In an increasingly competitive culinary landscape, restaurants are finding that a compelling menu is no longer enough to attract diners. A new trend is sweeping kitchens across France – and the globe – as chefs increasingly turn to platforms like Instagram and TikTok to showcase their creations and connect with potential customers. With over 407,000 dining establishments in France alone as of 2024, restaurants are discovering that a strong social media presence can be as vital as a skilled kitchen team.
From Taylor Swift covers to YouTubers tackling marathons, adorable dogs to viral challenges… and now, chefs. Scrolling through social media, you’re increasingly likely to stumble upon videos featuring restaurants, where the chef has traded their toque for a tripod. Because these days, according to marketing consultant Sandrine Doppler, “what brings the customer to the restaurant is Instagram and TikTok. It’s the first point of entry and the primary reason people decide to visit.”
“What’s on the plate isn’t enough anymore,” echoes Nicolas Molina, director of Gault et Millau, a gastronomic guide comparable to Michelin. “A restaurant now *has* to know how to communicate. Videos are now an integral part of the ‘magical moment,’ the customer experience, and promotion.” Molina recounts how talented chefs who haven’t embraced the digital world have seen their revenue suffer, while establishments with less impressive cuisine but strong online presence have thrived.
“Without it, you’ll have a hard time existing”
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The restaurant market has become fiercely competitive, and every promotional tool is essential. France boasted 407,000 dining establishments in 2024, a 12.7% increase over five years. The competition is particularly intense in major cities: Paris has one restaurant for every 82 residents, Bordeaux 103, Nice 105, and Toulouse 145. With such density, relying on a tourist stumbling upon a restaurant is no longer a viable strategy.
“Without a media-savvy chef or a strong concept, you’ll have a hard time existing,” asserts Benoît Piante, co-founder and CEO of Bonaloi. His collection of restaurants – Orgueil, Envie le Banquet, Colère – offers the immersive experiences that today’s consumers crave, and benefits from the popularity of chef Eloi Spinnler. Spinnler gained a following on social media after appearing (and famously botching an omelet alongside a competitor) in a video by Squeezie. Now, thanks to the support of France’s second-most-popular YouTuber, the chef has amassed 700,000 social media followers.
Creating this content isn’t quick. Expect a full workday to shoot 3-4 shorts and a longer-form video, followed by a week to a month for editing. It’s time-consuming, but worthwhile. “15 to 20% of our customers come to us because of social media,” Piante calculates. He’s certain that without the videos, the restaurants would have filled up, but much more slowly. Online popularity allows restaurants to bypass decades of building a culinary reputation and achieve success in months.
This trend is particularly relevant as culinary concepts can be fleeting. “They lose their appeal after a few years,” warns Sandrine Doppler. The 1,457 coffee shops in urban centers are already showing signs of fatigue, sushi vendors are becoming less common, and poke bowls are waning in popularity. 7,200 restaurants close their doors each year, and a third of establishments that opened since 2019 haven’t survived two years. So, to keep the momentum going, video is key.
“Better no videos than bad videos”
However, there are caveats. “The worst thing for a restaurant is to have bad videos,” stresses Sandrine Doppler. Many chefs now hire professionals – community managers, video editors – to handle their online presence. Nicolas Molina also emphasizes the importance of consistency: “There needs to be a connection between the video and the food that follows, or it won’t last… You can fool a customer once, but they won’t return.”
So, what’s the recipe for success? Benoît Piante shares his ingredients: Eloi Spinnler always appears in the first frame of a video, ensuring that scrolling viewers stop on a recognizable face. Beyond that? “The visual aesthetic needs to be polished, the message clear and concise, and the editing dynamic yet understandable…”
It’s not rocket science, says Jean Covillault, a former contestant on Top Chef with 53,000 Instagram followers. He also occasionally steps away from the kitchen to film videos showcasing his pop-up restaurant concepts. “The first videos were all shot and edited by me. Now, everyone can easily learn – there are plenty of tutorials and user-friendly software available.”
Both video production and cooking require similar qualities: “It takes creativity to innovate, to experiment, and, like cooking, the more you work at it, the more you’ll find your style and what you enjoy.” Covillault, however, resists being labeled an influencer: “I cook. The videos are just a supplement. And frankly, they’re not yet professional quality.”
“Even with the best videos in the world…”
Humble, or aware that the most important element lies elsewhere. While he’s embraced the digital world, Jean Covillault believes that cooking remains – thankfully – paramount. “If a restaurant is bad, it will eventually fail, more slowly without videos… but it will fail nonetheless. Video gets people in the door, but it doesn’t bring them back.” The numbers prove it: to be a successful neighborhood restaurant with 30 seats, open five days a week, “you just need to find 150 hyper-loyal customers who come once a week. And that’s achievable. But if customers don’t return, good luck attracting new people, even with the best videos in the world.”
And don’t put the cart before the bourguignon: “If a young chef is just starting out, I’d advise them to focus entirely on the cooking before showcasing it on social media.” The director of Gault et Millau assures that he still visits establishments with zero followers and nothing “Instagrammable” and discovers “magical dishes.”
