More than 500 million users view or post Instagram stories every day. Stories are essential for building a connection with your followers, sharing authentic moments, and working to build their loyalty. This presents a significant opportunity for restaurateurs.
Why should you absolutely use the Stories format? What should you share on Instagram Stories? And how can you find the time to post them daily?
With an ephemeral nature, this format consists of short videos, up to 60 seconds long, or photos that are visible to users for 24 hours. You can later feature them in Highlights, making them more enduring and an excellent way to showcase behind-the-scenes content, customer feedback, and updates about your restaurant. Today, all major social media platforms have integrated the Stories format, starting with Snapchat and Instagram, and later Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and even Spotify.
So, there’s no doubt that Instagram Stories are now an integral part of daily life for the French population, offering significant opportunities for businesses to use them as preferred touchpoints with their target audience. Restaurants should see this as a means to reinvent their storytelling and strengthen their brand.
But how can you integrate them into your restaurant’s communication strategy? What should you share in Stories? And how can you find the time to post daily content in Stories, especially when you’re busy or simply don’t have it on your mind?
1. The Trend of Stories
Success in Numbers
- 70% of Instagram users consume stories every day, and this number keeps growing. The consumption of stories is experiencing 15 times more significant growth than traditional Instagram formats. Instagram continues to promote this format by introducing new features regularly.
- Businesses have every reason to capitalize on this trend and integrate it into their communication strategies. In fact, 49% of Gen Z consumers use stories to find products and services. And it works!
- But what explains the success of this format?
Instagram Stories – A Success Comparable to Video:
This growing success parallels that of video content. Video has been the dominant format on social media for years, with most businesses producing video content specifically for these platforms. A quick look at Instagram and TikTok, which are primarily video-oriented, demonstrates this trend.
However, the success of Stories goes beyond video. They cater to consumers’ desires for authenticity, closeness, and spontaneity.
Freedom, Authenticity, Closeness, Spontaneity: Keys to Stories’ Success on Instagram:
Stories respond to a shift in the relationship between businesses and consumers. Consumers increasingly reject traditional advertising models, which they consider too intrusive.
- The key advantage of Instagram Stories is how users engage with them
Even though Instagram prominently features stories at the top of the page, it’s the users who decide whether to view them or not. Stories have profoundly transformed social media users’ behavior by giving them more control.
- Increased Interaction between Businesses and Consumers:
Stories have also strengthened the bond between consumers and businesses that publish content on social media. Instagram has added various features to facilitate interactions between content creators and readers. Polls, Q&A sessions, satisfaction bars—these are all ways to engage with your community and diversify how businesses connect with their audience. The tone of stories differs from a business’s regular feed, often being more direct and authentic, creating a sense of closeness with users.
- An Authentic Format that Fosters Closeness:
Stories also allow businesses to showcase live events. Short, impromptu videos or photos capture the present moment and share it with the community. Because stories are ephemeral, there’s no need to worry about creating the perfect post; it will disappear eventually.
For businesses, these shared life moments create a sense of closeness with the community. Instagram Stories make it feel like you’re entering the daily life of the business and accessing the brand’s inner workings (backstage). This is an opportunity for you to tell your restaurant’s story and strengthen your storytelling. To do this, show behind-the-scenes glimpses of the kitchen, product arrivals, preparation of the dining area, and team moments. This content is different from what’s posted on your regular feed.
Additionally, using Instagram’s Stories feature shows that you’re “playing the game,” which, in turn, signals to the platform that your restaurant page is active. As a result, Instagram’s algorithm will prioritize your restaurant’s content, increasing its visibility.
But what should you share in your Instagram Stories? What best practices should you follow? Here are seven examples to consider for your restaurant’s digital communication.
2. 7 Instagram Stories Ideas for Your Restaurant
Don’t know what to share on Instagram Stories beyond videos/photos of your services? Here are ideas and examples to engage your community!
1) Showcase Your Teams:
Stories are the perfect way to show your restaurant’s atmosphere to your followers. And who better to be your ambassadors than the people who work there every day? Introduce your community to the individuals who welcome them. You can create their profiles, talk about their favorite dishes/drinks, film them in action at the restaurant, and highlight team moments.
For example, Dalia and Jolia of Dalia Group showcase a team member once a week in Stories, sharing their likes, where they’re from, and other personal details, which are later saved in Highlights. The portraits of their smiling, young, dynamic team members make customers eager to visit the restaurants for their warm and friendly ambiance.
