Your First Restaurant AI Prompts
Most operators try ChatGPT once, type "write me an Instagram post about pasta," get a generic result, and conclude that AI doesn't work for restaurants. The problem isn't AI — it's the prompt.
A great restaurant prompt is structured. It tells the AI who you are, what you need, the format you want it in, and the tone of your concept. Once you learn the pattern, you'll get usable output in 80% of attempts on the first try.
What You'll Learn
- The CRAFT framework for restaurant AI prompts
- How a vague prompt and a structured prompt produce wildly different output
- Three prompt patterns you'll use every week as an owner
- How to iterate when the first response isn't quite right
The CRAFT Framework
Every prompt should include five elements. The mnemonic is CRAFT:
- Context — your restaurant: type, size, neighborhood, price point, concept
- Role — who AI is playing (a marketing manager, a chef, a controller)
- Ask — exactly what you want produced
- Format — list, table, paragraph, email, caption
- Tone — your brand voice (warm and neighborhood, sleek and high-end, fun and irreverent)
A vague prompt:
Write an Instagram caption about our new pasta dish.
The same task with CRAFT:
Context: I own Tavola, a 40-seat Italian neighborhood restaurant in Brooklyn. We're known for hand-rolled pastas and a casual, family-table vibe. Average check is $45.
Role: Act as my social media manager.
Ask: Write an Instagram caption for tonight's special — orecchiette with broccoli rabe, sausage, and chili oil.
Format: Caption under 220 characters, plus 5 relevant hashtags on a separate line.
Tone: Warm, slightly cheeky, neighborhood-Italian — not foodie corporate.
The first prompt produces something forgettable. The second produces something you could post tonight.
Why "Context" Is the Game-Changer
For a restaurant operator, context is everything. A 12-table farm-to-table spot writes very differently than a 200-cover sports bar. AI doesn't know which one you are unless you tell it.
Save a "house context" paragraph somewhere — a Notes app, a sticky note on your laptop. Paste it at the top of every new chat. Mine looks like:
I own Tavola, a 40-seat Italian neighborhood restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Concept: hand-rolled pastas, seasonal Italian classics, $45 avg check. Customer base: families during early dinner, couples and groups later. Voice: warm, neighborhood, slightly cheeky. Stay away from foodie clichés like "elevated," "curated," or "artisanal."
Now every reply, post, and email automatically sounds like your restaurant.
Three Prompts You'll Use Every Week
1. The Specials Caption Generator
[paste house context]
Today's specials:
- Orecchiette with broccoli rabe and Italian sausage — $26
- Branzino al sale (whole salt-baked) — $42
- Lemon-ricotta crostata — $14
Write 3 Instagram captions, each under 220 characters,
plus 5 hashtags. Vary the openers — don't start each
with the same word.
2. The Review Response Drafter
[paste house context]
A guest left this 2-star Google review:
"Came in Saturday at 7. Waited 30 minutes for our table
even though we had a reservation. Food was good but the
service was rushed. Won't be back."
Write a calm, ownership-taking response from the owner.
Acknowledge the wait, take responsibility, invite them
back. Do not offer a free meal. Keep it under 100 words.
Sign as "Mike, Owner."
3. The Vendor Email Drafter
[paste house context]
Draft an email to my produce supplier asking why my
last invoice was 14% higher than the one before. I want
a friendly but firm tone — I value the relationship but
I need to understand the increase before I approve next
week's order. Attach the question: "Were these increases
across the market or specific to our account?"
Format: short email, subject line, sign off as Mike.
Iteration: When the First Reply Isn't Quite Right
The first AI response is rarely the final one — and that's fine. Iteration takes seconds.
Common iteration moves:
- "Make it 30% shorter and cut the food clichés."
- "Rewrite in a more playful tone — closer to a text from a friend than a formal post."
- "Same caption but lead with a question."
- "Give me 3 more variations, each with a different hook."
- "Sharper. Less marketing-speak."
Treat the AI like a junior staffer learning your voice. The first ten times you correct it, the eleventh time it gets it right.
A Common Beginner Mistake
Most owners ask AI to do too many things in one prompt. "Write an Instagram caption, an email to the vendor, and update my menu copy" — that's three jobs, three different tones, three different audiences. AI will do all three poorly.
One prompt = one job. Run them sequentially. You'll be done in five minutes either way, and the output will be ten times better.
Sample Workflow: Monday Morning, 15 Minutes
- Open ChatGPT.
- Paste your saved house context.
- Run prompt 1 (specials captions). Pick your favorite. Paste into your draft scheduler.
- Run prompt 2 (review response). Edit, post.
- Run prompt 3 (supplier email). Edit, send.
Total elapsed time: 12–18 minutes. Pre-AI version of this same morning: 60–90 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Use CRAFT — Context, Role, Ask, Format, Tone — for every prompt
- Save a "house context" paragraph and paste it at the top of every new chat
- Run one job per prompt; chain them rather than combining them
- Iterate by giving short feedback ("shorter," "warmer," "less salesy")
- The first prompt is the worst prompt; the third is usually publishable