TikTok Marketing

How the hospitality industry can use the potential

3. January 2023 |

Alexandra Gorsche

3. January 2023

Alexandra Gorsche

With over 1.7 billion users, the network is now one of the fastest growing social networks in the world. Growing by 38% between 2019 and 2021, TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2021.

Entertainment, dancing and pranks

These figures are reason enough for us to take a closer look at TikTok, how it works and its potential for social media marketing. After all, the popular video platform is no longer just popular with Generation Z. In fact, recent reports suggest that the average engagement rate on TikTok is better than on any other social platform. While entertainment, dancing and pranks are interestingly the top three most viewed content categories on TikTok, recipes and cooking are in the top 10. In other words, TikTok users are engaging with food-based content, which means there's a huge opportunity to grow your restaurant's brand on the platform.

How does TikTok actually work?

The app focuses on short videos with a maximum length of 10 minutes. Originally, when the app was launched in 2016, only 15-second videos were possible. By increasing the length to one and three minutes, TikTok has now reached ten minutes. TikTok offers a wide range of options for creating, editing, reassembling and duplicating videos. Users can create their own videos and edit them with special effects, filters and stickers. They can also add sounds or music clips.

They also have the option of watching, following and interacting with other users' videos. New challenges, hashtags and trends appear on the homepage every day. Food porn is always popular anyway. Riding the wave is often the fastest way to get lots of video views. Someone does something exciting and thousands of others follow suit. In the next article, we will introduce you to accounts that you should know or at least be inspired by.

Conclusion

When planning your restaurant's TikTok strategy, remember that users go on TikTok to laugh, engage in challenges and escape the seriousness of everyday life. So try to capture this in your content. The motto “Don't take yourself too seriously!” is the order of the day here!

A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît! A la table, s'il vous plaît!

Book tip of the week: Visiting Ibiza

Mediterranean inspiration for cuisine and concept

With Visiting Ibiza, Sherin Kneifl has produced a book that is much more than just travel literature for professionals in the restaurant and hotel industry – it is a source of inspiration for culinary styles, atmospheric concepts, and storytelling with genuine local color.

The author combines editorial precision with a keen sense of authenticity. She not only guides readers to the island’s hidden gems, but also highlights the ingredients that are relevant to hosts: cultural depth, credible recommendations from locals, visual opulence, and, above all, a recipe section that can be easily adapted to Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.

Whether small plates for the aperitivo area, creative tapas variations, or light summer desserts – the recipes are clearly structured, aesthetically presented, and offer a variety of starting points for creative kitchen concepts. Particularly exciting for chefs: the dishes are easy to scale, can be interpreted with regional products, and are ideal as seasonal specials.

The work is also inspiring for hoteliers and interior-oriented hosts: the book conveys harmonious imagery and narratives that can be wonderfully translated into communication strategies, signature experiences, or event formats.

INFO:
Sherin Kneifl: Zu Gast auf Ibiza (Visiting Ibiza)
Publisher: Callwey
224 pages
ISBN: 978-3-7667-2770-1
Price: €45.00 [D] | €46.30 [A] | CHF 61.00
Publication date: 2025

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