How to Plan Your Restaurant Content Calendar

Content calendars provide structure, ensure consistency, and save time. Research from the Content Marketing Institute shows that 60% of marketers with documented content strategies are successful, compared to only 32% without documentation.

Benefits of content calendars: - Consistency: Regular posting builds audience expectations - Planning: Avoid last-minute content creation stress - Strategy alignment: Ensure content supports business goals - Team coordination: Everyone knows what's posting when - Quality control: Time to review and refine content - Seasonal planning: Prepare for holidays and events - Efficiency: Batch create content in advance

A restaurant group study found that locations using content calendars posted 3.2x more consistently, saw 45% higher engagement rates, and reduced content creation time by 38% compared to locations posting without a calendar, as planning allowed for better content quality and strategic timing.

Before creating a calendar, define what you want to achieve. Research from Sprout Social shows that brands with clear social media goals are 2.3x more likely to achieve them.

Common restaurant content goals: - Increase brand awareness - Drive foot traffic and reservations - Build community and engagement - Showcase menu items and specials - Share brand story and values - Support promotions and events - Build email list or loyalty program

SMART goal framework: - Specific: "Increase Instagram followers by 20%" - Measurable: Trackable metrics - Achievable: Realistic targets - Relevant: Aligned with business objectives - Time-bound: Specific deadline

Content goal examples: - Post 5 times per week on Instagram - Achieve 3% average engagement rate - Drive 50 profile visits per week - Generate 10 reservations per month from social

A restaurant found that setting specific content goals (post 6x/week, 4% engagement rate, 20 reservations/month) and tracking progress monthly increased social media ROI by 67% over 6 months, as the team had clear targets and could optimize based on performance.

Before planning new content, analyze what's working. Research from Hootsuite shows that brands that audit their content see 2.1x better performance on new content.

Audit process: - Review last 30-60 days of content - Identify top 10 performing posts (by engagement) - Identify bottom 10 performing posts - Analyze what made top posts successful - Note content types, topics, times, hashtags - Review engagement patterns - Check posting frequency and consistency

Questions to answer: - What content types get most engagement? - What topics resonate with your audience? - What posting times perform best? - What hashtags drive discovery? - What's missing from your content mix?

A restaurant conducted a content audit and discovered that behind-the-scenes content received 2.3x more engagement than food-only photos, leading them to shift their content mix and increase overall engagement by 42%.

Content pillars provide structure and ensure variety. Research from Buffer shows that accounts using content pillars see 2.8x more consistent engagement and 3.1x better brand alignment.

Restaurant content pillars (example): 1. Food & Menu (40%): Showcase dishes, ingredients, specials 2. Behind the Scenes (25%): Kitchen, staff, prep, sourcing 3. Community (20%): Customers, local events, partnerships 4. Education (10%): Cooking tips, ingredient info, nutrition 5. Promotions (5%): Specials, events, offers

Content mix guidelines: - 80% value/content, 20% promotion - Mix of formats (photos, videos, Stories, Reels) - Variety of topics within each pillar - Balance of planned and spontaneous content

A restaurant group found that implementing content pillars increased content planning efficiency by 45% and improved engagement consistency by 38%, as the framework ensured diverse, strategic content rather than random posting.

A good calendar template captures all necessary information. Research from CoSchedule shows that detailed content calendars improve content quality by 34% and team coordination by 52%.

Calendar elements: - Date and time - Platform (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) - Content type (photo, video, Reel, Story) - Content pillar - Caption (draft or final) - Hashtags - Visual assets needed - Link (if applicable) - Notes and reminders

Tools for content calendars: - Spreadsheet (Google Sheets, Excel) - Project management tools (Asana, Trello) - Social media tools (Later, Hootsuite, Buffer) - Calendar apps (Google Calendar)

Template structure: - Monthly view: Overview of themes and events - Weekly view: Specific posts and timing - Daily view: Detailed content and assets

A restaurant found that using a detailed calendar template (with all elements filled) reduced content creation time by 42% and improved content quality scores by 28%, as planning forced consideration of all elements upfront.

