35 ideas with examples of Instagram Reels for your restaurant

"Videos are twice as engaging as photo posts on Instagram" report published by Wizishop. This finding takes on particular importance in the restaurant sector. Indeed, Instagram Reels offer a total immersion into the world of your restaurant, revealing its culinary offering, the warm atmosphere, and the teams who bring it to life. These videos are not only an effective way of attracting new customers, but also a format favored by the Instagram algorithm.

The persistent challenge, similar to the creation of photo content, remains in finding regular inspiration for video creation. That's why we've put together 35 ideas, complete with real-world examples, to help you easily produce captivating video content for your restaurant.

Creativity plays a key role in the creation of Reels for a restaurant. If simply filming each dish can already generate numerous videos, the key lies in originality and variety to make you stand out from the crowd. What's more, respecting certain rules will help your content gain visibility and popularity:

🎶 In rhythm to trendy music.

📱 The quality of a simple telephone is enough.

🚀 No need for sophisticated transitions, favor authentic, spontaneous videos.

👀 Capture attention from the start, build suspense, then reveal the highlight at the end.

📝 Pay particular attention to the first few words of the caption to arouse interest.

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💡Many restaurateurs complain about failing to attract customers thanks to Instagram. The answer is simple: Instagram is an algorithm! To get your posts off the ground, all you need to do is follow certain best practices (which will also save you time!) Good news: the Malou team has put together everything you need to know in the Instagram guide below!👇

35 Instagram Reel ideas for your restaurant, depending on the content you want to showcase

Instagram Reels to showcase your restaurant's offerings

1. Setting the scene on a plate

Invite your followers to discover the complete steps involved in preparing a dish, including the final touches, to whet their appetites and encourage them to come and feast.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: watch Kubri unveil the dressing of its makanek and Ippudo presenting its special Tori Miso ramen.

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👉 Want to go further? Check out our 10 tips for successful Instagram reels for your restaurant.

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2. Cutting a dish or dessert

Reveal the delicious interior of your plates, like a runny heart, a melting cheese or a gourmet surprise.

🌟 Take inspiration from our customers: watch Mokus carve her burrata, Rosie Lou present her grand cru chocolate éclair, Melt slice her spare ribs, and Cali Sisters dip a spoon into her New York cheesecake.

3. Pour a grout

Add a gourmet touch by drizzling mouth-watering sauces over your pancakes, profiteroles, meat dishes and more.

🌟 Take inspiration from our customers: watch Cali Sisters pour maple syrup over its bacon pancakes, Krush smear custard over its maxi cookie, and Breizh Café spread caramel sauce over its crêpe bretonne.

4. Flat from every angle

Captivate your audience by showcasing a dish in all its shapes and angles. From a top view, a 3/4 view, a cross-section, from afar, up close... offer an enticing visual experience.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Rivolta seduces with tantalizing views of its pasta dish, while Maison Pinsa reveals every detail of its well-stuffed pinsa.

5. Compilation of several plates

Create a captivating video by sharing several plates or drinks in a single sequence.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Deia and Maythai offer a mouth-watering compilation of their creations.

6. From preparation to completion

Offer a dynamic experience with a rhythmic presentation of the different stages in the preparation of a dish, from the beginning to the final version served to the customer.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Iovines sheds light on the process of creating its pizzas, from rolling out the dough to adding toppings, baking, right through to fresh toppings.

7. Explain and prepare a recipe

Share an immersive culinary experience by revealing a step-by-step recipe, whether it's a dish, sauce, side dish or cocktail. Be sure to include recipe details as a caption.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: discover BMK Paris Bamako's DG chicken recipe and Dalia's falafels.

8. Detailed presentation of a recipe to music

Create a sensory ambience by detailing a recipe to music. Enhance the sounds of your dishes, from crisping to cutting, for a unique ASMR experience.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Mokus and Malaboom

9. Play with the sounds of your dishes

Crisp when you cut it or run a knife over it, bubbling when you cook it: let the ASMR that emerges from your dishes be heard.

10. Communication on product origin

Highlight your suppliers, showing the transparency and quality of your products behind every plate.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Dalia invites you to discover her ceramist and distiller, and Breizh Café takes you on a journey to discover the origins of its flours.

11. Storytelling about the origin of recipes

Explore the anecdotes behind your dishes, whether they're inspired by a childhood memory, a trip, or a passion. Share these stories with your subscribers.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Malaboom explains the origin of the Chinese dish Mala Xiangguo, MELT reveals the secrets of tender, flavorful meat, and shares the history of barbecue, its signature touch.

12. Video stills - Stop Motion

Short on time for video editing? No problem! Take a few moving shots, whether of a dish being cut up, the spoon dipping into it, the cocktail shaker... Put them together to create an original, dynamic video.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Kimochi presents the tasting of its Japanese tiramisu through a photo sequence.

14. Making a cocktail

Capture the making of a cocktail, with dynamic gestures such as shaking, pouring, mixing colors, adding smoke and even spitting fire. A visual spectacle to capture the attention of Internet users.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Cali Sisters, Malaboom and Cardito Village Group invite you to their bars to discover the talents of mixologists.

15. Du Latte Art

Showcase the visual beauty of latte art in your restaurant by filming the creation of artistic designs on coffee. Capture the artistic gestures of this technique.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: KafKaf and Deia's baristas create beautiful hot drinks embellished with latte art.

Videos to show the backstage of your restaurant and create a link with your subscribers

16. Behind the scenes in the kitchen

Give Internet users a glimpse behind the scenes of the kitchen, with chefs in action in a warm atmosphere. Reveal the first stages of preparation in the kitchen.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Hutopi shows chefs' moves throughout the evening, and Anona shares moments of exchange between chefs during service.

