Restaurant Owner Goes Viral after Responding to Influencers

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. exposure / ɪkˈspoʊ ʒər / (n) – public attention
    Example:

    People are more likely to buy a product with good exposure.


  2. bring in / brɪŋ ɪn / (phrasal) – to cause someone or something to come to a place
    Example:

    Advertising can help bring in more customers.  


  3. boast / boʊst / (v) – to speak too proudly and excessively about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities
    Example:

    She boasted that she had worked with many famous celebrities.


  4. considerate / kənˈsɪd ər ɪt / (adj) – thoughtful of other people's rights and feelings
    Example:

    My considerate boss allowed me to go home early without using a vacation day when my son got sick.


  5. garner / ˈgɑr nər / (v) – to collect or gather
    Example:

    My favorite movie garnered several awards.


Article

Read the text below.

A restaurant owner from Barcelona, Spain, has gone viral on the internet for his response to influencers who wanted to dine for free.


Topik, a restaurant in Barcelona’s Eixample [uhSHAM-pla] district, posted screenshots on their official Twitter account of a message from influencers who introduced themselves as Mikel and Roberta.  The influencers wanted Topik to invite them to eat in the restaurant for free in exchange for exposure on their social media accounts. The pair promised to dedicate an Instagram post with different photos that would promote Topik’s finest selections and bring in customers. The influencers boasted that they manage the @foodgordidos profile on Instagram, which they claimed has over 22,000 followers and gets more than 1,000 likes on every post.


The owner rejected the influencers’ proposal to eat for free and pointed out their lack of empathy.


In the post, Topik asked if the influencers were aware of what was happening to restaurants in Barcelona during the pandemic. The post mentioned that the restaurant had lost almost $70,000 since March of last year. The owner also stated that the influencers needed to consider that some of its employees had to be temporarily suspended from working.


Many Twitter users praised Topik for its response. One user said that the influencers should have been more considerate of how food businesses were doing during the pandemic. Another Twitter user said that despite having over 25,000 Instagram followers, he would still pay for a meal at the restaurant like any other customer and not ask to eat for free.


Topik’s post has since garnered more than 6,000 likes, 2,000 retweets, and 600 replies.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think the owner of Topik was right to turn down the influencers? Why or why not?
• Do you think Topik’s response will have a huge impact on the influencers? Why or why not?

Discussion B

• Do you think influencers can effectively promote products and services? Why or why not?
• If you had a business, would you hire an influencer to promote it? Why or why not?