A blue, black and pink popsicle on a white stick against yellow and pink background. Minimalist and abstract feel.A blue, black and pink popsicle on a white stick against yellow and pink background. Minimalist and abstract feel.

The Key Ingredient in Food Marketing

When you own a restaurant, every visual element—your logo, brand colors, messaging, and tagline—plays a crucial role in defining your brand’s identity. Brand recognition is necessary in successful marketing, especially in an industry where competition is fierce, and every restaurant is vying for its share of the market.

One of the necessities in great food marketing is having exceptional food photography.

A monitor at a photoshoot displays a pepperoni pizza with hot honey drizzle dripping off of the crust. The pizza is sitting on a dark wood surface.

Food photography goes beyond aesthetics—it shapes our perception of taste, creates emotional connections, and triggers cravings. When we see mouthwatering food images, our brains don’t just process what we’re looking at; they make us feel something. This reaction, known as visual hunger, stimulates desire. And in marketing, desire is everything.

A pesto artichoke flatbread sits on a wooden paddle. It sits next to garlic cloves, tomatoes, basil, a block of parmesan cheese, artichokes and a bowl of pesto sauce.

We live in a social media-driven world where people proudly share photos of their meals. Food is more than nourishment—it’s a shared experience, a cultural connector, and a reflection of identity. When we dine with family, catch up with friends at a new café, or try something new on a first date at a pub, the way food looks creates the first impression. Think about it, when deciding where to go out to eat, most people start on their phone and food photographs can be a deciding factor from one restaurant to the other.

A food stylist carefully places an ingredient on a BBQ Brisket Sandwich on a photo set. There is a large light and a camera on either side of her.

This is where food stylists and expert photography come in. They, together, help make food crave worthy. From the perfect drips of sauce on a burger, to the moisture drops on fresh vegetables or the sharp detail on the crispness of the bacon—every tiny detail influences how potential customers not only perceive your food…but also your brand. Before they even step foot in your restaurant, they’ve already decided whether they want to try your food, all based on how it looks.

A chicken sandwich shot at a lower angle. Between the brioche buns is lettuce, tomato, crispy chicken, cheddar cheese, pickles and a chipotle aioli sauce that is dripping down from above the pickles.

At Asher, we’ve had the privilege of working with renowned brands like Pizza Factory, Subway, Scooter’s Coffee, and Wings Etc., helping them craft stunning food photography that aligns with their unique identities. Our creative team collaborates closely with brands to ensure every image captures the essence of their story—because in the world of food marketing, a picture isn’t just worth a thousand words. It’s worth a craving.

  • People experience both an emotional and a physiological response when they see food, which is why it is so vital that the food we see looks appetizing, authentic and beautiful. You want somebody to salivate and feel hungry when they look at a perfectly cooked pizza or deliciously built sandwich. You want them to feel the warmth and comfort of a cozy cup of coffee in the morning.

    Jennifer Roberts headshot, Asher Agency Vice President, Executive Creative Director

    Jennifer Roberts

    Vice President, Executive Creative Director

  • How you photograph food—or really any product—can dramatically change how it is perceived by a potential customer. If it’s important for food to appear big and bold, we might shoot at a lower angle or light it in a way that makes the product feel more like a hero. If our goal is to showcase quality ingredients or a unique flavor, we may work with a food stylist to help tell an ingredient story within a photograph to convey that flavor profile.

    Sean O’Leary, Asher Agency Senior Art Director, crossing arms

    Sean O'Leary

    Senior Art Director

    • A burger drizzled with bbq sauce, and stacked with two onion rings, crispy slices of bacon and a slice of cheddar cheese sits in a black metal tray. There is a beer that is out of focus in the background.
    • A bbq brisket sandwich is shown on a digital monitor on set at a photoshoot. There is steam rising from the sandwich on screen.
    • A tray of nachos is topped with beans, diced tomatoes, thinly sliced jalapeños, shredded lettuce and drizzled with sour cream. One of the tortilla chips is hanging out of the tray, and there is a drink out of focus in the background.
    • Two flatbreads are shown from overhead, and at angles next to each other. Both sit on wooden paddles. The top flatbread has cheese, sliced chicken, cooked red onions and a drizzle of bbq sauce. The other flatbread is topped with a pesto sauce, cheese, sliced tomatoes an artichokes.
    • A behind the scenes photo of a food photoshoot. There are large white boards above a pizza, and various styling supplies and photo equipment can be seen around the room.
    • A promotional photo showing a bbq brisket pizza next to a bbq brisket sandwich. There is steam rising from the sandwich. Both items sit on top of a rugged, wooden surface.
    • A behind the scenes image of a robot arm filming a man pouring cold coffee into a Scooter's Coffee cup. The cup is surrounded by coffee beans, and sits on top of a solid yellow backdrop.
    • A promotional photo showing a bbq brisket sandwich. There is steam rising from the sandwich and it sits on top of a rugged, wooden surface.
    • A behind the scenes photograph of a food photoshoot. There is a photographer looking at a monitor, while a food stylist, creative director, and client look on and direct. There is photo and styling equipment in the background.
    • An example promotional photo that shows off Pizza Factory's catering food items.
    • A behind the scenes photograph of a food photoshoot. There is a photographer looking through his camera at a pizza that is surrounded by photo equipment. The photoshoot is taking place in a large industrial warehouse space.
    • A promotional photo of a basket of chicken wings. The wings are covered in two different kinds of hot sauce. There are also two sticks of celery and a small bowl of blue cheese in the basket with the wings. There is a drink out of focus in the background.

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