Restaurateurs, chefs and waiters working in the US are fed up with TikTok influencers wanting to eat free meals at restaurants. This has been reported New York post.
“People want a free meal with four friends on a Saturday night. We say “no” to influencers more often than “yes”, says Stratis Morfogen, owner of Brooklyn Chop House.
According to him, the institution receives about 200 applications a year, and one out of every three “influencers” turns out to be a scammer.
“A true journalist or blogger would never ask for free food,” said Morfogen. “They turned their personal brand into a fraudulent business.”
Sabino Curcio, co-owner of the Anthony & Son Panini Shoppe in Brooklyn, told the publication that influencers shouldn’t be asking for free meals.
“Get a relationship with us,” he says, referring to TikTok stars. “Gently ask if we can support you before you take anything from us, come back another time, then we can meet halfway.”
However, according to ad agency MGH, TikTok influencers are considered key figures in the restaurant business. In 2021, 36% of TikTok users visited a restaurant after seeing it on a social media video. Of these, 55% visited the restaurant because the food in the video “looks appetizing.”
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