Make your restaurant's Instagram look like a menu: a 6-post feed template and shot list

The carousel shows a 6-post campaign for a restaurant called Sofrava, which we made up as an example: a dark, cinematic food photo, a hand holding or serving the dish, a large dish name, a one-word handwritten accent and a short description line. A logo and an order number in the corner.

The secret isn't expensive gear; it's the same light, the same colors, the same layout. When the six posts sit side by side on your profile, they read like a menu. On this page you'll find the template, the shot list for shooting with your phone, the Canva steps, an AI prompt if you don't have photos, and a ready-made description line formula.

All six posts are made of these parts:

• Background: a full-page, dark food photo lit from a single source (4:5 or 3:4).
• Headline: the name of the dish, bold white type ('Raleway ExtraBold' or 'Montserrat ExtraBold' in Canva), 90–120 pt.
• Accent: a single word in handwritten script, orange (#FF6A1A) ('Sacramento' or 'Allura' in Canva), overlapping the headline at a slight angle.
• Description line: 1–2 lines, white, 26–30 pt; what's in it and how it was cooked.
• Curved arrow: from the description line to the plate.
• Corners: your logo in one corner, your order/reservation number in the opposite corner. Same position in every post.

The six designs in the carousel follow this order:

1. 01Signature dish, a hand serving it (in the carousel, sea bass on a terracotta tile)
2. 02Drink, a glass held in the hand (pistachio iced coffee)
3. 03Warm starter, a bowl held with both hands (buttery sautéed mushrooms)
4. 04Homemade item, with a large handwritten accent (homemade manti, Turkish dumplings)
5. 05Light dish, a description with an arrow (salmon wrap)
6. 06Salad/dessert, a hand sprinkling spices (salmon salad with pink pickled onions)

Pick dishes from your own menu that fit these six roles.

You don't need a professional camera; a phone is enough.

• Light: a single window, from the side. Turn off the ceiling lights and leave the opposite side dark.
• Background: dark wood, marble, or a dark green/orange fabric; a green plant or a curtain behind.
• Angle: for a plate, slightly above table level (15–30°); for a glass or bowl, in the hand, at chest height.
• Hands: clean and simple; one ring or bracelet is enough. Keep faces out of the frame.

• 3 shots of each dish: a hand serving it, held with both hands, and with spice/sauce being poured. To freeze the motion, use a 1/500 shutter speed or your phone's burst mode (on most phones, holding down the shutter button shoots a burst).
• Leave space: keep some empty space above or beside the subject; that's where the text will go.
• After the shoot: contrast +10, shadows −15, warmth +5, greens slightly darker. You can make these adjustments in the edit section of your phone's gallery app. Apply the same edit to all six photos; that's what makes your profile look like a single whole.

1. 01Go to canva.com, then Create a design → Custom size → 1080×1350 (Instagram portrait).
2. 02Upload your photo (Uploads on the left) and fit it to the full page.
3. 03Add a 40% black rectangle with a soft fade at the top and bottom so the text stays readable. In Elements, search for "gradient" and pick a shape that fades from black to transparent.
4. 04Place the headline, the handwritten accent, the description line, the curved arrow, your logo and your number using the sizes in step 2.
5. 05Use Duplicate in the menu above the page to get to 6 pages. Change only the photo and the text; keep the layout, colors and fonts the same.

In Canva, fonts or elements marked with a crown belong to the paid (Pro) version; if you're on the free version, pick a similar free option.

Paste the prompt below into an empty chat in ChatGPT (chatgpt.com, New chat) or Gemini. Fill in the square brackets before you send it:

• [DISH NAME and ingredients] → the dish and what's in it (the rest of the prompt is in English, so writing this in English avoids confusion; e.g. homemade manti with garlic yogurt and chili butter)
• [plate/bowl] → whichever it's served in
• [serving / holding / sprinkling spices] → keep one: a hand serving, holding or sprinkling spices

The image appears in the same chat; click it to download. The same prompt produces a different image in a similar style each time.

Always check the hand in the generated image (5 fingers). If it doesn't look like the real dish on your menu, don't use it; if customers see something different on the plate, trust is lost.

Write the 1–2 line description in each post with this formula. Fill in the square brackets for your own dish.

Example: "Grilled sea bass fillet; served on a terracotta tile with carrots, peppers and lemon. Topped with a large fig leaf."

The same framework works not just for restaurants but for any business whose product or service is on display. Change the roles to fit your business:

• Café: signature drink (a glass held in the hand), hot drink (a cup held with both hands), homemade cake (large handwritten accent), sandwich (description with an arrow), seasonal drink, dessert (a hand sprinkling cinnamon on top). Description line: "Double espresso and hot milk; served in a thick cup with cinnamon."
• Bakery: one cake or cookie in each post; the accent is a single word like "Fresh" or "Today's".
• Hair salon: instead of food, the photo shows the result of the service (cut, color); the headline is the name of the service, and the description line is "what was done, how long it took". If the client's face will be visible, get their permission first.
• E-commerce: one product in each post, held in the hand or in use; the description line is "what it's made of, who it's for". In the corner, your web address instead of a logo and order number.

If you get stuck, send us a DM. If you like, choose 6 dishes from your menu and we'll build the first post together.