On Aug. 23, food creator Kevin Noparvar (known by his handle @how.kev.eats) posted a review of the newly opened Danny Boy's Pizza in Westwood, munching on slices of cheese and pepperoni in his car calling it “a little 'of the best pizza I ate in Los Angeles” The video has racked up (as of this writing) 2.2 million views on TikTok and another million on Instagram.
Cut to two weeks later, Noparvar says, “and the owner [chef Daniel Holzman] it was like, 'Man, I needed to hire more people. I couldn't keep up; there isn't enough space to make as many pizzas as the orders we receive.' The creator adds, “I have stories after stories after stories of these.”
Food influencers are changing the way Hollywood eats, determining the next hot reservation or must-have bite with the release of a single video. Noparvar, who has 3.4 million followers on TikTok, joins Rick Lox and Jack's Dining Room as some of Los Angeles' top social media foodie accounts, who are having a profound impact on the city's dining scene.
Jack Goldburg, who is the face of @jacksdiningroom with more than a million followers on both TikTok and Instagram, has plenty of personal stories about restaurants exploding in popularity after his posts, including Larchmont's Le Coupe (“They have literally had to hire three new folks and stay two hours later”), Santa Monica's Layla Bagels and West LA's beloved taco stand Brothers Cousins.
“It's a win-win,” Goldburg says. “They're really excited to see us come in and try their food, and they love seeing the content we create. And then, when the content increases, they are always overrun.” He also highlights that “an important thing for me in the end is that we never promote negativity. If we don't like something, we won't publish it”, especially when it comes to more structured structures. small.
This group of creators largely rejects the title of food critic, although Noparvar and Rick Lox both score restaurants on a scale of 1 to 10. Noparvar says he refuses to accept free food or have conversations with an owner before of a review so you can remain objective. Adam Alper, the creator of the @ricklox account, with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and 200,000 on TikTok, says he usually pays, but if they insist: “I tell the restaurant up front that, even though it's free, I'll give the My 100% honest opinion on things doesn't suit you guys, so I kindly forgo coming.”
Alper does not pretend to have the gastronomic background to be considered a critic “in the manner of Jonathan Gold at the time Los Angeles Times or Pete Wells a The New York Times“, but “I think people are increasingly turning to food content creators, rather than actual food writers, to guide their food decisions.”
And what do the city's restaurateurs think of the success of their business that was the subject of a 60-second video on social media? This is a more complicated answer.
Chef Dom Crisp, who's behind The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park, admits he's previously been “with the whole crowd of, 'Oh, I think food influencers are silly; they kind of profit from the restaurants without doing any work,'” but after meeting some of them, he quips, “Consider me a changed man.”
The chef, who says he's willing to work with creators to trade free meals for jobs, credits them with their ability to “create that kind of desire to be here.”
Other restaurateurs are quicker to point out the downsides of going viral. Even (or especially) when reviews are positive, companies are often unprepared for the rush that follows. Explains chef Johnny Ray Zone of influencer favorite Howlin' Rays (which has locations in Chinatown and Pasadena): “It can be difficult for family-owned restaurants that serve say 60 customers a day, and then all of a sudden they all have a line of about 1,000 people.
Pizzeria Apollonia in Mid-City has been a prime example of this, as content creators, including Barstool's pizza czar, Dave Portnoy, have repeatedly lauded it as one of the best spots in Los Angeles.
“They say be careful what you ask for; That's what we're dealing with right now,” says chef and co-owner Justin De Leon. “Some people think it's a slow pizzeria that can kill you. For us, the busiest times have my staff on edge: 'Enough's enough.' “. There is no end in sight, and when you are too busy, this can also lead people to reevaluate what they really want to do.”
For years, Apollonia operated as a local pizzeria, but after going viral on multiple occasions, De Leon says, “Unfortunately, we lost a lot of customers in our neighborhood due to the power of a review,” with lines often down the block . . He has also had many creators ask for free meals in exchange for posting, which he is staunchly against.
“There are some who like to use the word 'collaboration,' but from my point of view it's not collaboration,” adds De Leon. “It's more about a free lunch… especially in Los Angeles, you don't know who can be a serious critic.”
Regardless, their impact cannot be denied, and food influencers (like mega influencer Keith Lee) don't seem to be slowing down. Goldburg, who launched his Yes Chef food festival in New York this summer and plans to bring it to Los Angeles in 2025, says Goldburg: “Obviously there are places that are institutions with or without content creators, but there are a lot of places who were not listened to.” From. You have the right content creator or influencer who comes in to make a video and it becomes like the new commercial. Videos can reach millions of people in 24 hours – magazines, TV and any other form of advertising would never be able to deliver the impact these apps and people have overnight.”
This story appears in the Oct. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to sign up.