17. Sharing the backstage of a restaurant

Show behind-the-scenes moments such as photo shoots and tastings, offering a valuable insight that the customer doesn't usually get to see.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: on the Solis page, experience photo shoots and tastings of the new cards.

18. Travel as soon as the restaurant opens

Invite visitors to experience the restaurant from the moment it opens, from setting up tables to preparing for service.

🌟 Be inspired by our customers: Dalia takes you alongside her to experience every step before service, in the team's good humor.

Instagram Reels to immerse followers in your restaurant and its history

19. Tour of restaurant interior and exterior

In addition to showcasing your culinary offering, highlight the ambience of your restaurant, whether it's the bar, counter, terrace or main dining room. Give potential customers a complete picture of your establishment.

🌟 Take inspiration from our customers: Iovines, Brasserie Rosie and Rosie Lou guide us through the welcoming interiors of their restaurants, allowing viewers to project themselves into the atmosphere.

20. The right atmosphere for your restaurant

Share the warm atmosphere of your restaurant by inviting friends or members of your team to pose for videos. Show people having fun, toasting, sharing food and having a good time in your establishment.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: The Loulou team enthusiastically participated in a photo and video shoot, creating a captivating result that makes you want to be by their side.

21. Lively restaurant atmosphere

Take the time to film the room during services to show the lively atmosphere of your restaurant. Use this content in stories but also to create Instagram Reels of your restaurant to highlight the fact that your place is already attracting many customers. And that those customers are having a great time!

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Cali Sisters captures the liveliness of the restaurant, easily conveying the warm, festive atmosphere of the venue, whether at lunch or in the evening.

22. Storytelling about the restaurant's location and origins

Share a founder's video explaining the restaurant's values and inspirations to raise awareness among your subscribers and help them discover the story behind your establishment.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: The co-founder of BMK Paris Bamako tells the story of his restaurants and African-inspired cuisine. The founder of Maythai also shares the storytelling behind her establishment.

Videos to present the restaurant's teams and create a close relationship with your subscribers

23. Team presentation

Showcase your team by introducing its members, sharing their roles and passions to strengthen the bond with your audience.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Mersea dedicates a video to each team member to get to know them better.

24. The waiters' favorite à la carte dishes

Involve your servers in the communication by asking them to share their favorite dishes. Videos featuring people work really well on Instagram, and this can be a great introduction to then present the dish.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: MELT highlights the recommendations of its teams.

Instagram Reels to show the satisfaction of your restaurant's customers, engage new followers and convert them more easily

25. Customer pleasure

Capture the authentic pleasure of your customers, friends or team enjoying your dishes, munching away.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Impact Berliner shows the tasting of its kebap, and Cardito Village a good breakfast on the terrace.

26. Live customer feedback

Ask customers in your restaurant about their experience and compile the best feedback in a video. Nothing is more convincing than customer testimonials to attract new visitors.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Violetta&Alfredo shows customers enjoying themselves in her establishment.

27. Preference request - This or That

Engage your followers by inviting them to vote for their favorite dishes. It's a fun way to increase interaction on Instagram while involving your customers in the choice process.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: KafKaf asks its subscribers to choose between Banana Choco and Pistachio Berries, while BollyNan launches a "This or That" for two mouth-watering options.

28. Tasting in the street

Attract the attention of passers-by by offering free small portions of your dishes or new products. A generous gesture that creates pleasure and increases the chances of attracting new customers.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Manteigara shows off its specialties, pasteis de nata, to passers-by, while BMK invites the curious to sample Cameroonian desserts.

Videos that capitalize on current trends to create a viral effect

29. One plate: one day of the week

Embrace the trend by creating Instagram Reels where each sequence features a dish from your restaurant associated with a day of the week. Use annotations to indicate the corresponding day.

🌟 Be inspired by our customers: Obel Mamma delights followers with a variety of plates for every day of the week.

30. Deconstruction of a plate

Follow the viral trend by staging the preparation and serving of a dish in reverse. Create a humorous effect by giving the impression of "putting away" the plate, as if the customer no longer wanted the dish.

🌟 Take inspiration from our customers: Bollynan created a sequence where a customer asks to return their dish, then the video is reversed to simulate the plate being put away.

31. A plate: an "Oh my god".

Follow the trend of the video by synchronizing the rhythm of the "Oh my god" audio and intersperse a gourmet dish with each pronunciation of the three English words. The effect is created by the audio.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Brother and Sister unveils its brunch plates with every occurrence of the phrase "Oh my god".

32. Finger snap from raw product to finished dish

Use a video effect to film the main ingredient of a dish or drink by throwing it into the air, then film the final version of the dish or drink. Create the effect of an instant transformation with the snap of a finger.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Loulou turns an orange into an instant spritz, Gallika an eggplant into eggplant caviar, and BMK bananas into allocos!

33. In the news

To promote a special offer linked to an event or simply to show your support for a cause, create a themed staging.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Example of Valentine's Day at Immersion and Station Krishna, Christmas at Manteigara and Biba Marseille.

34. Table from empty to filled

Create a simple montage by adding dishes and drinks one by one on a restaurant table for a lively effect.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: Immersion presents a well-stocked brunch table, and Mersea unveils a lunch accompanied by a glass of wine.

35. Takeaway sales

Highlight takeaway or delivery by placing a phone at the bottom of the delivery bag and filming each item coming out one by one. Continue the video by showing a pleasant place to enjoy takeaway food near the restaurant.

🌟 Get inspired by our customers: YupThai presents its takeaway tasting in a park near the restaurant.

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🌟 And hop! You're now equipped with 35 inspirations for your Reels. What's next? Post them on the right days, at the right time and in the best way. To pick up all the tips, enjoy the Little Instagram Guide below 👇