This guide covers the five videos worth making, shot lists for each, the formats every platform expects, how to film on a phone, and how to tell whether a video led to orders instead of just views.
Why video fits restaurants
Food is a sensory product, and a photo can only suggest it. Motion shows steam, a cheese pull, a pour or the crunch of a cut, which is the information a hungry person is looking for. Video also shows the people and the room, which helps a first-time guest picture the visit.
The common obstacle is time, not cameras. The answer is a small repeatable system: a few video types, a shot list for each, and one batch session a week.
The five videos that sell food
You do not need dozens of ideas. These five formats cover most of what a restaurant needs to say, and you can rotate through them for months.
- Dish reveal: one dish, one move. The pour, the cut, the pull, the first forkful. Show the real portion at the end.
- Behind the line: a cook plating, a ticket printing, a pan hitting heat. It proves the food is made fresh and puts a face on the kitchen.
- New item drop: the dish, its name, what is in it and the day it starts. Post it the day before and the day of.
- Offer or order online: a specific deal or a reminder that you take direct orders, with the price, the end time and where to tap.
- Guest moment: a table celebrating or a regular's favorite order, only with the guest's clear consent, never staged with actors.
Shot lists you can copy
Each video uses three to five shots, and each shot is about two to four seconds. The table gives a starting point; adjust it to your kitchen.
Formats and sizes by platform
Film once in vertical and you can reuse the file almost everywhere. Sizes below are the standard pixel dimensions as of October 2026. Maximum lengths and features change, so check each app before you plan a longer cut.
- Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts: 9:16 vertical, 1080 by 1920 pixels. Keep key text and faces away from the very top and bottom, where buttons and captions cover the frame.
- Instagram and Facebook feed: 4:5, 1080 by 1350 pixels, takes up the most room in the scroll.
- Square 1:1, 1080 by 1080 pixels: still accepted nearly everywhere, and a safe choice for ads and older placements.
- Google Business Profile: short clips and photos you add to your listing. Upload the same vertical clip, check the current size limits in the profile editor, and use it for your best-selling dish.
How to make them with a phone
Clean the lens, turn on the grid, and lock exposure by tapping and holding on the plate. Shoot near a window, never under a yellow overhead light, and film the dish within a minute of plating. Prop the phone on a shelf or a cheap tripod so your hands can work.
Capture extra: five seconds of each shot beyond what you need. Record the ambient sound, too. Trim in your phone's editor or a free app, add captions, and export at the highest quality the app allows.
How to make them in Studio
If editing is what stops you, Servestack Studio is built for this. It starts from your name, logo, brand color and menu, and its video workspace has three ways in. From photos turns one dish photo into a dish story video with your menu words on screen, or an AI video that moves the camera around your real photo. From my clips cuts the phone footage you shot into a captioned Reel. Restyle a clip changes the look or camera move of footage you already have.
Each result is saved so you can redo it or make a different version, then post or schedule it to Instagram, Facebook, Google and TikTok. You still choose the dish, approve the final cut and film the people. Studio just removes the editing step.
Captions and hooks
Most viewers decide in the first second or two. Open on the best moment, not a logo. Put the dish name on screen early, because the sound may be off.
In the caption, name the dish, give one concrete detail, and end with a single action. Hooks that work are plain: "The pull on this grilled cheese," "Friday at 7:15 on the pass," "New on the menu tomorrow." Avoid vague superlatives.
How often to post
Two to four videos a week is realistic for a small team, and one a week is better than five followed by silence. Film in one sitting during a slow stretch, edit in a second, and schedule the rest. Alternate types: a dish reveal, something from the kitchen, then an offer.
What to measure
Views show reach but not revenue. Track the chain in order: views, then saves and shares, then profile visits, then link clicks, then orders. Put a unique link to your own ordering page in your bio or caption so orders from video can be counted separately. Once a month, compare your five best videos with your five worst and note the dish, hook and length.
Using AI video honestly
AI can add camera movement, light or motion to a photo you took of a dish you actually serve. That is fine when the plate a guest receives matches it. Do not generate dishes you do not make, invented portions, or fake guests and reviews. If a platform asks for a label on AI-altered media, add it. A simple test: would a guest feel misled when the plate arrives.
| Video type | Length | Shots | End with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dish reveal | 8 to 12 seconds | Close-up of steam or sauce, the cut or pull, wide shot of the full plate | Dish name and where to order |
| Behind the line | 10 to 15 seconds | Ticket printing, pan on heat, plating, plate on the pass | Restaurant name and tonight's hours |
| New item drop | 8 to 12 seconds | Ingredients, finished plate, first bite | Start date and price |
| Offer or order online | 6 to 10 seconds | Best-selling dish, the packed bag or table, a clean text frame | Offer, end time and ordering link |
| Guest moment | 8 to 12 seconds | Table reaction or a regular's usual, with consent | A thank-you and the restaurant name |