How Dundee and Tayside hospitality businesses can grow on Instagram and TikTok

Dundee and Tayside hospitality businesses grow on Instagram and TikTok by posting consistent, shareable short-form video, staying close to their local audience, working with the right local creators and planning content around the moments when footfall changes. It works because that's where diners now do their homework. When The Edit, DLR Media's social media service, took this approach for Más in Dundee, the account passed 236K views and gained 1,386 new followers.

Hospitality is about as visual as industries get, and in a compact city like Dundee, word of mouth travels fast. These days, much of it happens on a phone screen. Here's why that matters for cafés, restaurants, bars and venues, what we learned working with Más, and how to make it work across Dundee, Angus and Perth.

Do diners really choose where to eat on social media?

Many of them do. Barclaycard research from 2023, based on a survey of 2,000 UK adults who regularly use social media and eat out, found that the average diner spends about 40 minutes reading about restaurants on social media before booking. That's a lot of time spent forming an opinion of you before anyone walks through the door.

The same research found that 41% of adults see an active social media presence as the best way to judge whether a restaurant is worth visiting, rising to 58% of 18 to 26 year olds. That younger figure matters in a student city like Dundee, where a quiet Instagram account can cost you tables you never knew you were missing.

Younger diners aren't just checking social media alongside Google, either. Google's own research, reported in 2022 by YPulse, found that when Gen Z are looking for somewhere to have lunch, they're more likely to search on TikTok or Instagram than on Google Maps or Search. More broadly, nearly 40% of young people preferred searching on TikTok and Instagram over Google Search and Maps. For a venue, that means your TikTok and Instagram profiles are doing the job your website and Google listing used to do on their own.

The good news is that the effort pays off. Barclaycard found that diners will pay an extra £28 per person for experiences that look good online, and 80% of the restaurant owners it surveyed reported more bookings through social media after trying approaches like these.

What did The Edit achieve for Más in Dundee?

Más wanted to grow its social media presence without losing the connection it already had with its local audience. The aim was simple: more visibility in Dundee, more people visiting the profile and more new customers through the door.

We built a cross-platform content strategy across Instagram and TikTok, focused on shareable, high-engagement content, and planned and ran an influencer event that sold out. Across both platforms, Más passed 236K views and gained 1,386 new followers. The figure we'd point to first, though, is 2,087 shares. Every share is someone putting Más in front of their own friends, which is word of mouth in its modern form.

The split between the two platforms tells its own story. Over six months on TikTok, Más reached 179K views and 1,847 shares, so that's where most of the discovery happened. Over three months on Instagram, it recorded 374 link clicks, which is where interest turned into action. Neither platform would have done the whole job alone.

Should Dundee venues use TikTok or Instagram?

Both, but for different jobs. The Más results line up neatly with the research. TikTok is where people who've never heard of you find you, so it's the place for behind-the-scenes clips, new dishes, staff personality and quick takes on trends. Instagram is where people who are already interested go to check your menu, see what's on and book, so reels, events, stories with booking links and replies to comments and messages all belong there.

You don't need two separate content operations to manage that. One well-planned shoot can be edited into versions that suit each platform, which keeps production manageable and your look consistent.

What kind of content works for local hospitality?

Content people want to share. People pass things on when they say something about them, like where they want to go this weekend or who they want to go with. That's why short videos of food and drink being made, plated and poured work so well, along with new menu launches, limited-time specials, event nights, live music and sports screenings. The people behind the bar and in the kitchen are often your best content of all, because they're the part of your venue nobody else can copy.

Consistency matters as much as creativity. A steady weekly rhythm of reels and posts builds an audience over time, and that's why our monthly packages run on a 6-month minimum term.

How do influencer events help a hospitality brand?

An influencer event puts your venue in front of lots of local audiences on the same night. For Más, pairing organic content with influencer activity helped take its reach beyond its existing following.

We handle events from start to finish: the concept, venue sourcing, theming and production on the night, a guest list of relevant creators from our network, and a photo and video team on site so reels and highlights arrive quickly. The part that makes or breaks it is choosing creators who genuinely fit your brand and whose followers are the customers you want. We find, vet and brief them, manage approvals and posting, and report on the results afterwards.

How should Tayside venues plan for the seasons?

Footfall in Dundee and across Tayside shifts through the year, and your content should shift with it. Each autumn, Dundee's universities bring in a fresh wave of students, so freshers' weeks, student deals and term-time events are natural moments to plan around. Given what the research says about how younger diners search, TikTok deserves extra attention at this time of year.

Visitors exploring the waterfront and V&A Dundee are often looking for somewhere nearby to eat and drink, so content that shows your location, your view or how close you are can get you onto their list. Then there's the festive period. Christmas parties, festive menus and Hogmanay bookings are usually planned weeks ahead, so start posting early and make booking straightforward from Instagram. Planning a month at a time, with room left for trends, lets you prepare for the predictable peaks and still react quickly when something takes off.

Does this work in Angus and Perth too?

It does. The principles are the same, but the audiences and the moments are different. Along the Angus coast, in towns such as Arbroath, Carnoustie and Montrose, venues often serve both locals and day-trippers, so content that shows off the setting and the seasonal offer works hard. Our page on social media management in Angus goes into more detail. In Perth, venues serve a mix of locals and visitors to the city and wider Perthshire, and our page on social media management in Perth covers that.

We're remote-first, so strategy, management, editing and reporting work wherever you are, and in-person shoots and events are planned around your location.

How much does social media management cost for a hospitality business?

The Edit has three monthly packages, all plus VAT and on a 6-month minimum term. The Essentials Edit, at £500 a month, covers up to one reel and two static or carousel posts a week across up to three platforms, with content creation and capture included. The Growth Edit, at £1,500 a month, adds a social media audit, monthly strategy, up to two reels and two posts a week, community management and monthly reporting. The Full Edit, at £4,500 a month, is a fully outsourced social and content team, with monthly in-person content shoots, daily management of comments and messages, and paid Meta ads and retargeting. Paid advertising spend is billed separately.

Frequently asked questions

Do you create the content or do we supply it?

We create it. Our team handles shoots, graphics, video editing and captions, and if you already have photos or video, we'll build them into your content plan.

Which platforms does The Edit manage?

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and X. DLR Media is a TikTok Marketing Partner.

Can you run an influencer event for our venue?

Yes. We handle the concept, the creator guest list and the content capture on the night, then report on the results.

Is there a minimum contract?

Yes. Monthly packages have a 6-month minimum term, which gives content time to build an audience and lets us improve it based on real results.

Talk to The Edit

To see how The Edit could work for your venue, visit our Dundee social media page or find out more about The Edit, or call the team on +44 1382 699595.