Restaurant social media is now part of the marketing strategy for 82% of U.S. restaurants, according to 2024 data. Diners use it to discover venues, judge food and atmosphere, follow restaurants, and sometimes decide whether to book. The most useful statistics show a mixed channel: search engines remain important, while platform discovery and social proof are especially influential for younger diners.
Contents
- Restaurant social media reach and discovery
- Platform discovery by diner age
- What restaurant content influences visits
- Engagement, follows, and influencer effects
- Social media booking and conversion behavior
- What operators say performs best
Restaurant social media reach and discovery
Social media is a mainstream restaurant marketing channel in the United States. In 2024, 82% of U.S. restaurants used social media as part of their marketing strategy. The measure describes adoption, not the amount spent or the quality of execution. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Diners still divide their discovery behavior between social platforms and search. In a Toast survey measured July 15, 2024, 42% of surveyed U.S. social-media users preferred social media over search engines for discovering new restaurants. Conversely, 58% preferred search engines over social media. These figures describe stated preferences, so they should not be read as a share of all restaurant visits. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Facebook was the leading social discovery platform in that survey: 59% of surveyed U.S. social-media users used it most to discover new restaurants. Instagram was the leading platform for 19%, while TikTok was the leading platform for 17%. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Other U.S. measures point to continued local discovery value. In a 2025 industry survey, 76% of U.S. consumers said social media was a good way to learn about restaurants in their area. This is a consumer perception measure, not a statistic about operator adoption. National Restaurant Association, “2025 State of the Restaurant Industry Pocket Guide”
A 2026 Toast roundup reported that social media played a role in restaurant discovery for 50% of U.S. diners, rising to 56% among urban diners and falling to 42% among rural diners. The roundup labels this as a cited Toast diner measure; it should not be silently treated as a 2026 survey. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
The U.K. data shows similar influence. SevenRooms reported in 2024 that 46% of U.K. consumers had tried restaurants because of social media. In an older 2022 SevenRooms study, 24% of U.K. consumers said a restaurant going viral would make them more likely to visit. That rose to 47% among Gen Z diners. SevenRooms, “2024 U.K. Restaurant Diner Trends and Expectations Report” SevenRooms, “Capturing the Social Generation”
Platform discovery by diner age
Platform choice changes sharply by age. Facebook was the most-used discovery platform for 80% of U.S. guests aged 54 and older, 70% of guests aged 45–54, 62% of guests aged 35–44, and 45% of guests aged 25–34. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Instagram and TikTok showed the reverse pattern. Instagram was used most for discovery by about 40% of U.S. guests younger than 18, 27% of guests aged 18–24, and 9% of guests aged 54 and older. TikTok was used most by about 60% of guests younger than 18, 41% of guests aged 18–24, and 23% of guests aged 25–34. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
| U.S. diner group | Facebook most | Instagram most | TikTok most |
|---|---|---|---|
| Younger than 18 | — | About 40% | About 60% |
| 18–24 | — | 27% | 41% |
| 25–34 | 45% | — | 23% |
| 54 and older | 80% | 9% | — |
The available figures also show differences in social-versus-search preference. About 50% of U.S. guests aged 25–34 preferred social media over search engines for restaurant discovery, compared with 48% of guests aged 18–24. Women were more likely than men to prefer social discovery: 45% of U.S. women compared with 38% of U.S. men. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
The U.K. Gen Z figures emphasize the potential reach of a memorable venue. In 2022, 92% of Gen Z Britons said they were willing to travel to visit a social-media-famous venue, and 36% had visited a restaurant specifically so they could post about it on social media. These are explicitly dated 2022 results and should not be treated as current benchmarks without newer evidence. SevenRooms, “Capturing the Social Generation”
What restaurant content influences visits
Food remains the strongest visual hook. In the July 15, 2024 Toast survey, 84% of surveyed U.S. social-media users preferred photos of a restaurant’s food and drinks. Separately, 57% of surveyed U.S. diners said food pictures were the social content most likely to influence a restaurant visit. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Social proof also matters. Positive reviews from creators were the content most likely to influence a visit for 30% of surveyed U.S. diners. Restaurant ambiance ranked at 10%, while drink pictures ranked at 4%. Preference measures and influence measures are different: people may like a content type without saying it is the main reason they visit. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Among preferred content formats, 47% of surveyed U.S. diners chose photos of restaurant decor and ambiance, 44% chose restaurant promotions in social posts, 38% chose videos of the dining experience, and 19% chose behind-the-scenes footage. Together, these figures point to a content mix built around food, setting, offers, experience, and process. They are separate survey responses, not components of a single total. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Age also affects which content breaks through. In 2024, algorithm-surfaced video from accounts they did not follow influenced 52% of U.S. Gen Z diners when choosing restaurants. Posts from followed restaurants that highlighted personality influenced 43% of U.S. Millennial diners. Food-and-beverage posts from followed restaurants showing the menu influenced 24% of U.S. Gen X and Baby Boomer diners. SevenRooms, “2024 U.S. Restaurant Diner Trends and Expectations Report”
