Instagram is a fantastic tool for restaurants to reach a large number of potential customers. Videos and images dominate the platform, so while your brand’s visual content should be eye-catching, it’s not the only part of the Instagram game that matters. You also need to craft compelling restaurant Instagram captions for your content to stand out and get your message across to your audience.
Writing captions for your Instagram posts is a smart move for several reasons. Captions help boost engagement, give context to your videos and photos, provide another opportunity to share your brand’s personality with your audience, and allow you to include calls to action at the end of your posts, like inviting your followers to join your email list for a free dessert coupon. When you include hashtags in your captions, you also boost the visibility of your posts.
In this guide to restaurant Instagram captions, we’ll share 98 captions for:
- Food photos
- Happy hour photos
- Showing off your space
- Holidays and events
- Staff photos
- Photos of your customers
We’ll also cover five tips for writing restaurant captions for Instagram. Ready to get creative?
98 Restaurant Instagram Captions
Restaurant Instagram marketing takes work, but it can also be a ton of fun and a perfect way to let your creativity shine. Here are 98 restaurant Instagram captions to give you some inspiration.
Captions for Food Photos
Food captions for restaurants can be a hoot because there are so many food puns you can play with in your writing. However, if puns aren’t on-brand for your restaurant, you always have other options.
- This could be your plate
- Pasta la vista, baby
- When life gives you lemons…you make lemon bars!
- Thought we’d give you something to taco ’bout
- Good food, good mood
- Endless pasta-bilities here at [name of your restaurant]
- But first, coffee
- Who’s ready for dessert?
- Today’s special is lookin’ good
- Now that’s what we call fine dining
- From farm to table, every ingredient in this dish is local!
- No gluten? No problem.
- The most important meal of the day
- Say hello to the newest dish on our menu!
- Just like grandma used to make…
- What’s cookin’?
- We hope you left room for dessert
Captions for Happy Hour Photos
Keep it light with these happy hour captions for restaurants as you celebrate everyone’s favorite time of day.
- Smiles all around – it’s happy hour!
- Unwind after your 9-5 by joining us from 5-9
- It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
- Rosé all day
- Take a pitcher, it’ll last longer
- Craft beer lovers, unite!
- Who needs directions to Margaritaville?
- Is it happy hour yet?
- Join us for $5 drinks from 4-6!
- It’s everyone’s favorite time of day
- Rough day at the office? No problem.
- Here’s what we’ve got on tap this happy hour
- No, it’s not too early for wine
- Take a load off
- It’s happy hour on our patio!
- Happy hour, happy day
Captions for Showing Off Your Space
Food and drinks aren’t the only Instagrammable aspects of your restaurant! Restaurant interiors are eye candy on social media, so be sure to show off your space. Here are a few restaurant Instagram captions to help.
- Good vibes only
- Your date night destination
- The place to be on a Friday night
- Cozy up in this booth
- This patio is calling your name
- Of course your kids are welcome here!
- Our bar just got a makeover
- Who else loves a long table dinner?
- Pull up a seat
- Dining and dancing? Yes, please!
- We can’t get enough of this photo wall
- Here’s a seat with your name on it
- Meet us at the bar
- It’s patio time!
- We’ve got the perfect spot to spend a rainy afternoon
- Everyone is welcome here
Captions for Holidays and Events
Whether you need Valentine’s Day captions for restaurants, Fourth of July captions, or New Year’s Eve captions, we’ve got you covered.
- [name of your restaurant] + you? It’s a date!
- ‘Tis the season to visit [name of restaurant]
- Make this Fourth of July one to remember
- Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with us!
- Will you be our Valentine?
- Take Dad out for a beer this Father’s Day
- It’s a Hoppy Easter here at [name of restaurant]
- Count down to midnight with us!
- No home-cooked turkey? No problem.
- Deck the halls with…pizza!
