Next to using catchy ticket descriptions, it is also important to pair good photos with the tickets to make them even more attractive for your guests to book. The picture and the ticket title are the two things that guests first see. This means you really want an attractive, eye-catching image that matches your restaurant's aesthetics and perfectly shows what the ticket will offer.

Showing off your dishes, areas, or special menus through photos, and adding great ticket descriptions, is the best way to get your guests to book a table. To help you along in creating the best ticket photos possible, here are some do’s and don’ts when you want to make new photos or update older ones. 

First off, what you should do

1. Make sure that your ticket description matches the photo. When the description mentions a specific menu, dish, area or deal don’t hesitate to show what guests can expect.

2. Use different photos across your tickets. Even if the tickets are not seen by the guests side-by-side at all times it is important to show a diverse range of images, as they might be regulars and book different tickets more often.

3. When taking the photos, even with a smartphone, make sure you have the highest quality settings that your device can offer selected and try to avoid sending the pictures through messaging systems as this will lower the quality. Don’t forget to double-check your photos after taking them, to see if everything you want is in focus.

4. If you are struggling to properly show off your restaurant or a specific area, try to take pictures of your guests enjoying themselves with drinks or dishes on the table. Do ask their permission to use these pictures or ask friends, acquaintances, or family members to be your models. 

5. Lastly, do keep your surrounding context and social situation in mind. Guests today might be unsure to book a table if you show a crowded photo from before 2020. However, there will come a time when the 1.5 culture will end, so adjust your pictures accordingly if you are still showing off your corona-proof space. 

Second, what you should avoid

Better known as the don’ts:

1. Your pictures should not be too dark, usually guests can’t see what you are trying to show. This usually happens when photos are taken at night or inside a dimly lit restaurant. Try to work with the natural light during the day, like during a lunch shift, or turn on a couple more lights if you want to show a dish or your restaurant at night. 

2. As the tickets in Formitable are formatted horizontally, try to avoid using vertical or square pictures. The system will cut it down and the attractive sides of the photo are usually lost. It is your best bet to take horizontal pictures to perfectly capture your ticket. The recommendation is to then have the main focus of the picture, like the food, the guests, or the area at the center of the photo.

3. We generally advise you not to include text in the picture, like titles, marketing posters, or stock illustrations. The reason for this is that you are most likely using multiple languages in your widget and the same image is used for both languages. The text in the photo could then become confusing in another language. On top of that, the text in the image is usually very similar or the same as the title of the ticket which is displayed right below. 

4. To avoid repetition we also recommend not to use your restaurant logo as the ticket image. This is usually featured multiple times on your website already. We are sure you can take a nice picture that really shows off your restaurant or your menu that fits that ticket as well. 

5. Try not to edit your pictures with filters or colors too much. If you have taken the photo with good lighting and you are satisfied with what you have shown, like a colorful dish or an attractive area then there is no need to adjust the picture. If you do feel like your pictures are a little too dark and there is no other way for you to take them in a better way, you can always turn up the brightness slightly. Do so with moderation. 

With these tips, we are sure you will successfully create the best pictures for your tickets! If you want to know more about food photography and how to use your phone to take the nicest photos of your dishes, check out this blog post.