Sixty million photos get posted to Instagram each day, with millions more going live on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. A few of those could be photos of the food at your pizzeria.

Like it or not, people enjoy snapping photos of food. I’m guilty of it myself. If I’m not taking photos for PMQ, I’ve got my phone camera out taking pics of restaurant dishes for a blog I publish locally called EatingOxford.com.

Knowing that your customers may be photographing–and sharing–what’s coming out of your kitchen, how can you help ensure it will look its best?

1. Keep a tidy table. Train servers to remove used napkins, straw wrappers, etc. before delivering the next course to guests. Food looks best against a clean background.

2. Use simple dishware. White dishes show off a meal the best, and any solid color is better than plates with crazy patterns that conflict with the food.

3. Check your lighting. I recently took a photo of a delicious steak, only to discover that the green overhead lights made the steak appear inedible.

4. Put a little extra care into your plating. Even if your guests aren’t taking photos, remember that we eat with our eyes before our mouths, so take an extra moment to make it look great. 

You can get frustrated with the photography, or you can embrace it and take advantage of it. You can even run your own photo contest and choose the best ones to feature in your marketing (how’s that for saving money?).

–Liz Barrett
Author, Pizza: A Slice of American History
Editor at Large, PMQ Pizza Magazine