This past week, I sat in a few different booths around Calgary. One was at a Beltline brunch spot that still crushes it on weekdays. Another, a gastropub off 17th that’s been quietly putting out some of the best wings in the city for a decade. I stopped in at a newer Italian place in Inglewood too fresh tile, sharp staff, and a wood-fired oven that turns out a mushroom pizza I’d fight over.
In every conversation, no matter the concept or cuisine, one question kept coming up…
“Jay, what are we supposed to post these days?”
It’s a familiar frustration. Social media doesn’t feel fun anymore it feels like work. You’re already trying to make it through Stampede season, cover rising food costs, keep good staff, and now you’re supposed to magically turn into a content creator on top of it all?
But here's what I’ve learned from Calgary’s restaurant scene something I’ve been saying to operators more often lately: you don’t need to be flashy, and you don’t need a campaign. You just need to slow down and look at what’s already on your pass.
Start with one dish. Tell ten stories.
That’s it. That’s the whole play.
Last week, I told this to a chef running a tight operation near Marda Loop. He blinked at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Ten stories? From one plate?”
Yes. Especially here. Calgary’s food scene is built on hard work and heart not gimmicks. The best restaurants in this city know who they are. They’re led by cooks who care, owners who plate with purpose, and staff who would rather show up for each other than post about it. And that’s exactly why this works.
Take one great dish. Let’s say it’s your duck confit with Saskatoon berry glaze local, soulful, just the right balance of rich and sharp. You plate it with pride. Now don’t just take a photo and move on. Pause.
Get the hero shot, of course. But then zoom in on the details. A slow pour of the reduction. A slice through the crispy skin. Grab 15 seconds of the line cook building it, music playing in the background, maybe the bell ringing for pick-up. It doesn’t need polish. It needs presence.
Ask the chef to talk for ten seconds about where the idea came from. Post a shot of the berries still in the flat from the market. Capture the sommelier’s wine pairing beside it that Syrah from the Okanagan with a bit of funk to match the fat.
Then look out at your dining room. Maybe there’s a couple sharing the dish. Maybe a solo diner with a smile. That’s a moment too.
And then here’s the trick let your guests help finish the story. Encourage them to tag you. Feature their photos. Make it a conversation, not a broadcast. This city runs on community. Use it.
Suddenly, your duck confit isn’t just a menu item. It’s a rhythm across ten posts. Ten reasons to care. Ten chances to stop the scroll.
That’s how Calgary builds brand loyalty not with stunts, but with steady storytelling.
This isn’t content for content’s sake. It’s documentation. It’s respect. It’s pride in your plate.
And it’s doable. You don’t need a marketing agency downtown. You don’t need a ring light or a TikTok strategy. You just need to believe your food is worth talking about more than once.
Because in a city like this one that’s equal parts cowboy grit and culinary ambition there’s always room for one more good story.
Start with the dish that makes you proud.
Then tell it ten ways.
You’ll be surprised how far it goes.
