You’ve been influenced: Inside the restaurant-influencer relationship
One of the most interesting facets I learned at two previous positions working in restaurant marketing was the inner workings of the restaurant-influencer relationship. In both of those jobs, I was running various restaurants’ Instagram accounts, and managing the DMs was often hectic.
Every day, I’d receive requests from influencers for free food in exchange for content. I was instructed to accept these “collabs” depending on the influencers’ follower count, how high performing their posts and videos were and if they focused their content in a geographic region that would be beneficial for the restaurant.
At the same time, I was tasked with DM’ing influencers with substantially large followings, asking if they would be open to “collabs.” And often, the rate of pay was shockingly high: $300 for an influencer with 20,000 Instagram followers, $800 for one with 141,000, and even $1,000 for an influencer with 41,000.
It got me thinking: Does the average person picking up their phone and swiping through Instagram understand that plenty of seemingly organic content is actually paid for? This week, I took a deep dive into the restaurant-influencer relationship in an aim to demystify and break down what’s going on behind the scenes. I hope the information it contains is beneficial to influencers, restaurant owners and consumers alike.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
How food influencers fit into Silicon Valley’s restaurant industry
The restaurant industry is changing the way it’s marketing itself, and foodies are capitalizing on this shift. Gain a few thousand followers and unlock access to a world of comped meals and even monetary compensation – all for posting videos.
A new Coastside taproom, holiday drag brunch and foraging event
- A new Pacifica taproom recently opened amid two Coastside brewery closures.
- Pioneering Peninsula winemaker Robert Mullen has died at age 99.
- Take a look at Peninsula Food Runners, a local nonprofit that distributes excess food from tech firms, supermarkets and public schools to food pantries, congregations, senior centers and affordable housing and food insecurity nonprofits.
- Forager and herbalist Cindy Li is hosting an edible and medicinal plant and mushroom walk Friday from 9-11 a.m. in Palo Alto. The event is free for East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks and Belle Haven residents.
- Valley Goat in Sunnyvale is hosting a “Mariah Carey-coded, sparkle-forward holiday drag brunch” Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Chinese restaurant Dumpling Delight recently opened in Millbrae. It specializes in steamed dumplings, soup dumplings and hand-pulled noodles.
- Ume Tea, a Cupertino-founded boba chain, held its Los Gatos grand opening Nov. 22.
- Los Gatos Roasting Company is temporarily closed after a car drove into its storefront on Thanksgiving.
Brunch at Gardenia
Gardenia has been on my to-try brunch list for some time now. Not only is it located in a gorgeously charming Victorian mansion, but it’s got a full bar and a food menu with twists on classics — think mac and cheese with roasted red peppers and cured egg yolk, and deviled eggs made from soy-marinated eggs topped with flying fish roe and pickled serrano peppers. There are plentiful vegetarian and vegan options, such as “eggs” made from mung beans, and a coffee menu developed in part by celebrity barista Morgan Eckroth.
The coffee and tea menu is extensive, with various pour-overs, batch brews, tea blends and more. A section for seasonal drinks had enticing options such as cilantro jalapeno lemonade, but I opted for the Sichuan Latte, made with housemade Sichuan pepper-infused orange syrup, and the Lila Latte, made with ube, mango, oak-infused vanilla and coconut cream ($7). Both were absolutely delicious, with the Sichuan Latte skewing sweeter than the Lila, which was more earthy.
I continued the ube theme with my entree, a scallion ube waffle topped with an umami spice fried chicken thigh and Cajun butter ($25). The waffle was pillowy, the chicken ultra crispy with an out-of-this-world seasoning blend and the Cajun butter added another layer of decadence to the dish. This was one of the most flavorful renditions of chicken and waffles I’ve ever had. My one critique? The amount of chicken seemed a bit low compared to the size of the waffle.
Gardenia, 115 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos; 669-294-4498, Instagram: @gardenialosgatos. Open Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Contemporary Japanese restaurant Sushi Roku has its Bay Area debut at Palo Alto’s Stanford Shopping Center
Find edamame hummus, American wagyu gyoza and sushi rolls with white truffle pesto and popcorn shrimp tempura
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