How to train restaurant staff to make phone videos

Start with the job, not the app

Most restaurant content stalls because nobody owns it, not because the phone is the problem. Before anyone films, agree three roles: who films, who edits and who posts. In many venues the kitchen films, front of house edits and posts, and a manager signs off.

Pick three formats you can repeat

A format is a video you can make again and again with new details. Three is enough to start. For example:

• A dish being finished at the pass
• A quick introduction to someone on the team
• Prep before service, such as dough, stock or a special being made

For more, see our restaurant video ideas that get watched.

Teach the five filming basics

• Clean the lens. Kitchen phones pick up grease, and a smudge makes every shot look soft.
• Find the light. Film near a window or under the pass lights, with the light falling on the food.
• Keep it steady. Two hands, elbows in, and move slowly or not at all.
• Film short clips. Three to five seconds each: one wide, one close-up and one detail.
• Leave room to cut. Start recording just before the action and stop just after.

Film around service

Do not ask a busy team to film in the middle of a rush. Use quieter periods, the time before doors, or batch several videos in one short session each week. A ten-minute slot that happens every week beats an hour that never does.

Edit on the phone

Free apps such as Edits by Instagram are enough for most restaurant content. Teach four edits first: cut, split, delete and reorder. Captions, music and effects come later. Our free video editing guide walks through each one with looping demos.

Make it a routine

• Set a weekly filming slot on the rota.
• Keep finished clips in one shared folder.
• Agree who approves a post before it goes out.
• Review what worked each month and keep the formats that get watched.

Ask before you film people

Check that staff are happy to appear before filming them, and be careful with customers in the background. Respect anyone who would rather stay off camera.

When training helps

If your team wants hands-on practice in your own kitchen, we deliver social media training for restaurants and hospitality teams on site, planned around service.