Over the last years, I’ve seen how powerful a well-executed contest can be—it can energize a dining room and boost restaurant profits.
Contests aren’t just for grabbing attention; they also build engagement and customer loyalty. Today’s diners aren’t relying on Google alone—72% now turn to social media to research restaurants, and 68% check a restaurant’s social profiles before deciding to visit. That makes contests a powerful and successful way to connect with potential guests and turn online interest into restaurant foot traffic.
In this article, I’ll share 18 restaurant contest ideas designed to attract new guests, deepen engagement with regulars, and drive real restaurant revenue.
Key Takeaways
- Run High‑Impact Contests to Drive Growth: Contests boast a nearly 34% conversion rate, outperforming most other content types, making them not just fun but highly effective at turning engagement into paying guests.
- Turn Social Browsers into Diners: 37% of diners look up restaurant info on social media, rising to 42% for Gen Z and 46% for Millennials, making contests a smart way to convert online interest into foot traffic.
- Increase Repeat Visits Through Social Engagement: 22% of customers return to restaurants due to a strong restaurant’s social media content, making contests a great way to give followers a reason to keep coming back.
- Maximize Reach with User-Generated Content: Contests drive shares—94% of users share a promotion right after registering, 62% to invite friends to join, and 38% to show their participation, giving your restaurant authentic, word-of-mouth reach without spending on ads.
- Use Multi-Channel Promotion to Maximize Reach: Promote contests across multiple channels—email, social media, in-store signage, and your website—to engage both loyal guests and new audiences wherever they are, as part of an effective restaurant communication strategy.
- Boost Online Orders by Tying Contests to Your Online Ordering System: Restaurants with an online ordering system see up to 30% higher takeout profits than those without. Designing contests around online orders, such as “Order through our app and enter to win a free meal”, can drive digital sales and deepen engagement.
- Measure Contest ROI by Tracking Entries and Engagement: Monitor key restaurant metrics for your restaurant contests, such as entry numbers, social shares, new followers, foot traffic spikes, and repeat visits, to evaluate effectiveness and refine future restaurant promotions.
Why Food Contests Work in Restaurants
Everyone loves the chance to win free stuff, especially when it involves great food. Whether it’s naming a new dish or sharing a photo with their favorite menu items, your guests will jump at the chance to participate.
It’s a fun way to boost engagement, spread the word about your restaurant, and reward loyal customers. Plus, it gives every winner a reason to come back—and bring family and friends with them.
Benefits of Food Contests Run by Restaurants
Well-run contests can do more than just generate buzz—they deliver real benefits for your restaurant business. They attract attention, boost engagement, and give your customers a reason to interact with your brand beyond the dining table.
Restaurant contests make your guests feel involved. When people help create a new dish or choose a winner, they’re not just participating—they’re building a connection.
Contests also encourage people to share photos of their favorite meals or dining moments, giving you free, authentic content. And since many entries require following your account or tagging friends, they can help grow your audience fast.
Offering simple prizes, such as a featured dish or a small gift, is enough to reward participation and make the experience memorable. You don’t need to break the bank to make someone feel valued.
Contests are also a great way to promote a direct online ordering system through your restaurant website or app. Tie the contest to a featured item or a limited time period to drive more food orders.
18 Restaurant Contest Ideas to Try Right Now
Below, I’ll share 18 restaurant contest ideas designed to increase visibility, spark engagement, drive both in-store visits and online orders, and increase restaurant sales.
Whether you’re looking to promote new menu items, grow your following, or simply reward your loyal guests, there’s something here to fit your restaurant goals.
1. Create the Next Menu Item
Let your guests become part of your kitchen team by inviting them to create the next special on your menu. Ask them to submit their most creative recipe idea or describe their dream dish using ingredients you commonly serve.
You can involve your employees or chefs in selecting a shortlist, then open it up to a public vote on social media or your restaurant’s website.
The winner’s dish will be featured on your menu and paired with a small gift or complimentary meal.
Burger King’s Million Dollar Whopper Contest utilized AI to enable customers to create custom burgers, transforming personalization into a cultural moment.
The results: 1.3 million new app signups, 36% more digital visits, and 3 million custom Whoppers.
2. Tag a Friend to Win
This is one of the simplest yet most effective contests to grow your audience and attract new customers.
Ask your followers to tag a friend in the comments of a post for a chance to win a small prize.
It’s low-effort for participants and can dramatically increase your reach. Each tagged person becomes a potential new guest, and many will follow your restaurant just to keep an eye out for more free stuff.
Be sure to clearly outline the rules, including how winners will be selected and when the contest ends.
3. Share a Photo of Eating at the Restaurant
Turn your customers into content creators by inviting them to post a photo while enjoying a dish at your restaurant. Ask them to tag your account to enter the contest and use a custom hashtag to increase its visibility across your community.
Choose a winner each week or month and offer a prize, such as restaurant merchandise, a branded gift, a complimentary drink, or a featured spot on your social media.
In 2024, Starbucks revived its popular #RedCupContest, inviting customers to share festive photos featuring its iconic red holiday cups.
The campaign saw massive engagement, with over 3 million Instagram posts using the hashtag throughout the season, and around 50 million views across social media platforms.
