How chefs can use TikTok and Instagram to their advantage
It's such a valuable tool for marketing and spotting food trends. You used to have to use magazines or adverts for that, but now there's a vast range of platforms from TikTok to Instagram and Facebook providing new avenues for getting word of your business out there.
We have marketing teams in our group who help to develop ideas for content, but because my name is front and centre throughout the overall brand, it's really important for me to use that opportunity to show people who I am.
It's an independent family business, so I love getting my son, Francisco, or nieces and nephews involved where I can. It's also great to take people along on foraging trips so that they can see the quality of the produce we're using in our kitchens.
Aside from that, I personally really enjoy using social media and find that I learn from it.
I follow many different chefs and find new techniques online rather than turning to cookery books. It's a great tool for self-development.
It also means that sometimes I'll spot a trend which we can replicate within our business.
A great example of that is food trucks. In recent years, with businesses like SpudBros running live streams while they're working, people have become a lot more interested in that kind of cooking and what goes on behind the scenes.
That's how the idea to open the Lobster Shack at our Dune restaurant in St Andrews came about last June. We realised that people were interested in these cool wee pop-up places, or might not want to spend the money on coming in for a sit-down meal, so we started selling lobster rolls to go.
This meant that they could try some of our fantastic, fresh seafood in a much more affordable and relaxed way.
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But it is hard to predict what the next big trend will. They always seem to come out of nowhere.
Just look at how popular tinned fish has become these days because of people rating different types or comparing packaging on social media.
As a chef, I'm really happy to see that happening because these wee tins are such a great ingredient to cook with.
Everyone knows about tinned tuna, or maybe they've had a bad experience with a tin of mackerel, but there's such a lot of variety out there.
My favourite is tinned mussels in smoked paprika. It's absolutely to die for. And, with the summer season coming up, a tin of sardines is a great thing to have handy for chucking in your picnic basket.
Here's hoping the next trend will be fresh lobster rolls for the summer!
You can keep up with Dean Banks on Instagram at @chefdeanbanks
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