Petty to boycott local restaurants due to this?

[Wife226]

We are quite fortunate to have a really good selection of restaurants where we live. Two are under the same ownership but are different themes etc.

One in particular recently re-opened after a refurbishment and there has been a string of local ‘influencers’ and I use the term lightly putting up posts of them eating there (multiple courses) with it being clear that they were given it for free.

They also did similar with their other restaurant in the summer.

Is it petty to no longer visit them as a result? I would resent paying full price whilst the ‘influencer’ (PT with 2000 followers) gets it all for free.

Finally someone honest. The issue that most of the whiners on this thread have is that they think influencers and anyone who listens to them are stupid. It's a superiority thing. I get it, but at least own your arrogance like @AnswerIsNo!

Again, not the fault of the influencers, who were doing the job they were paid for. It was bad business on the part of the company.

Your values are obviously different to the restaurant owners. That doesn't mean they are wrong, they have chosen a strategy of advertising that you don't like. So don't use them. You may be missing out as a result, if you like eating out and they serve food you would otherwise enjoy, but if it isn't a business you want to support, that is your choice.

To note, a smaller, local influencer with 2k engaged followers is often much better for a small restaurant chain than someone with a larger following (likely not conveniently geographically located). All small businesses need some marketing, this previously might have been adverts in local newspapers or magazines. Now social media is more accessible, probably better value for money if they have only needed to give away a free meal.

It is also better for your local economy to spend money in small businesses, over larger, multi-national chains. But you are under no obligation to spend your money anywhere, just try and make informed choices.

I don't suppose these places care one jot whether a retired wife of c-suite man (wearing your husband's position is tacky as fuck) turns up or not. They are marketing to people who are social media users, not sneerers who think they are better than that. In fact, they will probably be happier for you not to go along with your disapproving cat's bum face.

If 'influencers' are actually able to make a living from their grift, then fair play to them. I suspect it is a lot more fun than the c-suite life.

Well if you'd have gone otherwise, then it's a bit daft of you tbh. The restaurants are just advertising in the modern way. They give these people a free meal in return for loads of publicity. You have to pay because presumably you don't have a platform on which to promote them and increase their business.

@Whyarepeople of course people who design, produce & sell food are paid. How is that the same as a celeb or influencer promoting a dud product simply because they are getting paid?

No I don't understand why people want to behave like sheep. Do you?

Are customers really acting like sheep because they respond to advertising? Have you never responded to advertising? Never gone to see a film because the trailer looked good? Never gone to a shop because you saw a poster saying they were having a sale? Never visited a restaurant because there was a good review in the newspaper/online?

I don’t believe for a moment that you’ve never been ‘influenced’ by advertising, perhaps even without realising it. We all are, that’s why advertisings works. And, like it or not, social media influencers are just another type of advertising.

It doesn’t make people sheep because they respond to advertising.

Wherever you go there will be several people enjoying it for free. Whether that's a restaurant or a hotel or a concert or a sports event or... anything really. Some of them might not even be earning it in any way. You kind of have to get over that in life.

Does the OP like the food the restaurant sells?

Your point was that your neighbour wasn't paid to groom you. Of course she wasn't but you were at the end of a very long 'grooming' chain, that starts with research into what people like at the moment. In fact, you're the absolute pinnacle of the 'grooming' chain, where all of the influencing M and S has done is paying off handsomely in the form of in-person recommendations - the most valuable form of 'grooming.' The point I'm making is that the idea that you're somehow outside of the 'influencing' world is nonsense - you might not follow influencers but you are in a world of products that succeed or fail based on how well companies get the word out. The fact that some do it via TV and others do it via social media is purely incidental.

Maybe the ones you follow but not the ones I do. One guy has his own food festival now, all from starting out doing restaurant reviews. He also helps struggling restaurants with money. Hardly 'mum's basement' behaviour.

Are they good restaurants?

Do you want to eat there?

What would you be achieving by boycotting them? Do you mean parading outside with a placard or just.....not going.

One of those is counter-productive and the other is not something anyone gives a shit about.

So you'd boycott them because they bought some advertising and paid (or part paid) for it in food?

I was groomed by my family to shop in the supermarkets I do because that is what I grew up with.
Where did I claim advertising doesn’t work? I literally said upthread we would display poor selling stock to shift it. What I said was I don’t follow influencers on social media because apart from MNs & WApp I don’t use it. And I like recommendations from people I trust & who know me. I had no idea that was an outrageous statement & somehow meant I thought advertising didn’t exist. Who knew 😆

Oh & I was a buyer for many years, I understand the selling process…

I've read things about cf influencers and people threatening businesses with bad reviews if they don't get free stuff, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. So it's really up to the owners what they do. Same as if they were giving their friends free meals.

If I saw somebody wearing something I liked i might compliment them on it. But going out and buying the same thing would be absolutely ridiculous. I'm not a copy cat! I had enough of being made to look like everyone else when I was at school.
If I need or want to buy something specific I will research it.
If I need a service I will similarly research it.
And yes I will listen to people's recommendations but I certainly wouldn't take them at face value without research.

I'm afraid i'm a natural rebel. If somebody tells me to do something, or buy something, or wear something my natural instinct is to say no.

That's why I find people behaving like sheep so weird. And taking notice of some cadger on social media is beyond ridiculous to me.

A food and drink instagramer (130k followers) I follow that champions local places did a review for a cafe in my local town. His review got picked up by local press and then bbc. If they paid for his pie and peas then it was a good return for them.
I treat like any other advertising. Food pics looked tasty so I might visit. It brought it to my attention (I knew cafe was there but never visited ) same way as billboard or tv advert would bring a bigger brand to my attention.

Its marketing/advertising in the modern world.

Where are you doing your research into what you choose?
Do you only ever buy unique, bespoked clothes?

Are you against advertising in general? Giving an influencer a free meal is cheaper than paid advertising and if the company own two restaurants and did the same in their last one then presumably they felt they got enough customers from doing this to make it worth doing again. If the majority of the 2000 followers are local and even if just 1% end up eating there that’s still 20 extra bookings.

Obviously you can boycott a restaurant for any reason you want but it isn’t really clear why you would do so just because they gave somebody a free meal in exchange for that person advertising their business. No business gets their marketing for free and social media is a valid and often very successful place to advertise.

It depends who it is on social media, surely?

If someone is really expert in their field, then following their social media account could be research?

For example, I follow someone who goes round tiny family-run Tokyo restaurants. I don't think there would be another source that cover those so comprehensively.

I know my husband follows some people who are very savvy on garden and car equipment.

God forbid a local business tries to do something that will promote their local business so it doesn't go bust.

Jeez, you don't have to like influencers but why on earth would you choose to punish a local restauranteur like this?

Have a conversation with them about it sure but my word, what a mad take.

I've chosen to eat in places after seeing them on Instagram but these are usually hyper local and the people eating in them are either friends or they're what you'd call "influencers" but they have a specific niche around e.g. independent food and drink businesses in Wales and they're really trustworthy - they're not some random insta person with that stereotyoical influencer look, their content is about the food, the origins, the careers of the chefs etc.

Why are you being so spiteful about this? It's so weird.

But you didn't leave because of the influencers, you left because of poor service?

Like you said, had the service been good you would have stayed

How would you like them to spend their marketing budget that won’t offend you into going elsewhere?

it’s just modern marketing surely.