2) Reveal the Restaurant’s Behind-the-Scenes:
Stories also allow you to show your community what they don’t see when they visit your restaurant. You can have fun showing them what happens behind the scenes. Do you usually turn up the music and sing at the top of your lungs while cleaning once customers have left? Now’s the time to show them! They’ll be delighted to see that your restaurant is a welcoming place, even when the doors are closed. You can also highlight the effort you put into welcoming them: showcasing products, recipes, and decorations. Be creative and authentic!
For instance, Brique House‘s clients regularly show the beer-making process, revealing the steps behind each bottle. This showcases the group’s expertise and the uniqueness of its products. Cali Sisters, on the other hand, shares team moments, celebrations, behind-the-scenes photoshoots, and visits to suppliers for the Saint Sébastien restaurant.
3 – Highlight Your Followers and Build Communities through Stories
Restaurant customers regularly post stories in which they tag the restaurant’s Instagram account. These user-generated contents are valuable because they demonstrate to social media users that your clientele appreciates what you offer. So, don’t hesitate to share these stories!
Dehli Bazaar and BOBBY excel in this by regularly sharing content published by their customers. This not only valorizes the customers but also encourages other users to share stories from inside the restaurant.
In their restaurant, Brasserie Rosie has implemented an “incentive”: providing customers with tablecloths they can draw on. This is a perfect way to encourage them to later share their masterpieces on Instagram Stories.
4 – Share Your Expertise or That of Your Partners
Don’t hesitate to showcase your expertise. Stories allow you to captivate your community, who will be delighted to learn how your dishes are prepared or where you source your products. Your loyal customers will gain insight into your secrets, while your new followers will be tantalized and more inclined to visit your establishment.
Clients like Orgueil and Bonhomme have showcased the origins of their products in a dedicated story series called “Producteurs” (Producers). This immersive horizontal format takes social media users alongside the producers, providing reassurance to customers and future clients and educating them about the products and the people behind the plates served in the restaurant.
5 – Seek Community Input
The polling tool in Instagram Stories allows restaurant owners to ask for their customers’ opinions on a product or adding a new recipe to the menu. Through polling, you make your customers’ opinions a central part of your concerns, demonstrating your commitment to their satisfaction. The feedback collected can help you improve your future strategies and identify any weaknesses in your offerings that you may not have noticed. It’s also an opportunity to give a voice to prospective customers before they try the culinary experience at your restaurant.
Interactive, fun, and conducive to a conversational mode (question and answer), polls are among the most engaging tools for connecting with your followers.
Quizzes also provide an excellent way to interact with your community in an enjoyable way. You can ask your followers questions and suggest multiple answers, with one being the “correct” answer. This tool fosters a sense of closeness with participants, allowing them to learn more about your restaurant, from recipes to the history of your establishment, and the names of your products—all the little details that contribute to the daily life of your business.
In this example, Dehli Bazaar enjoys testing its followers’ knowledge of Indian spices, the basis of their dishes. While these answers may not provide any particular insight into the restaurant, they entertain users and measure their engagement.
6 – Share News and Generate Reservations
You can also share an event in your story and gauge whether it generates interest among your community. You can include a sticker that allows your followers to respond directly to your invitation, even incorporating a reservation link from Instagram!
7 – Present Your Specialties and Convey Information
Finally, Stories are the ideal space to present your community with your new dishes, desserts, or daily and seasonal beverages. You can also use it to relay or remind your community of practical information about your restaurant, such as opening hours, exceptional closures, vegetarian options, and the existence of a temporary terrace.
These Stories will help you turn more food enthusiasts into daily customers.
3. Successfully Post Your Instagram Stories Even When You’re Busy with Malou
Because Instagram Stories typically require immediate posting, at a time of the day when you rarely have time to create content, add text or stickers, and publish them to Stories. However, they are THE way to engage your audience on Instagram, gain visibility, share spontaneous content, remind your community of your hours, and keep them eager to visit. SO, we’ve found the solution for you.
Don’t worry about posting your Instagram Stories anymore! We’ve created the option for you to schedule your Stories in advance and publish them at the right times, even when you’re busy! We’ll show you how to easily schedule your Instagram Stories using the MalouApp.
Conclusion: Stories—An Essential and Complementary Communication Tool for Your Account Posts
Stories highlight content related to the present moment, the daily life, intimate, exclusive content. They allow you to create a strong connection with your followers, many of whom consume them. However, don’t underestimate the importance of your account. The posts you share are not to be neglected in favor of Stories. They need to be crafted with precision because all the content you share reflects your restaurant’s identity. At a glance, social media users should understand what makes it unique.
In a short amount of time, Stories have become indispensable for modern, trendy, interactive, and impactful digital communication. However, they have not replaced post-format content, which also plays a crucial role.
