Finding Restaurant Brands On Instagram
Inputs
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
startUrls | array | ✅ | [] | Instagram URLs — profiles, hashtags, locations, audio pages, reels |
until | string | Optional | — | Scrape posts until this date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
maxItems | number | Optional | Unlimited | Maximum posts to return |
customMapFunction | string | Optional | — | JavaScript function to transform each output object |
How to Run
Using run_actor.js (recommended)
# Quick answer (table)
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~instagram-scraper" --input '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/restaurantowner/"], "maxItems": 100}'
# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~instagram-scraper" --input '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/restaurantowner/"], "maxItems": 100}' --output results.csv --format csv
# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~instagram-scraper" --input '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/restaurantowner/"], "maxItems": 100}' --output results.json --format json
REST API fallback
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~instagram-scraper/runs" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/restaurantowner/"], "maxItems": 100}'
If Apify MCP is available:
Use the Apify MCP call_actor tool with actor apidojo~instagram-scraper and the input above.
Scoring & Ranking
Score each account by:
engagement_rate = (likeCount + commentCount) / followerCount→ weight 0.4followerCount→ normalized 0-1, weight 0.3has_business_bio(bio contains phone/website/address keywords) → weight 0.3
score = 0.4 * min(engagement_rate / 0.05, 1.0) + 0.3 * min(followerCount / 50000, 1.0) + 0.3 * int(has_business_bio)
Classification
| Score | Tier | Label |
|---|---|---|
| ≥ 0.70 | A | PRIME_PROSPECT |
| 0.40–0.69 | B | WARM_LEAD |
| < 0.40 | C | LOW_PRIORITY |
Edge Cases
- Hashtag too broad:
#foodreturns millions of posts from consumers, not businesses. Use niche tags like#restaurantowneror#foodbiz. - No business in bio: Filter by accounts that have website links or phone in bio.
- Consumer accounts mixed in: Filter by followerCount > 500 and postCount > 20.
- Private account: No post data — skip.
- Duplicate accounts: Same brand may post under multiple hashtags — deduplicate by username.