Editor's note: On 8 July 2009, following a huge response to this posting, we added extra text to the original blog (clearly marked in italics) to clarify a few points that appeared to have caused confusion. No text has been removed.
What do restaurants want in return for a free meal?
London food blogger Krista (aka Londonelicious) recently set off a fierce debate when she asked: ‘What if every guy or gal with a decent food or restaurant blog in London knew that they could possibly blag a free meal at most restaurants?’
She was referring to, of course, the recent spate of food bloggers being approached by PRs, companies and ‘brand ambassadors’ to review their restaurants or products. Take a look at the handful of London’s top food blogs and you’ll notice a succession of similar postings on places such as Hawksmoor, Green & Blue, Belgo and even Abel & Cole organic veg boxes. Or, the spate of postings about St John, resulting from its use as a venue by winemakers Bodegas Dinastia Vivanco and 'brand ambassador'-slash-wine blogger Robert McIntosh of Wine Conversation.
At Time Out we have learned, through the experience of tens of thousands of review meals over quarter of a century, that the most telling experiences of a restaurant are those of the average, unknown punter. And, for a time, food bloggers seemed to be the best people to look to in a city where many professional food critics are known and easily recognised faces (on the very rare occasions that Time Out critics get spotted, it has led to a completely different restaurant experience). These blogs offered Londoners an alternative source of restaurant reviews to the celebrity critics.
And so in recent months the PR pack has become savvier. They’ve latched onto food bloggers, whose combined influence is growing day by day. Some of the most prolific and better food bloggers such as Kang of London Eater, Lizzie of Hollow Legs, Helen of World Foodie Guide and Helen of Food Stories to name but a few, may not be trained journalists, or even writers, nor is their readership as large as any publication. But their increased visibility and influence in the food media has sent many eagle-eyed professionals scrambling to butter them up. What the PR pack may not yet realise is that a free meal does not necessarily equate to uncritical coverage.
'Invited to review'
The aim of such PR offensives is, of course, to generate favourable coverage to a readership who may not be aware of the difference between an ‘advertorial’ and ‘proper journalism'. After all, if they can’t manipulate trained journalists to write favourable reviews after a complimentary meal, why not target food bloggers instead? Ply them with free wine and all the lobsters and cow they can eat? What self-respecting food lover would turn down the chance of a free (or at least partially paid) meal at Sketch, Morgan M or Nahm - three of London's very best restaurants, that can be expected to garner praise even from the most critical critic? The danger of this is that many of us who have greatly enjoyed reading ‘average food blogger’ experiences of restaurants over the last couple of years are now in danger of being 'duped' – 'duped' in the sense that most readers assume that bloggers visit as anonymous customers. and receive no special treatment.
It’s a tricky subject. While it seems we can’t flick through a series of blogs these days without seeing the words ‘blogger feast’, ‘invite(d) to review’, or ‘free meal’, there have also been some highly critical posts of late from the same bloggers questioning the ethics of writing about free meals and events laid on to them. (Again, see Krista’s blog – and the resulting comments – for the great debate, or Chris of Cheese and Biscuits for his musings on the matter).
The cost of a free lunch
For Time Out’s reviewers, this is a very old argument. Restaurant critics have received much criticism over ‘not representing the punter’ and for supposedly having a skewed perspective of the restaurants they review. Among bloggers, the general consensus is that readers would rather trust the opinions of bloggers over critics. (We would argue that this depends, of course, on who the critic or the blogger is.) What, then, happens when this assumption is challenged? What is the value of a post that is compromised by the very act of accepting a free meal? Readers, I imagine, would feel rightfully betrayed.
In the US, the Yanks are planning to crack down on bloggers who fail to declare such conflicts of interest). Recently, the Food Blog Code of Ethics has been doing the rounds, with declarations such as ‘we will reveal bias’ and ‘we will disclose gifts, comps and samples’. It seems a good place to start – by acknowledging the extent to which they can be impartial about a restaurant. Whether or not someone will then take the review seriously is another question.
In the end, these ‘invite to review’ posts are but a fraction of what’s already out there. The food blog community is a real asset to anyone even remotely interested in eating. To discount all of them on the theory that some bloggers might only be in it for the freebies would be a fallacy. And it has to be said that all of the bloggers we’ve mentioned here have all offered full disclosure, by clearly stating those occasions when they have accepted a free meal or other favours.
In the end, it’s the reader who needs to make an informed choice. Be alert as to what are the genuine anonymous reviews, and what are the thinly-veiled advertorials. And be aware that there are many shades of grey in between.
