What Restaurants Need To Know About Social Media

restaurant social media strategies
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Day & Nite
  • Imperial Dade
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Atosa USA
  • RATIONAL USA
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • RAK Porcelain
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • Texas Pete
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Is your restaurant struggling with its social media efforts? Total Food Service sat down with Brian Weiss of SocialXpand to learn his eight top strategies for organizing your restaurant social media campaigns to make you successful.

1. Post useful content that engages customers

You are in the business of food and you need to show yourself as an expert for anyone to keep coming back to your social media pages. People come back to your social pages so they can learn interesting news about food and restaurants so you should post about what other restaurants are doing and about what makes your restaurant great.

restaurant social media strategies2. Only sometimes post ads for your restaurant

No one chooses a TV channel to watch commercials, so why would they choose to follow your restaurant on social media if you only post ads about your own restaurant?  Use posts and RSS feeds sharing other articles from the industry to show interesting news about food.  While you may feel like you are bringing other restaurants business you are really showing your restaurant business as a leader and knowledge base for what’s hot in the restaurant scene.

3. Show great pictures

You have great food, so show it off!  It’s worth hiring a photographer to get the best shots so you can share them with your future customers online.

  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Texas Pete
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Imperial Dade
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Atosa USA
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Day & Nite
  • RAK Porcelain

4. Deals & Sweepstakes

Give out a great deal to your customers online such as a “free appetizer with purchase of two entrees this month.”  Have a sweepstakes promotion on social media sites giving out a free dinner to a winner from those that provide their email address and mailing address.  This will bring you a great list to market to and costs you only the expense of giving away one meal.

5. Let Customers Order Delivery on Social Media Sites

You only make money when people buy your food so why not make it as easy as possible for people to buy?  Make sure you are allowing customers to order delivery on social media sites!

6. Keep your “voice” appropriate and consistent

When you post content on social media sites about your restaurants make sure you communicate in the style that matches your restaurant.  If you have a casual family restaurant you may want to write in a kid friendly style. If you have a fancy steakhouse you could choose a sophisticated high-class style of writing.

7. Use a software tool to be on various social media sites at once

There are multiple social media sites so you can multiply your reach to your customers and prospective customers by being on various social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc).  So we suggest using social media management software such as SocialXpand.com to post to various social media sites, utilize branded content, post great photos, use a Deal & Sweepstakes app to post professional promotions, allow your customers to order Delivery with their Social Ordering Tool, and much more.   

8. Outsource your management

You are an expert in the food service business. Do what you know best. We suggest considering the use of a social media management company that knows the business of restaurants like us at SocialXpand.com to manage your restaurant social media marketing.


Brian Weiss is the Director of Sales at NYC based SocialXpand. The firm’s web site offers additional solutions for your restaurant social media strategies: www.socialxpand.com. He would happy to answer your questions by phone at (917) 818-4550 or via email at brian@socialxpand.com.

  • Imperial Dade
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • Atosa USA
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • RAK Porcelain
  • RATIONAL USA
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Day & Nite
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Texas Pete