INTRODUCTION
According to Statista, Snapchat is projected to reach approximately 113 million users in the United States by 2028, with a heavy focus on younger age groups.
In fact, close to 70% of Snapchat users in the United States are under the age of 34, and close to 30% fall within the 18-24 age range. This presents an opportunity for restaurants looking to engage with younger diners in their communities.
Following are some tips on how your restaurant can use Snapchat to attract customers.
HOW TO CREATE A PUBLIC SNAPCHAT ACCOUNT FOR YOUR RESTAURANT
To get started on Snapchat, you will need to create a business account and public profile for your restaurant. Go to business.snapchat.com to create an account.
Add your business and profile name (e.g., the name of your restaurant). You will also need to enter an email address for the account, create a password and add a birthday. This can be the owner’s birthday, for example.
Now create a profile for your restaurant. Create a Snapchat username (@nameofyourrestaurant) and add a public display name (name of your restaurant). These should match the handle and page name you use for other social media accounts (if available) so you are consistent across all platforms.
Next, add a profile image, such as the logo for your restaurant, and a hero image, which could be your restaurant’s space or a popular food item. Then fill in a 150-character bio, your location name, a public-facing email address and your website.
Finally, add your business details, such as your address and billing information. The latter will be used for any Snapchat ads you run.
Of note, Snapchat automatically creates an ad account when you create your business account, and you can add more info (if needed) later.
Once your account is created, make sure to spread the word. Each Snapchat account has a designated Snapcode, which is essentially a QR code that makes it easy for people to scan with their Snapchat camera and access your restaurant’s profile.
Download your Snapcode from your restaurant’s Snapchat profile settings. Then post your Snapcode on your restaurant’s website, share it on your other social accounts and include it on print collateral, such as your menu, table tents or flyers.
HOW TO USE SNAPCHAT STORIES AND SPOTLIGHTSÂ
Use Stories to engage current followers. Aim to post timely (not timeless) photo or video content at least once a day if possible. For example, you can post daily specials, limited-time offers, event-related offerings (e.g., specials for sports games) or even weather-related posts (like the opening of your patio space for summer) to keep your messages fresh and engaging.
Unlike private accounts, in which Stories disappear after 24 hours, public profiles let you add Saved Stories (or highlights) that can live permanently on your profile.
This gives you an opportunity to create categories of content. For instance, you could create a series of snaps dedicated to new menu items, seasonal cocktails or the ambiance of your restaurant. Since these also live on your page, they are a great way to introduce your restaurant to new followers.
A Saved Story can include up to 100 snaps (~15 is recommended) or 5 min. of total content. Keep in mind that Saved Stories only allow videos that are 10 sec. or less, and anything longer will be cut into 10-sec. segments.
Any non-Saved Story will still expire after 24 hours, so you don’t have to worry about expired deals or specials living on your page.
Spotlight posts, on the other hand, are public, short-form vertical videos, similar to what you see on TikTok or Instagram Reels. This type of content appears in a dedicated Spotlight tab (which resembles a play symbol) at the bottom of Snapchat users’ screens and can make your restaurant more discoverable for non-followers (or new customers).
Use Spotlights to share engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes content, videos dedicated to making your seasonal offerings or staff participating in current trends. Do your research before posting Spotlights and take note of successful formats and features. For instance, you should aim to include popular transitions and add appropriate topic hashtags. You should also overlay text on your videos, add sound and limit your Spotlights to 60 sec. or less to adhere to best practices.
Create a combination of Stories and Spotlight posts to nurture existing relationships and attract new customers to your restaurant.
WHY YOU SHOULD ADVERTISE ON SNAPCHAT
Like most social channels, organic content has its limits, particularly when it comes to reaching new followers. Advertise on Snapchat to run targeted ads that build brand awareness for your restaurant or drive actions, such as visits to your website, among prospective customers.
To launch an ad, go to your business dashboard and click the “create an ad” button. Select the “Advanced Create” option to have more control over your campaign. Then choose your objective. Select “Awareness & Engagement” to get the most reach or “Traffic” to get people to your website.
The latter is best if you are promoting something specific, like gift card sales or a specific event (e.g., beer or wine dinner, live music).
Select “Manual Build” and set up your campaign. Add a campaign name (e.g., spring 2026 wine dinner_web traffic) and a start and end date. Next, create your ad set. Name your ad set (e.g., spring 2026 wine dinner_video ad) and select your conversion location (e.g., web). Then add a budget ($5/day is the minimum) and a date range if it is different than your campaign.
Choose “Smart Placement” if you would like your ad to run across Snapchat. This includes “between content” placements, which appear between Stories of Spotlight videos; “within content” placements, which appear as a break during eligible Stories; and the Discover feed.
Then set up your targeting. Set the location (e.g., the city or cities your restaurant serves) and demographics like age, gender and predefined audiences (e.g., foodies).
Finally, you will set up your ad. There are three formats of Snapchat traffic ads from which to choose:
- Single Image or Video — A full-screen ad that shows after or in between content (videos often perform the best)
- Story Ad — An ad showing a branded tile (or image) that opens into a collection of 1-10 images or videos)
- Collection Ad — A single image or video ad with four tappable tiles to feature your products
Add your creative (e.g., image/video), a headline, the destination URL and a call-to-action. Once you launch your ad, it will usually be approved and start running within 8 hours.
Add a Snap Pixel to your site to track actions from ads. You can also use this data to create a custom audience that you can retarget later. For example, you can retarget individuals who visited a specific page or signed up for a past event.
TIPS FOR ENCOURAGING CURRENT CUSTOMERS TO SNAP
Leverage your current guests by encouraging them to snap about your restaurant. In addition to including your Snapcode in print materials at your restaurant, you can promote activity by creating branded AR lenses or filters, running user-generated (UGC) contests and adding your location to the Snap Map.
To create a lens or filter, go to your business accounts and select “Lens Folders” under the creative section in the menu. You can create a new lens or filter using existing templates or preset elements. For example, you could create a branded clothing item, such as a shirt or hat with your restaurant logo. You also have the option to work with a Lens Creator in Creator Marketplace for more complex designs. Save the finished lens or filter in your Lens folder and publish it to your profile for Snapchatters to discover and use.
You can then use that lens for a UGC contest, or you can create contests that require patrons to create Spotlights using a dedicated hashtag, as some examples.
Another way to promote your restaurant through patrons’ Snaps is to add your location to the Snap Map. This will let people select your restaurant’s location as a filter in their Snaps or Stories, or they can add your location as a sticker in their content.
The easiest way to submit your location is to go to your personal Snapchat account, add a location sticker and click “+ Suggest a Place.” Fill in the name of your restaurant, the address, the category, specific attributes (e.g., date night), hours, website, phone number and a photo (e.g., storefront). You will also need to drop a pin in the map before you submit to Snapchat for review.
Others will be able to click on the location (via filter or sticker) to access more information about your business, such as your address, hours, phone number and website.