Beyond the Plate – How Social Media is Reshaping Restaurant Design and Dining
Category
Insights
Time to read
5 MIN
Written by
Social F&B Consulting
The New
Visual Currency
In today’s digital age, a restaurant’s impact is increasingly tied to its “Instagrammability.” As F&B design consultants, we’ve witnessed firsthand how social media has transformed from a marketing tool to a core design consideration. The key is authentic integration – creating spaces that are both photogenic and functional, memorable and comfortable.
Fashion Branded Eateries – When Brands Create Experiential Luxury
Luxury fashion brands are redefining dining experiences. Establishments like Ralph Lauren’s The Polo Bar, Maison Kitsuné’s Desa Kitsuné Bali, and Le Café by Louis Vuitton demonstrate how brand identity can transcend traditional marketing. These venues blend high-end design with gourmet cuisine, creating immersive environments that patrons are eager to share online. From beautiful dishes served on recognizable branded plateware, interiors that serve as perfect Instagram backdrops, and an experience that caters to loyal luxury customers, aspirational luxury diners, and social media-savvy guests will generate mass organic publicity online.
Image credits: Desa Kitsuné Bali; Louis Vuitton
Big Mamma Group – Where Social Media Hype Meets Reality
Renowned for their vibrant Italian eateries, Big Mamma Group has achieved remarkable social media success through a nuanced approach. Their financial results tell a compelling story – turnover nearly doubled from approximately £26 million in 2022 to £40 million in 2023, largely driven by their social media strategy.The secret? An authentic brand persona that seamlessly transitions between online platforms and physical restaurant spaces. Their whimsical interiors, over-the-top crockery and glassware, and unique service mindset create an inherently Instagrammable experience that encourages guests to become organic content creators.
Image Credit: Big Mamma Group
Sketch London – The Art of Experiential and Theatrical Spaces
Since 2003, Sketch London has evolved into an Instagram sensation by meticulously blending art, design, and culinary experiences. Their approach proves that aesthetics and experience are as crucial as food in modern hospitality. The restaurant’s most famous feature – futuristic, egg-shaped restroom pods with multicolored neon ceiling panels – has become a social media phenomenon in its own right.
Unlike traditional restaurants, Sketch London features multi-themed, ever-evolving interiors divided into distinct rooms. Each space offers a unique visual and experiential concept, encouraging repeat visits and ensuring a constant stream of diverse social media content.
Image Credit: Sketch London
Beyond
Aesthetics
Smart operators are integrating social media into the entire dining experience, enhancing engagement through thoughtful service rituals and interactive elements:
The Rise of “Waitographers” – Staff as Content Creators
Recognizing the power of user-generated content (which consumers find 9.8 times more impactful than influencer content), some restaurants are training staff to help guests capture perfect shots. The UAE’s Waitographer programme, launched in 2022 with photographer Roger Moukarzel, provides staff with special certificates and badges after teaching them tips, tricks, and techniques for ensuring that they are generating high-value content with the guests.
Image Credit: Hilton
Limited-Time Installations – The FOMO Effect in Action
Creating a sense of exclusivity and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), restaurants are designing limited-time experiences that amplify social media buzz that encourage guests to seek out these offerings. The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok’s collaboration with HBO’s The White Lotus exemplifies this, offering a themed Afternoon Tea experience with ethereal white lotus installations, dramatic art pieces along with themed OS&E and curated menu.
Image Credit: Four Seasons Thailand
Camera Worthy Signature Rituals – Turning Dining into a Performance
Restaurants can elevate the dining experience with theatrical, camera-ready service rituals that spark conversations online. At Cocktail Stand Furek, the cocktail experience is transformed into a hyper-local, artisanal ritual. Cocktails are crafted using underground water sourced from a well dug on the premises, infused with a selection of 150 varieties of flavored water, making each drink a unique and lab-like experience. Mott 32’s signature Peking Duck ritual goes beyond tableside carving – the experience is heightened by the ritualistic preparation of its signature sauce. Meanwhile, at CATCH Restaurant, the famous “Hit Me” Chocolate Cake is designed for impact – when struck with a spoon, molten layers cascade down in a visually stunning, drool-worthy moment. These curated rituals don’t just elevate the guest experience, they turn diners into content creators and brand ambassadors amplifying a restaurant’s presence though social media engagement.
Image Credit: Catch LA; Cocktail Stand FUREK
The Business
Impact
In today’s digital landscape, social media isn’t just a marketing tool—it’s a key driver of restaurant success and directly impacts the bottom line. With 90% of consumers researching restaurants online before dining (72% specifically on social media), establishments that create visually engaging, shareable experiences are turning customers into brand ambassadors.
This goes beyond aesthetics. Restaurants with social savvy staff, unique service rituals, and limited-time pop-ups see measurable gains in organic reach and customer acquisition. When combined with engaging and timely online interaction, these strategies drive up to a 40% increase in customer spending.
The impact is clear: 22% revisit a restaurant due to its compelling social media presence, and 32% of diners visit a restaurant’s website after social media exposure, often leading to bookings.
The demographic shift is undeniable—99% of Gen Z and Millennials use social media to discover dining destinations, far outpacing Baby Boomers. Forward-thinking operators are leveraging this by integrating photo-worthy moments, pop-up installations, and interactive elements that encourage organic sharing—effectively transforming user-generated content into high-impact, low-cost marketing.
The Future
of Dining
The lines between hospitality, entertainment, and digital culture are more intertwined than ever. Successful restaurants now recognize that shareable moments are not just about design, but about creating holistic, immersive experiences that resonate both in-person and online.
Instagrammability is no longer just an aesthetic choice – it’s a strategic business imperative.
References:
- The Drinks Business. (2024). Big Mamma cites social media buzz as reason for strong profits. Retrieved from https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2024/10/big-mamma-cites-social-media-buzz-as-reason-for-strong-profits
- (2024). Campaign of the Week: Hilton – Waiters’ Smartphone Photography. Retrieved from https://www.contagious.com/news-and-views/campaign-of-the-week-hilton-waiters-smartphone-photography
- (n.d.). Restaurants Social Media Statistics. Retrieved from https://profiletree.com/restaurants-social-media-statistics
- Menu Tiger. (2025). Restaurant Social Media Statistics in 2025. Retrieved from menutiger.com
- Electro IQ. (2025). Restaurant Social Media Statistics and Facts (2025). Retrieved from com