Instagram automation for restaurants
Handle reservation requests, menu inquiries, and event bookings automatically on Instagram. Let AI answer common questions so your staff can focus on service.
Your host stand can only answer so many DMs during a dinner rush. Meanwhile, people browsing Instagram are looking for tonight's reservation. If they don't get an answer in 10 minutes, they book somewhere else.
The restaurant DM pattern
If you run a restaurant, your Instagram inbox probably looks like this every week:
- "Do you take reservations?"
- "Can I book for 6 tonight?"
- "What's on the menu?"
- "Any vegan options?"
- "Do you have private dining for an event?"
- "Are you open on holidays?"
Each one takes 30 seconds to answer. Over 50 DMs a week, that's 25 minutes that could have been spent on service. Innsty handles the pattern ones automatically and lets your staff focus on the unique requests.
What Innsty does for restaurants
- Reservation routing: "reserve" or "book" triggers your reservation link (Resy, OpenTable, your own) with a friendly prompt.
- Menu auto-send: Menu as PDF sent in seconds when someone asks.
- Dietary question AI: The AI answers vegan/gluten-free/allergy questions from your menu knowledge base.
- Private dining inquiries: Trigger on "event", "private", "party" to route to the events manager email.
- Hours and holiday updates: Update once in the knowledge base, AI answers all variations.
Starter setup for a restaurant
Keyword rules
- "reserve", "reservation", "book", "booking" → send reservation link + "How many people and what date/time?"
- "menu" → send menu PDF
- "hours", "open", "closing" → send hours text
- "event", "private dining", "party" → send events email + brief info
- "parking" → parking instructions
AI system prompt
You are the host assistant for [Restaurant Name] in [City]. Answer Instagram DMs about our menu, reservations, hours, dietary options, and private events. Be warm and concise. For dietary questions, reference the menu knowledge base. For reservations, direct to our reservation link. For private dining of more than 10 people, direct to events@[restaurant].com.
Comment-to-DM for restaurant posts
This is the highest-ROI play for restaurants. Post a video of a dish, tell viewers to comment "MENU" to get the full menu. Innsty replies publicly ("Sending! 🍽️") and DMs the PDF privately. You're converting random viewers into qualified leads who now have your menu in their inbox.
Full restaurant walkthrough
We have a complete step-by-step tutorial for restaurant owners, covering reservation triggers, menu auto-send, and event inquiry routing. Read the full restaurant guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can Innsty actually take reservations?
Innsty doesn’t run your reservation system — it sends your reservation link (Resy, OpenTable, SevenRooms, or your own form) and collects the intent. You still own the reservation platform. This avoids double-booking risk.
What about allergy questions? Can I rely on AI?
The AI answers from the knowledge base you provide. For critical allergies we recommend instructing the AI to tell customers to speak with staff on arrival, so you’re never liable for an incorrect auto-reply.
Can I pause automation during off-hours?
You don’t need to — Innsty runs 24/7, which is the point. But you can disable any rule or the AI globally at any time from the dashboard.
What if we have multiple locations?
Each location’s Instagram account connects to Innsty separately, with its own menu, hours, and reservation link. One dashboard manages them all.