Instagram Reels ideas for restaurants and pubs

Simple Reels you can film on a phone

Filming basics

• Film upright. Instagram accepts Reels anywhere from wide (1.91:1) to tall (9:16), but tall is the shape that fills a phone screen.
• Find good light. Daylight from a window beats warm bar lighting. Wipe the lens first.
• Shoot short clips. Film a few seconds at a time and join them in Instagram's editor, where you can add audio, text, stickers and effects, and arrange clips on a timeline.
• Open with your best shot. Don't make people wait for the good bit.
• Keep it short. Instagram lets you make Reels up to 20 minutes long, but Reels over three minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. Most venue Reels need far less than that.
• Turn on captions. Before you share, go to More options and switch on closed captions, so people watching with the sound off can follow what's said.

Ten Reels to film this week

1. The finish. A dish being plated and carried out. Five seconds is plenty.
2. Before and after. The empty room at opening, then the same shot when it's full.
3. The new menu in 15 seconds. One quick shot per dish, with each name as text on screen.
4. Opening up. Lights on, chairs down, coffee machine on, first order in.
5. The walk in. Film from the front door to your best table, so first-timers know what to expect.
6. This week at ours. Quick clips of the quiz, the band or Sunday lunch, with the dates on screen.
7. Answer a question. Pick one you're asked all the time, such as "Are dogs welcome?" or "Can we book for a big group?", and answer it on camera.
8. Seasonal firsts. The first asparagus, the first log fire of autumn, the tree going up in December.
9. Staff picks. Each team member names their favourite dish or drink in two seconds.
10. Use a template. Instagram's Reels templates let you keep the music and timing of an existing Reel and swap in your own clips. Templates are only available for Reels with music and at least three clips.

For ideas that aren't video, see our guides to restaurant social media ideas and pub social media ideas.

Behind the bar and in the kitchen

Behind-the-scenes clips show the care that goes into what guests order, and they're easy to film during a normal shift.

In the kitchen

• Morning prep: stock on the go, bread coming out, pasta being rolled
• Deliveries: fish on ice or veg from a local farm (tag the supplier)
• The pass in service: tickets up, plates out, the head chef checking each one
• Close-ups of knife work, sauces and finishing touches

Keep surfaces tidy and hair tied back. Viewers notice.

Behind the bar

• A pint poured from tilt to top-up
• A cocktail being built, or a garnish close-up
• Coffee being ground, tamped and poured
• Low and no-alcohol drinks made with the same care as everything else
• Setting up: glasses polished, ice in, taps checked

People and permission

Ask staff before you film them, and respect a no. Ask guests before they appear on camera, and keep children out of anything that features alcohol. If you film a band or performer, ask them first.

Keep drinks content responsible

Show drinks being made and enjoyed, not downed. Skip drinking games, speed-drinking clips and anything that could appeal to under-18s. The UK's code for non-broadcast advertising has a section on alcohol, CAP Code section 18, which is worth reading before you film drinks content. Among other things, it says drinking alcohol must not be portrayed as a challenge, and that anyone shown drinking must not be, or seem to be, under 25.

Trends without cringe

A trend is only worth doing if the result still looks and sounds like your venue. Some simple checks:

• The regulars test. Would your regulars smile, or wince?
• Make it yours. Use your dish, your street and your team, not a copy of someone else's video.
• Check the audio. Instagram's licensed music library is intended for personal, non-commercial use, and some business accounts can't use it. If a sound isn't available to you, try Meta's Sound Collection, which is royalty-free for Reels and Stories, or use your own original sound. A sizzling pan or a busy dining room is a sound too. Instagram also warns that licensed tracks in posts can be muted later if its agreements with rights holders change.
• Use templates to follow a trend's timing without copying anyone's footage.
• Test it first. If your public account has enough followers (Instagram asks for at least 200 on a professional account, or 1,000 on a personal one), you can post a trial reel, which is shown to people who don't follow you rather than in your followers' feeds. You'll see its insights within 24 hours, and you can then share it with everyone, or switch on automatic sharing so Instagram shares it for you if it performs well soon after you publish it.
• Say no to drinking challenges, pranks in a working kitchen, jokes at guests' or staff's expense, and anything aimed at children.

Posting and reusing Reels

Before you tap Share

• Pick the cover. Choose it before you share: at the moment, you can't change a Reel's cover photo after it's uploaded.
• Write a caption that says what and when: the dish or event, the day, and how to book.
• Add your location so locals can find you.
• Add a few hashtags. Instagram allows up to five per post.
• Share it to Facebook. You can do this from the same screen. If your Instagram professional account is connected to your Facebook Page, you can share Reels to the Page, or set them to share automatically.

Scheduling Reels

You don't have to post the moment you finish editing. If your account is public, you can schedule Reels in the Instagram app up to 30 days ahead, with a limit of 25 scheduled posts a day. Before sharing, tap More options, turn on Schedule this reel and pick a date and time, tap Done, go back, then tap Schedule. If you're wondering how to auto post Instagram Reels, this is it: the Reel goes out on its own at that time. You can edit, reschedule or share it early from Scheduled content in your profile menu. One catch: collab posts can't be scheduled at the moment, so post those live.

Meta Business Suite, on a computer or in its app, can also create and schedule Reels for Facebook and Instagram. If you use a separate reel scheduler, such as Hootsuite, check how it publishes before you rely on it. Some tools post Reels automatically only for certain account types and send a phone reminder for the rest. With a reminder, you finish the post in the Instagram app, which is where you can add music and stickers. If a Reel depends on a trending sound, finish and schedule it in the Instagram app.

For step-by-step instructions, see how to schedule Instagram posts and how to schedule Facebook posts.

Getting more from each Reel

• Add it to your Story on the day it goes out, with a link sticker to your booking page.
• Check its insights after a few days. Instagram shows views, watch time, average watch time and follows for each Reel. If the average watch time is short, try a stronger first shot next time.
• Reuse good footage. A clip from a summer Reel can become a Story, part of a new Reel next season, or a reminder for next year's event.
• Film in batches. Shoot three or four ideas from your list in one quiet afternoon and schedule them across the month.