Instagram is the go-to tool for US restaurants in the pandemic

Danielle Renzulli, owner of 12 Steps Down, poses at the bar with her smartphone, which she uses to maintain the bar's Instagram account. Instagram has become (more) essential for restaurants and food businesses during the pandemic. — The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

PHILADELPHIA: Bars and restaurants rely on myriad tools of the trade, from cocktail shakers to chef’s knives. And then there’s the kitchen instrument the pandemic has made all the more essential: Instagram.

Social media has long been important to the hospitality industry. Customers provided free marketing, gleefully snapping shots of their dinner, and savvy chefs built online followings with behind-the-scenes looks at dishes and kitchen dynamics.