1min
Take a quick stroll down any high street in the UK and you’ll see diners scrolling through Instagram to find the trendiest brunch spot, or checking Facebook reviews before deciding where to book a table for date night. Today, social media isn’t just for big-name chains. It’s a vital tool for any restaurant—be it a family-run pub in a quaint village or a gourmet establishment in central London. According to Statista, around 84% of the UK population actively uses social networks, making platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter powerful means to reach new customers and build trust among existing fans.
Yet, social media is more than a place to post mouth-watering photos of your Sunday roast. It’s a channel to engage with your audience in real time, share your brand’s story, collect feedback, and ultimately strengthen your online reputation. It’s also a traffic driver. By optimising your profiles, you encourage potential diners to visit your website—or even better, to visit your restaurant. Below, we’ll explore proven tactics to maximise your social media presence and show how a tool like sunday can seamlessly integrate into your strategy.
Diving headfirst into social media without a plan is like opening a restaurant without a menu—it’s chaotic and confuses your potential diners. Before you post your first photo or reel, spend a little time clarifying your objectives and understanding your audience’s preferences.
Having clear objectives and a strong grasp of your target audience paves the way for purposeful, consistent content that resonates with the people most likely to walk through your doors.
The social media world is vast, and not every platform suits every restaurant. Rather than scattering your energy across multiple channels, focus on the ones where your audience is most active.
Once you choose your primary channels, make sure your branding is consistent: a recognisable logo or profile photo, cohesive colour schemes, and easy-to-read contact details. This way, diners switching between platforms can instantly spot you.
When it comes to restaurants, the saying “we eat with our eyes first” applies both on and off the plate. Social media thrives on visuals, so invest in quality images and videos that capture the mouth-watering essence of your offerings.
Make sure to experiment with short videos, reels, and time-lapses. A 30-second clip of a dish being plated or a bartender mixing a signature cocktail can captivate viewers and boost shares, ultimately contributing to a stronger online reputation.
Social media isn’t a one-way street. Your followers might have questions about allergens, curious comments about your ingredients, or feedback from a recent visit. Engagement is where you build deeper connections and transform casual browsers into regular diners.
Active engagement also influences how social media algorithms rank your content. Platforms often reward profiles that spark conversation, showing your posts more frequently to potential fans. Over time, this visibility cements your image as an approachable, customer-oriented restaurant.
Sometimes, the best marketing is the one you don’t create yourself. User-generated content (UGC)—like a happy diner’s photo of their Sunday roast—can sway potential customers more effectively than polished professional shots. Why? Because it’s authentic. People trust real experiences over stylised ads.
How to encourage UGC?
Always ask permission before reposting someone’s content. Thank them in a heartfelt message, tag them in your repost, and watch as this goodwill encourages others to tag you, too. Over time, you’ll accumulate a library of real-life endorsements that double as creative marketing content.
While glossy, perfectly curated feeds can be visually appealing, authenticity often wins in the long run. Diners want to see the human side of your business—staff birthdays, chef’s attempts at a new dish, or even the adorable stray cat that sits near your doorstep.
Showing authenticity doesn’t mean airing every behind-the-scenes hiccup. Instead, think of ways to share real stories and behind-the-scenes moments that align with your brand ethos. Authentic content can create lasting impressions and cultivate loyalty.
More than half of UK consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal survey). A healthy collection of four- or five-star ratings can be a magnet for new diners. So how do you funnel your social media followers into active reviewers?
By integrating a review prompt into your social channels—especially in synergy with a streamlined solution like sunday—you boost the volume of feedback and maintain your restaurant’s online reputation as open, friendly, and trustworthy.
If done thoughtfully, influencer marketing can provide a powerful spotlight. However, partnering with a social media celebrity just because they have thousands of followers isn’t always wise. Focus on authenticity and shared values.
Remember: the goal is to connect with people who genuinely love your food and ethos. Authentic collaborations typically lead to better engagement and more enduring relationships than one-off sponsored posts with tenuous ties to your brand.
The beauty of social media lies in its measurability. You can see what works and what flops in real time, then pivot quickly. Keep an eye on these indicators:
If a particular style of post gets significantly more traction—say reels about your chef’s flambé technique—double down on that format. Conversely, if a certain approach yields little to no engagement, don’t be afraid to shuffle your content strategy. Flexibility is vital.
One often-overlooked aspect of social media strategy is the final mile: ensuring that customers who discovered you online have a smooth experience once they’re at the table. That’s where sunday plays a game-changing role. It streamlines payment through a simple QR code, so customers pay swiftly without waiting for the server to return with the card machine. This convenience can improve satisfaction, often leading to higher tips and more positive reviews.
But how does it tie back to social media? A frictionless payment process can inspire diners to post about their visit—imagine them taking a quick snapshot of your dessert special, then scanning a QR code, adding a tip, and receiving a gentle prompt to share their experience on your Google listing. That’s a one-two punch of convenience and online reputation building. The synergy between a great social media presence and a user-friendly check-out system can boost loyalty and encourage repeat visits.
Social media isn’t just about quick hits of likes and shares. It’s about nurturing a community around your restaurant’s brand—one that trusts you, interacts with you, and eventually becomes your strongest advocate. By setting goals, choosing platforms wisely, posting eye-catching content, and engaging sincerely, you can cultivate an online reputation that draws diners in and keeps them coming back.
Focus on being consistent, authentic, and open to feedback. Leverage user-generated content, partner with influencers who share your ethos, and keep refining your approach based on real metrics. Meanwhile, a solution like sunday can ensure that once those social media followers become actual diners, their experience remains friction-free and memorable. Because at the end of the day, social media success hinges on real-world satisfaction. When your online persona aligns with a fantastic on-site experience, your reputation flourishes—and so does your restaurant’s bottom line.
Drop us your details below and we’ll reach out within the next 24
Say goodbye to bad ratings and hello to 5*s. Get to know your customers with our integrated rating & review feature, which allows you to get more reviews, better ratings and more visibility online.
