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The operators of a small storefront Korean restaurant in Richmond are lamenting their decision to host a publicity event for foodies, after a so-called influencer ordered over $600 worth of free food and failed to post anything either good or bad about the visit.
Cherry’s Food House on Alexandra Road opened just before the pandemic hit, and its owners admit they have struggled to thrive since the disruption. The foodie freebie night was aimed at picking up some new admirers on social media, but it backfired.
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“We are often labelled by our customers as the ‘hidden gem,’ but we can’t afford to be hidden anymore,” Cherry’s wrote on social media early this week. “So we started Instagram and invited food influencers to help.”
“One influencer” took things too far, said Cherry’s.
“One influencer came in with a plus one and ordered $600 worth of food. Our menu items are on the inexpensive side so you can imagine that is A LOT of food for two people.”
The owners say the pair “enjoyed their meal and took several trips to carry the leftovers to their car.”
Cherry’s said they feel “taken advantage of” — but have opted to take the high road.
They don’t want to expose the influencer and in a later post, they explained why: “To avoid cyberbullying. Cancel culture can get really scary sometimes and while what they did was distasteful, they deserve a lesson learned and another chance.”
The restaurant said “they did us a favour by coming to our media visit. It was our invitation,” so they aren’t seeking anything more than a good word from whomever scooped up the big haul — even if it has to be anonymous to avoid backlash.
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The owners also said it was “on us” that they didn’t set a limit beforehand, and that staff were “uncomfortable” at the time about telling the pair to order less.
Still, it “leaves a bad taste in our mouths,” and Cherry’s wanted to warn other restaurateurs to set a spending limit and not be overly trustful hosting such events.
“The reason for this post is not to shame anyone,” Cherry’s wrote. “We hope to shine a light on the struggling local small businesses of Vancouver. The pandemic is over, but we are still in the thick of its aftermath. Please support local and small as much as you can. And if you can’t, don’t do the opposite.”
Alana Yee, who writes about food @yvreats and has over 40,000 followers, said she was “disgusted.”
“I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now and lately I’ve been hearing about the atrocious behaviour of some ‘foodies’ and it makes me so angry!” wrote Yee.
“What we have is a privilege, and we should NEVER take advantage of it … It just ruins it for everyone and I am absolutely disgusted by this behaviour! Just know that there are good people out there who genuinely want to support you.”
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In a followup post, Cherry’s thanked everyone for their support and encouragement but reiterated they don’t want to “out” the influencer. “How viral this post has gone is beyond our expectations, and we know that by revealing their name and account, (it) will lead to very massive cyberbullying.”
They concluded, “We believe the goal of our (post) has already been achieved and more … We see no further purpose to reveal that influencer, other than to inflict harm. In this situation, and in all, let’s choose kindness.”
The restaurant said it has no plans to comment further on the situation.
jruttle@postmedia.com
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