Dishing it out: The rise of food bloggers

By Maryam El-Malak

Fish and chips in a sunny spring afternoon. Photography by Maryam El-Malak.

A bloggers job: capture every angle of a well plated dish. Videography by Maryam El-Malak

Celebrations, special occasions, romantic vacations.

These are some instances where food makes a grand appearance- and food bloggers want to find just the place for you.

But their help isn't always welcome by restaurants and cafes.

Fork in one hand and iPhone in the other, Simone Tan charges forward to help restaurants fill their chairs.

Day by day, picture after picture, Simone paves the way for restaurants’ success by posting reviews on her blog followed by more than 5,000 people.

Her repayment? Free food.

Eating around the city under the handle @simoneeats.perth, Simone started her page in 2017 just as a lover of food.

Now, businesses rely on her reviews to market their services.

“With social media continuing to be an increasingly influential platform, using food bloggers as a way to reach a wider audience has been a strategy many businesses have gotten on board with,” Simone said.

“It is a great form of publicity and is more affordable than hiring a Marketing/PR company - which is not always accessible for some small businesses.”

The impact of social media food bloggers on the restaurant industry has led to some businesses flourishing under the limelight.

A 2016 Roy Morgan study revealed 1,713,000 Australians read online journals or blogs for advice.

Mt Lawley restaurant Tagine Tapas and Grill owner Nancy Kennedy said food bloggers had created a huge amount of exposure for their restaurant.

“We invited food bloggers to the opening of our store," Nancy said.

"It was a great way to get those passionate about food excited about Moroccan cuisine, which isn't as well known in Perth as other cuisines.

“The promotion helped bring awareness to our business, it's a great tool for word of mouth”.

In its 2018 social media report, marketing analysts Sensis found of the report's 800 respondents, 68 per cent read online reviews or blogs before making a purchase decision.

Evidently being a prominent part of people’s lives, food bloggers are eating their way through to the world of marketing.

Award winning journalist and food writer Nardia Plumridge had mixed views on the blooming industry.

Morning cuppa- Nardia Plumridge sips her coffee while writing. Photo courtesy of Nardia Plumridge.

Morning cuppa- Nardia Plumridge sips her coffee while writing. Photo courtesy of Nardia Plumridge.

“Social media has become an important part of marketing and PR for restaurants, and food bloggers fit within this sphere," Nardia said.

“At the moment, most bloggers are considered amateur in the food industry and don’t have such a strong respect from professionals.

"Professionals normally have formal training as a critic/journalist. They are considered more respected because of impartial views and training in critical thinking.”

Mango PR chief executive Amanda Houghton said launching a food blog was a great way to start building a business, but it could be shut down just as fast.

“As a marketing specialist, I’ve seen many food blogs being shut down, and many more come after them,” Amanda said.

“Food blogging needs to be done right if someone wants to ethically make a name for themselves and be taken seriously in the industry.

"Social media has become a huge turning point for marketing businesses, and food bloggers need to take that into account when they write their reviews- not to mention the threat of a defamation case being thrown at them is very real.”

Not a blogger- Mango PR CEO also promotes food events. Photo courtesy of Amanda Houghton.

Not a blogger- Mango PR CEO also promotes food events. Photo courtesy of Amanda Houghton.

To protect the restaurant industry from unethical reviewers, Amanda said food bloggers needed regulation to ensure they were quality dependent.

Bloggers who did not regulate their reviews had the potential to negatively affect restaurants with their choice of words.

A 2020 study by researchers at Capterra revealed that 94 per cent of Australians deemed online reviews to be trustworthy, it is a daunting number when seen through a business lens.

Elance Fernando, co-owner and chef of popular Thornlie Indian restaurant Parivaar, said his experience with some food bloggers was best described as “unpleasant”.

“Most of our reviews have been positive, so we’re really lucky,” Elance said.

“But we’ve had a few instances where they weren’t very nice. It would have been better if the bloggers have spoken to us personally about it, because we know how much reviews can sway people away from businesses.

"We could have lost customers without even knowing.”

Simone Tan, however, vows against posting bad reviews, saying they can either make or break a business, particularly when very negative.

“As I value being authentic and honest in both my reviews and posts, I prefer to not post the dishes/restaurants that I have not personally enjoyed,” Simone said.

“I leave my reviews on the less subjective side as everyone has different food preferences and should be allowed to form their own opinion.

"Yet, it is still important to be transparent when promoting a business as paying customers should know what to expect.”

Nardia Plumridge had a similar outlook on talking about her bad experiences with food, saying reviewers needed to be clear about their neutrality and only tell the highlights of the menu to guarantee transparency.

“I am not here to tear a venue apart; I will only review a decent place worth telling readers about,” Nardia said.

“So my work is curated and therefore authentic and honest, always.

"Of course, you can kindly shy readers away from certain dishes if they are not a strong point of the offerings, however many dishes can be subjective to your tastes, so one must be careful here.”

Although restaurants like Parivaar raised ethical concerns and criticisms towards food bloggers, there’s little doubt that people will still continue to turn to them for the hottest food joint in the block as food bloggers take on the realm of influencers.

A frame by frame shot of noodles about to be devoured. Photography by Maryam El-Malak.