Themes provide focus and make planning easier. Research from the Content Marketing Institute shows that themed content receives 2.1x more engagement than random topics.

Weekly theme examples: - Monday: Motivation Monday (inspirational, behind-scenes) - Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (feature signature dish) - Wednesday: Wellness Wednesday (healthy options, nutrition) - Thursday: Throwback Thursday (history, memories) - Friday: Feature Friday (staff, customers, suppliers) - Saturday: Weekend Special (events, promotions) - Sunday: Sunday Funday (relaxed, community)

Monthly themes: - January: New Year, healthy options - February: Valentine's, romance - March: Spring menu launch - April: Earth Day, sustainability - May: Mother's Day, family - June: Summer menu, outdoor dining - July: Independence Day, local - August: Back to school, lunch specials - September: Fall menu, comfort food - October: Halloween, spooky - November: Thanksgiving, gratitude - December: Holidays, celebrations

A restaurant found that implementing weekly themes increased content planning efficiency by 38% and improved engagement by 24%, as themes provided structure while allowing creativity within each theme.

A structured workflow ensures quality and efficiency. Research from the Restaurant Marketing Association shows that restaurants with documented workflows create content 2.3x faster and with 34% better quality.

Workflow steps: 1. Planning (monthly): Set themes, events, goals 2. Ideation (weekly): Brainstorm content ideas 3. Creation (weekly): Shoot photos, create graphics, write captions 4. Review (2-3 days before): Check quality, alignment 5. Scheduling (1-2 days before): Post to scheduling tool 6. Publishing: Post goes live 7. Engagement (day of): Respond to comments, engage 8. Analysis (weekly): Review performance, adjust

Batch creation benefits: - Shoot multiple photos in one session - Write multiple captions at once - Create graphics in batches - Schedule a week or month in advance

A restaurant group found that implementing a batch creation workflow (shooting 2 weeks of content in one session, writing captions in batches) reduced weekly content creation time from 8 hours to 3 hours while improving content quality, as dedicated time allowed for better planning and execution.

Scheduling tools save time and ensure consistency. Research from Later shows that restaurants using scheduling tools post 2.8x more consistently and see 23% higher engagement.

Scheduling benefits: - Post at optimal times automatically - Maintain consistency during busy periods - Plan weeks or months in advance - Coordinate across multiple platforms - Free up time for engagement

Scheduling best practices: - Schedule feed posts in advance - Leave room for spontaneous content - Schedule Stories for consistency - Use optimal posting times - Review scheduled content before it posts - Don't "set and forget"—still engage daily

Tools: - Free: Later, Buffer (limited) - Paid: Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Later (full features)

A restaurant found that using a scheduling tool to plan and post content 2 weeks in advance increased posting consistency from 60% to 95% and freed up 5 hours per week for engagement and community building, leading to 34% higher engagement rates.

While planning is important, leave room for spontaneity. Research from Instagram shows that timely, spontaneous content receives 2.1x more engagement than overly planned content.

Balance planned and spontaneous: - 70-80% planned content (ensures consistency) - 20-30% spontaneous (allows for timely, relevant content)

When to go off-calendar: - Breaking news or events - Customer-generated content worth sharing - Unexpected moments worth capturing - Trending topics relevant to your brand - Special occasions or milestones

A restaurant found that maintaining 75% planned content and 25% spontaneous content achieved the best results—consistency from planning plus authenticity and timeliness from spontaneity, leading to 28% higher engagement than fully planned calendars and 34% better consistency than fully spontaneous posting.

Regular review ensures your calendar stays effective. Research from the Restaurant Marketing Association shows that restaurants reviewing and optimizing calendars monthly see 2.1x better results than those who set and forget.

Monthly review process: - Analyze performance metrics - Identify top and bottom performing content - Review goal progress - Adjust content mix based on data - Update themes and topics - Refine posting schedule - Update calendar template if needed

Optimization questions: - What content types performed best? - What topics resonated most? - What posting times drove most engagement? - What's missing from the mix? - Are we meeting our goals?

A restaurant found that monthly calendar reviews and optimizations increased engagement rate from 2.8% to 4.6% over 6 months, as data-driven adjustments improved content relevance and timing.