Engagement, follows, and influencer effects
Restaurant profiles often function as a pre-visit checkpoint. In the July 15, 2024 Toast survey, 62% of surveyed U.S. social-media users sometimes checked a restaurant’s social account before deciding to dine there, while 28% always checked. Ten percent never checked. The combined “sometimes” and “always” figures indicate regular checking behavior, but the survey does not establish how often a check changed the final decision. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Responsiveness is another part of that evaluation. Forty-three percent of surveyed U.S. diners considered restaurant responses to social comments or messages very important, and 48% considered them somewhat important. The two measures describe perceived importance, not a response-time standard or a guaranteed conversion effect. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
The reasons people follow restaurants are practical and experience-based. Thirty-one percent of surveyed U.S. diners followed a restaurant after visiting and liking it. Thirty percent followed restaurants to learn about promotions and happenings, while 24% followed because they liked the content being shared. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Influencer reviews have their strongest reported effect among younger adults. Forty percent of surveyed U.S. guests said an influencer’s restaurant review affected their dining decision, increasing to 49% among guests aged 25–34. Half of surveyed U.S. guests followed more restaurant accounts than food influencers, while 22% followed more food influencers than restaurant accounts. Toast, “How Are Diners Using Social Media? [2024 Data Study]”
Social media booking and conversion behavior
Discovery does not automatically become a reservation. In SevenRooms’ 2022 U.K. study, nearly two in three of the U.K.’s top restaurants did not take direct bookings through Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. The study said 58% of U.K. restaurants were missing opportunities to capture bookings through social media. These figures are older than the 2024 trend reports and remain explicitly dated 2022. SevenRooms, “Capturing the Social Generation”
Booking convenience mattered especially to Gen Z diners. Forty-seven percent of U.K. Gen Z diners said they would visit more restaurants found through social media if they could book immediately on the platform. In the same 2022 research, 38% of Gen Z Britons said they would spend more at a restaurant that had gone viral. SevenRooms, “Capturing the Social Generation”
The report estimated that U.K. Gen Z consumers represented £857 million in weekly hospitality-sector value. Gen Z diners aged 16–24 spent an average of £68.02 per week in U.K. venues, described as 68% more than the average consumer. These are U.K. estimates and averages from 2022, not a current forecast for every restaurant or market. SevenRooms, “Capturing the Social Generation”
What operators say performs best
U.S. operators put substantial emphasis on social media. In 2024, 79% said they spent most of their marketing budget on social media, emphasizing organic social and paid ads over influencers. The operator data also separates reported performance by tactic: 39% said organic social posts drove the most bookings or online orders, 33% said paid social advertisements did, and 27% said influencer or user-generated social content did. SevenRooms, “2024 U.S. Restaurant Trends and Diner Expectations Report”
Bookings and orders were the top social-media goal for 39% of U.S. restaurant operators, while 29% identified increasing brand awareness as a top goal. The result is a useful distinction for measurement: a restaurant optimizing for awareness should not judge every post by immediate booking volume, and a restaurant optimizing for orders needs a clear path from post to transaction. SevenRooms, “2024 U.S. Restaurant Trends and Diner Expectations Report”
The U.K. operator picture places even more weight on social media and influencers. In 2024, 84% of U.K. restaurant operators said most of their marketing budget went to social media, with heavy emphasis on influencers. Fifty-two percent identified driving bookings or online orders as a top social-media goal, and 39% identified increasing brand awareness. Forty-two percent said influencer or user-generated social content drove the most restaurant bookings. SevenRooms, “2024 U.K. Restaurant Diner Trends and Expectations Report” SevenRooms, “2024 U.K. Restaurant Diner Trends and Expectations Report”
The Toast figures come from a blind survey of 850 U.S. citizens aged 16 and older who used social media at least weekly; Toast stated an average margin of error of plus or minus 3–5%. SevenRooms figures are separated by U.S. and U.K. populations and operator samples. Keeping those populations, dates, and measures separate is essential when using restaurant social media statistics to plan content, allocate budget, or evaluate bookings.