5 ways to make your restaurant an instagrammable destination
Looking for a way to get your restaurant trending over social media?
Why do you need an instagrammable restaurant or hotel? Zuckerberg had the answer when he said that the algorithm would always favour friend-to-friend content above business. “It’s not fair,” cried business admins across the globe. Wipe up the tears because there’s some pretty savvy ways you can get into the Instagram feeds of your market WITHOUT paying a cent to Facebook.
We have some sure 🔥 design features to help your venue be snapped on the gram. Below are the top 5 things we try to find when we are trying to wow friends and family with some out of the ordinary experiences to share on our Instagram.
Instagrammable ideas that have people rushing to restaurants...
- Statement food
- Memorable beverages
- Pop-ups
- Larger than life art
- Floor to ceiling flower bomb
#1. Statement food
Food and beverage porn is flourishing and it’s more important than ever to take care of how your food is presented. It is not just about how it tastes anymore, though still important, your food also has to look a million bucks. Create food and drink that you can taste with your eyes, whether in venue or through the phone on the gram.
If your venue is about delightful food goods, a big trend has been to balance the greenery on plates with some vibrant edible flowers. This is another big attraction for the Insta venue hopper and an easy way to bring guests in. One venue that teeters the line of covering their food with flowers and tasteful arrangement is Social Hideout. Though maybe not to everyone’s taste, the crowd waiting for a table every weekend speaks volumes.
Photos from the instagram of Social Hideout.
#2. Memorable beverages
Though World Bar is long gone now, the memory of the Instagrammable drink before Instagram, the humble teapot, still sticks with us. These iconic signature drinks bring the crowds through the doors with no more than a simple image. As ex-hospo workers ourselves here at Papaya, if we had a dollar for every time, we were shown an image from Instagram requesting that item rather than the guest looking at the menu, we would be very rich ladies.
We recommend cute drinking vessels to help sell your product. We know your product could sell itself, but it doesn’t hurt to have a helping hand! The kings/queens of drink presentation in Sydney would have to be from Eau Du Vie. Hidden via the entrance of a hotel in Darlinghurst, they deliver drinks (looks and performance) so stylish you almost don’t mind what they taste like.
Photos from the instagram account of Eau Du Vie.
#3. Pop-ups
Restaurant pop-ups, food trucks and partnerships between hospitality venues are something that you see a lot of across Sydney, especially in the summertime. These are great because they get grammer fans through the door and once they are there they often stick around and spend cash money, helping YOU boost sales.
Stan toured Central Perks very own couch around Australia and whilst in Sydney made a stop in at Broadway Sydney’s main court. Along with its CULT status and huge fan base that brought people into shop, it also had some big names popping by and sharing their images on the gram (free marketing 😉).
More venue friendly pop ups would be partnering with a product, this can help bring fans of theirs to your venue in support and hopefully get a few more fans of your own! Two big names, Patrón and The Bucketlist Bondi had a collab running until December with patron running their own outdoor bar within the venue. Double the exposure and double the fun!
Photograph from @therealbeauryan
Photos from the instagram of Bucketlist Bondi
#4. Larger than life art
People gain attachments to spaces when they have a story to tell, a piece of history or a tangible personality (and publications love it). One great way to bring some of these elements to life is through using a larger than life piece of artwork within your venue, not to mention a fantastic way of supporting your local art community. Whether it be a massive framed piece of art or graffiti art spread across the wall it will definitely get your guests talking. Two venues that have statement art that we know will keep their venues brands at the forefront of people’s minds are The Rose of Australia and the recently opened Colombo Social.
Rose of Australia has a smattering of art through the venue though none are as iconic as their purple haired beauty up in Howards Cantina. It adds personality to the space and at the same time pays homage to the wonderfully varied locals of the pub. Colombo Social sought out the skills of Sydney based artist DC Willans for the wise Sri Lankan elder on their walls. This particular piece helps tell the story of the Lankan eatery, with Colombo Social owners using the space to help Sri Lankan asylum seekers find their feet.
Papaya Photography from Colombo Social.
Papaya Photography for The Rose of Australia
#5. Floor to ceiling flower bomb
It’s all about the ‘gram’ and the ‘gram’ loves unique installations that are PRETTY, you cannot go wrong with statement flora and what’s more you can FAKE IT. You don’t need a huge budget for this one. You just need someone who has a keen eye for design, a little outside of the box thinking and a little budget for boosting some social media posts. This coupled with amazing images of your finished product to get people to your restaurant/pub/hotel venue.
THINK dramatic wallpaper in your entrance, hanging plants or floor to ceiling flower walls. There are so many ways to bring a little bit more of the natural world to your venue and the social media crowd will go crazy for it.
THINK pretty spaces/backdrops/plates/cups! Do a little extra work and have a think about how you can make other elements of your concept work for the gram. Offer area’s in your venue with great light so that people’s images look light and bright – it’s all for that beautiful Insta feed. You’ll have some great content of your food and beverage menu’s in no time AND what’s more you can use this FREE, amazing social media content to re-post. And don’t forget to tag!
Your venue will instantly be put on the social media map, with a flock of Instagramers, want-to-be Instagramers and a storm of foot traffic from the general public coming to see what all the fuss is about.
We are ready to pack our bags and head to London and get a piece of this floral wall action at The Ivy, Chelsea Gardens. With a large social media following, they regularly change the flower wall at their front door and the results are phenomenal. Obviously, not every venue has this sort of capability, but it is definitely one to keep for inspiration!
Photos from the instagram of Ivy, Chelsea Gardens