Restaurant Hashtags for Everyday Posts, Special Occasions, and Everything in Between

If you’re in the restaurant business, it’s a must to stay up-to-date on the latest restaurant hashtags, particularly those related to food. Food continues to be among the most photographed subjects on Instagram, which makes food-related hashtags among the most widely used on the platform, as well. Foodstagramming has become a wildly popular practice, so much so that taking photos of one’s food before actually digging into it — whether at home or at a restaurant — is now part of most people’s meal routine. To successfully promote your business on Instagram and other social media platforms, your food must not only be pleasing to the taste buds but also aesthetically appetizing — and, therefore, good enough to be Instagrammed.

Hashtags for restaurants: Instagram and food culture

Why is it important to be well-versed in restaurant hashtags? Because “food is really OG Instagram,” according to CJ Hernandez, Partner Solutions Manager, Publisher & Lifestyle Partnerships, at Instagram.

There used to be a time when beautiful food photography was only available in food magazines and recipe books. These days, almost everyone has become an expert in the art of plating, table setting, and food preparation — all for the sake of foodstagramming.

In his interview with Forbes for Instagram’s 10th anniversary last 2020, Hernandez also says, “When we think back to the early days of Instagram, food was one of the original popular interest areas on the platform. In those early days, all the food content was beautiful photos of food. Now we see people putting themselves and their personality at the forefront of this content.”

These days, Instagram’s impact on food culture has evolved to include community building, particularly around niche trends in the food space. For restaurant establishments, tapping into the potential of food niche communities to help drive business can give them an added advantage for further business growth not only on the platform, but also in the real world.

Staying up-to-date on the latest restaurant hashtags related to food allows restaurateurs to explore various opportunities to improve their audience targeting on the platform; their overall social media marketing strategy; and even how they plan their menus and prepare each meal so that they serve food that’s not only delicious but also Instagram-worthy and follows the hottest hashtag trends.

General restaurant hashtags for feed posts and food hashtags for Instagram reels

Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but the ideal number according to various surveys is between 11 and 15. The key is to use a mixture of general restaurant hashtags with a high volume of use and ultra-specific ones that are most relevant to your content. This way, you’ll be targeting a broad enough audience, as well as users with more distinguishing tastes, pun intended. Here are 50 of the most popular general hashtags you can use for your restaurant audience and how many times they have been posted so far.

1. #food 490M+
2. #foodporn 290M+
3. #foodie 220M+
4. #instafood 220M+
5. #yummy 190M+
6. #party 180M+
7. #healthy 180M+
8. #coffee 150M+
9. #delicious 140M+
10. #vegan 120M+
11. #dinner 120M+
12. #foodstagram 100M+
13. #breakfast 100M+
14. #foodstagram 100M+
15. #lunch 100M+
16. #foodphotography 99M+
17. #yum 92M+
18. #cafe 85M+
19. #foodblogger 74M+
20. #dessert 73M+
21. #wine 70M+
22. #foodlover 69M+
23. #foodgasm 65M+
24. #pizza 63M+
25. #cooking 56M+
26. #restaurant 53M+
27. #eat 53M+
28. #drinks 51M+
29. #foodpics 48M+
30. #cleaneating 48M+
31. #delivery 46M+
32. #bar 44M+
33. #hotel 39M+
34. #chef 38M+
35. #hungry 35M+
36. #cocktails 34M+
37. #brunch 34M+
38. #vegetarian 34M+
39. #pasta 31M+
40. #burger 24M+
41. #foodblog 23M+
42. #delish 23M+
43. #nomnom 21M+
44. #gourmet 21M+
45. #foodlovers 19M+
46. #gastronomia 19M+
47. #happyhour 18M+
48. #recipe 15M+
49. #foodstyling 14M+
50. #foodart 11M+

But first, let me take a pic: Lunch hashtags and dinner hashtags

Whether or not you have lunch or dinner specials, posting about these specific mealtimes targets a whole new demographic for your restaurant. Use some of these lunch hashtags and dinner hashtags to reach the right audience.

