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A restaurant content calendar for one month, ready to copy
Write down the dates of your month first, give each week one theme, and keep the same three posting days. Below is a 4-week table to copy, a year of dates for a Vietnamese restaurant and a one-hour planning checklist.
- A restaurant content calendar starts with the restaurant's own dates, such as closures, specials and holidays, not with a list of post ideas.
- One theme per week means you film one subject from several sides instead of hunting for a new idea each day.
- Three fixed posting days, Stories on service days and one Google update a week are enough for a family team.
- One planning hour a month and one filming afternoon every two weeks keep the calendar alive when service is busy.
- When a week goes wrong, move a post to another day, and never post something that is no longer true.
A restaurant content calendar is one page that says what you will post, on which day and where, for the next month. It works when it follows the rhythm of the restaurant: the days you are open, the specials, the holidays, the slow Tuesday. This guide shows how to build one in an hour, gives you a 4-week table to copy and lists the dates a Vietnamese or Asian restaurant should mark for the year.
What a restaurant content calendar needs, and what it does not
It does not need software. A sheet of paper on the office wall or a shared note on the phone is fine. It needs four things.
- Dates. What is actually happening in the restaurant this month.
- A theme per week. One subject, so that filming is simple.
- Fixed slots. The same posting days every week, each with a job.
- A name next to each task. Who films, who writes, who presses post.
Our restaurant Instagram content ideas include a short two-week plan for Instagram alone. This article goes one step further: a full month, across the channels a restaurant uses, tied to real dates.
Step 1: write down the restaurant's month
Before any post idea, take the calendar on the wall and mark what is already decided. Most of your content is hiding in this list.
- Days closed and changed hours. Public holidays, a family trip, a private event.
- Food dates. A new dish, a seasonal special, the day the summer rolls come back, the weekend you make bánh chưng.
- Local dates. School holidays, a street festival, a match day, the first cold week.
- Community dates. Tết, Mid-Autumn, Vu Lan, a temple or church festival nearby.
- Your slow and busy days. If Tuesday lunch is always quiet, that is the day a lunch offer should be seen. If Saturday is full, Saturday posts should not push for more bookings.
Example: a family phở restaurant looks at November and writes: closed on the 11th, bún riêu special starts on the 4th, first frost expected, office Christmas lunches to be booked from mid-month. That is already four posts and a theme.
Step 2: give each week one theme
A theme is one subject you show from several sides. It removes the daily question "what do we post today?" and lets you film a week in one sitting. Four themes that suit almost any month:
- Week 1: one dish. The signature, or this month's special. Show it finished, being made and being eaten.
- Week 2: the people. The cook, the family, the person at the counter.
- Week 3: the newcomer. How to order, how to eat it, what to try first.
- Week 4: the neighbourhood and what is next. Regulars, a neighbouring shop, and next month's dates.
Step 3: fix the slots
Choose three posting days and keep them all year. For most restaurants that are closed on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday work well. Then give each slot a job.
- Tuesday: the appetite post. A video or photo that makes people hungry and starts the week's theme.
- Thursday: the useful post. Something the reader can use: how to eat it, how to order for the office, what is in the dish.
- Saturday: the human post. A face, a story, a thank-you.
- Service days: Stories. Today's special and whether there are tables.
- Once a week: the Google update. One new photo or a short update on your Google Business Profile, where your profile offers that option, and a check that the hours are right.
The monthly restaurant content calendar you can copy
This table is filled in for a Vietnamese family restaurant. Replace the dishes and dates with your own.
| Week | Theme | Tuesday: appetite | Thursday: useful | Saturday: human | Stories and Google |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One dish: bún riêu, this month's special | Video: the bowl arriving at the table, steam and crab topping | Carousel: what is in bún riêu, in five photos | The cook on why this was her mother's Sunday dish | Stories: special available today. Google: photo of the special |
| 2 | The people | Video: the morning prep, hands only | Post: who to ask for what, with names and faces of the floor team | Photo: the family at staff meal | Stories: a staff pick each day. Google: photo of the team at the door |
| 3 | The newcomer | Video: three dishes for a first visit | Carousel: how to eat bún chả, step by step | A regular's usual order, tray only, with permission | Stories: one question from a guest, answered. Google: updated menu link |
| 4 | The neighbourhood and next month | Video: the walk from the station to the door | Post: next month's hours, closures and special | Thank-you to the bakery next door, or a review with your reply | Stories: last days of the special. Google: holiday hours set |
What goes where
You do not need different content for every channel. You need the same content cut to fit.
