How often should a restaurant post?

5-7 times a week works well because a changing menu and regular events give a restaurant new content almost daily, and diners genuinely check a feed before deciding where to eat — this is one of the higher-frequency industries here.

What food content performs best on social media?

Short kitchen and plating video (TikTok and Instagram Reels) consistently outperforms static photos for restaurants — the process of a dish coming together is more engaging than the finished plate alone.

Should a restaurant repost customer photos?

Yes, with credit — a real customer photo of a full table or a well-plated dish reads as more trustworthy than a professional shot, and it is essentially free content once a guest tags the restaurant.

How far ahead should event promos be scheduled?

Post the initial announcement about a week out, then a reminder 1-2 days before and a same-day post — a single post the morning of an event usually reaches too small a slice of followers to fill seats.

What time of day should a restaurant post?

Late morning (around 11:30am) catches people deciding on lunch; a second slot in the late afternoon works well for dinner-decision content — test both against your own audience’s activity if you have analytics access.

Free template

Social media content calendar for restaurants and cafes

Restaurants live or die on what is happening THIS week — tonight’s special, this weekend’s live music, today’s fresh catch — so the calendar below is built around near-daily posting with a strong bias toward food photography and short kitchen video, the two formats that consistently drive foot traffic.

Posting cadence and platforms

Suggested cadence

5-7 posts a week

A menu that changes with specials, seasons and events gives a restaurant genuinely new content almost every day, and diners actively check a restaurant’s feed before deciding where to eat tonight — infrequent posting reads as "closed" or "not worth checking" to a hungry follower.

Best platforms

Instagram
TikTok
Facebook

Instagram and TikTok are where food discovery happens — short, high-energy kitchen and plating video consistently outperforms static photos; Facebook still matters for event promotion (trivia nights, live music) and an older regular customer base.

12 social media content pillar ideas for restaurants and cafes

This week’s special or limited-time menu item
Behind-the-scenes kitchen prep video
New menu item reveal
Customer enjoying a dish — reposted from a tag, with credit
Chef or kitchen-staff spotlight
Ingredient spotlight or a quick recipe teaser
Event-night promo (trivia, live music, happy hour)
Seasonal or holiday menu tie-in
Satisfying plating or food-prep close-up Reel
Customer review shoutout
Weekend reservation reminder
Community or charity event the restaurant is supporting

From spreadsheet to scheduled posts

Once the Caption and Media URL columns are filled in, the file is ready to schedule. SkedCast's bulk import accepts a CSV or Google Sheet, lets you map your columns to post fields and validates every row before anything is scheduled, so a typo shows up as a flagged row rather than a failed post.

Restaurants and cafes content calendar FAQ

How often should a restaurant post?: 5-7 times a week works well because a changing menu and regular events give a restaurant new content almost daily, and diners genuinely check a feed before deciding where to eat — this is one of the higher-frequency industries here.
What food content performs best on social media?: Short kitchen and plating video (TikTok and Instagram Reels) consistently outperforms static photos for restaurants — the process of a dish coming together is more engaging than the finished plate alone.
Should a restaurant repost customer photos?: Yes, with credit — a real customer photo of a full table or a well-plated dish reads as more trustworthy than a professional shot, and it is essentially free content once a guest tags the restaurant.
How far ahead should event promos be scheduled?: Post the initial announcement about a week out, then a reminder 1-2 days before and a same-day post — a single post the morning of an event usually reaches too small a slice of followers to fill seats.
What time of day should a restaurant post?: Late morning (around 11:30am) catches people deciding on lunch; a second slot in the late afternoon works well for dinner-decision content — test both against your own audience’s activity if you have analytics access.

Other industry calendars

See all industry calendars

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