Here's the short answer: a great restaurant shoot is mostly prep. Pick the 5 to 8 dishes that actually sell, schedule the shoot for a slow window with good light, have the kitchen plate everything the way it goes to a guest, and walk in with a shot list. Do that and one shoot can feed your Instagram, TikTok and Google profile for weeks.
We shoot in restaurants all over Palm Beach County, and the shoots that go best always look the same before the camera even comes out. Here's the playbook.
Pick your dishes like you're building a menu, not a museum
Don't try to shoot the whole menu. Pick the plates that pay the bills and the ones people already post about.
Your best sellers. Google's own photo tips for Business Profiles say to showcase the food items that are most popular for your business. Same logic works on Instagram.
One or two "wow" plates. The tower, the flaming cocktail, the cheese pull. These become your Reel hooks.
Something seasonal. With season here, a holiday special or new cocktail gives you a reason to post right now.
Drinks. A cocktail being poured is some of the easiest content you'll ever get.
Five to eight items is the sweet spot. More than that and the kitchen gets slammed and everything starts looking rushed.
Schedule the shoot around light and traffic
The best time is usually the slow window between lunch and dinner. The kitchen has breathing room, the dining room is quiet, and you've still got daylight coming through the windows. If you want that busy, buzzing dinner energy, plan a second short session once service picks up and shoot the room, not the plates.
If you've got a patio, ask about golden hour. South Florida sunsets do half the work for you.
Get the room camera ready
Walk your space like a guest seeing it for the first time. Then fix the little stuff:
Wipe tables, glass and menus. The camera sees every smudge.
Clear clutter off the bar, host stand and windowsills.
Turn on every light and every candle you'd have on during a busy night.
Have a few clean, matching plates and glasses set aside just for the shoot.
Know which tables have the best light, so food goes straight there.
Prep the kitchen and the team
Tell your chef the plan a few days ahead. Each dish should be plated exactly how it goes out to a guest, because that's what people will expect when they show up. Food looks best in the first minute or two, so fire one dish at a time instead of everything at once.
And loop in your staff. Your bartender shaking a drink or your chef finishing a plate is way more interesting than food sitting on a table. People want to see who's behind the counter. Just make sure anyone on camera is cool with it.
Bring a shot list (here's ours)
A shot list keeps the day moving and makes sure you leave with a mix of content, not 200 versions of the same burger. Here's a simple one:
Hero photos of each dish, shot flat and from a slight angle.
Action clips: the pour, the sizzle, the cut, the garnish going on.
Vertical video for Reels and TikTok. Hootsuite's Reels guide recommends 1080 x 1920 (a 9:16 ratio), and notes the feed preview crops to 4:5, so keep the good stuff in the middle of the frame.
The room: exterior, entrance, dining room, bar and patio.
People: the team at work and guests enjoying the place (with their OK).
Behind the scenes: prep, setup, the chef tasting a sauce. These make great Stories.
Shoot the room and the outside of the building too. Google's guidance for Business Profiles suggests at least three exterior photos (from each direction customers approach), three interior photos and three food or drink photos. That way your Google profile gets fresh photos out of the same shoot.
Plan how you'll use it before you shoot
The biggest mistake we see is a great shoot that ends up sitting in a folder. Before the shoot, sketch out where everything is going:
Reels and TikToks from the action clips.
Carousels from the hero photos (great for menus and "what to order" posts).
Stories from the behind the scenes stuff.
Google Business Profile photos, updated with the new food, interior and exterior shots.
Website, menus and ads with the best stills.
One solid half day of shooting, planned this way, can cover a few weeks of posts. That's the whole point.
FAQ
How long does a restaurant photo and video shoot take?
For 5 to 8 dishes plus the room and a few action clips, plan on a few hours. Add time if you want both a daytime session and dinner service energy.
What's the best time of day to shoot restaurant content?
The slow window between lunch and dinner is usually best. The kitchen isn't slammed, you get natural light, and the dining room is easy to style.
Do I need photos and video, or just one?
Both. Video powers Reels and TikTok, and photos work for carousels, menus, your website and your Google Business Profile. Shooting both on the same day saves you a second setup.
Can I just shoot everything on my phone?
For quick Stories and day to day posts, yes. For your menu, website and Google profile, it's worth having pro photos that are sharp and well lit. Google's own photo guidelines ask for photos that are in focus, well lit and represent reality.
Want a shoot that actually gets used?
We're So Chill Media, a social media marketing and content production team based in West Palm Beach. We plan, shoot and edit photo and video for restaurants and local businesses around Palm Beach County, then turn it into posts that actually go out. If you've got a shoot coming up (or you've been meaning to book one), reach out and we'll help you plan it.