Before Instagram, Food Was Simply Food

HUR TABLE GUESTS

Sep 28

Before Instagram, Food Was Simply Food

With Sofie Thompson, Charlotte Forsyth and Emilie Holm

By HURS Team

We’re all endlessly broadcasting our lives to the world through social media. Showcasing every aspect, from the products we buy, to the people we spend time with, to where and what we eat. And we attach a significant amount of value to where we decide to spend our money. 24 percent of Millennials say that where they choose to dine reflects who they are as a person. Displaying our lifestyle through social media isn’t new, but it used to be mostly limited to showing off a newly purchased luxury handbag or perfume. Over the past few years many want to share aspects of their lives that focus less on the superficial and more on the in-the-know, and food has become the vehicle of choice. Sharing where and what you eat has become a greater signifier of your lifestyle as finding a specific restaurant with a great aesthetic and interesting dishes is simply more challenging than knowing where to buy the new Gucci bag. Has social media pushed us to a place where food has become more about showcasing your taste level instead of how the food on your plate tastes?

On the flip side, social media has been a great tool for restaurants and chefs to tell their story without potential diners having to set foot in their establishments. And consumers love consuming content around food. Almost half of consumers follow a social media account from a restaurant or food brand, and nearly 25 percent have chosen to dine somewhere based on social media posts or photos.

SOFIE THOMPSON
Sofie Thompson is the founder of Museum of Restaurants, an online platform celebrating spaces in hospitality. She also co-founded Hands, a business creating aesthetic food experiences for brands. By day, Thompson works in restaurant PR and marketing in London.

CHARLOTTE FORSYTH
Charlotte Forsyth is the co-founder of Hands, a business creating aesthetic food experiences for brands. Forsyth also works as a freelance social media creative, working across fashion, food and photography.

EMILIE HOLM
Emilie Holm is a creative consultant working with content creation, social media & PR for restaurants, interior and fashion brands in Copenhagen. Holm has worked within communications for restaurants since the beginning of her career and decided to go freelance four years ago to work with restaurateur Frederik Bille Brahe (Atelier September, Apollo Bar, Kafeteria), who she’s worked with since then.

We asked three industry insiders about how social media has influenced the restaurant industry, food as an extension of brands and the change they hope to see in the future.