Consumers are flocking to social media, with Facebook and Instagram in particular having a huge impact on how customers look for information and how they find new restaurants. In a recent article on Forbes, author Lizzy Saxe discusses the possible upsides and pitfalls of promoting your restaurant on social media. The idea of "going viral" seems, at first, extremely appealing. Who wouldn't want an enourmous boost in their online presence? Well, it turns out that having influencers and prominent social media users promoting your restaurant can actually give off the wrong message to potential customers. While 35% of American diners say they visited a restauranta fter seeing it on social media, many diners are more concerned with the quality of their experience (food, service) than with the perceived hype. As is always the case in business, the best strategies are about balance. Breaking out on social media can be a great opportunity for restaurants, and it's not necessarily a bad idea to have some help getting your name out there. But always make sure that whatever expectations you are creating can be backed up in reality. Source: Forbes Infographic: SevenRooms