- Instagram. All three weekly posts and the Stories.
- Facebook. The same three posts. This is often where the Vietnamese community and older regulars are, so add a Vietnamese line here when it fits. The scheduling tools in Meta for Business can queue Instagram and Facebook together.
- TikTok. The Tuesday video, with the city said out loud and written on screen. For formats that suit it, see our restaurant TikTok content ideas, and TikTok for Business for account options.
How to post one plan to several platforms without doing the work three times is covered in multichannel posting from one plan.
A year of dates for a Vietnamese restaurant
Copy this list into your wall calendar once, then add the local dates of your own country. Exact days change each year and from country to country, so check them.
- January and February. Tết: closing days, a Tết menu, orders for bánh chưng or party trays, a greeting in Vietnamese. Valentine's Day for couples' tables.
- Spring. Fresh rolls and lighter dishes return. Mother's Day, which falls on different dates in different countries. Easter and school breaks.
- Summer. Cold noodles, iced coffee, chè, outdoor seats. Tourists who need the walk-from-the-station video. Your own holiday closure, announced early.
- Autumn. Back to school and back to the office, so lunch offers. Vu Lan. Mid-Autumn with mooncakes and lanterns.
- Winter. Phở and hotpot weather. Group bookings for year-end meals. Holiday hours, posted at least two weeks ahead on every channel.
The planning hour: a checklist to copy
Once a month, one hour, in the last week of the month:
- Mark next month's closures, specials, local and community dates.
- Choose the four weekly themes and write them at the top of each week.
- Fill the three slots for each week with one line each.
- Write a name next to every line: who films, who writes, who posts.
- Circle the posts that must be exact, such as hours and closures, and decide who checks them.
- Look back at last month: which posts made guests mention them at the till? Keep those.
Every two weeks, one quiet afternoon: film the six feed posts for the next two weeks. Photos of dishes can be taken during the same session.
Every Monday, fifteen minutes: read the week's lines, change anything that is no longer true, write the captions.
If the writing is what slows you down, an AI assistant can draft captions from the calendar for you to correct. Our guide to an AI content calendar for small business explains how to brief one. And if you would rather have the whole system prepared, Bunchasake sets up social media automation for restaurants: a 30-day calendar, AI drafts that you approve, and posts scheduled automatically, run by your own team.
When the plan meets a real week
- Move, do not skip. If Tuesday's video is not ready, post it on Wednesday. The theme still holds.
- Keep two spare posts. A good dish photo and a review with your reply, ready for the week when someone is ill.
- Take down what is no longer true. If the special sold out or the hours changed, edit or remove the post the same day.
Common mistakes
- Planning thirty different ideas. It looks impressive and dies in the second week. Four themes are easier.
- A calendar only one person understands. If the daughter who made it goes on holiday, posting stops. Put it where the team can see it.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should a restaurant plan its content?
One month in outline and two weeks in detail is a workable balance. The month gives you themes and dates, and the two weeks are what you actually film and write. Planning further ahead in detail rarely survives a real kitchen.
How many posts a week does a restaurant need?
Three feed posts, Stories on the days you are open and one Google update are enough for most family restaurants. Choose the number you can keep in your busiest month, since stopping and starting does more harm than a modest, steady rhythm.
What do I do when the menu or the hours change mid-month?
Change the calendar first, then check every scheduled post that mentions the old dish or the old hours and edit or delete it. Update the Google listing the same day, because that is where most people check before they leave home.
Should the calendar be in Vietnamese or English?
Write the calendar itself in whatever language the team shares. For the posts, use the local language first and add a short Vietnamese line when the post concerns the community, such as a Tết menu or a dish from home.