What Gordon Ramsay Thinks Of Social Media Food Influencers

As the world continues to grow ever more dependent on technology, the landscape around the restaurant industry is transforming at a rapid pace. Of course, there's the use of AI in restaurant kitchens — but don't get us started on that. Perhaps more pressing for the day-to-day lives of chefs and restauranteurs, is that, according to a Toast survey, an almost unbelievable 40% of diners find new restaurants by way of Instagram and food influencer reviews. This means that anyone with internet access and a following has the potential to sway public opinion. Naturally, chefs have some thoughts about this. However, Gordon Ramsay's take on the matter is far more measured than you might expect. 

"Yeah, that's a tough one, isn't it," Ramsay tells The Takeout, when asked about his thoughts on food influencers. "There's 50% of the industry that can't stand them," Ramsay adds. "And then there's the other side ... it goes viral, [and] your dining room is full for the next six months. And so I always say, 'Hey, move with it or it moves you.'" In fact, Ramsay has a good relationship with food influencers, and admires how savvy and well informed foodies tend to be — especially compared to some food critics he's dealt with in the past. 

Gordon Ramsay may be down for the turning tides of the restaurant industry, if only because it reduces the power once held by food critics. "The long-winded poison pen of the six-week lead-in and the critics coming in undercover is absolute utter bulls***," he says, noting, " I get frustrated with being judged by individuals that know less about food than I do." What's more, Ramsay believes that restaurant staff should be given a little more grace. We are all just people, after all. "Yes, we have bad nights. Yes, we have and make mistakes, but so does anyone in their normal line of work."

By all accounts, Ramsay is pretty hard to work with, but his complaints about uninformed food reviews are totally valid. One issue he's seen arise as the link between social media and restaurants grows more pronounced is fraudulence. For one, folks who know Ramsay but not his new restaurant may pen something based on his reputation rather than what he's currently presenting. Even worse, he says, are the people who have opinions without ever stepping foot in the establishment. "We've got those individuals that go online, write reviews, and don't even go to the f***ing restaurant. What does that say?" This is why some believe that apps like TikTok are so toxic for restaurants. If an influencer feels slighted by a restaurant and takes it to the internet, their following might bring the hammer down on the eatery, writing negative reviews meant to tank the businesses.

Static Media owns and operates Mashed and Tasting Table.