If you're already posting the dish of the day, well lit, you've done the hard part: the consistency and the eye for it. That's more than most people manage.
What's usually missing is a small nudge: giving whoever sees it a reason to come in today. A good photo gets a "that looks great"; a good photo with a reason behind it gets a booking. The gap between the two is shorter than it looks.
So what should you post?
Five types of content that actually move the needle, in a mix that works for a seasonal restaurant:
1. A reason to come in (30%). The dish that's only on this week. The fish that just arrived. The table still free on Saturday. Urgent and specific converts; generic doesn't.
2. People (25%). The team, the kitchen mid-morning, the supplier bringing the produce. It's the content that gets saved and shared most, and it's what builds the difference between "a place" and "Marco's place". People come back for people, not for plates.
3. The dish, done properly (20%). Yes, but with context. Not "sirloin". Rather "why this sirloin is aged for three days and what that does to it".
4. Social proof (15%). Real reviews, customer photos, a full room on a Thursday. Other people saying you're good is worth ten times you saying it.
5. The place and the atmosphere (10%). The terrace at sunset, a full dining room, the background hum. It's what helps someone picture themselves there.
How often should you post?
Three good posts a week, sustained over six months, beat daily posting for three weeks followed by silence. The algorithm rewards consistency; your team can't keep up a daily rhythm in high season. Be realistic.
And one rule that saves time: batch your filming. One morning a month, half an hour, twenty short clips. Posting daily is impossible; posting from a bank you filmed in one sitting isn't.
Reels or photos?
Reels to reach new people, photos for those already following you. Instagram has been pushing short video towards users who don't know you for a while now: it's your main source of discovery.
No production needed. A 15-second clip of the pass at peak service, shot on a phone, outperforms a two-minute corporate video. A kitchen in motion is content: use it.
How many followers do you need?
Fewer than you'd think, and local ones.
For a restaurant, a thousand local followers are worth infinitely more than ten thousand scattered around the world. A follower in Los Cristianos can have dinner on Friday; one in Buenos Aires can't. So play local: mention your area, always tag the location, talk about what's happening here.
That's good news, too. It means you're not competing with huge accounts: you're competing for the people fifteen minutes away by car, and there you start with the advantage.
And the booking link?
Make booking one tap. Direct link in the bio, booking button switched on, WhatsApp visible. Every extra step between "that looks great" and "table for two" loses people.
It's the most common gap and the cheapest to close: ten minutes to fix, and it improves everything you post from today onwards.
What's actually worth measuring
Not followers. Bookings, saves and link clicks. A post with 60 likes that fills four tables beats one with 600 that fills none. If you've no way of knowing why a booking came in, start by asking at the table: "how did you find us?".
At GMB Horizon we run this for several restaurants on the island: social media management. If you'd rather hand it over, get in touch.