Trendjacking Without Trying Too Hard: Preserving Brand Integrity While Staying Relevant

Restaurants face a perpetual dilemma in social media marketing: jump on trending topics to stay visible or maintain a consistent brand voice that might not always align with viral moments. The space between these approaches is where the magic happens—thoughtful trendjacking that maintains your restaurant’s personality while tapping into cultural relevance.

When Trendjacking Goes Wrong

We’ve all seen it happen. A nationwide fast food chain awkwardly inserting itself into conversations about serious social issues. The local bistro attempting slang that’s clearly foreign to them. The steakhouse trying desperately to reference a reality TV moment with forced connection to their menu.

These attempts scream desperation, creating the digital equivalent of that uncomfortable feeling when someone much older tries too hard to seem “hip” at a party. Your customers can sense the authenticity gap instantly.

The Selective Trendjacking Approach

The most successful restaurants adopt a selective trendjacking strategy—they don’t attempt to ride every viral wave, but instead wait for moments that naturally intersect with their brand values and offerings.

Here’s how to develop this approach:

1. Create Your Trend Filter

Develop a simple set of questions to evaluate trending topics:

• Does this align with our restaurant’s core values or story?
• Can we contribute something meaningful to this conversation?
• Would our regular customers expect us to have a perspective on this?
• Can we connect this to our offerings without stretching credibility?

If a trend passes through this filter, it’s worth considering. If not, let it pass—another will come along soon.

2. Respect Your Brand Voice

Trendjacking doesn’t mean abandoning your established voice. A fine dining restaurant shouldn’t suddenly adopt TikTok slang just because a dance trend is popular. Instead, find ways to reference trends within your existing communication style.

For example, when “Emily in Paris” sparked renewed interest in French cuisine, Paris-inspired bistros could highlight their authenticity without changing their voice: “While Emily discovers Paris through Instagram filters, our chef spent 15 years mastering traditional techniques in actual Parisian kitchens.”

3. Add Value, Don’t Just Capitalize

The best trendjacking adds something valuable to both the trend and your marketing. When sourdough bread became a pandemic obsession, smart bakeries didn’t just say “we have sourdough too!” Instead, they offered expertise: “Been struggling with your homemade sourdough? Here are three common mistakes our bakers identified from your photos” or “After 20 attempts at home, treat yourself to bread made with our 27-year-old starter.”

4. Use Trends to Highlight What You Already Do

Rather than creating completely new offerings for every trend, look for elements of your existing menu, service, or values that connect to trending topics.

When “coastal grandmother” aesthetic trended on TikTok, restaurants didn’t need to completely reinvent themselves. Those already serving fresh seafood, white wine, and using natural linens simply needed to frame these existing offerings within the trend context.

5. Consider Format Trendjacking

Sometimes the wisest approach is to adopt a trending format while keeping your content authentic to your brand. When a particular transition style or audio clip is trending, you can use that format while keeping the actual content aligned with your restaurant’s regular messaging.

For example, when the “Put a finger down” challenge was popular, restaurants could use the format to highlight their specialties: “Put a finger down if you’ve ever had a handmade pasta that changed your perspective on Italian food.”

6. Mind The Timing Window

Trends move quickly. Being two days late to a trend can be worse than missing it entirely, making your restaurant seem out of touch rather than relevant. Develop a rapid response system for trends you decide to engage with:

• Who approves trend-related content?
• Can this person be reached quickly?
• Do you have templates ready that can be quickly modified?

7. Know When To Sit Out

Some trends, while popular, simply aren’t a good fit for restaurants or your specific establishment. Political controversies, divisive social issues, or trends based on humor that doesn’t align with your brand values are often best observed from the sidelines.

The 80/20 Rule of Restaurant Content

A sustainable approach follows the 80/20 rule: 80% of your content should be your consistent, core messaging and offerings. Only about 20% should be trend-responsive content.

This balance ensures your feed maintains a coherent identity while still appearing current and engaged with broader conversations.

Measuring Trendjacking Success

Success isn’t just about engagement numbers. Consider these metrics:

• Did engagement come from your actual target customers?
• Did the content drive meaningful actions (reservations, orders)?
• Did it support your overall brand positioning?
• Could you explain the connection between the trend and your restaurant in one simple sentence?

Finding Your Trend Sweet Spot

Every restaurant has different thresholds for trend participation based on their brand positioning and customer expectations. A quirky food truck is expected to be more playful and trend-responsive than a formal fine dining establishment.

Map out your “trend comfort zone” by categorizing trend types:

• Always appropriate (food trends, local events)
• Sometimes appropriate (requires case-by-case evaluation)
• Rarely appropriate (might consider in exceptional cases)
• Never appropriate (political controversies, sensitive social issues)

This framework allows for quick decision-making when new trends emerge.

Final Thoughts

The most successful restaurant trendjacking doesn’t feel like trendjacking at all—it feels like your restaurant being its authentic self while acknowledging the current cultural moment. When done right, customers should think “that’s so them” rather than “they’re trying too hard.”

Remember that staying silent on most trends won’t hurt your brand, but forced participation in irrelevant trends definitely will. Be selective, be authentic, and when you do participate, bring something uniquely yours to the conversation.