How to Prepare Your Restaurant for a Photo and Video Shoot

A shoot day either generates a month of content or generates a month of regret. The difference is almost entirely in the prep the venue does in the seven days beforehand.

This is the checklist we send every client before we arrive.

Seven days out

• Confirm the dish list with the head chef. Stick to dishes you are actually proud of, not dishes you are introducing on the day.
• Confirm the shot list with us. Hero shot, interior shot, lifestyle, reels — everyone agrees on the same list before kit shows up.
• Block the calendar — no large reservations on shoot afternoon if you want lifestyle coverage of the room empty.
• Brief the team. A team that knows what is happening shows up sharper, on time, and dressed in clean uniform.

Three days out

• Order any final menu items that need to be at peak quality. Garnish herbs, fresh flowers for the room, ice.
• Confirm any drinks the bar lead wants to feature. Cocktails are 70% lighting and 30% glassware; both need prep time.
• Run a 10-minute internal walk-through. Is there a corner that needs paint? A loose menu board? A burned-out bulb in the window?

The night before

• Polish the glassware that will appear on camera.
• Clean the windows — natural light is your single biggest asset and dirty windows kill it.
• Stage the room the way you want it photographed: chairs straight, candles ready, no half-empty water bottles behind the bar.

Shoot morning

• Make sure the kitchen is plating real portions, not "pretty" portions. The dishes should look the way a guest sees them.
• Have one team member on hand as a runner. Photo days are 80% small adjustments; a runner saves you twenty minutes per hour.
• Eat before the shoot. The crew will. Hungry teams make bad decisions on camera.

During the shoot

• Trust the shot list. If the photographer wants to skip a dish, there is a reason — usually the light or the shape of the plate. Skip it.
• Keep the music off. Yes, even the curated playlist. It is distracting and shows up on video.
• Stay flexible on timing. Light moves faster than your prep schedule.

After the shoot

• Caption ideas while it is fresh. Walking past the kitchen during prep usually surfaces the best caption line of the month.
• Wait for the edit before posting anything from your phone. Trust the colour-grade and the crop.
• Plan the rollout. A full shoot day can carry 30 days of content if you sequence it well — see How One Shoot Day Can Create 30 Days of Content.

Talk to us

If you would rather we handle the prep with you, book a shoot day and we will walk through the checklist on a call before the date. For the full shoot service breakdown, see Restaurant Photography & Videography London.