TikTok and Instagram are flooded with reels of food influencers hyping already viral restaurants or bringing hundreds of thousands of eyes to hidden gems. With sauce-stained lips, exaggerated chewing, and that signature hooked finger over their mouth, they urge viewers to “run, don’t walk” to these must-try spots. But how trustworthy are these glowing reviews?
Platforms like Yelp and Google Reviews long ago opened the door for anyone with an internet connection to play food critic. But the rise of short-form video has democratized the food-reviewing game to a whole new level. OnTikTok and Instagram, driving engagement is the name of the game, and posting hyperbolized reviews is one way to gain views and grow an audience.
It’s a formula that works, but it’s also drawn backlash. This month, the U.K.’s Guild of Food Writers called out these influencers, urging them to offer more “honest” reviews.
Vice president of the Guild of Food Writers, Chetna Makan—a London-based food creator herself—told BBC News NI that she “doesn’t trust” the majority of online food videos, largely because it’s become increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine reviews and gushing “collab posts.”
But judging by the size of some of their followings, plenty of others do seem to trust these influencers. Right now, perhaps the U.S.’s most famous restaurant critic is a Las Vegas resident named Keith Lee, who has 17 million TikTok followers but no official food or cooking credentials. In the days when legacy media controlled the flow of news and opinions, editors acted as gatekeepers, ensuring content met certain standards. But as Pete Wells, recently retired restaurant critic for the New York Times, told the Washington Post, “The everyman critic is more trusted than somebody who knows what they’re talking about.”
Makan said that much of today’s influencer-driven food content is “over the top,” lacking the depth, context, and culinary knowledge traditional food critics bring to the table. More to the point, restaurants frequently invite influencers for free meals in exchange for Instagram posts and TikTok videos. Beyond free meals, creators also can land lucrative brand deals, in which companies pay them directly to feature and promote products. According to Makan, some influencers are “supporting every brand under the sun.”
While the future of TikTok in the U.S. may still be in limbo, there’s no doubt that influencers and the platforms they populate will continue to play a huge role in food media. And as Makan bemoaned, “There are fewer food critics in print media because there is not much print media left.”
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