I live in the Barbican in London. The Brutalist estate has long featured in magazines and newspapers, and now it’s a popular backdrop for social media. Every day I use a concrete staircase to get from my flat to the Tube, but in recent years it’s been taken over by people filming and taking photos. I didn’t mind until one TikToker acted as if the stairs were theirs, making me and others wait until they’d got their shot. The same thing – this unwarranted sense of entitlement – now seems to be happening in restaurants.
It’s now fairly standard for diners to snap their food with their smartphones, whether for a personal memory or to post on social media. As long as it’s discreet and the flash is off, I think that’s absolutely fine. But the surge of TikTokers and influencers turning restaurants into film sets – with ring lights, tripods and even outfit changes – goes too far and undermines the dining experience for the other customers.
Last week top London restaurateur Jeremy King wrote a piece in London’s Evening Standard voicing his frustration with influencers and their increasingly intrusive behaviour in his restaurants, especially at the Park in Bayswater. His conclusion: ban unauthorised filming.
Of course, social media is vital to restaurant publicity and has clear benefits – but not every viral moment is a win. When a single dish takes off, restaurateurs and chefs say they’re flooded with diners coming to eat that dish and only that dish. You don’t need me to tell you that’s not a recipe for a successful business.
And the problem is wider than just a desire to be seen on social media. It stems from people not understanding how to behave in a restaurant, per se. I’ve seen influencers stand on chairs to take photos; I’ve seen them take plates of food closer to a window for better lighting… the list goes on.
I believe that a great restaurant experience is a mix of elements – food, setting, ambience and company – all working together to bring joy. They are places for diners to be present and enjoy the moment – they are not theme parks or playgrounds for content creators.
So what’s the solution? There are now places that take customers’ phones away at the beginning of a meal or provide guests with a sticker to put over their camera. Is this the future? I hope not. Like many things in life, the majority can be trusted to behave appropriately – it’s the minority who ruin it for everyone else.