4. DIY Dish Video Contest
Get your restaurant’s target audience cooking by asking them to recreate one of your popular dishes at home and post a short video of the result.
It’s a fun way to boost engagement and show how much people enjoy your food.
Your chefs or team members can select the winner, who will receive a reward such as a complimentary meal for two or a limited-time discount on their next visit.
5. Name the New Menu Item Contest
Launching a new pizza, burger, or dessert? This is a great opportunity to engage your customers and boost their involvement.
Share a photo, ask for name ideas, and have your team pick the finalists—then let the public vote.
A great example is the ongoing Battle of the Donuts contest by Tim Hortons. Fans can submit donut ideas from June 6 to July 4, 2025. The brand will select the finalists by October 5, and public voting will take place from October 6 to 19.
Winners will be chosen based on creativity, popularity, and feasibility, with prizes including $10,000 and a trip to the Test Kitchen.
6. Fan or Customer of the Month
Pick a regular who stands out—maybe someone who always tags you on social or orders the main course, or your signature dish every week. It’s a simple way to show appreciation.
The winner can receive a small reward, such as a free meal or gift card, and your other customers will be motivated to earn the spotlight next time.
7. Best Foodie Caption Contest
Post a mouth-watering photo of one of your signature dishes—or something unexpected, like your chef mid-flip, a dessert in mid-melt, a pizza being tossed, or a behind-the-scenes kitchen moment—and ask your followers to come up with the funniest or most creative caption.
It’s a low-effort, high-fun way to boost engagement and get your audience involved.
8. #MyRestaurantMoment Hashtag Challenge
Invite customers to join a fun social campaign by sharing their favorite moments at your restaurant using branded restaurant hashtags like #MyRestaurantMoment, #DineAt[YourRestaurantName], or #TastesLikeHome.
Whether it’s a cozy date, a night out with friends, or a delicious meal, encourage diners to capture and share what makes your restaurant special and different from the competition.
9. Fan Favorite Voting Poll
Let your customers have a say in what goes on the menu—or what stays.
Run a simple poll on your social media, website, or even in-store to let fans vote on their favorite menu items, seasonal specials, or themed nights, such as Taco Tuesday versus Burger Night.
10. Trivia Challenge with Food Prizes
Host a quick trivia contest where your followers answer questions related to your restaurant, food taste, fun facts, or local history. Keep the task simple—post a question in your Stories or feed and let people respond in the comments or via poll.
Winners can receive small prizes, such as a free drink or a cold beer, with their next meal.
Rotate topics to keep it fresh—maybe some food-themed games, music trivia, or even a writing challenge (“Describe our burger in five words”).
11. Best Throwback Food Story
Invite customers to share their most memorable food story—from childhood meals to nostalgic restaurant moments. The best entry wins money or a special prize.
Feature the winner to honor their story and bring smiles to everyone’s head and heart.
12. Guess the Ingredient
Tease your followers with a close-up photo or video of one of your dishes and challenge them to guess a mystery ingredient.
It could be a secret spice in your sauce, an unusual twist in your dessert, or a fun seasonal addition.
13. Kids’ Drawing or Menu Art Contest
Let young guests show off their creativity—ask them to draw their favorite dish or a fun memory from a restaurant. Collect entries in-store or online, then pick a winner each month.
Display the artwork on your wall, socials, or unique food packaging, and reward the winner with a kid’s meal, dessert, or small toy.
14. “Grandma’s Recipe” Share & Win
Invite your customers to share a cherished family recipe—something passed down from a beloved grandma or another loved one. Ask for a short story along with the dish, and a photo if possible.
You can select a winner to get the chance to have their recipe reimagined by your chefs and served as a limited-time special.
15. Restaurant Anniversary Giveaway
Celebrate your restaurant’s milestone with a special giveaway. Thank your guests with a contest offering free food, drinks, or exclusive event access.
Make entering easy: ask people to comment on your anniversary post, tag a friend, or share a favorite memory.
Utilize your restaurant marketing tools, such as email, SMS, and social media, to quickly spread the word and reach both loyal customers and new faces.
16. Flash Contest: 24-Hour Deal
Need to boost traffic on a slow day? Run a surprise 24-hour contest with an attractive limited-time reward for the first 10 guests who comment, share, or place an online order.
Announce it via Instagram Stories, Facebook, SMS, or email—whatever gets the fastest attention. The short time period adds urgency, encouraging quick action and high engagement.
17. Loyalty Member Exclusive Contest
Reward your most dedicated guests by hosting a contest exclusive to members of your restaurant loyalty program.
For example, offer an entry to everyone who orders through your restaurant mobile app or hits a spending milestone that week.
Announce winners via email or your loyalty dashboard, and offer rewards like bonus points or early access to new menu items.
18. Collaborate with a Local Influencer
Surprise your customers by partnering with a local influencer who becomes the face of your contest. They’ll promote the campaign to their followers, giving your restaurant a fresh, authentic voice in the community.
Ask the influencer to run the contest on their platform—whether it’s a reel on Instagram, a TikTok challenge, or a Facebook giveaway post. To enter, people might need to follow both accounts, tag a friend, or comment with their favorite dish or dining memory.
