Restaurant owners in the UK see a better return on investment (ROI) from Facebook than they do from Instagram, despite the cultural phenomenon of posting food pictures on the latter, according to cloud-based customer engagement solution Givex.

The survey of 202 people in senior management positions at restaurants found that 63 per cent of them see find more success on Facebook than on Facebook-owned app Instagram – where just 35 per cent see better ROI.

On the back of this, the restaurant owners were asked how they manage customer loyalty, with 48 per cent offering discounts, 40 per cent a free drink or meal, and 21 per cent inviting customers to exclusive events. However, just 26 per cent said they track customer loyalty.

“There is a huge untapped opportunity for restaurants to use social media to reward their customers, and increase loyalty. The best reward programs are the ones that understand customer behaviour. With so many customers on social media, it’s the perfect platform to tap into. If you’re looking for inspiration of restaurants that do social media well, take a look at Pret A Manger (on facebook and Instagram) and Wildwood (facebook and Instagram). Both companies have an engaged, loyal audience and use social platforms to reward their customers and let them know about special offers,” said Jurgen Ketel, managing director at Givex.

 “If your restaurant is measuring engagement on social media, it should also be rewarding it to increase loyalty. Any customer that interacts with your brand, by sharing a post on social media, referring new customers or writing a review, should be rewarded. It’s cost-effective, and it can encourage customers to choose you instead of your competitors, over and above pricing.”