And the debate seems likely to roll on. We credit Shuna Fish Lydon for raising another issue – should bloggers be asking for free meals or products for review?
Read Charmaine's response to your comments here
20 comments Add a comment
Очень полезный материал, но немного тяжёл для восприятия.Стоит писать более просто, дабы понять саму суть происходящегоДля более подробного анализа, решил прикрутить себе ленту новостей.
Hey Buddy, Nice site. Some useful and knowlegeable posts man :) I know, I am creeping,lol. I hope can produce something like this myself one day. Where did you buy your templates from? Hopefully some of you kind souls could help me out somewhat here. I am looking for someone who I was informed told used to be a member with this site. They used to use the name 'tubeoflaughs'. You see I am hoping to start my own website on cosmetics type products for items such as: laser teeth whitening prices (hence the where did you get your templates from,lol) but am having realllll difficulty getting hold of dropshippers for these goods. I had been in touch with this guy but my PC got stolen and unfortunately had all my contact details on it (I know, I know, should have backed it up :( ) So if you guys have heard or seen anything of him could you send me a message please? Failing that maybe one of you people knows someone? Also, which hosting do you use as I keep hearing bad stories about the host I am considering of hosting my site with. Also any other helpful tips you could give re starting up my site would be useful and much appreciated. I hope that someone has useful information on this Thanks Pal,
Хороший пост, прочитав пару книг на тему всё таки не взглянул со стороны, а пост как-то задел.
i guess it's up to the restaurant who decides whether they want to give away a free meal or not. whether it be to a blogger, friend, celebrity or family, it's their decision in the end.
Charmaine, I agree with a lot of the comments that have been left here so wont repeat them again as part of my comment. I think it would also be worth your while to do an exposé on how a lot of professional food writers know nothing about food and only end up as food writers because they are good writers, not because they have an interest in food. At least with bloggers, you know our interest is genuine.
I thought I would add my probably ill-informed point of view as a food blogger who has just agonised over accepting my first freebie. Whilst I understand that there are issues with freebies and the resulting reviews I do think it is unbalanced of Charmaine to level these criticisms entirely on bloggers without recognising the wider culture of freebies that exists, and existed before blogs were even around. Freebies and the resulting bias are as much of an issue for journalists and food critics as they are for bloggers. From recognisable food critics who may be treated better than the usual punters to travel writers who are reliant on freebies. This is surely a debate which is of interest to anyone who writes and reviews as a hobby or for a living. This article, however, comes across as more of a targeted attack on food bloggers.
Litho, the point that the Lizzie and others were making is that they were not invited there by St. John as was suggested in the article, so any comments they had on the restaurant were not influenced by the fact that they didn't pay for the meal.
Lizzie (Hollow Legs), that's exactly my point, you were being treated to a PR-led freebie, not a private dinner, and why an experienced blogger like Mr McIntosh who says he's been blogging since June 2006 would need you to advise him on "the impact of social media" I don't quite get. It would surely occur to any company that if they took bloggers out, then those folks might just blog about the experience - after all, isn't it what bloggers do ? Papers and magazines often have readers' editors or complaints procedures you can go through if you suspect bias or freebies, there's no effective equivalent for bloggers and I'd respect them more if they'd been a bit less precious about that dinner at St John. Certain bloggers quite clearly want to be seen as experts or even make the jump to traditional media, and again it's a bit precious perhaps to pretend otherwise.
I have to say that the first thought that sprang into my mind was the cheek of blagging a quick and easy (not to mention controversial) article by dragging the reputation of food bloggers through the mud! Hardly a great display of ethics by traditional journalism is it? As long as bloggers disclose their freebies, which I think is simply a matter of common courtesy to their readers, then what's the problem? Bloggers don't set ourselves up as authorities or imply that our opinions hold any more weight than those of other regular punters. We simply happen to have a passion for food and take enjoyment from sharing our experiences with others. Seems like a lot of people are making rather a big drama out of something that really doesn't merit it. And I think you owe those bloggers you have featured a big apology too.
I have to say that the first thought that sprang into my mind was the cheek of blagging a quick and easy (not to mention controversial) article by dragging the reputation of food bloggers through the mud! Hardly a great display of ethics by traditional journalism is it? As long as bloggers disclose their freebies, which I think is simply a matter of common courtesy to their readers, then what's the problem? Bloggers don't set ourselves up as authorities or imply that our opinions hold any more weight than those of other regular punters. We simply happen to have a passion for food and take enjoyment from sharing our experiences with others. Seems like a lot of people are making rather a big drama out of something that really doesn't merit it. And I think you owe those bloggers you have featured a big apology too.