Best Practices for Promoting Your Restaurant Contest
Now that you’re familiar with some great restaurant contest ideas, let’s quickly go over the best practices for promoting them effectively.
1. Make the Rules Clear and Simple
Simplicity is key. Ensure the entry steps are easy to follow by clearly outlining who is eligible to enter, how to submit an entry, and the deadline.
Avoid overwhelming your audience with too many conditions.
2. Promote It Everywhere
Utilize every available channel: display signs in-store, add reminders to receipts, and share across your social media platforms, website, emails, and even SMS campaigns.
The more places people see your contest, the more likely they are to enter—so don’t be shy about spreading the word.
3. Choose the Right Promotion Channels
To get the best results, focus on the channels your audience uses most often.
Below, I’ve created a table showing various promotional channels, engagement tactics for restaurant contests, and bonus tips to help you boost visibility and participation.
| Promotion Channel | Best Engagement Tactics for Restaurant Contests | Bonus Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Tag-a-friend contests, photo challenges, stories with polls or countdowns | Use a branded hashtag and pin contest posts to your profile | |
| Comment-to-win posts, share-to-enter giveaways, and community group promotions | Post in local foodie groups for broader organic reach | |
| TikTok | Short-form video challenges (e.g., recreate a dish) | Jump on trending audio or challenges and link your contest in your bio |
| Email Newsletter | Exclusive subscriber contests, loyalty-based rewards, and early access promotions | Include a countdown to create urgency and increase click-through rates |
| In-Store Signage | QR codes leading to online contests, table tent cards with contest details | Train staff to mention the contest to every guest during service |
| Restaurant Website | Embedded contest entry forms, “Vote Now” polls, and banners for limited-time contests | Add a pop-up or banner promoting your contest on high-traffic pages |
4. Offer a Prize That’s Actually Tempting
Your prize should motivate people to participate—make it something they genuinely want. A free side dish won’t cut it if you’re asking them to post and tag on social media.
Think bigger and on-brand. Below, I share some great examples.
- Free meals or desserts for a month
- A dinner for two with wine pairing
- Gift cards
- Exclusive, not-on-the-menu dishes
- VIP experience (chef’s table, kitchen tour)
- Tickets to a local event or food festival
- Branded merchandise (like mugs, shirts, or aprons)
- A “name a dish after you” reward
- Free catering for a small event or office lunch
- Discount vouchers for future visits
4. Keep It On Brand
Maintain your restaurant’s visual identity and voice throughout the contest. From the graphics to the copy, everything should reflect your unique restaurant branding, style, and personality.
5. Encourage User‑Generated Content
Ask guests to share photos, tag your restaurant, or use a branded hashtag. This boosts visibility and creates authentic promotion from real customers.
6. Follow Legal Requirements
Always include official rules, eligibility criteria, and any age or geographic restrictions that apply.
Follow the guidelines of platforms like Instagram or Facebook, and add disclaimers noting your contest isn’t affiliated with those platforms.
Also, double-check local and state laws before launching your contest.
Common Contest Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Even the most creative contest can fall flat if a few key details are overlooked. To help you run a smooth and successful campaign, I’ve highlighted the most common mistakes restaurant owners make—and how to avoid them.
Below, I’ve prepared a list of pitfalls to watch out for, along with straightforward tips to help you steer clear of each one.
1. Making the Rules Too Complicated
Long-winded instructions or unclear entry steps can confuse participants and deter them from participating. If people don’t understand how to enter quickly, they’ll likely skip it altogether.
Keep your rules short, clear, and easy to follow. Use bullet points or a simple graphic to explain how to enter, eligibility requirements, and deadlines.
2. Picking a Weak or Unclear Prize
If your prize doesn’t grab attention or seem worthwhile, people won’t feel motivated to participate. A vague or uninspiring reward can easily make your contest fall flat.
Choose a prize your audience actually wants—something fun, useful, or exclusive. Bonus points if it ties directly into your restaurant experience.
3. Ignoring Legal Guidelines
Skipping the legal fine print can lead to disqualifications, account issues, or complaints from participants. Each platform and location may have specific rules you’re required to follow.
Always include eligibility criteria, disclaimers, and a link to official contest rules. Double-check that you comply with both local laws and platform-specific policies (like Instagram’s promotion guidelines).
4. Forgetting to Follow Up with Winners
Failing to announce or contact winners can harm your credibility and disappoint participants. It may deter people from participating in future promotions.
- Clearly state when and how winners will be announced.
- Follow up promptly, and consider sharing the winner publicly (with their permission) to build trust.
- Announce winners in a timely and visible way—on social media, via email, or in-store.
- Deliver prizes without delay, and highlight the outcome to boost credibility and encourage participation in future contests.
5. Not Tracking What Works (or Doesn’t)
If you’re not measuring results, you’ll miss out on what helped your contest succeed—or caused it to underperform. That means you could repeat the same mistakes next time.
Track key metrics like engagement, reach, entries, and traffic sources. Use those insights to optimize your next contest—refining your strategy, prize, and promotion channels for better results.
