Why You Should Never Order From A Restaurant If The Reviews Are Full Of Influencers

You're about to order from a new restaurant, so you decide to quickly check the reviews. The restaurant is highly rated, and the reviews are absolutely stellar — though they mostly come from social media influencers. It's tempting to jump on the bandwagon and "run don't walk" to the restaurant they recommend, but before you take their pretty word for it, here's an angle to consider: influencer reviews are rarely genuine and objective. They don't represent the real picture of the restaurant and the kind of service that regular customers experience when visiting.

When restaurants know influencers are visiting, they know their reputations are on the line. Consequently, they are on their very best behavior. This pressure doesn't exist with regular customers. Surely, most influencers would push back on this notion, but restaurant owners have admitted in the past to giving influencers special treatment — serving them in a private room, offering their best food, and overall making their experience as elevated as possible. Not to mention, the influencers were eating for free. It's easy for influencers to see things through rose-tinted glasses because their experience with a restaurant was so positive (and well-compensated). But the unique service they received can vastly differ from the one regular customers do. It's impossible to generalize the experience of one person that holds the reins of PR in their hands to a wider population that can't benefit the restaurant with a social media shoutout.

Because influencers are compensated for their reviews (either with a free meal or direct payment), the relationship between them and the restaurant is transactional: both businesses benefit from the experience. The fact that they received compensation in exchange for a review is often hidden from their followers, replaced by the superlatives and catchy descriptions of the restaurant to entice viewers and drive engagement. Influencers know their audience, and they play to the gallery. They also pay attention to different aspects of the dining experience than a regular customer might — primarily, they're focusing on the visual aspects over the gustatory ones.

If you want to know how a restaurant truly operates on any regular day, and the quality of service it actually provides, look for reviews from regular folks. Normal customers don't have a stake in the matter, so their reviews (both positive and negative) are much more trustworthy. If a restaurant is visibly lacking in reviews from regular customers, in influencer lingo, that's pretty sus. Open Table, Yelp, and Google Reviews are all good places to scour for genuine reviews when social media isn't painting a realistic picture. And after you visit the place yourself, don't forget about leaving the most valuable review of all — word of mouth.