Restaurant Influencers: The Foodies Shaping Where We Eat

You don’t have to be a world famous food chain to hire the help of a food influencer. Restaurants, big and small, local and nationwide can rally their expertise to help with the promotion of a new dish or the establishment as a whole. 

The modern day customer tends to engage with digital content across social media, podcasts and online review sites for recommendations on new restaurants to try. From here, it just makes sense for restaurants to leverage the power of an influencer who are persuasive experts. 

Influencers serve as the bridge between restaurant and customer through their ability to capture alluring photos and videos of food, spaces and vibes. In return, the influencer will receive a payment from either the restaurant themselves or through the social agency they are working with, in accordance to their reach. For more about influencer rates, check out our Instagram Influencer Marketing blog. 

Looking to raise the reputation of your restaurant?

In this blog we will share our top tips for successfully marketing your restaurant, as well a list of the influencers who can help along the way. 

Influencer marketing: food industry standards

Just as Michelin stars are to restaurants, influencer campaigns are to marketing. They must be the best of the best to reap the top rewards. 

Let’s take a look at how you can incorporate food influencers into your marketing campaigns.

Provide a fresh experience

By nature, people love to experiment and try new things. Lean into this by having your restaurant offer a unique experience that customers can’t get anywhere else. The influencers you then partner with can use their online presence to promote this experience and gather new customers. 

On the other hand, if your style is unique and stands out from the crowd, influencers may be the ones to approach you so that they have eye-catching content to add to their profiles. Reinventing your theme can be an incredibly effective marketing strategy. 

The Ivy Asia introduces customers to new themes according to the time of year. This is a great way of keeping customers excited to keep coming, as they are less likely to get bored of the same thing. 

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Gather feedback and reviews utilising influencers

That which deters a lot of customers from trying something new is knowing whether or not it will actually be worth it. This is where your influencer partners can help. 

Food influencers are a trusted source to many. One in-depth review from them can lead to crowds flocking to your restaurant. Alongside these reviews, influencers can mention certain dishes for their followers to try too!

Events and appearances

With the help of influencers, you can host large scale events to promote either the launch of your restaurant or a new dish. At these events you can have influencers post pictures and videos onto their grid and Stories to increase brand awareness and bring like-minded people together. When you have an established influencer on your side, the higher the chances of driving more traffic to your establishment on special days. 

Influencer marketing agency, Aquarius Creative, helped Nico’s restaurant in Glasgow launch a new cocktail menu for their restaurant by utilising the reach of their influencers to post their attendance all over their socials.

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Top Restaurant Influencers

1. GNOCHGNOCH

With a bio that states ‘lemme tell you where to spend your money’, you know that you’re about to find a list of unbelievably tempting restaurant experiences  – and that’s exactly what you’ll get. 

From upmarket fine-dining reviews to the best eats from the markets, there’s a recommendation for every budget. 

@itsgnochgnoch Here’s what I ordered at Sushi Samba ? #foodreview #restaurantreview #londonhotspots #londonfood #londonrestaurant #japanese #sushi #whatiate ♬ original sound – GNOCHGNOCH

2. thefoodbaddie

Thefoodbaddie’s account embraces the power of editing to give her followers satisfying clips of tasty food. Slow-mo sauce drips and cheese pulls give her account a menu-meets-music video feel. She is a great partner for those looking to attract a young, London customer base.

@thefoodbaddie Authentic Argentinian affordable food spot in Nottinghill ??? #chepeats #argentinianfood #empanadas #londoncheapeats #londonhiddengems #londonstreetfood #nottinghill #nottinghillfood #londonfoodspots ♬ original sound – sᴘᴇᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ♬

 3. emily_jane_johnston

Emily has a taste for the finer things in life and usually shares high-end foodie recs to her 91k followers. This influencer is a great choice for restaurant owners looking to create a marketing strategy around a luxury lifestyle. Her content includes dinner at the Lanesborough, Jimmy Choo pop-ups and Moet at Harrods. 

@emily_jane_johnston This is London’s latest hotspot and if it is anything like it’s mothership, it’s not just a flash in the pan but a permanent fixture on the scene. The legendary Claridge’s have this week opened the ArtSpace Cafe, and I went along to the early morning launch. Bubbles before 9am…and just what is this exciting new adventure? The cafe will offer delicious and exclusive sweet treats and savoury bites, alongside your standard cafe drinks with a Claridge’s guarantee of quality with every order. Whether you order them as pancakes or crepes, definitely don’t miss out on the freshest serving, created counter side in the cafe. And you bet your bottom dollar that I are every last bite of mine. I also got a look at the full savoury menu and it’s gonna take me the year to make my way through this offering that is almost too gorgeous to destroy with a knife and fork. But, the real pull for my tastebuds was the pain Suisse and it’s good. It’s really good and a friend stepped in here to prove the point. Only true deliciousness delivers these sort of smiles. The Claridge’s Artspace cafe is of course a great spot for fabulous food but will also be a creative hub for art lovers as the space will regularly rotate exhibitions open for one and all to come and peruse. Anyone up for coffee and crepes with a side of culture? See you there! #claridges #london #londoncafe #londoncoffee ♬ Coffee Shop – Late Night Luke

4. leahinslc

Travel tips, travel guides and – most importantly – travel eats, Leah’s page has it all.

Her frequent trips aboard make her more than qualified to announce the best [insert food item here] in the world. She gives lists of recommendations on everything from ice cream to fried chicken.

@leahinslc Jinya in Salt Lake City never disappoints ? #Utah #UtahCheck #SaltLakeCity #UtahFood #UtahLife #UtahLiving #UtahSoda #Ramen ♬ Fake ID (Coke & Rum Remix) – Riton & Kah-Lo & GEE LEE

5. poppycooks

The self-described ‘potato queen’ rose to TikTok fame for her 15-hour potato recipe that has been tried and tested by some of the app’s biggest creators. However, you’ll find more than just potatoes on her profile. She is Michelin-trained after all.

@poppycooks Introducing the world’s most viral potato… ?? #potatotiktok #15hourpotato #potatoes ♬ Welcome to Potato TikTok – Poppy O’Toole

6. fwscout

Former editor-in-chief for Food&Wine Magazine, Dana Cowin’s feed is packed with delicious looking meals with irresistible accompanying descriptions. She’s also the mastermind behind the ‘Speaking Broadly’ podcast and zine, which aims to uplift women in food. 

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