Restaurant Food Photography: An essential ingredient to whet your appetite

My experience tells me that high-quality food photographs and micro-videos published on restaurant social profiles do more than just look good; they actively boost audience interaction. Not only do they increase likes and positive comments on social networks, but they also attract more diners to the restaurant.

It’s a proven fact: food photography whets the appetite and attracts customers.

Recently, a manager from a Barcelona restaurant I work with shared an interesting story. They now frequently receive tourists, particularly from Asia, who show the restaurant’s Instagram profile photos and point to the dishes they want to try without even asking to see the menu!

Marco Zouvek Photography. Almejas El Pescadito de Mandri Restaurante. Especialidad pescado y marisco, Barcelona.

The way we choose what to eat has changed.

Restaurants must go beyond well-designed menus that are free of spelling mistakes and available in multiple languages. They must invest in excellent food photographs and videos that highlight their cuisine and know how to publish compelling content on their social networks.

Photos of dishes create expectations and are the perfect hook. Seeing the vibrant colors and textures of foods triggers the imagination and sparks the desire to taste them.

Here are two fundamental reasons why a restaurant with an excellent gastronomic offering must also provide appetizing photographs and videos on its website and social networks:

1. Decision-Making on mobile devices: Mobile phones are increasingly used to make dining decisions. They are ideal for tracking down where to eat, and the choice is often influenced by the visual impact of food photographs on the establishment’s website or social channels.
2. Brief attention spans: The time spent looking at an image is increasingly short, perhaps only around 6 seconds (and that might be generous). Therefore, photos must be meticulously crafted to capture attention immediately.

Since technological development does not yet allow photographs to transmit aromas (though we may get there someday), we must leverage all available resources to attract new audiences. This is why having a professional photographer as part of the kitchen team has become a necessity for many restaurants.

Photography isn’t made by the camera; it’s crafted through the experience and vision of the photographer. Professionals know that to achieve public interaction and interest, they must put all their equipment and talent into the project. Because in the end, it’s about communicating.

My day-to-day life revolves around this: researching tools, reading customer opinions, consulting results, and staying curious about what other professionals are doing. And, of course, taking risks.