it’s better to focus on one or two platforms where your customers already spend time.

For most food businesses, the most important platforms are:

Instagram

Still one of the best platforms for cafés and restaurants because it focuses on visuals like food, drinks and atmosphere.

TikTok

Short videos can reach large local audiences and are great for showing kitchen moments or staff content.

Google Business Profile

Regularly posting photos here helps people who discover your restaurant through Google search and Google Maps.

Consistency matters more than perfection.

A common mistake restaurants make with social media is believing every post needs to look professional or perfectly staged.

In reality, social media often rewards authentic and natural content.

A quick phone video of a chef plating a dish, a barista pouring coffee, or a staff member answering a question can perform better than a highly polished image.

Customers enjoy content that feels real and unscripted, because it gives them a genuine glimpse of what your restaurant is like.

The most important thing is simply showing up regularly so that when people scroll through their feed, they are reminded of your café or restaurant.

Need help with your restaurant’s social media?

Running a café or restaurant is already demanding, and keeping up with marketing can easily become another task on the list.

At TEN10, we help cafés and restaurants build simple digital marketing systems that bring more customers through the door.

This can include:

  • Social media content strategies

  • Website design for restaurants

  • Local SEO and Google visibility

  • Online marketing campaigns

If you’d like help improving your restaurant’s online presence, you can explore our services or get in touch with our team.

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FAQs

Posting two to three times per week is usually enough for cafés and restaurants to stay visible and build engagement. The key is consistency rather than posting every day.

Content that feels authentic and shows the real experience of the restaurant often performs best. Short kitchen clips, menu recommendations and fun staff videos tend to attract strong engagement.

No. Many successful restaurant pages are built entirely using smartphone photos and short videos. Good lighting, clear visuals and natural moments usually matter more than expensive equipment.