- Treat your special someone this Valentine’s Day
- Say hi to the Easter Bunny at [name of restaurant]
- Cheers to St. Patrick’s Day!
- Get spooky with us this Halloween
- We hope you left room for one more turkey dinner
- Treat Mom to brunch this Mother’s Day
- Happy birthday to you!
Captions for Your Staff Photos
No list of restaurant captions for Instagram would be complete without showing some love to your team. Celebrate them on social media with these captions!
- Teamwork makes the dreamwork
- Meet bar connoisseurs, [bartender names]
- If you don’t have a smile, our staff is guaranteed to have one for you
- [name of restaurant] team appreciation post!
- Our staff makes the magic happen!
- Meet our manager, [staff member name]
- Work hard, play hard
- Our team can’t wait to welcome you!
- Say hello to our rock stars in the kitchen
- No one has as much fun as this team
- Need a wine recommendation? We’re happy to help
- The best team on the block
- Welcome to the team, [new staff member name]!
- We’re a blast to work with!
- Meet the chef behind your favorite dishes, [staff member name]
- Staff pick of the week: [name of dish]
Captions for Photos of Your Customers
Instagram captions for restaurants also give you an opportunity to celebrate your guests. As a bonus, if they share your photos of them, you’ll reach even more potential diners.
- The perfect burrito bowl does not exi–
- [first name of customer], you’ve got great taste
- That first bite feeling ✨
- Sunday Funday
- Friends who dine together, stay together
- Baby’s first [name of your signature dish]!
- Good food, good friends, good times
- It’s a patio party!
- Dressed to impress
- Who else loves catching up over a glass of wine?
- Cheers to your favorite people!
- The ‘it’ crowd
- Thirsty Thursday
- Here comes the party
- We love our regulars!
- See you again soon
Tips for Writing Restaurant Captions for Instagram
You now have ideas for food captions for restaurants, happy hour captions for restaurants, Valentine’s Day captions for restaurants, and more. To ensure your words work their magic, let’s walk through a few social media tips for writing scroll-stopping Instagram captions.
1. Keep It Short and Sweet
Restaurant social media marketing should never bore your audience. Keeping your written content short, engaging, and entertaining whenever possible will ensure you hold onto people’s attention long enough to make them want to visit your venue.
2. Make Sure It’s On Brand
Your customers should get the same kind of vibe from your Instagram account as they do when they’re in your dining room. This means your written content needs to stay true to your brand voice. For example, if your venue is a fine dining restaurant that doesn’t have a silly side, don’t try to be what you’re not. Lean into your reserved elegance on social media. In contrast, if your restaurant is casual and laid back, be the friend next door on social media.
3. Include a Call to Action
Social media should help you drive business, so always invite your audience to take the next step. This could be booking a reservation, ordering online, joining your loyalty program, or even checking out your merch. Keep in mind that you might need to direct them to a link in your Instagram bio to take these actions.
4. Use Hashtags Strategically
Hashtags can help your restaurant get found on Instagram. Choose relevant hashtags based on your restaurant location and venue type to attract the right customers. However, steer clear of using too many hashtags, which can appear spam-like to the Instagram algorithm. The sweet spot to aim for is five hashtags, according to Instagram itself.
5. Have Fun with It!
Regardless of your brand personality, there’s an emoji for your restaurant to use on Instagram. So, why not give it a try? Infusing creativity (and humor, where applicable to your brand) into your social media content makes it more unique and engaging.
You now have the inspiration and know-how to take your restaurant’s Instagram caption game to the next level. We can’t wait to see what you share! Follow us on Instagram @touch_bistro to see our own captions in action.
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Katherine is the Content Marketing Manager at TouchBistro, where she writes about trending topics in food and restaurants. The opposite of a picky eater, she’ll try (almost) anything at least once. Whether it’s chowing down on camel burgers in Morocco or snacking on octopus dumplings in Japan, she’s always up for new food experiences.
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