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We are all familiar with that little dance people do around their table when a new dish comes in at a café or restaurant, the struggle to get that perfect picture, in the right angle with adequate lighting. Food influencers, reviewers as well as recipe curators have become a large part of social media. So much, that they are even instrumental in many viral trends these days such as the Dalgona Coffee, or a three-step recipe for making the cookie from Squid Game.

 

Some even go so far to call food, the king of social media. There are more than 380 million food related hashtags on Instagram. From photo-sharing to food reviews online, one thing is definite, social media has a great influencer on the F&B industry. Recent research conducted by Hootsuite, indicates that more than 70 percent of consumers base their buying decisions on what they see on social media.
In a matter of seconds, a review shared on social media can have a major impact in the sales and revenue of a restaurant. Baba ka Dhaba from North India is one such example of a street seller becoming viral on Instagram due to a food review online. From earning not more than 80 INR in a day, the video went viral with more than 80,000 views and resulted in long lines waiting to eat from this small eatery.

 

Making the food look pretty, through interesting plating choices or naming the dishes in a fun way are some methods restaurants use these days to enhance the user experience. Research indicates that 69% of millenials take a picture of their food before they eat it, and hence ensuring the food is ‘Insta-worthy’ is now something restaurant and café owners need to take a note of.

 

Through Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, Restaurants today can completely re-imagine their marketing strategy. Through online competitions and giveaways, to constant interaction with their audience, restaurants can now have a good grasp on the likes and preferences of their audience and a much quicker response to customer queries as well as complaints.
Food is no longer the sole aspect of a restaurant’s success. Whether the café or restaurant is ‘instagrammable’ or not is now a key aspect in the decision-making process for Gen-Z and Millennials when trying out a new restaurant. Providing an experience to the customer, which makes them want to share with their peers on social media is what F&B Sector is trying to do more of through thematic cafes such as the Forever Rose Café in Dubai, famous for its 2 D décor.

 

Platforms like Zomato and Yelp, where you can review restaurants, are forcing those in the F&B sector to sit up and listen to what their customers have to say about their services. Being more attentive to the customer reviews, responding actively to reviews, whether it is positive or negative, is a common practice.

 

Whether restaurant owners like social media or not, it’s influence on the F&B sector is undeniable. Social media is going to be here for the long haul and the sooner they embrace it, they will be able to control as well as shape the narrative around their brand, and thus, stay ahead of their competition.