1. #dinner 120M+
2. #lunch 100M+
3. #healthyfood 100M+
4. #beer 81M+
5. #dessert 73M+
6. #wine 70M+
7. #pizza 63M+
8. #tasty 63M
9. #healthyeating 42M+
10. #hungry 35M+
11. #sushi 34M+
12. #pasta 31M+
13. #burger 24M+
14. #seafood 22M+
15. #nomnom 21M+
16. #datenight 20M+
17. #lunchtime 15M+

More restaurant hashtag ideas: location hashtags, brand hashtags, and promotional or event hashtags

Here are top restaurant hashtag ideas to complete your hashtag targeting strategy. Make sure to include location hashtags and branded hashtags in your caption, as well as promotional or event hashtags when applicable.

Location hashtags for your restaurant

You can add your restaurant’s location to any popular restaurant hashtag to target people in the area or who are looking in your area, or use a location to describe the type of food featured in your post. Take note that you should use both the general hashtag as it is and the same hashtag with your location attached to it. You can also use a general location, such as a country, and a more specific one, such as your city or a popular food destination, if you’re located in one. Here are some examples.

• #Italiancuisine
• #Frenchcooking
• #Phillycafe
• #NYrestaurant
• #LAeats
• #Chicagopizza
• #Brooklyndelivery
• #Japanesefood

Don’t forget to add your business to Google Maps to make it easier for your customers to find you!

Branded restaurant hashtags

Branded restaurant hashtags are a must if you want to strengthen brand awareness on Instagram and other social media platforms. Your branded hashtag should be included in all your posts to familiarize your followers with it and popularize its use. You should also encourage your customers to use your branded hashtag and to tag your business and location when they share photos featuring your restaurant and food on social media. Take note that since customers can easily tag your business using your IG handle, your branded hashtag can also be something other than your actual business name, such as a hashtag for your restaurant’s loyalty program. Check out these brand hashtags of popular food establishments.

• #Randys
• #outbacksteakhouse
• #StarbucksReserve
• #SubwaySeriesMenu
• #MyRedLobsterRewards
• Denny’s #EndlessBreakfast
• KFC’s #FLG
• Burger King’s #BKFingerMeals

Contest, promotion, and event hashtags

If you’ll be running a contest or promotion, this would be the best time to insert your branded restaurant hashtag, location hashtag, and event, holiday, or other specific hashtags related to your business. For contests, always ask participants to use your branded hashtag and contest hashtags in their entries. For holidays and various national days/months of celebration (such as #CincoDeMayo, #breastcancerawarenessmonth, NationalChickenWingDay, and #NationalFriendshipDay), don’t forget to create a post or contest to be part of the trend. Check out the examples below.

1. #[YourRestaurant] contest
2. #[YourRestaurant]win
3. #[YourRestaurant]giveaway
4. #[YourRestaurant]sweepstakes
5. #win
6. #contest
7. #competition
8. #giveaway
9. #contestentry
10. #sweepstakes
11. #PrideMonth
12. #LunarNewYear
13. #thanksgiving
14. #halloweencontest
15. #NationalDonutDay

Boost your restaurant hashtag use with an enhanced guest WiFi experience

“Where do you want to eat?” is a question people all over the world ask several times a day, every day. When you’re running a restaurant, you’d want your customers to always have top-of-mind awareness of your establishment when this question pops up. You can achieve this just by using the right combination of restaurant hashtags.

The endless stream of food-related posts on Instagram means the platform is super-saturated with food-related hashtags. How can you stand out? Combine a well-crafted hashtag strategy and delectable food photography with an even more enjoyable dining experience for your guests.

A sure way to improve your customers’ dining experience and boost your reputation is by giving them enhanced guest WiFi access. Choose a fully customizable WiFi system, such as Beambox, that works to your advantage and gives you end-to-end control of the guest WiFi experience exactly the way you want.

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Beambox is an all-in-one WiFi solution that accomplishes all of the above and more. We have an existing client base of over 3,000 venues, and our customizable WiFi marketing solutions have been used in impressive and rewarding ways. You can drive sales with time-sensitive deals and promos for your restaurant, boost social engagement through Instagram or Facebook contests, and climb up on online ranking platforms through real-time customer reviews. Accelerate your business growth — start your Beambox free trial today!

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