Great coffee, friendly staff and practical location will make or break your business, but they won’t make you go viral. If you want to blow up, you have to impress your guests even before they try your amazing cold brew! Many younger people will first see your café on Instagram, so make sure to make your place optimized for that platform. Make amazing first impressions by creating photo-ops for your customers and you will get a ton of new visitors. Want to know how to make your café more Instagrammable? Here are a few tips:

Do your homework

Before you start investing in new fixtures and features, study your customers to see which part of your design attracts the most attention and which needs some help. Maybe everyone takes photos of your mural or they love the presentation of your signature coffee. Whatever it is, do your homework and give this info to your interior designer to improve your feature items. Murals, unique furniture items and quirky decorations always look attractive.

Show off your branding

Branded items like napkins, menus and signage provide great photo-ops. Instagram users love to share photos of places they visit by posting stylish and smart branding. This is a great marketing opportunity for you. Smart branding might unintentionally get into photos as well, so you can get free advertising!

Make it pretty and comfy

Your furniture is crucial for the success of your café: it encourages your guests to linger for longer, feel comfortable and snap some cute photos while lounging at your establishment. Make sure to provide your guests with a variety of seating options so they can always snap a fresh pic for Instagram. If you find a modern cafe furniture company, you will find everything from cozy armchairs to elegant bar stools and pretty tables. Don’t be scared to mix and match to create that whimsical environment fit for every customer, every occasion and every quick photo. Add color and interest with pillows and throws—these can be changed easily so you can have a “remodel” every year.

Achieve perfect lighting

This is one of the most important aspects of photography, so you have to cater to it. You need to consider how your space, drinks and food will look in photographs and on social media. The lighting you choose can make a huge difference in photos, so you need to provide layered lighting for that perfect ‘gram photo. Natural lighting is always the best, but you also need artificial illumination. Try to find a good balance between harsh overhead lighting that casts ugly shadows and task lighting that doesn’t provide enough light. You can also invest in some neon signage—this feature is very popular today, offers amazing Insta-ops and provides an interesting and colorful hue to all photos.

Don’t neglect bathrooms

If you want to have a 100% Instagrammable café, you need to pay attention to all the details, bathrooms included. Fun, innovative and quirky bathrooms are posted all over Instagram and they are a beloved setting for all selfies. Make sure your bathroom has a focal point and is blessed with enough lighting and large mirrors. Wall lighting is photogenic and flattering for bathrooms, but lights placed on both sides of the mirror produce the best #mirrorselfie.

Come up with a standout drink or dish

A recognizable and unique menu item will make the entire Instagram buzz, and your customers will come only to take a photo of your impressive drink or dish. Think trendy kombucha teas, nitro brews with extra foamy heads and a wide variety of plant-based dishes, colorful smoothie bowls and nature’s cereals. Trendy foods that you see on Instagram and TikTok will certainly attract customers, especially if you pay special attention to garnishing and colors. Edible flowers and dry ice always look amazing in photos, videos and boomerangs.

Only one photo is enough to go viral today. Stand out from the crowd with your unique branding, decoration and menu offer and everyone and their uncle will come to take some snaps of your trendy location.