How diners choose now
Before visiting a new restaurant, many Indian diners check Instagram for the vibe and the dishes, Zomato or Swiggy for ratings and menus, and Google Maps for directions and reviews. A restaurant with beautiful food and 150 Instagram followers can look like it opened yesterday, which is enough to send people to the busier place next door.
What we'd order
1. Indian followers on Instagram, typically 1,500 to 4,000 for a single outlet, before opening or a relaunch.
2. Reel views and likes on every new food Reel in its first hour.
3. Facebook page likes if your customers are older or in a smaller city.
4. WhatsApp Channel followers if you post daily specials there.
Never buy reviews
We don't sell Zomato, Swiggy, Google or any other reviews or ratings. Fake reviews mislead diners, platforms remove them, and India's consumer protection rules and the BIS standard on online reviews target them. Ask real customers to review you, and reply to every review, good or bad.
Reels that fill tables
Show the dish being made or served in the first second: a dosa being spread, biryani dum being opened, cheese being pulled. Keep it under 20 seconds, tag the location and the area name, and post Friday evening when people plan weekends.
Local food creators
Invite local food creators for a tasting. Their followers live nearby and trust their recommendations. Make sure their posts are labelled as collaborations under ASCI's guidelines.
Example: a Kochi seafood restaurant
A new seafood restaurant in Fort Kochi opens with an Instagram account of 90 followers. A week before opening, it orders 2,500 Indian followers, and on opening weekend posts a Reel of a karimeen pollichathu being unwrapped with 4,000 views and 200 likes in the first hour. Two Kochi food creators visit and post. By the third weekend, tables are booked, and real followers have overtaken the order.
Delivery-only kitchens
Cloud kitchens live on Swiggy and Zomato, but Instagram still matters for brand building. Post Reels of the food and packaging, and use story links to your ordering page.
WhatsApp for regulars
A WhatsApp Channel for daily specials, festive menus and timings keeps regulars coming back. Put the QR code on tables and bills.
Platform rules
Instagram and Facebook prohibit fake engagement. Keep orders proportionate.
Budget
A few hundred to a couple of thousand rupees before opening, then a small amount per Reel. Top up by UPI; undelivered quantity is refunded automatically.
Google Business Profile
Keep your Google profile updated with photos, timings and the menu, and reply to every review. It's often the first thing people see when they search 'restaurants near me'.
Privacy
We never ask for your Instagram, Facebook, Zomato or Swiggy logins.
Read Insights
See which dishes' Reels got the most saves and shares. Those are often the dishes people come in for; feature them on the menu and in your next Reels.
Getting started
Top up ₹100 by UPI and start with followers a week or two before opening.
Festive and seasonal menus
Diwali sweets, Onam sadya, Ramadan iftar platters, Christmas plum cakes and monsoon specials all drive searches and footfall. Post the menu two weeks ahead as a carousel with prices, follow with a Reel of the dishes being prepared, and add a WhatsApp booking link. Order Reel views on the festive Reel in its first hour.
Respond to every review
Reply to every Google, Zomato and Swiggy review, especially the critical ones, politely and specifically. Diners read responses as much as reviews, and a thoughtful reply to a complaint can win more trust than a five-star rating.