How to make a restaurant promo video that fills tables
A restaurant promo video doesn't need a film crew. The ones that work on Reels, TikTok and Shorts are short and specific, and they're made from photos you can take during a normal shift. This guide covers the whole job: what to promote, how to shoot it, what to put on screen and when to post it.
Promote one thing per video
The most common mistake is trying to show the whole restaurant in fifteen seconds. Pick one reason to come in this week and build the video around it:
- A slow-night special. "Tuesday: two tacos and a drink, $12." A special gives people a reason to pick a night.
- A new dish. A new dish is news, and people share news.
- An event. Live music, trivia, a holiday menu, a room for private parties.
- Happy hour. The days, the hours and the one deal people will remember. (Our happy hour promotion ideas have twelve of them, each with a script.)
If you have three things to say, make three videos. Each is easier to follow, and you get three posts instead of one.
A 15-second structure that works
Most restaurant promos fit in four or five short lines:
- The hook. Name the thing, not the restaurant: "Pancit is back." "Tuesdays just got better."
- The detail. What it is, in plain words: "Garlic noodles, shrimp, crispy shallots."
- The offer, or the when. "Half off, 3 to 6 pm, Monday to Friday."
- The proof. Your best photo of the dish, the room or the crowd.
- The call to action. "Book a table" or "Order ahead", and where: your street or your neighborhood.
On screen, a whole video can be as short as this:
- Tuesdays just got better
- Two tacos + a drink
- $12, all night
- Book a table
Short lines matter because people read them at a glance, often with the sound off. Aim for about five words a line. If a line needs explaining, make it two lines.
Shoot the food like a regular, not a studio
Your phone is enough. A few habits make the difference:
- Use daylight. Shoot by a window before the dinner rush, with the flash off.
- Get close. Fill the frame with the plate. Texture sells: steam, crisp edges, a pull of cheese, a glaze catching the light.
- Shoot a few angles. Straight down for flat food like pizza and bowls; from the side for tall food like burgers, layered desserts and drinks.
- Show hands, not just plates. Pouring, plating, a toast across the table: hands make a photo feel alive. If a guest's face is in the shot, ask them first.
- Take more than you need. Ten photos of one dish give you a choice for the opening and the close.
Hold the phone upright. Vertical photos fill the screen, and that's how nearly everyone will watch.
Photos, clips or both
Photos are the easiest place to start, and a strong promo can be made from photos alone. Add short clips when movement is the point: a pour, a flip in the pan, steam rising off a bowl, a full room on a Friday night. Keep each clip to three to five seconds, hold the phone steady with both hands or against something solid, and shoot in good light. Shaky, dark video looks worse than a sharp photo.
Words on screen: be specific
Specific beats clever. Compare:
- "Great food, great vibes" tells people nothing.
- "Garlic shrimp noodles, $14, Thursdays" tells them what it is, what it costs and when to come.
Show the price if you're proud of it. Use your real hours, your real street and the name your regulars use for the dish. Leave out anything a server would have to explain.
Post it where your guests already are
- Reels, TikTok and Shorts. Post the same vertical video on all three. A 15-second promo suits each of them.
- Your Google Business Profile. Add the video to your profile's photos and videos (Google takes videos up to 30 seconds), so people who find you on Google Maps see what's on.
- Your stories and your pinned post. Pin the current special to the top of your profile until it ends.
- Ads. If a post does well on its own, it's a good candidate for a small local ad.
Post a few days before a special or an event, then again on the day. For a weekly special, keep a video for each one and rotate them.
Learn what works
After a few weeks, look past views. Saves, shares, comments and profile visits tell you which videos made people want to come in. Ask new guests what brought them in, too. Then make more of whatever worked, and retire what didn't.
A week of posts from one shift of photos
Take photos once and you can cover the week:
- Monday: this week's special.
- Wednesday: a new dish, up close.
- Friday: happy hour, with the hours on screen.
- Sunday: the room on a busy night, and "Book for next week."
Make it with Kinetix Promo
Kinetix Promo is built for exactly this. Add your logo and a few photos, pick one of the restaurant promo video templates or type what the video is about, and check every word before anything is made. You get a version in each of our styles, on the beat of original music, ready for Reels, TikTok and Shorts.
Slow-night special
Fill a quiet night with an offer.
- Tuesdays just got better.
- Our pancit, made fresh every morning.
- Second plate half off.
- your business name. North Park.
New on the menu
Show off a new dish or drink.
- New on the menu:
- Maple brown butter latte.
- Espresso, oat milk, a pinch of sea salt.
- Try it this week.