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: Apropos: Favorite Recipes!

Cook, enjoy, and do good

A cookbook that tells stories and connects people: With “Apropos: Favorite Recipes!”, the Salzburg street newspaper Apropos has now compiled a selection of its popular recipe column between two covers. Since the beginning of November 2025, the book has been available for €9 exclusively from sellers on the streets of Salzburg – half of the sales price goes directly to them.

INFO
Apropos: Favorite Recipes!
Publication date: November 3, 2025
Scope: 23 recipes on 88 pages
Print run: 5,000 copies
Price: €9
Distribution: Exclusively from Apropos vendors in Salzburg
Proceeds: Half of the sales price goes to the vendors

must see

The silent giant

Like a bowl 181 soccer fields of plastic replaced

Vienna-based start-up and-less is revolutionizing commercial kitchens with a simple but ingenious reusable idea: Sustainability in the hospitality industry doesn’t start with the guest’s plate – it often starts much earlier, behind the scenes. One example of this is communal catering: every day, thousands of meals are delivered to schools, nursing homes, and canteens in disposable containers, which end up in the trash immediately after being emptied. Barely visible to the public, this creates a mountain of waste that, according to and-less, is equivalent to the area of around 181 soccer fields every year.

future trends

Cheers to Zero

Why No & Low is the most exciting beverage category of the future

Less alcohol, more flavor, maximum relevance: No & Low is no longer just a sensible compromise, but the most exciting development on the beverage menu. From fermented super drinks to sparkling luxury alternatives – what is emerging here is a new self-image of enjoyment. For the hospitality industry, this means new target groups, new added value, and new opportunities.