What do diners ask a restaurant on Instagram?
A slow-motion cheese pull or a new tasting menu reel gets "where is this", "do you take reservations", "is there a vegan option", "open Mondays?", "can I book for 12" and "is this still on the menu". The busiest time for those comments is late afternoon and evening, which is exactly when everyone on your team is on the line or on the floor.
Unlike most businesses, a restaurant's lead has a deadline of tonight. "Do you have a table at 8" answered at 11pm is a lost cover.
Which restaurant automations are worth setting up?
Public reply
Booking link sent, see you soon.
DM
Book a table here: [reservation link] We hold a few walk-in tables at the bar every night. Groups of 8 or more, reply GROUP and we'll send the set menu.
Public reply
Full menu is in your DMs.
DM
Here's tonight's menu with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes marked: [menu link] If you have an allergy, tell your server when you order and the kitchen will talk you through it.
Public reply
Sent you the group options.
DM
For groups of 8 to 30 we have the back room and two set menus: [private dining PDF] What date and roughly how many guests? Reply here and our events manager will confirm availability.
Follow up
Just following up on your group booking. Saturdays in December go first, so let us know your date and we'll hold it for 48 hours.
Public reply
You're on the list, check your DMs.
DM
Thursday's supper club is five courses with wine pairings. Tickets: [ticket link] Leave your email and we'll tell you about the next one before it's announced.
How do you set it up for a restaurant?
- 1
Connect the restaurant's account
Through Meta's official login, in about four minutes. The owner or manager who controls the account connects it.
- 2
Set Global Triggers for the daily questions
"Hours", "menu", "parking" and "reservation" get asked on every post. Set them once as Global Triggers and they answer everywhere, including in the inbox.
- 3
Add TABLE to dish and atmosphere reels
Write "Comment TABLE to book" in the caption. Reels are where people who have never eaten with you find you.
- 4
Add Conversation Starters to the inbox
When someone opens your DMs, they see buttons for Book a table, Menu, Hours and Private dining, so nobody has to type a question.
- 5
Collect emails for events
The email collector builds a list for supper clubs and seasonal menus that does not depend on the algorithm.
Which features help restaurants most?
- Comment to DM for reservation links under food reels.
- Story mention replies: when guests tag you in a photo of their dinner, they get a thank-you and a reason to come back, like a dessert on their next visit.
- Story reply automation for "tonight's special" stories: reply DISH and get the reservation link.
- Instagram auto DM for first messages, so the question "are you open" at 10pm still gets your hours.
What should restaurants keep out of automated DMs?
- Allergen safety. A DM can say which dishes are marked gluten-free or vegan, but it should never promise an allergy-safe meal. Send allergy questions to staff who can check with the kitchen on the day.
- Alcohol offers to people who may be underage. If you promote drinks, follow your local rules on alcohol advertising, and keep happy hour codes general rather than targeted.
- Exact availability. The DM sends the reservation link; the booking system knows what is free. Never promise "we have a table at 8" from an automation.
- Stale menus. Seasonal changes mean a menu link in an old automation goes out of date. Use a link that always points at the current menu.
Turn "where is this?" into a booking
Add TABLE to tonight's reel and let the reservation link go out while people are deciding where to eat.
How do you know it is filling tables?
Add a tracking parameter to the reservation link in each automation, such as ?source=ig-table, so your booking system shows which covers came from Instagram DMs. Compare a fortnight with the automation against a fortnight without. For a code-based offer, like a free dessert for guests who tag you, count redemptions at the till. The guide to measuring Instagram DM conversions covers tracking links in more detail.
Watch two numbers over time: how many people commented the keyword, and how many of them booked. If plenty comment but few book, the problem is usually the reservation page (too many steps, no availability shown) rather than the message.
Which plan does a restaurant need?
A single restaurant will rarely come close to the 10,000 DMs a month on Lite, which also includes email capture, follow ups and public comment replies on 1 account. Free is enough to try reservation links with 2,000 DMs. A group with a few sites, each on its own account, fits Boost at 3 accounts or MAX at 5. See the pricing page for the full comparison.
If a dish reel takes off, the viral post DM queue holds the overflow and sends it as fast as Meta allows. The guide to handling a viral Instagram post explains what to expect.