I am the community manager for Fuelmyblog.com a network for bloggers that also connects companies with bloggers looking to review products. We always recommend bloggers to give an honest feedback on the company they are doing a review for. Sometime things go wrong and the bloggers will blog about it, what is really interesting is when companies engage directly with the blogger which is something we have witnessed several times. The blogger by being upfront and honest does not lose any credibility. It a great source of content for the bloggers and a unique chance for companies to engage and act on the feedback they are getting and gaining visibility at the same time. A journalist not only gets paid but also have free access and freebies at the flick of a press pass...just saying :)
I have to agree with the findings of this excellent piece of investigative journalism. The author of this piece is obviously highly intelligent, generous, honest and no doubt extremely attractive. I'd also like to add that the author is a beautiful human being who should be looked upto and admired by all. Please send my free Time Out subscription and £200 in used fivers to the usual address Charmaine.
Charmaine, it's wrong (and rather patronising) of you to assume certain food bloggers write 'advertorials' - a hideous term for a hideous concept. I've never read a London food blog that sounded like a press release. Every blogger I know – which is most of them – is honest about whether they pay for specific meals or not; and bloggers are clever enough to realise their credibility would be destroyed if they were found trading puff pieces for freebies. Your article links to a large number of blogs practicising full disclosure and giving unbiased reviews: I’d be grateful if you could point us to some of these ‘thinly-veiled advertorials’.
There seems to be, for lack of a better word scaremongering amongst journalists lately that food bloggers are prone to taking back handers for complimentary reviews or freebies, and that their more noble, trustworthy and principled journalist betters are immune to this. Despite not being (for the most part) professional writers, most food bloggers lavish a lot of time and effort on their blogs and build a reputation over many months and years....the idea that anyone would destroy this hard earned reputation and waste all that time invested for a free meal is simply ludicrous. Recently, I was offered a free Abel & Cole box for review - no favourable comments were asked for and none given if not deserved. I also plainly stated the box was free in the review. I'm quite happy to accept freebies for review, but I'd mention that clearly in the piece and reserve the right to slate the product or restaurant mercilessly if it wasn't upto much cop. So, a bit of a double edged sword there. Bearing that in mind, if anyone wants to try their luck, and send me free stuff of any description, obviously the more expensive the better, contact me through my blog.
Charmaine, I appreciate the main sentiments of the article, but you've made all the named/linked bloggers sound like two-bit hookers (though I'm sure you didn't mean to): This bit especially: "After all, if they can’t manipulate trained journalists to write favourable reviews after a complimentary meal, why not target food bloggers instead? Ply them with free wine and all the lobsters and cow they can eat? What self-respecting food lover would turn down the chance of a free (or at least partially paid) meal at Sketch, Morgan M or Nahm?" You're basically implying that: 1. Food bloggers can be bought to write favourable reviews; 2. Food bloggers have lower standards than "trained journalists". Neither of those propositions are particularly fair.
There are just a handful of restaurant critics in Delhi, (I'm one) so I'm not going to be coy and claim that nobody recognizes me and/or presses freebies on me. I accept them when there's no other way, but get this: an indifferent restaurant CANNOT turn out a brilliant meal just because a food critic is visiting. Average food will always be just that. I have no compunction in blasting them in print. I have made a fair number of enemies in the last decade.
I am assuming that none of the bloggers above were contacted about this? It seems a little ill informed and inflammatory. Invites to review are quite rare and restricted to a few blogs. I think it's good that the food blogging community (of which I am a member) is analysing this but it does seem that traditional print media is quick to jump up and down and point, now that they have an opportunity to do so.
"I hope my readers trust me to be as fair and as objective as possible, whether I'm paying for my meals or whether I'm attending an event or accepting a PR invite". I completely agree Helen. And yes, the St. John meal was not a PR organised event but a private dinner which we all happened to attend. Can I add to the list of things I would be reviewing if I accepted everything please? beer (not good beer), chocolate pizzas (yes, really), biscuits and about a million burritos. Also, if people think I am going to write a nice review of something just because it was free then they are very much mistaken. I'm not that nice ;) Just on the subject of bias too - food never tastes better because it was free - tastebuds are not directly linked to one's bank account.
Can I also add that the Sketch £50 voucher is available to anyone who wishes to join their facebook group, or even google it? I'd never ask for a free meal in return for a review, but if someone offers me a product that I'm genuinely interested in, then I'll try it out - with full disclosure to readers that it was a freebie, and full disclosure to the PR bods that I will give my honest opinion.
If you'd like me to link to this article on my blog, please send £50 to the usual address.
Add your comment