Short answer
Use 5 to 15 relevant hashtags: the dish, the place, and the occasion.
Try the free Instagram hashtag generator — no sign-up, in English and French. It handles French words with accents by converting them to unaccented hashtags, so café becomes cafe.
How to choose them
- Dish or drink: what is actually in the photo, for example latte, croissant or brunch
- Place: your neighbourhood or city, for example Montreal, so local people can find you
- Occasion: breakfast, weekend brunch, holiday menu or a new item
- Your own name: one tag for your business, used consistently, so customers can find all your posts in one place
Avoid tags that have nothing to do with the photo. They may reach more people in theory, but they bring the wrong people, and they make the post look like spam.
What to check before posting
- Is the photo clear, and does the caption say what the dish is and where to get it?
- Does the post include your hours, your location or a link to your menu?
- Are the hashtags in the caption or in a first comment, and are they readable?
- Would a customer in your city understand every tag, or only people in your trade?
What CluoPrints also does for cafes and restaurants
Besides free tools, CluoPrints builds business websites from C$699 one-time, then C$120/year all-inclusive, designs print-ready menus from C$149 (packages C$149–299), and offers a monthly social media content package from C$149/month — see services. To ask about a website, a menu or social media content, email info@cluoprints.com. See also: how to calculate a tip at a restaurant and what a good food cost percentage is.