Vertical drama ads · Restaurants

Restaurant video ideas: an AI micro drama series for TikTok

A restaurant micro drama is a short 9:16 series set in your restaurant: the regulars, the kitchen, the one table everyone fights over. Each Episode is 30-90 seconds and ends on a reason to come back. You make the Characters once, write the season with the AI Director, test it free as a picture Slideshow, and film it with a plan.

Start this series See the 5 Episodes

Free: make your Character and its Story as picture-only Slideshows. Real video comes with a plan.

Updated November 2026

Date Night (Kind of), made in Character App: a dinner date interrupted by a video call about the salmon. — Stills from our house show Date Night (Kind of), a fictional romcom made in Character App. Not a client project.

Why a series beats a one-off ad

Food videos are everywhere and look the same. A running story about the people in the room is yours alone. When viewers care whether the regular gets her table back, they remember where the table is. A series also gives you a reason to post every week without staging a new shoot.

Season 1

A 5-Episode series outline

Each Episode is 30-90 seconds: one problem, one turn, and a last line that makes the next one necessary.

Episode 1
Table six
June has eaten at table six every Friday for ten years. Tonight a stranger is sitting there.
Cliffhanger The stranger orders her dish, the one that is not on the menu.
Episode 2
The off-menu dish
The chef swears only one person knows that order. The server checks the old order book.
Cliffhanger There is a second name next to June's, from ten years ago.
Episode 3
Rush hour
A full Friday service. The two of them are seated next to each other by mistake. The kitchen watches.
Cliffhanger The stranger sends June a dessert with a note.
Episode 4
The note
The note says 'I kept the recipe.' June walks into the kitchen for the first time.
Cliffhanger The chef recognizes the handwriting.
Episode 5
Two seats at six
Table six gets a second chair. The dish goes on the menu with both their names.
Cliffhanger Next Friday: someone books table seven for every week, forever.

Script template

Episode 1 script: Table six

One filmable action per shot. Change the names and the place; keep the last line on the cliffhanger.

Shot 1
Wide shot: the restaurant on a Friday night, warm light, a full room.
Shot 2
Medium shot: June walks in with her coat over her arm and smiles at the host.
Shot 3
Close-up: the host's face falls.
Shot 4
June's point of view: a stranger sits at table six, menu closed.
Shot 5
Close-up: June's hand tightens on her coat.
Shot 6
Over the stranger's shoulder: the server bends down to take the order.
Shot 7
Close-up on the stranger, quietly: 'The one that's not on the menu, please.'
Shot 8
Close-up on June, frozen. Cut.

Make it in Character App

Free: make your Character and its Story as picture-only Slideshows. Real video comes with a plan.

1
Make your Character
Make the lead once, from a few words, your own photo, or both, in any Art style. The kept picture is the reference for every Scene after.
2
Build the World
Describe the place (the shop, the office, the street) or start it from your own photos. It stays the same in every Episode.
3
Write Episode 1 with the AI Director
Paste your Episode 1 script, or pitch it in one sentence. The AI Director writes the Scenes with your Characters cast in each one. Edit anything before you spend.
4
Try it free as a picture Slideshow
Make the Episode as a picture-only Slideshow to check the story. With a plan, a narrated Slideshow Story with music is 40 Credits for up to 5 slides.
5
Film it with a plan
Film each Scene as a 9:16 Clip. A 5-Clip Episode on H3 Turbo is 125 Credits; Creator ($39.99 a month, 1,600 Credits) makes about 64 HD H3 videos, or 12 such Episodes. The price is on every button.

Example

What it looks like: Date Night (Kind of)

Stills from our house show Date Night (Kind of), a fictional romcom made in Character App. Not a client project.

Where to post it

Export each Episode as a 9:16 video, with or without on-screen words, and post it yourself to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, or run it as a paid ad. Character App does not post for you. Every plan includes commercial use per the Terms, with no watermark. For each platform’s rules, read where to publish a vertical drama; to plan more Episodes, see vertical drama tropes and how to write a cliffhanger.

Questions, answered

What are good restaurant TikTok video ideas?

A running story with recurring people: a regular and her table, a new cook's first week, a feud between the bar and the kitchen. Each Episode can feature one dish without turning into a menu tour.

Do I need to film in my restaurant?

No. You can make the restaurant as a World from a description or your own photos, and the Characters stay the same in every Scene.

Can my staff play themselves?

Yes, from their photos, with each person's permission. Or make original Characters so no one has to be on camera.

How often should I post Episodes?

Once a week works for most restaurants. End each Episode on a question, so the next post has an audience waiting.

What does it cost to make?

Free: make your Character and its Story as picture-only Slideshows. Real video comes with a plan. With a plan, a narrated Slideshow Story is 40 Credits for up to 5 slides.