I’m not going to argue that eating out is not an interactive experience. As much as our family frequents restaurants, we certainly do our part to get to know the restaurateurs and servers. We often search the internet for local menus and specialties to steer us in the right direction to satisfy cravings, so if you own a cafe, deli, bistro, or full bar and grill, it’s time you got online socials. .

Do you have a website for your restaurant? If so, great! Having an online position card where customers can find menus and directions is important if you want to maintain high visibility among crowds of hungry internet surfers looking for a good place to eat. However, given the dynamic nature of the business, it may not always be wise to constantly update your site every time new events and special offers emerge. Complementing your online presence with active social media profiles keeps your customers informed of changes and fosters a trust-building interaction between your diners and the people who discover your restaurant.

How can you use social networks to promote your restaurant? You will find that there are many options, all of which can be handled by yourself or by any Internet-savvy staff:

Post daily specials on Twitter: Which is the soup of the day? Has the dessert cart changed? You can keep users updated on menu changes as they happen with the real-time functionality that Twitter offers. A good example is a frozen yogurt bar in Virginia Beach, which informs fans of the daily flavors.

Plus, using Twitter’s search feature to determine if someone is accepting suggestions for places to eat in your area gives you the opportunity to honk your own horn. Respond to Twitter users and offer a special to entice them to visit.

Offer coupons through Facebook: Like Twitter, Facebook can be accessed on handheld PDAs through specialized applications, making it easy to promote your business. Set up a fan page for your restaurant and encourage customers to join. Then you’ll have a captive audience that you can offer discounts on meals and free appetizers and desserts. Once the word gets out, your fan base may grow.

Upload commercial video on YouTube: If you advertise on TV, why not post your commercials online? YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google, and these days people turn to the internet more than their TVs to watch TV. Create a YouTube page for your restaurant and offer TV commercials and even short videos that enhance the dining experience. Show people what they’re missing when they don’t visit.

Dig up great reviews: Have you been praised on Yelp or TripAdvisor? You’ll definitely want to link to those reviews from your website, but you want people to know what your bosses have to say. Using social bookmarking features like Digg, Delicious, and similar sites helps spread the word about great reviews and may prompt readers to look it up on their own…or even over for lunch!

Your restaurant may be a great place to eat and socialize, but the more you use social media to inform diners, the better for your business.