October 9, 2025
Instagram has become a powerful growth channel for restaurants, where food photography, short videos, and customer moments drive real business visibility. In today’s competitive dining scene, being popular on Instagram often means being discovered by new guests.
And if you didn’t already know, hashtags are the shortcut to Instagram fame. The best restaurant hashtags for Instagram can connect your brand to local diners, trending food conversations, and loyal communities. This article will guide restaurant and franchise owners in choosing hashtags strategically to boost reach, engagement, and long-term growth.
For restaurant owners, visibility is everything, and Instagram remains one of the most effective platforms for attracting attention online. Using the right restaurant hashtags for Instagram ensures your posts are seen by more than just your current followers. Hashtags act like searchable labels, pushing your content into feeds where potential diners are actively exploring new spots to eat.
Customers often browse tags like #TorontoEats or #italianfood when deciding where to dine. By including these location- or cuisine-specific hashtags, restaurants can position themselves directly in front of locals on their phones.
There’s also an important difference between casual and business-driven hashtag use. While a customer might casually tag a photo with #Foodie, a restaurant should use hashtags strategically, combining broad, niche, and location-based tags to maximize visibility, engagement, and ultimately foot traffic. Done right, hashtags become a cost-effective tool for boosting restaurant visibility.
Another way to boost your restaurant’s visibility is by partnering with iOrders. We help you take control of your restaurant’s online presence with tools that make posting, ordering, and engaging with diners simple, so you can focus on creating great experiences.
Not all hashtags serve the same purpose. To enhance your restaurant's visibility and engagement on Instagram, it's essential to know a good variety of options you can use. Below are a few categorized lists of popular and effective hashtags that can help your posts reach a broader audience, attract local diners, and build your brand presence.
Popular tags like #Foodie or #RestaurantLife broaden your reach and connect you with large food-loving communities. Here are some other examples you can use:
These high-traffic hashtags connect your content with a global food-loving community.
Highlight what you serve with tags like #SushiLovers or #VeganToronto, helping niche audiences find you. Below are some more cuisine-specific popular tags on Instagram for restaurants to use:
Using specific cuisine-related hashtags helps attract diners interested in particular types of food.
Local diners often search tags such as #TorontoEats or #VancouverFoodies to discover nearby restaurants. Consult the following list for examples of location-based hashtags you can use:
These hashtags help your posts appear in local searches, attracting nearby customers.
Create a custom tag, like #TasteAtJoes, to build recognition and encourage user-generated content. Here are some suggestions you can refer to:
Encouraging customers to use your branded hashtags can increase engagement and build a community around your restaurant.
Ride the wave of popularity with tags like #PumpkinSpice or #SummerEats2025. Here are some examples of trending hashtags that never go out of style:
Using trending and seasonal hashtags can increase the visibility of your posts when the hype for certain items is at its peak.
Appeal to specific dining moments with tags like #DateNight or #FamilyDinner. Below are some other popular examples of such hashtags that have the potential to connect with your audience:
These hashtags help position your restaurant as a destination for memorable dining experiences.
By combining these categories thoughtfully, restaurants can create a balanced hashtag strategy that boosts visibility, attracts the right audience, and supports long-term Instagram growth.
Knowing the right restaurant hashtags for Instagram is just the first step. True impact comes from understanding how to use them strategically across your posts and campaigns. Hashtags should be integrated into a broader engagement plan, used consistently, in context, and alongside high-quality content that resonates with your audience.
Here are some ways to do that:
Having a clear content plan for the week or month ensures consistency and relevance. Scheduling posts in advance allows you to maintain a cohesive feed and ensures that hashtags are used strategically rather than sporadically.
Plan posts around menu highlights, seasonal dishes, staff spotlights, and behind-the-scenes moments. Include hashtags in every post, such as food photos, social photos, and images of patrons (with permission), to maximize reach.
Example: Pairing a delicious dish photo with relevant cuisine, location, and branded hashtags helps attract both local diners and food enthusiasts.
Partnerships with influencers and food bloggers can amplify your reach. Invite them to try your restaurant, participate in menu tastings, or highlight special events. Encourage them to use your branded restaurant hashtags for Instagram in their posts.
Their followers, often highly engaged locals, can become new diners. Collaborations also provide user-generated content that reinforces your brand presence and adds authenticity to your online identity.
