With the rise of influencers, it feels like you can’t trust anyone these days with what they recommend. You can’t even tell when someone genuinely loves something or they are subtly advertising to you.
I just miss the old internet, pre-2016, when nothing was transactional and people did things just because they enjoyed them.
I feel like half the fun in writing these blogs is the rawness, and sheet-talking under the armor of free speech, you can’t sue me.
So trying to imagine suddenly I’m an influencer, then this will feel like a job rather than a hobby project, as I always wanted it since the start.
If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, or any other platform where people pretend their food opinions are professional, you’ve probably encountered the average Nairobi restaurant influencer.
They promise to show you the best food, the best ambiance, and the best…well, whatever’s trending this week.
But you gotta give it to them…they always show the best ambiance, for food they slap everything with a 10/10 or 9.5/10, and say the food they had there was the best ever.
Personally, I don’t throw the word “best” around, so that when I really find the best, it can go down as the best and not every other place I’ve been to before.
Another aspect of restaurant review influencers…and I use that term as loosely as I can…….and if you’re wondering why I’m being harsh on these people, just know that I have multiple second-hand accounts of them being absolute narcissists
When they happen to be somewhere, they have to let the restaurant know who the f they are, maybe show the following they have on social media to get special treatment and freebies…. that is their game plan.
Super disgusting. Critics don’t let you know that they are critics, and they don’t throw around their name or social media following because they want to make sure they get a genuine experience from the restaurant.
1. It’s Always Been Transactional…
Restaurant influencers in Nairobi operate under an unwritten rule: say something nice, even if the food is average
See, when someone’s getting compensated to post about a restaurant, their opinions tend to be… a little more diplomatic than they should be. The problem is, this diplomacy doesn’t always involve telling the truth.
If you’re part of the influencer circuit, you might get a free meal, but you’ll pay for it in the form of sunshine reviews.
For the bigger influencers, it’s the restaurants reaching out and making a deal, how much money should we pay you?
Restaurants, like every other business these days have ditched traditional advertising and are using influencers whom many people trust.
Many of the smaller food influencers normally reach out to restaurants to “work with them,” and they are just looking for a way to free food. They mostly reach out saying something on the line of “Would love to give you a wonderful review”
But if the restaurant turns them down, it will be retaliation like “I will come on my own dime and let all my 12k followers know everything I find wrong with the place.”
For damage control, restaurants sometimes cave in and just offer them a comp meal.
With way too much time on their hands and an overinflated sense of self, first, they always order the most expensive food on the menu.
And if you were wondering how the influencer you follow goes to restaurants every week and spends like 10k worth of food? Now you know.
I’m sure restaurants hate greedy influencers who demand free food in exchange for publicity. Don’t be one of them.
I have had restaurants reach out, but I have always made it known I don’t accept comped meals….It just beats the essence of a restaurant review.
2. The Great Filtered Lie
Overly fake excited voice shrieking, “If you want the best burger in Nairobi, you have to go to xxx”. This gets an immediate, “don’t show me posts from this account anymore”.
I have zero interest in following someone who is just being paid to advertise places in a deceptive manner.
Also Read: The 5 Best Burger Joints in Nairobi Right Now
3. The Overexposure of Mediocre Spots
Here’s the thing about influencers: they love promoting the newest, shiniest restaurant, which, unfortunately, often turns out to be a case of “all sizzle, no steak.”
Restaurants that can afford to pay influencers’ fees end up getting more visibility than they deserve
You end up spending your time, energy, and, let’s be honest, money, on places that are all about aesthetics and garbage food.
So, while you were looking forward to trying that “must-visit” or “hidden gem” restaurant, you walk in only to be greeted by an atmosphere that screams “Instagramable,” but a food that screams, “You cook better at home.”
4. Ambiance > Flavor?
Nairobi restaurant influencers seem to forget that while mood lighting and minimalistic furniture are great for your IG story, they don’t add any flavor to your plate.
5. Their Influence Is… Influenced
Let’s talk about how influencers influence each other. There’s a certain herd mentality that sweeps through the restaurant scene, where one influencer sings the praises of a particular spot, and suddenly, every other influencer follows.
There is no problem with taking recommendations to review, I do that sometimes from Nairobi Eats… It’s just how they do it, they all say the same thing, no one adds something new, just copy-pasting each other in the most NPC way possible.
It’s almost like a sheepdog leading a flock to “the next big thing” – except, most of the time, it’s just another overhyped, overpriced restaurant where the food’s barely better than your current favorite spot.
In Conclusion
So, what’s the takeaway from this? If you’re searching for real restaurant recommendations in Nairobi, take influencer “reviews” with a grain of salt.
Maybe listen to a friend who actually has taste buds, and if you don’t have friends because you are a lonely saddo…You could maybe listen to people who are actually critical in their reviews?
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