What to post on social media for a small restaurant or café: 30 ideas
Thirty post ideas for a small restaurant, café or pizzeria, three example posts written in full, a simple weekly rhythm and the mistakes that cost you tables.
What people want from a restaurant's feed
Nobody follows a restaurant to be sold to. They follow it to decide where to eat on Friday, to see if the soup is back, and to feel like regulars before they have even booked. The feed that works for a small restaurant, café or pizzeria answers three questions: what is on today, what is it like to sit here, and who is cooking.
That is good news, because you already have all three. The kitchen makes new things every week. The room changes with the seasons. The people behind the counter are the reason half your regulars come back. You do not need clever ideas. You need to notice what is already happening and point a phone at it.
Here are thirty ideas, grouped by what they do.
Show the food, honestly
- Today's special, photographed on the pass before it goes out, with the price and when it runs out.
- A new dish, with one line on where the idea came from.
- The ingredient that just came into season, raw, on the chopping board.
- The supplier behind it: the farm, the fishmonger, the bakery that makes your bread.
- A dish being finished: the sauce going on, the cheese being grated, the pizza coming out of the oven.
- The smallest thing on the menu that people overlook, and why you would order it.
- Your coffee: the beans you use, the milk options, the one drink the staff always order.
- What the kitchen eats at the end of a shift.
Let people into the room
- The room before opening, chairs down, light coming in.
- The best table, and when it is usually free.
- A quiet weekday lunch, to show there is space.
- The terrace or window seats the first warm day they are open.
- How to find you: the door, the street, where to park, which bus stops close by.
- What a table for a birthday looks like, and how to book one.
- Dogs, prams and wheelchairs: what you can and cannot fit, said plainly.
Introduce the people
- The chef or cook, with the dish they are proudest of.
- The person who opens up at seven every morning.
- A new starter on their first week.
- A regular, with their permission, and the thing they always order.
- The story of how the place started, told in four sentences.
Give people a reason to come this week
- The week's opening hours, especially around bank holidays.
- A set menu, a lunch deal or a quiet-night offer, with the days and the price.
- Pre-orders for a big day: Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine's.
- Events: a quiz, live music, a tasting, a supper club.
- Gift vouchers, a week before the days people buy them.
- Takeaway and delivery: how to order and until what time.
Answer the questions you hear every day
- Gluten-free, vegan and nut options, and how you keep them separate.
- Can I bring a cake? Can I book for twelve? Do you take cards?
- What is the difference between the two pizzas everyone mixes up?
- Reviews you are proud of, quoted with thanks, and one thing you changed because of feedback.
If you need a single place to start, pick one real thing from this week and tell it three ways. That idea is explained in one good idea can carry your week.
Three example posts
These are examples written for an imaginary neighbourhood café called Linden. Change the details to fit your own place.
Example one, Instagram: Wild garlic is back. Our cook picked the first bunch on Sunday and it is going into the soup all week, with the sourdough from down the road. $8, until the pot is empty, usually around two. #wildgarlic #soupseason
Example two, Facebook: A few of you have asked if we can do a table for a birthday. Yes, up to twelve people, Tuesday to Saturday. Tell us when you book and we will keep the long table by the window free. You are welcome to bring your own cake; we will bring the plates and the candles.
Example three, TikTok or Instagram Reels: Hook: "This is what happens to our pizza dough over three days." Then three short shots: the dough being mixed on Monday, resting in trays on Tuesday, stretched and fired on Wednesday. Last line on screen: "Wednesday is the best day to eat here."
A simple weekly rhythm
You do not need to post every day. For most small restaurants, three to four posts a week is a comfortable rule of thumb, as long as they are real.
- Monday: the week ahead. Specials, hours, anything that is booked up.
- Wednesday: a person or a behind-the-scenes moment.
- Friday morning: the thing that gets people through the door this weekend.
- Sunday or Monday: a thank-you, a review, or what sold out.
Stories and short videos can fill the gaps on busy days, because a ten-second clip of the oven takes ten seconds to make. If you want the reasoning behind how often to post, read how often a small business should post on Instagram.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong prices and old menus. If the post says $12 and the menu says $14, the post is what people remember. Check prices and dates before anything goes out, and delete posts about dishes that have gone.
Careless allergen claims. Never write "nut free" or "gluten free" unless it really is, from the kitchen to the plate. If there is a risk of cross-contact, say so. When in doubt, tell people to ask the staff.
Dark food photos. Photos taken under warm evening lights make food look brown and flat. Take pictures near a window during the day, from above or at a slight angle, and leave the plate as it will be served.
Posting only when you are quiet. A feed that shows up only with discounts teaches people to wait for discounts. Post on good weeks too.
Forgetting the practical bits. Your address, your hours and how to book should be one tap away, in the bio and pinned at the top.
How Synis can help
Most restaurant owners know exactly what to post. What they lack is the half hour after close to write it. Synis reads your website to pick up your name, colours and the way you talk, then writes each post in your voice, with a version for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and X. Use your own photo of the special, or let it make a picture in your colours at each app's size.
You tell it one line, like "wild garlic soup is back this week", and it drafts the post. You change what you want, it learns from your changes, and once you say yes it goes on the calendar and out at a good time for each account. For a bigger moment, like a new menu or Christmas bookings, plan a month of posts from one idea. For the oven clip, it writes a short video script with a hook and a shot list for your phone, as on the videos page.
You can see how a post is put together on the AI social media post generator page, and try it free when you are ready.