TableCheck has integrated its platform with Instagram and Facebook, allowing restaurants to easily add a "Reserve" button to their business page to streamline and boost bookings. Here are simple steps and tips to utilize this powerful tool to market your business.

Why do I need Instagram for my business?

Social media is now an essential tool for businesses to succeed. For the Food & Beverage industry, it is not only a place to showcase products and services but also to reach and engage with loyal customers and attract new guests. On average, users spend around 30 minutes per day, and over 80% of users rely on the platform to help make decisions to purchase a product or service. The convenience, simplicity, and power of reach using the platform make it a fundamental tool for business owners to succeed.

Simple steps to add a “Reserve” button to Instagram

First, a TableCheck account is necessary. If the restaurant is not on TableCheck today, click at the top of this page to request a demo. TableCheck is the market-leading solution to receive and manage restaurant reservations. It can integrate these reservations for Facebook and Instagram with no additional cover fees.

Then, open up the Instagram app on your smartphone and:

1. Tap ‘Edit Profile’ on your Instagram business page

2. Scroll down and tap ‘Action Buttons’

3. Select ‘Reserve’

4. Select TableCheck as a Partner

5. Log into TableCheck

6. Tap ‘Done’

7. A ‘Reserve’ button should now be visible on your Instagram home screen.

Facebook may be connected from your Facebook Business Page following a similar flow. Detailed instructions can be found in the TableCheck Help Center.

Post consistently and accurately

Average Instagram business accounts post new content at least once a day. The Instagram algorithm prioritizes recency - the newer the post, the higher it will be displayed on the newsfeed. The best times to post are at 9:00 am, between 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, and at 8:00 pm, according to a study. These are the times most people are eating, are on breaks, and browsing on their phones.

These are the times most people are eating, are on breaks, and browsing on their phones.

There are a few common tricks that the most successful restaurant Instagram pages follow:

1. Include relatable images – mouth-watering food, welcoming staff members, beautiful atmosphere

2. Capture images with different angles and aesthetics

3. Consider lighting when capturing images of your restaurant space

Get creative with your hashtags

With more than 2 billion users now on Instagram, it is crucial to post and tag the right content for your business to reach the right audience. Instagram now penalizes users who reuse the same hashtags for their posts. Many free and paid hashtag generators help attract the right audience to your business.

Here are 5 popular hashtags for restaurants:

• #food (456M related posts)

• #foodie (195M related posts)

• #foodstagram (95.9M related posts)

• #yummy (180M related posts)

• #pizza (56M related posts – and the most Instagrammed food in the world)

Images are everything

Instagram is highly visual: users will decide to visit your page based on the quality and relevance of your photos. Invest time to study the images that restaurants with large followings are posting. Here are a few proven tricks:

1. Include authentic, relatable images: mouth-watering food, welcoming staff members, beautiful atmosphere, etc.

2. Consider how your presentation, environment, and color scheme match your brand and hashtags. For example, if you are #organic, perhaps you'd use earthenware plates against a wood table.

3. Capture images with different angles and aesthetics. Utilize tools such as VSCO or Snapseed to edit your images.

4. Use appropriate lighting when capturing images of your restaurant space. It may be worth consulting an experienced photographer.

Social media engagement is just one of the 100+ ways TableCheck helps restaurant operators better connect with their guests. Drop us a line–we're glad to discuss how to take your business to the next level.