Social Media and its Effects on the Restaurant Industry

Since the turn of the century smartphones have made an immeasurable impact on the world, increasing the capabilities of humans, easing communication, and the sharing of information from person to person. Its impact has had effects on virtually every industry, however through the advent of social media, its impact on the food industry has been exponential. Sharing experiences, opinions, flavors, quality of food, and the restaurants themselves has become seamless.

Guerilla Tacos, a high end Michelin Guided taqueria based in the Arts District is a prime example of a restaurant which has exploded in popularity with the help of social media. When Guerilla first started, Chef Wes Avila opened it as a taco stand on the side of the road, serving tacos with a unique twist. While his competition served the age old classics - carne asada, pollo, and pastor - Avila did something completely different. He used ingredients such as uni, yellowtail, scallop, and sweet potato; initially customers were skeptical but after giving his food a taste, they were left in awe. Word spread like wildfire on apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and most helpfully: Yelp. He received rave reviews, so much so that his taco stand turned into a food truck. Upon the inception of the Guerilla Truck, Avila was shocked to find that the famed food critic Jonathan Gold had written glowing reviews of his food. After Gold’s article - where he mentions the copious amounts of taco photos on his iPhone- Guerilla’s customer base expanded again. Diners took to social media which created exorbitant amounts of foot traffic to his food truck. Guerilla’s website explains that “he wasn't setting out to do something different—he was setting out to do something good—to cook food that was a reflection of all the culinary experiences that had shaped his identity; to have a place where he could freely express himself over the stove.” However, what Avila thought was simply good food LA thought was new, different, and absolutely delicious. Due to social media word spread like wildfire, which led to his opening of his first storefront location in the Arts District.

While Avila’s story is one of the many successes, social media can also have a detrimental effect on restaurants. In speaking with Tyler Wilson, owner of Wurstkuche, explained that a myriad of restaurants in the Los Angeles area have decreased greatly in popularity and even closed due to negative reviews on Yelp and other forms of social media. He stated that negative reviews are far more harmful than positive ones, so even a few bad experiences can lead to the extreme detriment of a given restaurant.

In sum, the restaurant industry is one that has been prominent in our world for hundreds of years and will continue to perpetuate for centuries to come. Technology and social media has played a huge role in perpetuating the global food scene. Its prominence is so strong that it has the power to make or break a given restaurant, which many disagree with; however, the people’s opinions must be known, they must be heard in order for restaurants to continue to succeed - even if it leads to the detriment of others.