The 15-second restaurant Reel plan
| Time | Picture | Copy / sound |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2s | Tight shot of the final garnish landing on the plate. | On-screen: Lunch, up close. |
| 2–5s | Wider view of the cook assembling that same dish. | Natural kitchen sound; avoid a second competing message. |
| 5–9s | Close-up of the hand-finishing detail. | On-screen: Finished by hand. |
| 9–12s | The completed plate enters the table frame. | Keep the dish unobstructed long enough to recognize it. |
| 12–15s | Hold the plated dish with the restaurant name. | On-screen: See today’s menu. Use the actual menu link in your profile or post. |
Choose the dish before choosing the trend
Pick something the kitchen can prepare consistently during the shoot. A recognizable movement—pouring, slicing, folding, or placing—gives the opening a subject. The movement should belong to the actual dish, not a staged effect the customer will never receive.
Avoid opening with a slow tour of the room if the promise is about the food. A room reveal is a different brief. For this plan, the first frame and the final frame should clearly connect to the same plate.
Shoot in kitchen order, edit in story order
Capture preparation before the finished plate even though the finished plate may open the edit. That avoids asking the kitchen to recreate a completed process. Record a little extra at the beginning and end of every action so the editor has room to cut.
Keep a quick continuity note: dish, garnish, plate, and light direction. If the garnish changes between shots, use another take or frame tightly enough that the cut remains understandable. Do not combine different dishes into a sequence that presents them as one order.
Make the invitation useful
A menu link is a natural destination when the viewer is choosing lunch. A booking link makes more sense when the offer is a bookable meal or event. Choose the destination before writing the last frame, and verify that it works on a phone.
Use only current availability, prices, and opening hours. This example intentionally leaves out a special price or scarcity claim; add one only when it is real and still valid on the publication date.
Test one opening, not an entirely different video
Make version A start with the garnish falling and version B start with the finished plate sliding into frame. Keep the rest of the edit, caption, and destination the same. Compare the opening retention and downstream menu visits, where the platform and link tracking make them available.
A small sample can be noisy. Treat the first comparison as a clue for the next shoot, not proof that one format will always perform. Record the posting date, audience, and any paid promotion alongside the result.
Adapt the plan to your restaurant
Open the free builder with this example, replace the restaurant and dish details, and edit each visual direction. If your strongest moment needs more time, use 30 seconds rather than forcing a long explanation into the short version. The worksheet can hold take numbers and editor notes during the shoot.
Make the next video yours.
Replace the example with one real offer and a detail you can show. The builder keeps the plan editable.
Start your own shot list