Example: Host a “Chef’s Tasting Night” and invite local food bloggers. Provide them with a unique hashtag, such as #[YourRestaurantName]TastingNight, and ask them to share their experience on Instagram.
Engage your audience with interactive campaigns such as a photo contest, recipe challenge, or seasonal menu feature. Encourage participants to use your branded hashtags to enter.
This not only boosts your restaurant’s visibility but also fosters a sense of community. Highlighting winners on your profile or offering incentives like discounts or free meals motivates participation and keeps your online audience engaged while building loyalty.
Example: Launch a “Best Dish Photo Contest” where customers post a photo of their favorite meal at your restaurant using #[YourRestaurantName]EatsContest.
With a curated mix of planned content, influencer partnerships, and interactive campaigns, your hashtags can do more than tag posts; they can spark real engagement and bring diners through your doors.
It is important to note that choosing the best Instagram hashtags for restaurants isn’t just about copying long lists; it’s about using them with purpose. Strategy is key here, as you don’t want to look like an amateur to the very audience you are trying to reach.
Key best practices include:
1. Optimal Number of Hashtags: Use 5–15 high-quality hashtags per post. Focus on relevance and mix of reach, niche, and local hashtags to maximize discoverability.
2. Placement: Hashtags can go in the caption for immediate visibility or in the first comment for a cleaner aesthetic. Either way, ensure they are included consistently to maintain reach without distracting from your messaging.
3. Mix Broad and Niche Tags: Broad hashtags like #Foodie expose your content to large audiences, while niche or local tags like #TorontoEats attract diners actively searching for specific cuisines or locations. This balance helps target the right audience while staying visible.
4. Consistency: Regular hashtag use builds recognition, signals reliability to Instagram’s algorithm, and keeps your content circulating in relevant feeds. Create reusable hashtag sets for different post types, such as menu updates, promotions, or special events, to save time and maintain consistency.
To maximize your restaurant’s social media impact, you need more than just popular hashtags. To get the most out of your hashtags, you need to take additional steps:
By implementing these advanced tips, restaurants can strategically expand and strengthen their brand on Instagram.
When using Instagram hashtags for restaurants, deploying them incorrectly can limit your reach and even harm engagement. Don’t make these beginner mistakes to make sure your post and pages attract the right audience:
Avoiding these missteps ensures your hashtag strategy supports discoverability, engagement, and tangible growth.
Effective use of hashtags can transform a restaurant’s Instagram presence, helping connect with the local audience, highlight the cuisine, and strengthen the brand. By combining the right mix of hashtags with consistent posting, influencer collaborations, and community-driven campaigns, restaurants can turn social media engagement into real-world visits.
At iOrders, we help restaurants take this visibility further. Our platform allows you to reach your audience across multiple channels, delivering personalized messages and offers that keep guests coming back.
With built-in analytics, you gain first-hand insights into what drives customer behavior, enabling smarter decisions for promotions and engagement. By partnering with iOrders, restaurants can do more with less, boosting online presence, deepening guest relationships, and turning social interactions into meaningful growth.
Want to check out how iOrders can elevate your restaurant’s online presence? Book a free demo today and start turning engagement into growth.
1. Can I reuse the same hashtags for multiple posts?
Yes, repeating top-performing hashtags is fine. However, periodically introducing new hashtags keeps your content fresh, helps reach new audiences, and avoids appearing repetitive.
2. Are hashtags effective in Instagram Stories?
Absolutely. Including hashtags in Stories increases the chance your content appears in hashtag searches and reaches users who don’t yet follow your account, expanding visibility.
3. How do seasonal trends affect hashtag strategy?
Seasonal and event-based hashtags, such as #SummerEats or #ValentinesDaySpecials, can temporarily boost reach. Combining them with your regular hashtags ensures both relevance and long-term discoverability.
4. Should franchise locations use the same branded hashtags?
Branded hashtags should remain consistent across all locations to maintain brand identity. Pair them with location-specific hashtags to engage local audiences without diluting the brand.
5. Do hashtags influence Instagram’s algorithm?
Yes. Hashtags help the algorithm understand your content, making it more likely to appear in searches and suggested posts for users interested in similar topics, ultimately increasing engagement and reach.
